Bright & Early DuPage
Bright & Early DuPage Grant Program
Bright & Early DuPage works to ensure every child in DuPage—from birth to age five—has the support they need to start kindergarten ready to learn and thrive. By bringing together local partners, building awareness, and advocating for early learning, the initiative strengthens communities and helps families access vital early childhood education and support services.
Through grants, Bright & Early DuPage supports the creation and growth of local early childhood collaborations. The grant opportunity focuses on efforts that build community capacity, expand access to high-quality early learning, and connect families (especially those with limited resources) to the support they need. We’re especially interested in funding new or existing collaborations that are identifying local needs and working toward sustainable, family-centered solutions.
Who’s Eligible: Newly formed or established early childhood collaborations in DuPage County.
Application deadline: The 2026 application will be available by March 2026.
Grant Guidelines
The 2025 application deadline has passed. Grant guidelines for 2026 will be available March 2026. Below are the 2025 Grant Guidelines for reference. Click or tap a section below for more information.
Why Invest in Early Childhood?
Research shows that children who participate in quality early learning experiences during the first five years of life are better prepared to succeed in kindergarten, which ultimately puts them on the path for lifelong success. This is especially true for children who are considered at risk due to issues such as developmental delays, low income, lack of English skills, or their family’s lack of education.
Bright and Early DuPage Goals
It takes a “village” to prepare children for kindergarten and to launch them on the road to lifelong success, which is why the Foundation is investing financial resources to help local communities build a coordinated approach toward this goal by establishing early childhood collaborations.
Although there are many ways to support young children and their families, the Foundation is most interested in supporting the development of new early childhood collaborations or those already in existence which are focusing on building local capacity for early childhood resources in the community, and family outreach and engagement in order to connect families to those resources. This includes identifying needs/resources to develop and implement a plan which expands high-quality early childhood education capacity and provides family support/education.
The ultimate goals of Bright & Early DuPage are that more children and their families are attending educational programs and accessing resources that prepare them to succeed when they enter kindergarten.
Application Due Dates
The 2026 grant guidelines will be available on March 2026. Check back for more information.
Grant Opportunities
New Collaboration Development (Maximum Request – $50,000)
Entities interested in applying for this funding should contact Barb Szczepaniak, vice president for programs, at 630.598.5280, prior to applying. Consultative support is available to assist in the establishment of a new collaboration.
Through this opportunity, communities can apply for seed funding to help establish a new early childhood collaboration and begin with initiatives focused on addressing early childhood needs. A community can be defined as a municipality, school district, or any other collection of one or more of each, which are in proximity and working together.
During the first year, a collaboration will be expected to partner with its local school district(s), at least three or more community organizations, childcare providers, and engage with local families who represent the population it is serving. There are also many agencies providing county-wide early childhood programs and services. It is suggested that these agencies are also included in the planning to foster cross-sector cooperation.
Every community is unique, and each collaboration will have its own set of needs and interests as it relates to early childhood. While newly formed collaborations have much to do to establish ongoing operations and develop relationships, it is expected they will prioritize building local early childhood resources and capacity, and family outreach and engagement.
Established early childhood collaborations may apply for funding in subsequent years.
Local Early Childhood Collaborations (Maximum Request – $50,000)
The following are required activities for existing collaborations that apply for funding:
- Operate effectively as a collaboration by engaging with community partners, school district(s) and early childhood education providers on a regular basis.
- Empower families/caregivers with increased child development knowledge, provide educational activities/opportunities to help families navigate the early childhood systems, and provide specific resources and educational events focused on families and children who have risk factors such as economic, language, disability, or additional needs.
- Conduct outreach focused on increasing the number of young children within their region to receive developmental screenings and track the number of children referred for appropriate early intervention services.
- Promote quality early childhood education and work towards full enrollment of all available program seats (center-based and home-based) in your community.
Eligibility
Applications for funding will be accepted from newly formed or established early childhood collaborations in DuPage County.
The lead director/coordinator for the collaboration will be responsible for submitting the application and monitoring the grant. A qualifying agency may be a school district or a nonprofit organization that serves young children and families and is a public charity classified as exempt from federal income taxes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Application Review Process
Our Bright & Early DuPage Committee consists of community volunteers, Foundation trustees and Foundation staff.
- Committee will evaluate all applications received.
- Committee will recommend selected community early childhood collaboration efforts to the full Board of Trustees for approval.
- Applicants will be notified about the status of their application in August.
- Grants will be distributed in early August 2025.
Additional Resources
Want to learn more about how we help nonprofits in our community? Visit our nonprofit resources page or reach out to Barb Szczepaniak, vice president for programs, for additional guidance.
