Best Early Childhood Development Grants in Montana

Montana 501(c)(3) nonprofits working on early childhood development, family stability, or related youth programs can seek funding to advance economic opportunity, housing, and community enrichment. Grants from US Bank Foundation help organizations in designated Montana communities support early learning, family housing stability, and community arts or play spaces, with priority for organizations led by people of color.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations in Montana working on early childhood development, health access, or related services can seek US $10,000 - US $50,000 to advance health equity and reduce disparities. With a mission to improve access to quality healthcare, PacificSource Foundation for Health Improvement funds direct services, prevention programs, supportive housing services, and capacity building.

Nonprofit organizations supporting early childhood development and youth in Montana, especially Park and Gallatin Counties and Indigenous communities, can seek grants for programs that nurture childhood and help youth thrive. With a mission to enhance quality of life, Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation provides funding through the AMB West Community Fund for education, child welfare, mental health, and family services initiatives.

Fall 2026 Early Childhood Education Funding Cycle

Overall Early Childhood Education Program Blueprint

The Stranahan Foundation’s Early Childhood Education grant program supports efforts to improve access to high-quality early care and education for young children (birth to five), especially those from low-income families. We do this by investing in strategies that strengthen, support, and retain a high-quality, thriving early educator workforce.

The Foundation has a history of supporting professional development (PD) and learning systems through its Provider strategy (). We believe strong professional development systems are essential for building a skilled early childhood workforce and creating positive learning environments for young children.

The Fall 2026 funding cycle is available for organizations that align with this Provider strategy.

Funding Opportunity

This funding opportunity will provide up to $750,000 to support early childhood education providers in strengthening existing professional development (PD) systems. Funding is intended to improve a specific area of an established PD system—not to build a brand-new system from scratch or put the foundational elements in place.

What kind of improvements can funding support?

Organizations should focus their projects on strengthening their professional development systems. The Stranahan Foundation defines a strong professional development system as one that includes:

• Connect learning opportunities that build on one another over time.
• Use adult learning best practices.
• Align staff learning to educator competencies, credentials, career growth, or compensation.
• Provide learning experiences that are individualized, scaffolded, and responsive to educators’ needs, experience, and goals.
• Have dedicated leadership and organizational capacity to support ongoing implementation.

• Gather regular feedback from staff and families.
• Use standardized assessment and evaluation tools to understand what is working and where improvements are needed.
• Make ongoing improvements based on what is learned.
• Support reflective practice, peer learning, and collaborative inquiry among educators.

• Offer both individual and group learning opportunities, such as training, professional learning communities, coaching, and mentoring.
• Provide learning opportunities on an ongoing basis rather than in a one-and-done situation.
• Connect internal and external learning opportunities to make the best use of available resources.
• Support classroom implementation through observation, modeling, feedback, and continuous improvement cycles.

• Provide learning experiences that are practical, relevant, and easy to apply in daily work.
• Include fundamental topics such as family engagement, effective instruction, developmentally appropriate practice, and classroom management.
• Align with established standards, research, and effective practices in the early childhood field.
• Equip educators to support all learners, including multilingual learners, children with disabilities, and children impacted by trauma or adverse experiences.

Request for Proposals: Launchpad Funds

Background

Coefficient Giving is increasing its giving, primarily to prepare for the billions of dollars in new philanthropic capital that may become available in the coming years. Our increased giving in global health and wellbeing is a temporary surge, with two objectives: to smooth funding and pull forward initiatives we expect to be cost-effective, and to help create an ecosystem of regrantors and implementers with the capacity to allocate this new money as cost-effectively as possible. Additional context on our scaling is provided in this blog post. 

With new potential capital on the way, we want to increase the supply of actionable and fundable plans to address some of the world’s hardest problems. We’re looking for specific, credible strategies to convert funding into measurable progress. Our ideal funds are:

However, we are also open to funds that are thematic and don’t have a quantified goal — for example, a fund organized around a promising type of intervention. Such funds still need to be led by a single, identifiable person who is accountable for the fund’s direction.

