The Parents & Caregivers Organizing Fund will focus specifically on addressing systemic issues related to the first five years of life, when children make the most rapid development.
Donor Name: Bread & Roses Community Fund
State: Pennsylvania
County: Bucks County (PA), Chester County (PA), Delaware County (PA), Montgomery County (PA), Philadelphia County (PA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/21/2025
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
The Parents & Caregivers Organizing Fund will move money to grassroots communities organizing for change in early childhood systems across Philadelphia. This new funding initiative is supported by local philanthropic partners that include Philadelphia Health Partnership. These years lay the foundation for lifelong health, development, and learning, and early childhood systems – comprising educational services, childcare, early learning programs, physical and behavioral healthcare, early intervention services, or home visiting resources – support the healthy development of young children. However, these resources may be difficult to access due to systemic barriers that include racism, classism, and affordability.
The Fund has two main priorities:
- Economic Justice. Over 20% of Philadelphians face economic insecurity, with the city holding the highest poverty rate among the nation’s 10 largest cities. Caregivers experiencing financial challenges urgently need support systems addressing mental health, housing, pay equity, and job development. Groups that meet the Bread & Roses eligibility criteria can apply for grants of $15,000 to support community organizing focused on the causes and effects of economic insecurity for families with young children. Organizing strategies may take many forms, including developing community-led coalitions, creating partnerships with service providers, enhancing access to critical resources, or facilitating forums where caregivers and local leaders collaborate to propose solutions and pursue systemic changes.
- Coordinated Ecosystem of Support for Caregivers. Promoting optimal development for children and fostering caregiver well-being are essential to addressing systemic barriers such as limited access to childcare, nutritious meals, and holistic health services. Grants of $15,000 will be available to community groups that are organizing to develop a coordinated care infrastructure that strengthens local service delivery systems while addressing key barriers. These community groups may employ organizing strategies like convening service providers, caregivers, parents, local leaders, and community partners at the neighborhood level.
Funding Information
Organizations can receive up to $50,000 total in grants from Bread & Roses within a 12-month period.
Eligibility Criteria
- Must be located in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Camden counties
- Must be designated by the IRS as a 501(c)3 organization or have a fiscal sponsor that is designated by the IRS as a 501(c)3 organization
- Must be current with all progress reports from previously awarded Bread & Roses grants
- Must submit a complete application prior to the deadline
- Must be using community organizing to create sustainable social change
- Bread & Roses makes grants to organizations that have a long-term vision for social justice and engage in strategies that promote sustainable social change, including:
- A focus on community organizing and activism (not social service, self-help, or educational programs)
- A clear understanding of the root causes of the problem or issue that they are working to resolve
- A vision that emphasizes changing the systems that create or perpetuate the problem or issue being addressed
- A strategy that includes building a local base for taking collective action by the community affected by the problem or issue and results in concrete outcomes at the neighborhood, city, state or national level
- Leadership that is primarily composed of people most affected by the problem or issue that is being addressed.
Ineligibility
- Direct service work/social services, self-help/empowerment programs, educational programs, advocacy
- Research
- Schools
- Capital campaigns or building projects
- Scholarships, fellowships, or grants to individuals (except through the Lax Scholarship Fund).
For more information, visit Bread & Roses Community Fund.
