high-quality early childhood education – Apr 25

William Penn Foundation issues RFP for increasing enrollment in high-quality early childhood education

The Philadelphia-based William Penn Foundation is committed to expanding access to resources and opportunities that promote a more vital and just city and region for all.

The foundation has issued an RFP for increasing enrollment in high-quality early childhood education. According to the 2024 Childcare Supply and Demand report published by Reinvestment Fund, 3,000 new high-quality seats were added in Philadelphia, between 2023-2024. As a result of this increase, 49 percent of the city’s early childhood education (ECE) seats were in early learning programs with a high-quality rating. This represents dramatic growth from a decade ago when only 25 percent of all seats were rated as high-quality. Still, with more than half the city’s ECE seats not yet rated as high-quality, there is much work to be done.

Funding will be directed toward efforts that help early learning programs to increase the number high-quality seats, transform existing ECE seats from low-quality to high-quality, and/or help providers to achieve and maintain full enrollment in existing high-quality classrooms.

Projects eligible for funding must improve opportunities for children from birth to age 5; focus solely on ECE programs in the city of Philadelphia; advance the RFP objectives; and use STAR 3-4 ratings as the measure of high quality.

WPF has $5 million available to advance this objective through this RFP. The maximum amount of funding that organizations may request for direct expenses is $1 million over two years. At least $1 million of the total amount awarded under this RFP will be reserved for grants to organizations that have budgets under $1 million per year and/or are led by individuals who are members of groups with a history of discrimination or exclusion. The foundation requests proposals for up to two years of funding. After reviewing proposals, WPF will conduct site visits and gather additional information from a limited number of organizations.

To be eligible, applicants must be recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as 501(c)(3) public charities or operate under a public charity fiduciary. Public charities include community-based organizations, schools and educational institutions, and other types of public-serving groups. Government entities are also eligible to apply. Proposed projects must occur in Philadelphia and serve families who are residents of Philadelphia.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the William Penn Foundation website.

Deadline: April 25, 2025