NOTE: Letters of Interest may be submitted at any time, and we try to get back to you within 30 days. However, November-January and April-June are our busiest times of year, so it could take longer to hear back from us during those periods. Recognize that if you are asked to submit a full application, as much as six months may pass between the time you submit your LOI and a final determination is made on your proposal. Successful awardees typically receive the funds within 45 days of Board approval. 

The Lovell Foundation

The Lovell Foundation grew from the passions and life experiences of founders David and Lura Lovell. Together they dealt with monumental challenges and opportunities – by connecting with others, crusading for change, creating success and experiencing peace and joy. Established in 1994, this family foundation continues to embrace causes close to their hearts. In its first 20 years, the foundation invested $11 million in 60 nonprofit organizations for local and national projects supporting people and programs that empower lives, provide opportunities, improve conditions and advance community. Today the foundation is propelled by the passions of the second and third generations of the Lovell family.

Focus Areas

Mental Health

The Lovell Foundation envisions communities where mental health care is both barrier- and stigma-free as part of a broader approach to Integrative Health and Wellness. We prioritize programs and initiatives that aim to reduce the stigma of living with and seeking services for a mental health issue.

• We do not fund drug and alcohol treatment.

Integrative Health and Wellness

We envision communities where all people have access to integrative (also known as alternative or complementary) approaches to health care and wellness throughout the spectrum of life. We prioritize programs and initiatives that aim to broaden the awareness and use of best practice approaches in integrative health and wellness, especially those that reach underserved populations.

Youth Access to the Arts

We believe that experiencing the arts through education or participation contributes to the development of well-rounded individuals. We continue to support community-level programs, but prioritize programs and initiatives with the capacity to systematically improve youth access to arts.

Gender Parity

We partner with organizations working to advance gender parity at a regional or national level only. We give priority to organizations that address gender barriers and aim to have an impact on gender parity in significant and measurable ways. While the majority of gender-based efforts are focused on inequities among girls and women, we will also consider initiatives for men and boys that promote overall gender parity.

• We do not fund community level projects that provide direct services to gender-specific groups.

Types of Grants

Initiative Grants

We define Initiatives as efforts that attempt to:

• address the root causes of an issue in one or more of our four Focus Areas, either through elimination of a problem or creation of a solution;
• alter a structure or a system so that it can better address the root causes of an issue; or
• transform an organization or group of organizations so they are better equipped to alter the structure of a system and/or address the root cause of a social issue,
• or some combination of the above.

Social Impact Media Grants

Social Impact Media (SIM) Grants are for creating and disseminating different forms of media: documentary film features, documentary film shorts, episodic documentary series, web series, multi-media projects for web, and trans media projects (Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, or other) designed specifically to make a social impact. They must either qualify as Initiative Grants themselves, for example, using a documentary film feature aligned with one of our four Focus Areas to make a sustainable impact on a particular social issue, change a system, or transform an organization; or they must be created in collaboration with and in support of an ongoing or proposed Initiative Grant, for example, broadly disseminating a multi-media project in support of education and outreach in a multi-partner initiative effort. These grants are extremely competitive and there are limited funds available annually.

SIM proposals are eligible for the following purposes and amounts:

• Development: A range of $10,000 to $30,000, with the possibility of an additional match of up to $20,000
• Production and Post-Production: A range of $25,000 to $100,000 (generally no match is recommended for this stage, although there will be exceptions)
• Distribution/Outreach: A range of $25,000 to $100,000, with the possibility of an additional match of up to $50,000

https://lovellfoundation.org/impact/mental-health/

Bob and Renee Parsons Foundation Grant

We deal in hope by partnering with community organizations striving to make a difference.

The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation was formed to reach low-income and underserved populations, marginalized communities and causes often overlooked or underfunded by mainstream philanthropy. Dealing in the areas of homelessness, medical care, at-risk youth, education and the needs of wounded veterans, The Foundation provides transformational gifts to nonprofit organizations that are successfully addressing these issues and can demonstrate and measure the impact of their work.

Our Focus

Our areas of interest include:

Youth & Education

The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation is a passionate supporter of organizations and activities that benefit the youth and education of our community. “Bob and I believe that all young people deserve an opportunity to reach their greatest potential. We want to provide opportunities that break the cycles of poverty and discrimination to allow children to create a better life for themselves and their families.” – Renee Parsons

Health & Home

The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation is dedicated to increasing access to medical care and housing for those who are in need. By funding supportive services & housing intervention strategies for the homeless, dental & medical clinics for the uninsured & undocumented, and wellness centers focused on underserved populations, we hope to improve the quality of life for thousands of deserving people who are often overlooked.

Military & First Responders

“The men and women who serve our country are very special people and they deserve our support … Their unwavering commitment has made our nation safer and a far better place for all.” – Bob Parsons

American Dream

We believe that every dream begins with hope — that single minded, relentless refusal to give up even in the darkest moments. That hope compels us to partner with organizations that break down barriers to opportunities in which people change their lives forever. And dreams become real.

NOTE: The Foundation is focusing it's remaining grantmaking for 2021 on covid-19 funding.

Our Mission

Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust supports organizations that enrich health, well-being, and opportunity for the people of Maricopa County, Arizona. The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust makes grants that continue Virginia Piper’s commitment to improving the quality of life in Maricopa County through programs that support healthcare and medical research, children, older adults, arts & culture, education and religious organizations. 

Piper Trust works side-by-side with nonprofit organizations as a partner, helping them to identify problems, build expertise, find solutions, and become continually stronger and more effective. The Trust strives to be a vital part of Maricopa County—not only as a source of leadership and financial support, but as a neighbor sharing a lasting stake in the county’s future.

The Piper Trust’s grantmaking focuses on Virginia Galvin Piper’s commitment to improving the quality of life for residents of Maricopa County. Reflecting Mrs. Piper’s own grantmaking, the Trust awards grants in six core program areas. 

Arts & Culture

Piper Trust’s Commitment

Arts and cultural experiences create a vibrant Maricopa County

• Literature, performance, visual arts, and other cultural experiences enrich our quality of life.
• A lively arts and culture scene can provide Maricopa County with much-needed economic stimulus.
• Children’s participation in arts and culture facilitates communication ability, critical reasoning, and social aptitude.

Our Approach and What We Fund

• Improved Business and Financial Operations:
• Organizational planning in business, marketing, and fundraising strengthens arts and culture organizations and improves sustainability.
• Computers, specialized software, and upgraded technology, such as installations of the comprehensive Tessitura software, are assets to help arts and culture nonprofits manage their operations, build audiences, and communicate with donors.
• Collaborations for Greater Effectiveness and Efficiencies
• Collaborative projects to build a distinctive arts and culture community in Maricopa County — emphasizing arts and culture as an engine of economic development and community asset.
• An example of a collaborative project is the Cultural Data Project (developed by The Pew Charitable Trusts).
• Revenue Generation, Cost Reduction and Mergers
• Redesigning business models and alternative structures may be opportunities to increase revenues and reduce costs.

Children

Piper Trust’s Commitment

All children in Maricopa County deserve a happy, healthy, and safe childhood 

• Nurturing families produce children who arrive at adulthood prepared to contribute to society.
• Coaching families and giving them help to nurture their children in the earliest years produces greater success than remedial aid to children and families later.
• Adolescents with family and community encouragement fare better than their peers in avoiding risky behaviors.

Our Approach and What We Fund

• Improved Parent and Caregiver Child-Rearing Know-How
• Teaching proper parenting, such as parent hotlines, classes for teen mothers and programs and assistance for dealing with difficult social and emotional stages in a child’s growth, pays off in greater numbers of thriving children.
• Family programs in the home and convenient places like libraries help children prepare for school and achieve academic success.
• For example, the Raising A Reader program successfully takes early-literacy training directly to families and children in apartment buildings.
• Special Trust Investment: The Arizona Parent Kit, given to new parents at birthing hospitals, is now administered by First Things First statewide.
• Assistance for Children without Resources or with Special Needs
• Children and families in crisis find help from food banks, crisis nurseries, domestic violence shelters, behavioral health programs, and transitional housing for families and youth.
• Vulnerable children get necessary aid addressing child abuse, living in poverty, and living with addicted parents.
• Children with disabilities and their families gain assistance from programs that remove social, emotional, and physical barriers to their growth and learning.
• Special Trust Investments: Vulnerable children benefit from the Adopt-A-Pool Fence project, the Back-to-School clothing program and the Child Abuse Prevention License Plate program.
• Enhanced Child Care Practices and Afterschool Care
• Early childhood educators and youth mentors find helpful instruction in learning care practices, safety training, and manuals.
• Afterschool facilities and activities at teen centers, as well as homeless youth hubs and mentoring programs, support youth and keep them engaged in productive activities.
• Integrated Early Childhood Policies and Practices
• Special Trust Investment: Planning for the BUILD Initiative, a project of the Early Childhood Funders’ Collaborative, will guide state efforts to prepare children for success.

