2006VentureGranteesandLearningPartners（五）.docVIP

Linking Economic Development and Child Care Project Awards 2006 Venture Grantees Sixteen venture grants for innovative projects that link child care and economic development were recently awarded by the Linking Economic Development and Child Care Technical Assistance Project, a joint venture of Smart Start’s National Technical Assistance Center, the Alliance for Early Childhood Finance, Cornell University and the Institute for Womens Policy Research. Funding for these grants was made possible by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. Fifteen of these were small venture grants ($5,000 each) to support the cost of research, planning, training or the preparation of a business plan. One organization received a larger implementation grant ($25,000) to help fund the cost of launching a new non-profit organization. Applications for the venture grant program were solicited from all states, and were reviewed by a national panel that included experts in child care, economic development, planning and policy. Over 138 proposals were submitted from 38 states and the District of Columbia. Priority was given to proposals that were innovative, made a new contribution to the fields of child care and/or economic development, reached communities of color, and were sponsored by organizations or coalitions with the capacity to implement and/or market the plan. “The venture grant program is designed to encourage organizations to try out new ideas. We really wanted to encourage bold, new thinking,” said Louise Stoney of the Alliance for Early Childhood Finance. “In addition to the grants, we are providing technical assistance and bringing grantees and applicants together to share ideas and foster peer-to-peer learning. Below is a list of grantees and a brief description of their projects. In addition to the grant awards, nine applicants were invited to participate as Learning Partners. A representative from each of these organizations will be funded to participate in Venture Grant national tech