Early Childhood Education
Early Childhood Education supports Philadelphia organizations and communities with projects that expand high-quality early learning enrollment for children from birth to age five to support school readiness.
Funder: William Penn Foundation
Due Dates: Rolling (Open applications for urgent opportunities)
Funding Amounts: $14,355,695 awarded across 28 grants since 2024; project overhead support of 15–25%
Summary: Supports projects that increase enrollment in high-quality early childhood education for Philadelphia children from birth to age five.
Key Information: Open applications are reserved for urgent opportunities that cannot be addressed through a future RFP.
Description
The William Penn Foundation supports Early Childhood Education through its Children and Families program. Its objective is for more than 60% of Philadelphia children, from birth to age five, to be enrolled in high-quality early childhood education by 2035. The Foundation seeks projects and programs that Philadelphia organizations and communities believe will most effectively increase enrollment, recognizing that quality early learning supports school readiness and success in elementary school and beyond.
Supported efforts may expand the supply of quality seats while making access affordable and equitable for families, financially sustainable for early learning operators, and supportive of an under-resourced early childhood education workforce. Progress is measured through the Reinvestment Fund’s annual analysis of early childhood education supply and demand.
