Infant & Toddler Care: Operating Support

With the support of a $2,838,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., the Kosciusko County Community Foundation established the Infant & Toddler Care: Operating Support initiative to improve access to high-quality early learning opportunities for children ages 0–3 in Kosciusko and Whitley Counties, Indiana. The foundation aims to enhance the capacity of nonprofit and school-based childcare programs by providing operating support grants to eligible organizations. This funding opportunity is available to nonprofit and school-based programs that serve children ages 0–3 in Kosciusko and Whitley Counties. Eligible proposals must either directly impact the care of infants and toddlers or increase the number of young children that a program is capable of serving. Funding can be used to support staffing, utilities, rent, insurance, or other ongoing operational costs, but may not be used for capital improvements, renovations, or equipment purchases. While the grant is primarily intended for operational capacity-building, limited support for expanded programming may be considered if tied directly to infant/toddler services. Applicants may request up to $60,000 in total support through the grant period, which extends until December 2026 or until all funds have been awarded, whichever comes first. The grant includes structured installment payments tied to reporting milestones: an initial $30,000 is provided upon approval and signing of the agreement, followed by $20,000 and $10,000 payments respectively upon successful reporting and approval by the Foundation. Reports must include receipts, paid invoices, and detailed financial statements (such as income and expense statements and balance sheets). Applicants are required to contact the Foundation to discuss their proposal with a program officer prior to submission. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis beginning March 2024. The timeline includes quarterly decision cycles, with submission deadlines in February, April, July, and October and decision notifications following 4–6 weeks after each due date. The final application window closes in December 2026, though it may close earlier if all funds are distributed prior to that date. Applicants must use the Foundation’s online grant system to submit their applications. A sample application and access to the portal are available at the Foundation’s childcare grant webpage. Questions and application discussions should be directed to Alex Hall, Vice President of Programs, by phone at 574-267-1901 or by email at alex@kcfoundation.org. Because this opportunity is tied to specific local outcomes, eligibility is limited to organizations located in or serving Kosciusko and Whitley Counties. Capital project proposals are ineligible under this grant initiative.

Discuss your project with the program officer before applying. Be sure to prepare detailed financial reports for multi-year documentation.