Best Early Childhood Development Grants in New York

The Lily Auchincloss Foundation, established in 1997, aims to enhance the quality of life in New York City through grants focused on human services, arts, and environmental initiatives. The foundation supports small to mid-sized organizations across the five boroughs, providing both general operating and program-specific funding. Its Human Services cycle prioritizes organizations dedicated to social change and education, ensuring a positive impact on all residents' lives.

Nonprofit organizations supporting early childhood development and family well-being in New York can seek funding for programs under TD’s Better Health, Connected Communities, Financial Security, or Vibrant Planet priorities. With a mission to improve quality of life, TD Charitable Foundation prioritizes inclusive initiatives serving diverse, historically underserved, or low-to-moderate income communities; awards are more than US $5,000.

New York nonprofits and fiscally sponsored charities with defined projects or programs can seek program and project support, including early childhood and family services work. New York early childhood development organizations can access funding through Cloudsplitter Foundation for initiatives serving communities in need, especially collaborative efforts with multiple funders and long-term community impact in the Adirondack region.

The M.B. & Edna Zale Foundation Grant aims to support individuals and families in building meaningful lives, focusing on education, social services, and community welfare. The foundation prioritizes innovative programs that promote self-sufficiency and measurable impacts within communities, particularly in Dallas, Palm Beach, and New York. It emphasizes collaboration and seeks proposals for specific projects rather than ongoing operational support, ensuring a focus on transformative initiatives.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations working on early childhood and related community needs in New York, particularly around Lockport, can seek more than US $500 to support sustainable, positive change. With a mission to enrich Associate-owner communities, Hypertherm HOPE Foundation provides quarterly-reviewed grants across focus areas including early childhood, education, health, food, housing, environment, and STEM.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) and educational organizations supporting early childhood development and related services can apply for Hypertherm HOPE Foundation’s Good Neighbor grants in New York, with awards up to US $500. Funding supports early childhood programs plus broader community initiatives in health, education, food and shelter, environment, disaster relief, and STEM fields.

New York 501(c)(3) nonprofits, community councils, and municipal agencies serving Tompkins County can apply for United Tompkins Community Impact Fund support for early childhood development, childcare, youth success, and family services. Grants from United Way of Tompkins County help address priorities like food security, health, mental health, housing access, and support for marginalized communities on a two-year funding cycle.

New York early childhood development and education nonprofits can access funding through Jesse W Couch Charitable Foundation to strengthen storytelling about their community impact. U.S.-based 501(c)(3) or aligned for-profit organizations working in preservation, education, or wellness may be eligible for this storytelling-focused grant, with awards of more than US $50,000.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations, churches, and government entities in New York working on early childhood development, youth, family services, or healthy communities 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.

New York early childhood development and family-serving 501(c)(3) nonprofits can access funding for programs that improve quality of life for underserved children and families. O'Reilly Automotive Foundation offers project, general operating, and capital support for initiatives in economic stability, health and social services, literacy, and related community-strengthening efforts where O’Reilly Auto Parts has a business presence.

U.S. nonprofit professional development providers serving at least five early childhood programs can seek up to US $500,000 from the Stranahan Foundation to strengthen the early educator workforce. With a mission to improve early childhood development, Stranahan Foundation provides New York and other U.S. organizations with multi-year funding for scalable coaching, leadership development, and substitute teacher pool models.

Graduate students conducting early childhood language development research in the U.S. can receive US $4,000 for studies at the preschool or earliest school levels. Focused on early childhood development, American Speech Language Hearing Foundation invites New York speech-language pathology and speech-language science students in accredited full-time programs to apply for up to three research grants.

Nonprofit organizations in New York seeking unrestricted operating support can apply for Cloudsplitter Foundation’s grants of up to US $5,000. Focused on long-term community impact, the foundation supports work in areas including early childhood development, community development, environment, and family services, primarily serving Adirondack-region counties with diverse, well-supported funding bases.

