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Funder Collaborative for Reading Success - Springfield Early Literacy Grant Program - Year 2

Request for Proposals


THE FUNDER COLLABORATIVE FOR READING SUCCESS

The Funder Collaborative for Reading Success (FCRS) was initiated by the SIS Fund, a fund administered by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, with leadership from the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation.

FCRS members include:

 

§  Babson Capital Management LLC

§  Baystate Health

§  Berkshire Bank Foundation

§  Beveridge Family Foundation

§  Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts,

§  Hampden Bank

§  Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation

§  Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual)

§  Nellie Mae Education Foundation

§  Peoples United Bank Foundation

§  SIS Fund

§  TD Bank Foundation

§  United Way of Pioneer Valley

 

The goal of the Funder Collaborative for Reading Success is to strengthen and advance early literacy skill development in children from birth to age 9 to ensure children in Springfield are reading at a proficient level by fourth grade.  The Funder Collaborative for Reading Success is seeking proposals for the 2013 Springfield Early Literacy Grant Program.


SPRINGFIELD EARLY LITERACY GRANT PROGRAM

Please see the Springfield Early Literacy Grant Program Request for Proposals for comprehensive information about this funding opportunity.

The FCRS seeks proposals from proven providers in any of the following three areas of strategic focus:

-          Family education and engagement focused on building families’ capacity to support children’s language, emergent literacy, and reading skills.

-          Increasing the capacity of early education and care, out-of-school time, and summer learning programs to provide high-quality support for children’s language, emergent literacy, and reading skills.

-          Increasing children’s opportunities to access high-quality early education and care, out-of-school time, and summer learning programs that impact their language, emergent literacy, and reading skills.


The deadline is Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at 4:30PM.

 

The minimum grant size is $25,000. This will be a highly competitive grantmaking process. Funding will be given to qualifying organizations with a proven track record of successfully impacting early literacy achievement in the FCRS’ three areas of strategic focus.  In making grant decisions, a heavy emphasis will be placed on the proven provider’s ability to measure the impact of its work.  Only the most effective strategies will be funded.


The Early Literacy Grant application – using the AGM Common Proposal Form, [Cover Sheet, Full Narrative, Budget, Budget Narrative, Resumes or Bios of Key Staff, and the Diversity Data Form, including additional attachments -- is due on March 27, 2013 at 4:30PM. Please see full submission guidelines on page 6 of the RFP.

BRIEFING SESSION/QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

 

The FCRS encourages all applicants to attend the Early Literacy Grant briefing at the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, 1500 Main Street, Suite 2300, Springfield on Wednesday March 6 from 11AM to 12:30 PM. 

 

Please register for the briefing by sending an email to Santina Haywood at the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts at shaywood@communityfoundation.org.  Space is limited. Please send only one staff person per organization.

 

If you have any questions about this application or the procedures, please contact Kathleen Traphagen, FCRS Project Coordinator, ReadingSuccessFunders@gmail.com.

 

BIDDERS Conference - March 6, 2013:  Click [here] for notes and questions/answers from our Bidders Conference, and [here] for the list of attendees at the Bidders Conference.

The Irene E. & George A Davis Foundation is pleased to announce that our grant application process is going "On Line"!   Effective immediately, the Davis Foundation will only be accepting submissions electronically.  You may submit a Letter of Intent by simply clicking on the "Applying for Grants" tab.  There you will find a link to our new on-line application system where you will be guided through our 2-stage application process.  Our goal as we move to our new system is to insure that, as a grantee, you experience a smooth, efficient and uncomplicated process.  Should you have any concerns, comments or suggestions, please let us know.

Cherish Every Child is a city-wide initiative focused on improving the lives of children from birth through age five, and their families, in Springfield, Massachusetts by helping to ensure that they enter kindergarten ready to succeed. The initiative works to bring all members of the community together, including parents, elected and appointed officials, business leaders, the faith community and organizations serving children and families to adopt this shared vision for Springfield's youngest children:  a healthy and safe childhood that prepares them to enter kindergarten ready to succeed in school and in life. To learn more about Cherish Every Child, please visit their website www.cherishspringfield.org

READ!  Reading Success by 4th Grade has as its goal that all children will read proficiently by the end of third grade.  The mission of READ! is to ensure that the entire community is organized and working together to help all children acquire the fundamental reading and language skills necessary for success in school and in life.  The rationale is that until a child reaches third grade, a child learns to read.  After third grade, a child reads to learn.  Research shows that reading abilities in third grade act as a tell-tale barometer for later school success.  To learn more about READ! Reading Success by 4th Grade please visit their website  http://cherishspringfield.org/pages/read/mission_vision

Springfield Business Leaders for Education (SBLE) are employers concerned about educating Springfield's children for college and career success.  The group provides the business community engagement that is a key component of sustainable education reforms and a public education system accountable for its performance.  SBLE members understand the critical role that education plays in economic vitality and are involved as active leaders in education issues and challenges in Springfield.  The group focuses on advocacy and accountability with an emphasis on those issue areas where the business community has expertise and brings value -- accountability measures, human resources, management, and communication among others. 

Regional Employment Board of Hampden County (REB): A business-led, non-profit corporation established by state and federal legislation and supported by local business, education, and labor leaders as the primary policy-making authority in developing workforce skills.

Collaboration for the Advancement of Nursing:  Developing Opportunities (CAN DO) alliance -- the REB in partnership with the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation convenes the CAN DO partners.  The project is focused on eliminating the shortages of nurses in the region and was one of ten sites across the country selected by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.  http://www.rebhc.org/pages/healthcare_nursing.html

Achieve the Dream:  Community Colleges Count:  A national initiative to assist more community college students to succeed.  The Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation, in partnership with The Boston Foundation, The Lloyd G. Balfour Foundation, and TERI has brought this national initiative to Massachusetts.  In Hampden County, Springfield Technical Community College is the local participant.  To understand more about this initiative, please visit:  http://achievingthedream.org