Through this request for EOIs, we aim to seed or scale Launchpad Funds that can grow to $100m+ over the next few years. We don’t seek scale for its own sake; it is a proxy for the ambition of the fund, and a signal that the problem is large and tractable enough to justify deploying significantly more capital over time.

What we will fund

• We expect to support established ideas that have either not yet secured anchor support or could significantly scale beyond their existing level of funding.
• This funding can cover operating expenses, but we expect most of it to be used for activities that make progress on the fund’s goals — whether through regranting or direct implementation.
• For exceptional proposals, we may consider funding levels beyond $50m. We anticipate higher funding levels will involve more thought partnership from our team.
• While we don’t expect to make grants longer than 36 months, funded proposals may later be considered for additional funding beyond the initial period.

The Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program seeks applications for Development and Implementation Grants to support evidence-based home visiting programs for expectant families and young children. Funded by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, these grants aim to enhance maternal and child health, improve parenting practices, and foster early childhood development within tribal communities, ultimately promoting better socio-economic outcomes and reducing instances of child maltreatment.

Early childhood development innovators in Montana and across the U.S. can receive US $20,000 and cohort-based support to pilot transformative, community-rooted ideas. Promise Venture Studio’s Imagine Award backs leaders ready to test early childhood, tutoring, mentoring, or civic leadership solutions with real users and strong equity and justice commitments.

Montana students pursuing careers in early childhood development can access funding through the Dr. Chao-ying & Sue Wu Early Learning Scholarship, supporting higher education in early learning fields. Offered by Chuckanut Health Foundation, this scholarship may benefit those focused on early childhood development, youth services, and educational access and equity.

Montana early childhood and youth-focused charities serving the needs of children can apply for national partnership funding that supports program growth and impact. CAPTRUST Community Foundation provides local and national children’s organizations with its National Partnership Grant, including one large Charity of Choice award and multiple additional grants each year for aligned partners.

Nonprofit organizations working on early childhood development in Montana can access free On My Way to Kindergarten kits to support school readiness for children ages 3–5. Grants from The Molina Foundation help provide bilingual (Spanish-English) activity books and related songs, games, crafts, and stories for families and caregivers preparing children for kindergarten.

Montana early childhood organizations can access funding through Ohio Children’s Foundation to support innovative programs for children ages 0–5, including early learning, literacy, and family support. Nonprofits working with at-risk children and advocacy groups focused on early childhood public policy may be eligible for grants up to US $20,000 and related technical assistance.

Montana 501(c)(3) organizations supporting children’s health, wellness, or early childhood development can apply for grants up to US $15,000 to strengthen programs and services. Grants from 15 And The Mahomies Foundation help U.S. nonprofits serving children, including early childhood initiatives, access flexible support for communities in need of resources and other charitable causes.

Graduate students conducting early childhood language development research at U.S. speech-language programs can apply for funding to support preschool and early school-age studies. Focused on early childhood development, the American Speech Language Hearing Foundation invites Montana-based or -serving students to propose projects, with preference for work on early verbal language and inclusive of children with hearing impairment. Awards are US $4,000.

U.S. nonprofit professional development providers, school districts, and colleges serving early childhood programs can seek up to US $500,000 over three years to strengthen workforce models that improve outcomes for young children. With a mission to advance early childhood development, Stranahan Foundation provides Montana organizations with funding for scalable coaching, leadership development, substitute pools, and reinvestment in proven PD initiatives.

Montana early childhood development nonprofits can access funding through O'Reilly Automotive Foundation for programs improving quality of life for underserved children and families. U.S.-based 501(c)(3) organizations near O’Reilly Auto Parts locations may request project, general operating, or capital support related to early childhood development, health and social services, literacy, or family stability.

Eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofits, churches, and government entities in Montana working on early childhood development, family services, or community wellness can apply for the Cdv5 Foundation Grant. Funding may support general operations, capital campaigns, or specific programs that nurture successful children, strengthen families, and cultivate healthier communities, with applications accepted year-round and reviewed quarterly.

Montana early childhood development and education nonprofits, plus aligned for-profit organizations, can seek storytelling support to showcase their impact. Early childhood and teacher-focused programs may be eligible for more than US $50,000 to create media or narratives that highlight their work, through the J.W. Couch Foundation’s Storytelling Grant, part of its preservation, education, and wellness pillars.

The Global Health and Wellbeing Grantmaking program by Coefficient Giving focuses on addressing critical health and welfare issues worldwide. With an emphasis on proactive engagement and evidence-based solutions, the initiative supports projects that improve health outcomes and wellbeing. The program prioritizes funding for organizations tackling neglected global health challenges, advocating for effective philanthropy, and enhancing the lives of both humans and animals in vulnerable communities.

Nonprofit organizations working on child welfare, early childhood development, or preventing child abuse and neglect in Montana and nationwide can seek support for community-led, prevention-oriented projects that help children and families thrive. Doris Duke Foundation primarily funds through competitive or invited processes, but staff do review unsolicited letters of inquiry for potential fit with its Child Well-Being National Program.

U.S. 501(c)(3) organizations developing innovative early childhood welfare, education, play, or parenting education projects may be eligible for seed funding that can benefit young children nationwide. Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood supports research and development efforts with potential national application, which can include early childhood development initiatives serving Montana communities.

U.S. 501(c)(3) public charities working in health, education, or housing, including early childhood development programs in Montana, can seek funding for eligible initiatives. FDC Foundation supports efforts such as early childhood development research and programs, nutrition and diabetes services, and housing opportunities or real estate education that align with its mission.

Early childhood development organizations in Montana can apply for WK Kellogg Foundation support to improve nurturing early care and education, maternal and perinatal health, nutrition, and family economic stability. Grants are available to qualified 501(c)(3) and other IRS-eligible entities across the U.S., with an always-open application process and no fixed deadlines.

Montana early childhood development and child-focused nonprofits can request monetary or in-kind dining certificate support to benefit kids, hunger, and education programs. Brinker International provides 501(c)(3) organizations with one donation per calendar year, with applications due at least six weeks before an event and submitted through the online system.

The Alleghany Foundation, a private 501(c)(3) organization in Virginia, focuses on enhancing the quality of life in the Alleghany Highlands through strategic funding initiatives. It seeks grant applications that address key areas such as economic transformation, educational excellence, health and wellness, community capacity, and civic leadership. By prioritizing innovative projects and supporting local organizations, the Foundation aims to foster sustainable growth and community engagement, ensuring a vibrant future for the region.

SC Johnson Grants aim to enhance community welfare through charitable contributions, focusing on health, sustainability, and opportunity. Since 1937, the company has committed five percent of its pretax profits to support registered charities and nonprofit organizations, especially in areas where it operates. The grant program prioritizes initiatives addressing healthcare access, environmental conservation, and educational equity, ensuring that efforts align with the values of community service and corporate responsibility.

The Comis Foundation Grant aims to provide equitable opportunities for children to thrive through education and community engagement. It supports innovative programs that enhance educational outcomes, focusing on areas such as capacity building and pilot projects. With funding ranging from $5,000 to $75,000, the foundation prioritizes nonprofit organizations that foster inclusive environments. By emphasizing trust and collaboration, Comis Foundation strives to create lasting impacts in the communities it serves.

The Francis R. Dewing Foundation Grant provides seed money to support innovative projects in early childhood education, benefiting children up to sixth grade. Founded by Frances R. Dewing in 1963, the foundation aims to stimulate intellectual growth in young children through unique educational methods. Grants typically range from $1,000 to $25,000, with a focus on projects that demonstrate a broad impact on the educational community. Applications are accepted from 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and government entities across the United States.