Education

Piper Trust’s Commitment 

Learning results in opportunities and a higher quality of life 

• Formal and informal education helps us to understand ourselves, our world, and human potential.
• Learning begins at birth and the first three years of life are critical for a healthy, well-developed brain.
• Education and learning create economic opportunities, promote national competitiveness, and encourage active citizenship.

Our Approach and What We Fund

• Improved Early Learning Environments
• Advancing early learning practices, training and curricula, including standardized orientation for new teachers and accreditation for community-based preschools, enhances preschool education throughout Maricopa County.
• Teach for America Phoenix introduced the corps members in Maricopa County preschool classrooms.
• Special Trust Investment: Model programs for better early learning environments such as the Quality Preschool Curricula Project present attractive solutions to preschool education challenges.
• Academic Enhancements for Youth
• Tutoring and academic enrichment help school-age children overcome educational challenges and advance in school.
• Examples: Improving Chandler Area Neighborhoods gives children afterschool tutoring opportunities. Junior Achievement Arizona broadens perspectives. And The College Depot helps remove barriers for young people to transition to college.
• Remedial programs can help vulnerable students stay and succeed in school or work toward GEDs, advancing opportunities.
• Assistive learning aids can make learning easier for children with disabilities.
• Special Trust Investments: Collaborative projects such as Expect More Arizona and Science Foundation Arizona are broad community-based projects.
• Engagement of Older Adults in Learning
• Programs for older adults and people with disabilities can promote employment and second careers.
• The Gateway Community College Career Transition Center builds marketable skills. Lifelong learning opportunities offer active minds and engagement in the community.
• Programs for older adults to tutor and mentor school children offer academic benefits to the children and meaningful volunteer opportunities for themselves.
• Experience Corps and Your Experience Counts successfully bring older adult tutors into classrooms.

Healthcare & Medical Research

Piper Trust’s Commitment

Quality, accessible healthcare and disease prevention are essential for all residents

• Quality, accessible care is acutely important for Maricopa County residents at three critical stages–early childhood, adolescence, and later life.
• Limited access to preventive healthcare signals long-term problems with chronic diseases.

Personalized medicine, biosignatures and the promise of cost-effective healthcare

• Arizona has become a center for biomedical research and biomedical enterprises and attracts world-renowned clinical and research experts in biomedicine.
• The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University are at the center of international research focused on personalized medicine.

Our Approach and What We Fund

• Improve Facilities for Children, Adolescents and Older Adults
• Capital investments such as expanded children’s emergency rooms and neonatal intensive care units bring improved healthcare.
• Enhancing geriatric facilities directly advances the quality of healthcare for older adults.
• Better Trained Healthcare Workforce
• Integrating child development principles and practices into pediatric medicine magnifies the effectiveness of children’s healthcare.
• The model Healthy Steps program successfully teaches pediatric residents about childhood development requirements not taught in the typical medical curriculum.
• Training in geriatrics and end-of-life care expands perspectives beyond traditional medical models.
• Hospice of the Valley creates palliative medicine curricula for medical students, residents and the hospital care team.
• The Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence at ASU College of Nursing and Health Innovations trains a new generation of nurses to serve older adults.
• Increased Access to Basic Healthcare
• Uninsured and underinsured people and families require preventive and acute health services easily accessible to their neighborhoods and communities.
• Mobile medical vans and free-standing community health clinics serve this need.
• Mobile units like Mission of Mercy medical vans circulate in Maricopa County, and the Virginia G. Piper Medical and Dental Clinics at St. Vincent de Paul offer free medical services in areas of most need.
• Centers for Advancement in Personalized Medicine
• Special Trust Initiated Investments: Piper Trust has invested in building regional distinction in biosciences, particularly personalized medicine. The initiative includes support for the Center for Sustainable Health and the Virginia G. Piper Center for Personal Diagnostics (both within the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University). The Centers work to improve health outcomes at lower costs by sustaining health through the prevention and early detection of disease.

