Current Grant Opportunities

ECHO Fund Grants

The Early Childhood Opportunity (ECHO) Fund is an innovative grant program that seeks to increase access to high-quality early care and education for Louisiana children, birth through age four, by directly funding child care programs and the nonprofits that serve them.

Current ECHO Fund Grant Opportunities

Opportunity #1: Fall 2022 Orleans ECHO Fund Seat Augmentation for Children with Disabilities Grant – Application Closed

The Fall 2022 Orleans ECHO Fund Seat Augmentation for Children with Disabilities Grant will provide grants in amounts between $1,000 to $20,000 to assist licensed Type III Early Learning Centers and Family Child Care Providers with Academic Approval in Orleans Parish. Grants are intended to provide early learning programs with resources to craft an appropriate, intentional, and supportive environment in accordance with IDEA law for currently-enrolled children with exceptional physical or medical needs, children with exceptional cognitive needs, and/or children with exceptional behavioral or emotional needs.

Programs can apply for grants toward expenses related to serving children with disabilities, regardless of the child’s funding source, including, but not limited to:

• professional development related to serving children with disabilities
• part-time staff/teacher(s) to provide extra classroom support; materials and equipment (ex. appropriate chairs, sensory materials, ramps)
• technical assistance
• reimbursements for services paid for by the program since July 1, 2022 or to close the expense gap on services prior to July 1, 2023; and
• evaluation services.

The examples provided here are not the only acceptable use of funding, and are shared only as an example. Grant requests will not be awarded for applications seeking funding for ASQ screening kits, standard curriculum kits, technology with no explicit and defined purposes related to meeting the needs of children with disabilities, CDA/ECAC/CNA tuition, or for materials or environments that are not in accordance with the least restrictive environment as outlined by IDEA law.

Quality grant applications must provide a compelling narrative, demonstrate need, and clearly and directly link proposed expenses with suitable, feasible, and specific accommodations aligned with meeting children’s exceptional needs within an appropriate time frame. Applications must not include a child’s or their family’s personal identifiable information (ex. name, birthday, social security number).

All licensed Type III Early Learning Programs and Family Child Care Providers with Academic Approval located in Orleans Parish are welcome to apply.

Seat Augmentation Grant Timeline

• Wednesday, November 16th, 2022: Application Opened
• Tuesday, November 29th, 2022: Application Webinar
• Friday, December 2nd, 2022: Application Deadline
• Friday, December 16th, 2022: Award Determinations Sent
• Monday, May 1st, 2023: End of Grant Term; Grant Reports Due

Seat Augmentation Grant Materials and Guidance

• Applications were due to our application portal by 11:59 PM Friday, December 2nd, 2022.
  • Click here for a PDF version of the application to prepare your application response. Applications will not be accepted via email.
  • Applicants may save their application progress to resume later. If you encounter any issues, please contact echofund@agendaforchildren.org for assistance.
• Please review the grant rubric to understand how grant determinations were made.
• Providers may not submit one application to apply for funds on behalf of multiple centers, however, they may submit one application to serve the needs of multiple children within one center, and/or one application per center they operate.

Seat Augmentation Award Notification

Agenda for Children will announce Seat Augmentation for Children with Disabilities Grant awards were announced Friday, December 16th via email to the contact person named in the grant application. Some applicants may be contacted sooner to clarify information in their application.

Seat Augmentation Grant Term

The term of this grant is Friday, December 16th, 2022 to May 1st, 2023. All funds must be expensed, documented, and reported to Agenda for Children by or before May 1st, 2023. Please contact our team promptly for guidance on allowable use of funds throughout the grant term.
Failure to spend awarded funds by the deadline, spending on unapproved or inappropriate items, or inconsistency in expense reporting may impact your eligibility for future ECHO grant awards and may result in request to return award funds.

Opportunity #2: Orleans Parish Facilities Fund Pilot Grant – Applications Closed

The ECHO Orleans Facilities Fund Pilot Grant will provide grants to Family Child Care Providers (FCCs) and licensed Type III Centers to support the physical improvement, expansion, and development of new classrooms and centers. The ECHO Facilities Fund Pilot Grant is made possible through a partnership with Nola C.A.R.E.S. and generous contributions from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, J.P Morgan Chase, and individual donors. Facilities Fund Pilot Grants will provide funding in two different categories: Seed Grants will be awarded up to $20,000 to support FCCs and small Type III Centers licensed to serve fewer than 50 children; Grow Grants will be awarded up to $50,000 to Type III Centers that currently serve less than 50 children that demonstrate a plan to expand to at least 50 seats and centers currently licensed to serve 50 or more children.  Applicants must currently operate an FCC or Type III Early Learning Center in Orleans Parish. Type I and II Centers are not eligible for this grant.

