Development of Young Children Grant

The Supporting Healthy Development of Young Children program, funded by the Rev. Takie Okumura Family Fund, is administered through the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation. This initiative focuses on improving the health, development, and long-term outcomes for Hawaiʻi’s most vulnerable children between the ages of 0 and 5, particularly by supporting nonprofit organizations delivering direct services to children and their families. The funder, rooted in a longstanding commitment to community well-being and equity, channels its resources to promote nurturing environments for children in early developmental stages. The program emphasizes reducing disparities in access to essential supports by funding interventions tailored to vulnerable populations across the state. The overarching goal of the program is to ensure equitable access to resources that nurture physical, emotional, and cognitive development in young children. The funder encourages applicants to align their programs with one or more key focus areas: family strengthening, mental health support, and mitigation of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) through positive childhood experiences. Within family strengthening, the fund prioritizes building resilience among parents, enhancing knowledge of child development, and improving parenting capabilities. Mental health support includes providing access to infant and early childhood behavioral health services, particularly in underserved or remote areas, and leveraging innovative engagement methods with mental health professionals. Programs aiming to address ACEs are expected to foster environments that promote positive, healthy interactions between caregivers and children. The fund strongly emphasizes support for children experiencing housing or food insecurity, living in rural communities, or otherwise identified as high-risk through relevant data. Organizations applying should be able to demonstrate a clear connection to these target populations. The program particularly values solutions that are both direct in their service delivery and responsive to the specific social and emotional needs of young children. The grant offers up to $20,000 per year for two years, beginning in May 2025, making the total potential award per grantee up to $40,000. Applications may be submitted by nonprofit organizations or programs operating with a fiscal sponsor. All applicants are expected to provide services that are geographically relevant to vulnerable communities within Hawaiʻi and must align their work with one or more of the fund's focus areas. At the time of writing, the application portal is closed, but the next cycle is anticipated for 2025–2027, with a likely opening in early 2025 based on past timing. The submission process requires interested applicants to apply through the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation’s Grants Portal when open. There is no indication of pre-application steps such as letters of intent, though applicants with fiscal sponsors should ensure all formal documentation is in place. Applicants are encouraged to consult the Foundation’s regional offices across O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, Maui, and Hawai‘i Island for further guidance. While no contact person is named, general phone numbers and email contacts are provided on the Foundation’s site. There is no explicit mention of evaluation criteria, but the fund’s focus on direct service delivery, alignment with focus areas, and geographic targeting of priority populations suggests that these elements will be central to proposal review. Given the program’s biennial recurrence and its alignment with a strategic vision for supporting early childhood, prospective applicants are encouraged to prepare for the anticipated next round by reviewing the fund’s priorities and assessing program alignment accordingly.