Older Adults

Piper Trust’s Commitment - Older adults in Maricopa County must have the chance to remain healthy, independent, and productive

• The continuum of older adults stretches from the Baby Boom Generation just entering traditional retirement age to frail older adults–all needing to stay vital and engaged as long as possible.
• Frail older adults and the many Boomers who face eventual frailty will benefit from improved disease prevention and the greater independence these improvements bring.
• The pioneering work we do now to help Boomers sort out new ways to live a productive later life will define aging for the generations that follow.

Our Approach and What We Fund

• Disease and Disability Prevention
• Prevention programs that focus on proper nutrition, exercise, early screening for diseases, and appropriate medications promise to advance quality of life.
• Implementation of programs such as the statewide Falls Prevention Advisory Coalition and the Stanford Chronic Disease Self Management Program enhance health, safety and independence.
•  Assistance for Older Adults to Remain Independent
• Adoption of such national health models as BenefitsCheckUp, Matter of Balance, and intergenerational day care for children and older adults at Benevilla can establish the pattern by which older adults remain healthy and independent.
• Volunteer aid can help older adults remain at home and give respite to caregivers.
• Volunteerism, “Recareering” and Community Engagement
• Spaces and programs that promote civic engagement and nontraditional work benefit both older adults and their communities.
• Mesa United Way uses over-55 Vista and AmeriCorps workers and executive volunteers to fill important positions at nonprofit organizations in the East Valley.

Religious Organizations

Piper Trust’s Commitment - Our investment in faith-based programs for children, adolescents, and older adults reflects our founder’s own beliefs

• Piper Trust invites and supports projects from all faiths provided they focus on children, adolescents, and older adults.
• Grantmaking for religious organizations reflects Piper’s objectives and strategies in the Children, Older Adults, Education, and Healthcare program areas.

Our Approach and What We Fund

• Assessments of learning environments in faith-based preschools and quality improvement projects such as the Quality Preschool Curricula Project offer enhanced learning for young children.
• Housing alternatives for older adults such as the Beatitudes Campus Foundation for Senior Living and Jewish Family Children’s Services offer private care management for older adults.

Competitive Grantmaking

Piper Trust conducts rigorous competitive grantmaking. Program, evaluation, communication and finance staff work closely with potential grantees to ensure that projects are focused, meet the Trust’s funding guidelines and address longer term needs.

Mission and Vision

By fostering a charitable corporate culture and advancing the impact of effective aid organizations, we strengthen families and build prosperous communities.

The Sunwest Bank Charitable Foundation invests in outstanding local organizations and employee programs designed to build a philanthropic corporate culture and strengthen our communities.

Our primary focus is the care of vulnerable children and families and supporting nonprofit organizations that meet food, housing, health, safety, and education needs. The Sunwest Bank Charitable Foundation encourages bank employees to get involved through the Annual Mission Trip, Volunteer Grants, and Matched Donation programs.

Since inception, we have issued grants to organizations that meet the needs of homeless, hungry, abused, unemployed, at-risk, and otherwise disadvantaged children and families in Arizona, California, Idaho, and Utah.

Grant Guidelines

Grant awards average between $10,000 and $20,000. Grants greater than $20,000 will require a more substantial proposal that includes performance metrics that must be reported in quarterly reports post-funding. Grant requests will be reviewed every semester, awards will be announced within six weeks after the semester-end. 

NOTE:  The application deadline has been  extended to December 1, 2023.

About School-Based Healthcare Solutions Network (SBHSN).

Utilizing a unique framework of funding systems offered by the Department of Health and Human Services, managed care organizations, health insurers, and private donors, SBHSN promotes a system of care model (Coaching Model℠) offering a mix of evidenced-based intervention, prevention, and care coordination services to children in grades K-12. The Coaching Model aims to expand quality mental healthcare access on public school campuses and improve children's social, emotional, behavioral, family, and wellness outcomes.

