The Franklin Square House Foundation is accepting applications for its 2025 Childcare Grants, offering funding to nonprofit childcare organizations for capital improvements, furniture, fixtures, and equipment. These grants are designed to support licensed and accredited childcare centers that provide significant services to subsidized families within the Foundation’s geographic target area, which includes Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, and several other counties in Massachusetts. Applications open on December 18, 2024, and are due by January 17, 2025, at 5:00 PM, with funding decisions announced on April 10, 2025.

Eligible applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and accredited by NEAYC. They must demonstrate financial stability through current audited financial statements and provide at least 50% subsidized childcare slots. Applicants must also own their facility or have at least 10 years remaining on their lease. For funding requests exceeding $50,000, organizations are required to secure matching funds and provide detailed documentation of these efforts. Additionally, all improvements funded by the grant must be completed within nine months of the award, and projects must commence within 90 days of receiving the grant award letter.

Applications must be submitted electronically and as a hard copy. The electronic submission must include contractor-level bids or vendor pricing for proposed work, as estimates will not be accepted. Hard copies, along with all required attachments, must be mailed to the Foundation’s Belmont, MA, office. Only after receiving both formats will the Foundation confirm the application’s completeness. Applicants must contact the Foundation’s Executive Director, Robert Goldstein, at 617-312-3400, for explicit approval to submit their application; proposals without prior consent will not be considered.

The grant evaluation process prioritizes readiness to proceed, creation of new childcare slots, and the percentage of subsidized slots offered by the applicant. Additional considerations include the organization’s track record, administrative capacity, and alignment with the Foundation’s mission. Applications are further assessed based on their comprehensiveness, the presence of slots for homeless children, and the availability of comprehensive family services. A mandatory site visit will be conducted for selected applicants in February or March 2025, involving key personnel from the applicant organization and representatives from the Foundation.

Following the site visits, Foundation board members will present eligible projects at the April 10, 2025, Board Meeting for final funding decisions. Grantees are required to comply with all reporting and project timelines, including closeout documentation for prior grants if applicable. Organizations interested in applying should thoroughly review the guidelines, secure approval from the Executive Director, and prepare their applications in alignment with the Foundation’s detailed requirements.