Request for Proposal
Professional Marketing Support
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 Jewish ECE in the Bay Area, we are seeking proposals from Jewish preschools interested in improving their enrollment outcomes through professional marketing support.
We recognize that many Jewish preschools may not have access to dedicated marketing staff or professional expertise. Directors have shared that while they know marketing is essential, they do not have the time or capacity to take on this work themselves or pursue additional training.
This grant is designed to help preschools secure professional marketing support either by engaging an external consultant or firm or by expanding internal marketing capacity. The goal is to develop and implement targeted marketing strategies and concrete deliverables that increase enrollment overall or within specific age groups that are currently under-enrolled.
Purpose of the grant:
This grant supports Jewish preschools in strengthening their marketing and outreach efforts in order to:
- Increasing enrollment overall or in targeted age groups (infant, toddler, or preschool) in order to support long-term sustainability through improved recruitment
- Reach families who are not currently connected to the preschool
- Clarify and strengthen the preschool’s messaging and brand in order to increase enrollment
- Improve visibility in the broader community in order to increase enrollment
- Reduce the administrative burden on preschool directors
Funding may be used to support either:
- Hiring a professional marketing consultant or third-party firm to work directly with the preschool, or
- Enhancing capacity within an existing in-house marketing department to develop a preschool-specific campaign.
Funding may not be used towards:
- Marketing training or classes for ECE or organizational faculty.
Grant Priorities:
Funding may be used for professional or in-house marketing services and deliverables including, but not limited to:
- Brand and message development
- Targeted marketing campaigns for specific age groups
- Website creation or redesign
- Social media campaigns and advertising
- Flyers, brochures, and print materials
- Video or photography assets
- Google Business profile setup and optimization
- Audience targeting strategies
- Search engine optimization
- Paid digital or local advertising
- Enrollment-focused outreach strategies
Timeline:
LOIs due: Wednesday, March 18, 2026 by 9:00 PM PT
Zoom meetings with applicants: March 25 – 27, 2026
Selected applicants invited to submit full proposals: due Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 10:00 AM PT
Funding decisions announced: Friday, May 29, 2026
Application Components:
Interested preschools are invited to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) that includes the following components:
- Organization and contact information
- Description of marketing need and enrollment challenge
- Proposed marketing strategy and deliverables
- Target audience(s)
- Expected impact
- Timeline
- Additional funding sources or organizational matching
- Budget summary
Grant Amounts
Grants will range from $5,000 to $25,000, depending on scope and need.
This is a one-year grant. Preschools should describe how the marketing work will support enrollment beyond the grant period.
Application Criteria
- Jewish nonprofit preschools located in the Bay Area, CA
- Preschools with a demonstrated commitment to high-quality Jewish ECE
- Preschools seeking professional marketing support for services with concrete deliverables
- Preschools with a clear enrollment or outreach goal
- Preschools should have the administrative capacity and leadership support to engage actively with a marketing professional and implement recommended strategies during the grant period
Contact:
Please contact Annie Wilkins, Bay Area Director, with any questions:
awilkins@earlyj.org