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Home-based Child Care Funding Opportunity

Background

Home-based child care (HBCC) is the preference of many families due to its myriad strengths and its ability to meet the needs of families. HBCC offers consistent relationships between child and provider; it can provide flexible hours for parents working 2nd and 3rd shift jobs; and can foster a child care environment that shares the family’s cultural norms and values. Many parents’ preference for HBCC has been amplified throughout the pandemic due to the smaller number of children in these settings, increased flexibility, and ability to respond to enhanced concerns about safety.

Unfortunately, the supply of licensed family child care (FCC) has been diminished over the past two decades due to the policy, economic, and cultural environment. Over the past 20 years, the number of FCC providers in North Carolina has dropped from nearly 5,000 to just over 1,000. Furthermore, the average hourly wage for FCC providers in North Carolina is substantially lower than that of other educational professionals including center-based staff.

Available Funding

As part of an overall commitment to support an early care and education system that meets the diverse needs of our state’s children and families, the Blue Cross NC Foundation is issuing a three-year, $100,000 / year ($300,000 total per organization) grant opportunity to support up to four HBCC networks, including licensed Family Child Care and/or unlicensed Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care. Funded networks will provide professional, business, and advocacy support for local HBCC providers and will also participate in a statewide HBCC Network Community of Practice to share learnings and to develop strategies for improving the policy, economic, and regulatory environments for HBCC in North Carolina.

Eligibility

Organization Size

  • There is no minimum requirement in terms of operational budget. Organizations of all sizes are eligible to apply.

Organization Type

  • Nonprofit organization that is exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is classified as “not a private foundation” under Section 509(a).

- OR-

  • Fiscally sponsored program – A group or project with a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization acting as a fiscal Please note that the fiscal sponsor is responsible for all legal aspects of the organization or project. The fiscal sponsor is considered the grantee and agrees to be accountable to the Foundation for the programmatic and financial outcomes of the grant.

Timeline

Deadline or Activity Date(s)
Funding Opportunity release and application web form is open October 5, 2022
Q&A webinar for prospective applicants October 18, 2022
Foundation staff available for consultation October 21 – Nov. 3, 2022
Application web portal submissions due November 17, 2022
Finalist decision notifications   December 16, 2022
Invited applicant interviews January 11-20, 2023
Grantees selected and notified February 2023

 

Informational Webinar

On Tuesday, October 18 at 3:00 p.m., the Blue Cross NC Foundation will host a webinar to discuss the funding opportunity and answer prospective applicants' questions. You can register for the webinar at this link.  A recording of the webinar will be posted on the Blue Cross NC Foundation website along with written

 

Learn More and Apply

Download the full funding opportunity.

 

Contact

For questions about this funding opportunity:

For questions about the proposal submission process: