Childcare Contribution Fund
Boston's new fund to expand childcare businesses.
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Have questions? Contact:
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bostonwomen@boston.gov -
617-635-3138
About the Fund
The Boston Planning & Development Agency and the Mayor's Office of Women's Advancement are calling for proposals to create or expand childcare services in Boston. The fund totals $250,000 and will be awarded until it runs out.
Proposals should look to create equitable access to childcare. This may include some of the following:
- a focus on expanding seats for infants, voucher eligible children, and families who need childcare outside of traditional business hours
- a clear, sustainable plan to ensure equitable access, including for low-income families and children of color, over time
- a cooperative ownership or shared services model
- a program that strengthens worker pay and provides continuing education for childcare providers, and
- a commitment to supporting staff of color and staff from other marginalized communities to move into leadership positions.
The application deadline for Childcare Contribution Fund has passed.
Common questions
Common questionsEligible projects will provide childcare to children ages 0-5 in the City of Boston. Applicants must be:
- a Massachusetts nonprofit corporation
- a Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care licensed childcare provider, and/or
- a local community or civic organization using a Massachusetts nonprofit as its fiscal agent and open at least 35 hours per week to be eligible for this fund.
Any childcares funded under this grant program must be eligible for and seek licensure from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care.
Timelines may vary by project. After selection, deadlines will be set during the Grant Agreement writing process.
Yes, this would be an eligible use of funds.
Any childcare projects funded under this grant program must follow local, state, and federal law. The City of Boston cannot give legal advice about grantees’ proposed employment arrangements.
Childcare Contribution Fund grant recipients must submit documentation to show that they have complied with the grant agreement. Documentation can include:
- images of canceled checks or bank statements
- copies of payroll
- receipts for rent
- materials, and
- other expenses, though it is not limited to these things.
Yes, your proposal is eligible for this grant. But, you will need express permission from the property owner about any physical changes to the property.
No, it does not. This grant program requires applicants to create new childcare facilities or to serve additional children in the City of Boston. The metrics of this expansion will vary from applicant to applicant, depending on your project's structure and needs.
Yes, the application for the Childcare Contribution Fund is available in:
- Spanish
- Haitian Creole
- Traditional Chinese
- Vietnamese, and
- Cape Verdean Creole.
These applications will be available on Thursday, April 1, 2021, one this website.
No, there is not a limit to the amount of grant funds that an application can request. However, keep in mind that applications will need to submit a budget detailing how the requested funds would be used. We cannot guarantee funding any awardee at the full requested amount.
As stated on the application, applicants must be:
- a Massachusetts nonprofit corporation
- a Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care licensed child care provider, and/or
- a local community or civic organization using a Massachusetts nonprofit corporation as its fiscal agent.
Thus, childcare networks are not eligible for this grant unless they are Massachusetts nonprofit organizations. However, the individual childcare providers that make up childcare networks, even for-profit networks, are eligible to apply on their own behalf.
No. After-school programs are not eligible unless they provide more than 35 hours per week of care to children age 0-5.
Yes. Licensed family childcare providers may apply for the Childcare Contribution Fund.
This is a one-time grant.
This fund is intended to expand the age 0-5 childcare seats in the City of Boston. The Childcare Contribution Fund is not a COVID-19 relief program. Applications submitted exclusively on this basis will not be considered eligible.
On its own, this is not enough to qualify. If your application meets the other objectives set forth in this application, and, if not for financial assistance, your childcare will otherwise close, your application may be considered if it also sets out specific and measurable plans to expand your childcare services over time.
This comes from the zoning code language that created the fund this grant money comes from. As stated in the application, this grant will be used to provide child care facilities and/or to expand existing child care services. We encourage applicants to consider innovative ways they might define or do this, including but not limited to adding childcare seats to existing facilities, expanding hours of operation of childcare services, hiring additional staff, and building or renovating structures to provide childcare.
Off-site refers to the fact that the childcare is not being provided at 33 Arch Street, which was the development that funded this grant.
No, this is not required for an application to be considered.
Yes, you can apply, just leave the EIN field blank.
Yes.
A cooperative is a business entity owned and democratically run by the people who work in it. You can find more information about worker owned cooperatives here.
Shared services are a way of pooling resources for multiple people or organizations to access one tool or service, such as the United Way Shared Service Platform.
Who's Involved:
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Have questions? Contact:
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bostonwomen@boston.gov
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617-635-3138
