Robins Foundation Announces Second ECCE Grant Cycle for 2025

, ,

Robins Foundation is now accepting grant applications from nonprofit organizations focused on early childhood care and education (ECCE). This is our second of two ECCE grant cycles of the 2025 calendar year.

Our grant amounts will start at $25,000, and we will prioritize programs and initiatives that promote exceptional learning environments, positive adult-child interactions, sustainable workforce development, and advocacy efforts.

Please note the mandatory pre-application conversation with our program director, Meg Pienkowski, must be completed between July 21 and August 1, 2025. You can only schedule a call after you complete the pre-application questions, which will be available July 16. 

The final deadline to submit your full application is Friday, August 29, 2025.

TECHNICAL NOTE: Last year, we transitioned from our former grants portal, SmartSimple, to a new grants portal called GOapply (linked here). Please reference this link for more information about registering and using GOapply. 

Key Focus Areas
For children to thrive, they need access to early, high-quality care and educational experiences, as well as families that are supported and engaged. These factors influence children’s brain development, school readiness, and long-term wellbeing, so we fund projects in four focus areas: 

  • High quality programs directly serving children ages 0-5
  • Family engagement
  • Workforce supports
  • Policy and advocacy 

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible projects and organizations include those that:

  • Primarily support children and their families during prenatal stages through age 5
  • Serve community members in Richmond City, Chesterfield, Henrico, and/or Petersburg
  • Qualify as 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations

Which organizations and projects are not eligible?
Proposals are ineligible for funding if they exclusively focus on:

  • Travel to conferences or other events 
  • Budget shortfalls or cash flow issues 
  • Capital investments
  • Religious-based curriculum, admissions practices, or required attendance at religious events 

If your nonprofit received a Robins Foundation grant in June 2025, we request that you wait until our next grant cycle to apply. Any questions about your eligibility can be directed to grants@robinsfdn.org.

We’re eligible! How do I apply?
Please complete these steps in order.

  1. Log-in to GOapply (linked here) and select the 2025 ECCE Cycle 2 opportunity. Complete the eligibility quiz and pre-application questionnaire.
    Available: July 16, 2025
    Deadline: July 30, 2025
     
  2. While completing the pre-application questionnaire, you will be invited to schedule a call with our program director. Please schedule early, as slots fill up quickly.
    Pre-app calls will be offered July 21 – August 1, 2025
     
  3. Complete a full application in our online grants portal (linked here). Complete this step only after your pre-application conversation.
    Available: Upon completion of your pre-app call
    Deadline: August 29, 2025
     
  4. Grant decisions and notifications.

         Mid-December, 2025
 

If you have any questions, or if you need to remove a contact from your organizational profile, please reach out to us at grants@robinsfdn.org. We wish you the best of luck with your application.

Your Friends at Robins Foundation