Request for Proposal
Enrollment Growth Microgrant
Overview and Objective:
EarlyJ is a philanthropic initiative dedicated to transforming the field of Jewish Early Childhood Education (Jewish ECE) through strategic grantmaking.
As part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen enrollment sustainability across the Bay Area, EarlyJ is launching an Enrollment Growth Microgrant opportunity exclusively for Bay Area graduates of EarlyJ’s Early Childhood Higher Education Program and the Early Childhood Jewish & Israel Cultural Ambassador Program.
We recognize that enrollment stability is foundational to the long-term health of Jewish preschools. Even strong programs can face challenges in filling specific age groups, maintaining retention, or reaching new families.
This initiative has two primary focal points:
- Supporting measurable enrollment growth at Jewish preschools
- Elevating the voices and leadership of alumni of EarlyJ-sponsored programs
We believe that alumni of our programs are uniquely positioned to identify enrollment challenges, design thoughtful solutions, and lead strategic initiatives within their preschools. This microgrant invests not only in enrollment growth, but in alumni leadership.
Purpose of the grant:
This microgrant supports Jewish preschools in implementing targeted initiatives that aim to:
- Increase overall enrollment
- Fill under-enrolled classrooms or age groups
- Strengthen recruitment pipelines
- Expand outreach to families not currently connected to Jewish ECE
At the same time, this grant is designed to:
- Empower alumni to lead strategic enrollment initiatives within their preschools
- Amplify alumni voices as change agents in Jewish ECE
- Provide alumni with an opportunity to translate their professional learning into measurable impact
Projects must demonstrate both a clear connection to enrollment growth and meaningful alumni leadership in implementation.
Projects should:
- be practical and measurable
- be achievable within a 1 year timeframe
- clearly articulate the alumni applicant’s leadership role in the initiative
Funding may not be used towards:
- general operating deficits
- unrestricted staff salaries
- capital improvements not directly tied to enrollment strategy
- existing financial obligations
Application Components:
Letter of Intent
Interested applicants are invited to submit a detailed Letter of Intent that includes the following components:
- Applicant and school information
- Description of enrollment challenge
- Proposed initiative
- Description of alumni leadership role
- Measurable enrollment goals
- Timeline
- Budget summary
- Sustainability plan
Preschools will need to complete a secondary application through our Fiscal sponsor using the same answers provided in the Letter of Intent.
Grant Amounts
Microgrants will range from $2,000 to $5,000, depending on scope and clarity of impact.
Grants will be awarded directly to Bay Area Jewish Preschools. This is a one-time grant. Applicants should describe how the initiative will support enrollment beyond the grant period.
Application Criteria
- Bay Area graduates of EarlyJ’s AJU Early Childhood Higher Education Program OR
- Bay Area graduates of the EarlyJ’s Early Childhood Jewish & Israel Cultural Ambassador Program
- Currently working at a Jewish nonprofit preschool in the Bay Area
- Preschool director must support the proposed initiative
- Preschool must have a clearly defined enrollment goal
- Applicant must play a meaningful leadership role in the proposed initiative
For approved grants, funds will be awarded directly to the preschool.
Timeline:
- LOIs Due: Friday, April 10, 2026 by 9:00 PM PT
- Zoom meetings with applicants: April 16 & 17, 2026
- Funding Decisions Announced: May 1, 2026
- Preschools will need to complete a secondary application through our Fiscal sponsor using the same answers provided in the Letter of Intent.
Contact:
Please contact Maayan Sorek, EarlyJ’s Senior Director of Operations, with any questions:
msorek@earlyj.org