New York 501(c)(3) nonprofits serving children’s health, wellness, early childhood development, or other youth services can apply for grants up to US $15,000 to support their programs. Grants from 15 and the Mahomies Foundation help organizations improve the lives of children, including those with disabilities or mental health and child welfare needs across the U.S.

Focused on early childhood education, nonprofit organizations in New York can seek funding for school-readiness programs through PNC Foundation. Eligible projects support children from birth to age five in areas like vocabulary, social-emotional learning, math, science, and the arts, helping strengthen families and communities in participating counties.

New York early childhood organizations focused on development and school readiness can access funding through Ohio Children’s Foundation for programs serving at-risk children ages 0–5. Grants up to US $20,000 support quality early learning, parent engagement, stress reduction, literacy, and public policy advocacy that expands high-quality early childhood education.

New York early childhood and preschool programs serving children ages 3–5 can receive free On My Way to Kindergarten kits to support school readiness and family engagement. Grants from The Molina Foundation help nonprofits and community-based organizations access bilingual Spanish-English activity books and related songs, games, crafts, and stories for at-risk children and their caregivers.

Local and national charities serving children’s needs, including early childhood development programs in New York, can apply for CAPTRUST Community Foundation’s National Partnership Grant. The funder supports a Charity of Choice and multiple national partners each year, seeking to expand selected organizations’ reach and scale for children and youth services.

New York students pursuing careers in early childhood development and related early learning fields can access funding through the Dr. Chao-ying & Sue Wu Early Learning Scholarship. Offered by Chuckanut Health Foundation, this academic scholarship supports higher education pathways that strengthen children’s health, youth services, and educational access and equity.

Nonprofit organizations in Cayuga and Onondaga Counties working on early childhood development and family well-being can seek US $5,000 - US $25,000 for community-based projects. Allyn Family Foundation supports efforts that strengthen children and families, build economic stability, and create vibrant neighborhoods through its locally focused Opportunity Fund in New York.

$20K for changemakers with transformative ideas & firsthand insight in early childhood

About the Imagine Award

The Imagine Award by the Promise Fund offers $20,000 in flexible funding (see definition in FAQs) and a six-month cohort-based learning experience for community-rooted early childhood leaders with ideas for transformative impact. ​​Award recipients are at the idea stage and will launch a pilot within six months, testing their solutions with real users, gathering feedback, and refining their approach.

Imagine Award recipients will learn strategies for designing and executing lightweight tests for rapid learning while gaining clarity on their idea's direction using impact and business models. They will craft a compelling story about their work to build future partnerships and run a focused pilot with strong feedback loops for gathering data, all while growing alongside a supportive peer community.

What We Provide

Our grant dollars are flexible and meant to be used at award recipients’ discretion for the pursuit of tests or a pilot of a transformative idea. Read the FAQ for more information.

Direct, one-on-one support from our team to help you learn, get tailored help, and make relevant connections.

Multi-day gathering for peer connection, learning, and pilot design.

Access to a bench of mentors to guide you as you transition out of the program and navigate next steps with your pilot.

Light, tailored coaching to support pilot preparation, launch, and implementation.

Ongoing peer community and resources to continue learning and collaboration

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.

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 Nord Family Foundation Grant Program focuses on supporting a variety of initiatives in the areas of arts and culture, civic affairs, education, and health and social services. The foundation prioritizes projects that engage youth, strengthen communities, and address basic human needs, particularly in Lorain County, Ohio. Grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations and selected public sector activities that can demonstrate a significant impact and engagement with disadvantaged populations.

The Sills Family Foundation provides grants to nonprofits focused on early childhood education, environmental justice, arts and culture, and support for families in crisis. They prioritize programs benefiting communities affected by the criminal justice system, as well as refugees and asylees. Grants typically range from $10,000 to $25,000, with an emphasis on systemic change and community-based solutions. The foundation operates primarily in metro New York City and California, accepting applications for one-year grants only.

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 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.