The Dr. Seuss Foundation and San Diego Foundation are now accepting applications from eligible nonprofit organizations to be considered for either a Ready to Learn grant, a Dr. Seuss Foundation Bright Futures grant.
Donor Name: San Diego Foundation
State: California
County: San Diego County (CA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/20/2026
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
Types of Grants
- Ready to Learn
- The Ready to Learn initiative supports the expansion of early literacy and learning opportunities for children up to age 5, with an emphasis on literacy and language competencies as key drivers of healthy development and school success.
- Dr. Seuss Foundation: Bright Futures
- The Dr. Seuss Foundation’s 2026 Bright Futures initiative aims to support early literacy and school readiness for children up to age 8, strengthen grade-level literacy skills in the early grades (PK3rd), promote access to positive experiential activities, and expand services that nurture social-emotional development for children, their caretakers, and educators.
Objectives
- Ready to Learn
- Expanding access to high-quality literacy and learning opportunities
- Building provider expertise in literacy instruction
- Promoting family-centered literacy and learning
- Addressing barriers to learning through whole-child, developmentally appropriate approaches.
- Dr. Seuss Foundation: Bright Futures
- Network Strengthening
- Collaboration and Systems-Level Engagement
- Capacity Support & Sustainability.
Funding Information
Organizations may request up to $60,000 per application.
Grant Period
Projects should be implemented within 12 months of grant approval.
Eligibility Criteria
- Each submitting organization must be a nonprofit with 501(c)(3) public charity status, operating in and serving San Diego County.
- A 501(c)(3) public charity may serve as a fiscal sponsor for another applicant to administer the grant and provide regular financial reporting to SDF.
- Proposals should reflect a one-year project period, with the understanding that multi-year support may be offered at the discretion of the Dr. Seuss Foundation and San Diego Foundation, contingent upon available funding. Organizations that indicate an interest in multi-year funding will be asked to provide a high-level summary of their implementation plan and explain how multi-year funding would expand their impact, improve their ability to collaborate with partners, and support network strengthening. Interested applicants should be prepared to share key considerations related to staffing, infrastructure, capacity, or resources, as requested during the review process.
- Programs/projects must serve children up to age 5 (Ready to Learn) or up to age 8 (Bright Futures), their parents/guardians/caregivers, childcare providers, and/or early childhood educators. Applicants will be asked to indicate in their application whether they primarily serve children aged 0-5 (0-TK/K), 6-8 (school-aged), or both. The Dr. Seuss Foundation and San Diego Foundation will jointly review and assess the most aligned funding opportunity for each application.
- Preference will be given to programs or projects that support low-to-moderate income communities and/or populations experiencing disparities or harmful social determinants of health.
- The Dr. Seuss Foundation and San Diego Foundation will not fund endowments, existing obligations/debt, scholarships, or projects that promote religious or political doctrines.
For more information, visit San Diego Foundation.