See more about the two funding categories below:

Seed Grants
These grants are for Family Child Care providers (FCCs), as well as Type III Early Learning Centers licensed to serve fewer then 50 children. Grant award amounts are up to $20k. The purpose of the grant is to support FCC and small Type III Center’s capacity and sustainability. Eligible providers can apply for grant funds to provide the following:

• Cosmetic and minor structural improvements to the program site
  • Grant requests for cosmetic or structural improvements must demonstrate site control: deed, mortgage, or documentation from landlord that improvements are allowable
• Accessibility improvements (ex: bathrooms, ramps, ADA-compliant doorways)
• Safety improvements (safety surfaces)
• Furniture and fixtures to support non-traditional hours (between 6 PM and 7 AM)
• Play equipment

Grow Grants
These grants are for Commercial-based, licensed Type III Early Learning Centers that currently serve less than 50 children that demonstrate a plan to expand to at least 50 seats and centers currently licensed to serve at least 50 children. Grant award amounts are up to $50k. These grants are designed to support providers that are actively planning to grow the physical location of their centers and increase the number of seats they provide.  Eligible providers can apply for grant funds towards the following:

• Make physical improvements to existing centers that will actively expand seat capacity
• Provide construction gap financing and collateralization for loans (ex: SBA requires a 10% down payment for its 7A loan program)
• Reimburse construction costs incurred by the center owner for new site construction

Applicants must demonstrate site control; proof includes a signed lease that allows for leaseholder improvements, a purchase option agreement, or an active mortgage. For reimbursements, eligible costs must have been incurred no earlier than July 1, 2022. Grants can be used to support up to 25% of the total cost of development and cannot exceed $50k.

Grow grants are offered through a partnership with Nola C.A.R.E.S. and made possible by the funding from the J.P Morgan Chase AdvancingCities initiative.

Apply for the Facilities Fund Pilot Grant

Facilities Fund Pilot Grant Timeline

• Wednesday, November 16th, 2022: Application Opens
• Tuesday, November 29th, 2022: Application Webinar
• Friday, January 6th, 2022: Application Deadline
• Tuesday, January 31st, 2023: Award Determinations
• Friday, December 1st, 2023: End of Grant Term; Final Grant Report Due

Facilities Fund Pilot Grant Materials and Guidance

• Applications must be submitted through our application portal no later 11:59 PM Friday, January 6th, 2023.
  • You can view a PDF of the Seed application here and the Grow application here to prepare your application response. Applications will not be accepted via email.
  • Applicants may save their application progress to resume later. If you encounter any issues, please contact echofund@agendaforchildren.org for assistance.
• Please review the relevant grant rubric to understand how grant determinations will be made:
  • Seed Rubric: Type III Center
  • Seed Rubric: FCC
  • Grow Rubric
• Providers may submit one application (either Seed or Grow) per eligible center they operate. Providers may not submit multiple applications (both Seed AND Grow) for one center.

Facilities Fund Pilot Grant Award Notification

Agenda for Children will announce Seat Augmentation for Children with Disabilities Grant awards by Tuesday, January 31st via email to the contact person named in the grant application. Grow grant applicants will be contacted to conduct an interview regarding their submission. Some applicants may also be contacted prior to award announcements to clarify information in their application. 

Facilities Fund Pilot Grant Term

The term of this grant is Tuesday, January 31st to Friday, December 1st, 2023. All funds must be expensed, documented, and reported to Agenda for Children by December 1st, 2023. Please contact our team promptly for guidance about allowable uses of funds throughout the grant term.
Failure to spend awarded funds by the deadline, spending on unapproved or inappropriate items, or inaccurate expense reporting may impact your eligibility for future ECHO grant awards. Programs that do not adhere to reporting and expense guidelines may be required to return award funds.

Grant Resources and FAQs

Quick Reference Guide

	Seat Augmentation Grant for Children with Disabilities (Application Closed)	Facilities Fund Pilot: Seed Grant (Application Open)	Facilities Fund Pilot: Grow Grant (Application Open)
Eligibility - Location:	Orleans Parish	Orleans Parish	Orleans Parish
Eligibility - Provider Type:	Type III Child Care Centers and FCCS with Academic Approval	FCCs and Type III Child Care Centers licensed to serve fewer than 50 children	Type III Child Care that currently serve less than 50 children that demonstrate a plan to expand to at least 50 seats and centers currently licensed to serve at least 50 children
Eligible Expenses:	Expenses toward program needs for currently-enrolled children with disabilities including, but not limited to: (1) professional development related to serving children with the needs described; (2) part-time staff/teacher(s) to provide extra classroom support; (3) materials and equipment (ex. appropriate chairs, fidgets, ramps); (4) technical assistance; reimbursements for services paid for by the program since July 1, 2022 or to close the expense gap on services prior to July 1, 2023; and (5) evaluation services.	(1) Cosmetic and minor structural improvements to their program site ​​​​​​​ or structural improvements; (2) Accessibility improvements (ex: bathrooms, ramps, ADA-compliant doorways); (3) Safety improvements (safety surfaces); (4) Furniture and fixtures to support non-traditional hours (between 6 PM and 7 AM); (5) Play equipment	(1) Physical improvements to existing centers that will actively expand seat capacity; (2) Provide construction gap financing and collateralization for loans (ex: SBA requires a 10% down payment for its 7A loan program); (3) Reimburse construction costs incurred by the center owner for new site construction
Application Launch Date:	November 16th, 2022	November 16th, 2022	November 16th, 2022
Total Grant Amount:	Up to $20k	Up to $20k	Up to $50k
Application Close Date:	December 2nd, 2022	January 6th, 2023	January 6th, 2023
Award Determinations:	December 16th, 2022	January 31st, 2023	January 31st, 2023
Application Link:	Seat Augmentation Application Link	Facilities Fund Pilot Seed Application Link	Facilities Fund Pilot Grow Application Link
Application PDF:	Seat Augmentation Application PDF	Seed Application PDF	Grow Application PDF
Rubric:	Seat Augmentation Rubric	Seed Rubric (Type III Center); Seed Rubric (FCC)	Grow Grant Rubric

Grant FAQs

Questions?

Contact the ECHO Team at echofund@agendaforchildren.org