School-Based Mental Health Implementation Grant

In response to the growing number of students who need mental health counseling, the School-Based Healthcare Solutions Network (SBHSN) is accepting applications from Local Education Agencies (LEA), Public and Private Universities, State and local Colleges, Charter School Management Companies, Public Schools, Charter Schools, and Non-Profit Organizations (501c3) to implement and expand mental health program services on local school campuses. Grantees will receive direct funding and reimbursement to support the following activities: 

• Expanding access to School-Based Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).
• Coordinating mental healthcare services with school administration and staff. 
• Delivering mental healthcare services and coordinating academic-support activities to students with a history of attendance, behavior, and poor academic performance.

FUNDING

5-Years, renewable based on meeting performance goals 5-year award ceiling is $5,500,000.

Background

The goal of the Arizona Community Foundation of Sedona and the Verde Valley is to develop a legacy of giving in our communities to enhance the quality of life in the area. The Arizona Community Foundation (ACF) is an endowment organization that connects community needs to donors who have a passion for meeting those needs. With Regional Offices around the state, ACF of Sedona serves Sedona and the Verde Valley. Since 1991, the Arizona Community Foundation of Sedona has developed 73 separate funds with assets exceeding $ 15 million. The Arizona Community Foundation of Sedona has awarded more than $11 million to area nonprofit organizations, schools, and municipalities serving local needs.

The Arizona Community Foundation of Sedona will accept applications that benefit and support the following Field of Interest funds and their purposes. 

Animal Welfare (Sedona Animal Welfare Fund)

Supports the physical, emotional, and social care of animals, as well as animal rights, public policy, public education, and research on animal welfare-related issues. This includes rescue/adoption of unwanted pets and wildlife rehabilitation.

Arts (Sedona Arts Fund)

Supports efforts to enrich the cultural life of our community through art, performance, and arts education. Proposals may include, but are not limited to, the performing and fine arts as embodied by sculpture, painting, drawing, music, theatre, dance, film, poetry, and architecture.

Diversity Education (Tolerance Learning Center Fund)

Supports cultural diversity education and training, including programs designed to combat hate, prejudice, discrimination, stereotypes, and violence, and to foster understanding, tolerance, inclusion, and mutual acceptance of religious, racial, ethnic and other differences. 

Social Welfare & Justice (Martinez Family Fund and the Glenys and Gerry Wilson Family Fund)

Supports programs that assist the marginalized and the underserved populations of Sedona and the Verde Valley. Programs may address access to housing, emergency shelter, healthcare, education, employment, food, human services, and other resources. Issues such as domestic violence, immigration, civil rights, and worker concerns are also supported.

Environment (Greater Sedona Fund for the Environment)

Supports organizations whose purpose is to sustain the local environment, as in preserving open spaces, protecting wildlife habitat, and helping solve environmental problems such as air, light, noise, and water pollution. This fund supports environmental services, research, education, and legislative efforts.

Health Care (Sedona Health Care Fund)

Supports programs that provide quality healthcare services to residents of Sedona and/or the Verde Valley. 

General Community Benefit (Sedona Community Fund, John Boone Kincaid III Fund, Dixie A. Carlson Fund, and the Nolan Family Fund)

Supports a wide range of projects that benefit the residents of Sedona and the Verde Valley. 

NOTE:

• The Elliott Family Foundation has no formal application deadline, but has adopted a yearly funding cycle that occurs in late Fall.
• All applicants are encouraged to submit proposals well in advance of, but no later than, mid-September for consideration within that calendar year

Mission

Established in 2003, the Harry C. & Deborah L. Elliott Family Foundation is the philanthropic arm of builder and developer Elliott Homes. The Foundation’s mission is to enhance the quality of human life in the communities it serves. To that end, we help patients gain access to life-saving emergency care at hospitals, women and children rebuild their lives with safe shelter, and college students reach their goals through multi-year scholarships, among other projects. The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors that meets on a monthly basis.

Interests

Funding has traditionally gone to community health care projects, scholarships for higher education, housing the homeless, environmental preservation and conservation, and services for disadvantaged seniors. Areas in which the Board members have special knowledge or interest are also considered.

Ms. Foundation for Women

The mission of the Ms. Foundation for Women is to build women’s collective power in the U.S. to advance equity and justice for all. We achieve our mission by investing in, and strengthening, the capacity of women-led movements to advance meaningful social, cultural and economic change in the lives of women. Ms. has six grantmaking initiatives, one of which is the Birth Justice Initiative.

