LITTLE FALLS — The Initiative Foundation and its five Minnesota Initiative Foundation partners announced Thursday, March 26, the launch of the Emergency Child Care Grant program to provide immediate financial support to licensed family and center-based child care providers in Greater Minnesota.
All six foundations have committed $50,000 — for a total of $300,000 — to start meeting the needs of Minnesota’s emergency workers and the providers who care for their children during the statewide response to the coronavirus pandemic, or COVID-19.
At the request of Gov. Tim Walz, leaders of the six Minnesota Initiative Foundations agreed to get this rapid-response emergency grant program up and running. Work is underway to secure additional funding from other partners to add more depth and reach to this program, a news release stated.
"We know that our initial grants are by no means sufficient to address the full needs of these providers, but we hope it will extend their ability to keep operating," stated Matt Varilek, Initiative Foundation president, in the release. "The grants serve an important role, though, because we need emergency workers to be able to go do their job to serve all of Minnesota, knowing their young children are well-cared for."
Grants of $500 to $3,000 will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis to licensed family- and center-based providers in the communities served by the Initiative Foundation. The Initiative Foundation serves the following counties and tribal regions: Benton; Cass; Chisago; Crow Wing; Isanti; Kanabec; Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe; Mille Lacs and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe; Morrison; Pine; Sherburne; Stearns; Todd; Wadena; and Wright.
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Grants will be awarded to providers who serve the children of first responders, emergency personnel, health care workers or anyone else deemed essential to work during this crisis. See the state-approved list of essential personnel .
Interested child care providers must complete a short online application. Visit ifound.org/covid-19 and select the “ Child Care Response ” tab for details. The Initiative Foundation’s goal is to provide a response and funding within two weeks for qualifying applicants.
For more information about the Initiative Foundation’s Emergency Child Care Grant Program, contact Don Hickman, vice president for community and workforce development, at dhickman@ifound.org or 320-631-2043.
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