John & Sally Mielke Early Years Fund

Purpose

To support programs that serve children from prenatal to five years of age and their families and raise awareness of the importance of the early years.

Rationale We believe that every child deserves a good early start to their life. Research demonstrates the importance of early childhood experiences on cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development and on outcomes for children, families and the community.

Background The community established this fund to honor the contributions of both John and Sally Mielke to the overall health and welfare of all community members. In addition to their contributions to healthcare and education, they have been strongly committed to our youngest community members. This endowment fund carries on their legacy by focusing on the earliest years of a child’s life.

“If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow. The years of early childhood are the time to prepare the soil.” – Rachel Carson

What We Fund

We provide grants that support children prenatal to five and the family members, caregivers and other caring adults who can help get them off to the best possible early start in life. Direct service, systems-level work, and advocacy will all be considered. Nonprofit organizations, schools, 3K and 4K programs, nonprofit childcare centers, and tribal and governmental entities are all eligible.

Preference will be given to proposals that are one or more of the following:

Collaborative
Preventative or offer upstream solutions
Innovative
Use two-generation or whole family approaches
Remove barriers to access for children from marginalized backgrounds

Examples of things we’ve funded:

Outreach and advocacy about the importance of early childhood
Equipment, supplies or technology to better serve children, improve curriculum, or engage families
Programs providing better access to effective prenatal care
Continuing education or trainings for early childhood caregivers and educators, as well as parents
Projects with a research component focused on identifying and sharing best practices
Strategic planning for early childhood organizations or initiatives
Developmental screening

Range of grantmaking: Grant awards typically range between $1,000-$3,000.

Deadline: Accepting applications: March 1 – March 31 AND September 1 – September 30. An organization may apply to only one of the two grant cycles.

What We Don’t Fund

General operating support is typically not funded
Fundraisers and fundraising events are typically not funded
Capital campaign feasibility studies, projects, or expenses
Membership fees

Learn More About the Fund

Visit this page to learn more about the fund.

To Apply

To see if you qualify for a grant, carefully review the Community Foundation’s general grant policies. These policies include important information such as which types of organizations can receive grants, our nondiscrimination policy, faith-based funding policy, etc.
Based on the general grant policies and grant guidelines stated above, if you believe you qualify, you may apply through our Grant Portal. (If you have not used the Grant Portal before, go to our Grant Portal landing page for information on registration, FAQs, and helpful tutorials.)
Once logged into the Grant Portal, click on the “Apply” page and search for the grant you wish to apply for.