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 New Orleans children, birth through age four, by directly funding early child care centers.
Current ECHO Fund Grant Opportunities
The Spring 2022 Hurricane Ida Relief ECHO Fund is made possible through the fundraising efforts of the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children and Agenda for Children. Through the generosity of private donors, Save the Children, Baton Rouge Area Foundation, Entergy, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation, this fund will provide one-time small financial relief grants to Type I, Type II, Type III early learning centers and CCAP-registered family child care homes located in parishes that experienced significant damages due to Hurricane Ida.
Grant Timeline
- Thursday, February 3: Applications Available
- Friday, February 11: Grant Application Deadline
- Friday, February 18: Grants Awards Announced
- Thursday, March 31: End of Grant Term
Purpose of the Grant
The Spring 2022 Hurricane Ida Relief ECHO Fund Description will provide grants of between $500 (Minimum) and $2,000 (Maximum) to assist Type I, Type II, and Type III centers, and CCAP-registered family child care homes located in the following parishes: Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. James, St. John, St. Tammany, Terrebonne, and Washington.
Grant funds can be used on any expenditures that will expedite a program’s efforts to re-open and/or serve children under the age of five in a Hurricane-affected parish. Funds must be spent by March 31, 2022.
This funding is intentionally flexible, as centers have a broad range of needs. Examples of possible uses of funds could include (but are not limited to): blue tarp expenses, insurance deductibles, new classroom materials, fence repairs, replacement of perishable food, replacement of damaged toys or outdoor equipment, tree removal, et cetera.
Note: Funding is extremely limited. Because the amount and number of requests may exceed the available funding, some worthy projects may not be funded and/or funded at the minimum grant level.
How to Apply
Submit your application by Friday, February 11, 2022.
Eligibility Requirements
In order to be eligible, applicants and proposed grant projects must meet all of the following criteria:
- Your program is located in the following parishes: Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. James, St. John, St. Tammany, Terrebonne, and Washington.
- Your program is a Type I, Type II, Type III early learning center with a valid license or is a CCAP-registered family child care home.
- Your program does not need to be operable or open at the time of application, nor by the end of the grant term.
Questions?
Contact The NOEEN Team at echofund@agendaforchildren.org.
Educator
Olayeela “Mama O” Daste is a lifelong educator and learner who started Child Care Resource and Referral in 1989, and worked at Agenda for Children until her retirement in 2018. Generations of early care and educators benefited from her leadership, wisdom and gentle belief in doing what’s right for kids. She co-led the Umoja Committee for many years, organizing Children’s Kwanzaa and an annual Celebration of the African American Child.
Since 2018, Agenda for Children has provided nearly $2M in sub-grants to centers and nonprofits through our ECHO Fund for stabilization supports, quality improvements, and innovative projects.