Birth Justice Initiative

Our Birth Justice Initiative aims to:

• advance equitable birth outcomes and experiences;
• strengthen the capacity, organizational infrastructure, and financial stability of grassroots Black, Indigenous and women of color-led birth justice organizations; and
• expand the frame of birth justice to support intersectional movements and strategies that recognize the full spectrum of experiences and identities in birthing, parenting, and family building.

We believe that Black, Indigenous, and women of color (including trans women and non-binary people) are key experts and should be decision-makers in shaping policy and culture change around birth justice. By investing directly into organizations led by and for women and girls of color, we are ensuring that the movement to address racial based disparities in healthcare, including birth outcomes and experiences, is led by those who are impacted most. Strengthening the collective power of communities of color is critical to addressing the root causes of these disparities and advancing birth justice for all.

The U.S. has one of the highest maternal mortality rates of all developed nations and Black women die at three to four times the rate of white women in birth – one of the widest racial disparities in women’s health. Systemic racism, implicit bias, and anti-Blackness all contribute to the significant disparities in birth outcomes among Black, Indigenous and birthing people of color. Moreover, the spectrum of intersectional issues that comprise birth justice and the ability to have children and parent with dignity, are not only limited to the birth process.

As such, the Ms. Foundation’s Birth Justice Initiative invests in organizations who represent the full spectrum of birth experiences including–but not limited to–preconception health, mental health and wellness, infertility, abortion access and abortion care, comprehensive sex and sexuality education, non-racist culturally affirming and gender expansive healthcare, access to birth workers of color, access to lactation support and services, postpartum health and wellness, grief and loss care and support, and sexual assault prevention and survivor support services. Organizations supported collectively utilize a range of movement building strategies to advance birth justice—such as narrative change, policy and systems change, advocacy, leadership development, direct service among others. And finally, they work at the intersection of birth justice and other movements, such as disability justice, youth justice, LGBTQIA+ justice, environmental justice, economic justice, and criminal legal reform.

Funding

During this cycle, Ms. will provide one-time grants ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 to selected organizations not currently receiving funding from Ms.’ Birth Justice Initiative. The grant period will comprise two years.

Introduction

The Phoenix Industrial Development Authority (Phoenix IDA) and the Phoenix Community Development & Investment Corporation are partnering with the Arizona Community Foundation (ACF) to administer the Community Development Fund to provide investments to nonprofit organizations located within Phoenix and Maricopa County. The funds will be invested in Phoenix and throughout Maricopa County to support quality, strategic grant proposals in four priority areas: Affordable Housing, Economic/Community Development, Health Innovation, and Youth & Family Development. Where appropriate, other funding sources may be encouraged to leverage the grant and maximize impact of the Community Development Funds

The Phoenix IDA and PCDIC prefers to avoid relationships which can make an applicant dependent upon the Community Development Funds for the administration of a project or program over a period of years. The proven ability to build sustainable programs is of critical importance.

Target Audience

Only Proposals supporting the below focus areas will be accepted. Please review the priorities of each area to ensure your organization is eligible to apply to this funding opportunity

• Affordable Housing
• Economic/Community Development
• Health Innovation,
• Youth & Family Development.

Affordable Housing

This fund will make investments supporting housing and housing related matters. Programs, projects or services that address homeownership, neighborhood revitalization, homebuyer counseling, homebuyer education, home rehabilitation and foreclosure prevention are examples of requests that may be considered. 

Economic/Community Development

This fund will consider Investments in programs that revitalize the Phoenix community in the areas of economic development, supportive and affordable housing, economic success initiatives for the working-poor, and workforce development projects supporting self-sufficiency including but not limited to work readiness, job placement assistance and/or occupational skills training

Health Innovation

This fund will make investments in overall community health, emerging programs that facilitate jobs in health care. In addition, special consideration will be given to providing funding for programs that increase access to healthcare and primary prevention programs for low to moderate income populations.

Youth and Family Development

This fund will make investments to support high quality initiatives and the most innovative collaborations in schools or school districts that focus on one or more of the following areas: 

• Improving academic rigor and relevance for all students
• Early childhood education systems
• Increasing access to a postsecondary education for all students
• Parent engagement

Preference will be given to initiatives that evidence sustainability beyond the grant cycle and establish or strengthen district or system wide collaborations.