Innovation Challenge

Background

United Way of Greater New Bedford (UWGNB) has been investing in the South Coast since 1953, mobilizing resources to build stronger, more connected communities. Through our work, and the work of many similar organizations throughout the country, we know that families with high quality, affordable early education and childcare solutions are more successful in their professional lives, and by extension, their potential for economic mobility improves. Experience during the pandemic added to our knowledge by showing that disruptions in early education and care solutions result in caregivers leaving the workplace with devastating effects on their families, their employers, and the region as a whole. Thus, investments in early childhood development and education solutions enable families to begin building generational wealth and, through their efforts, lift the region.

There are substantial gaps in the availability, quality, and affordability of early childhood education and care. Adding to the complexity of the issue, there is a shortage of educators due to low wages for a highly demanding job. Data from the Center for American Progress shows just how unsustainable this situation is throughout Massachusetts. The average annual childcare tuition for two children in center-based care is $43,000, far exceeding the national average of around $24,000. Simultaneously, our workforce and economy continue to be impacted by the childcare crisis, with more than 60,000 Massachusetts parents reporting job changes due to problems with childcare. And childcare workers continue to be severely underpaid, with an average hourly wage of just $18. Fortunately, the Commonwealth recognizes the crisis and is making a significant investment in stabilizing the early education and childcare sector. Governor Maura Healey’s FY25 budget proposes a $1.5b investment in early education and care that will serve as an important step toward a childcare system that is accessible for all families in the Commonwealth.

Innovation Challenge Grant Details:

Most of the organizations in Greater New Bedford providing social services are focused on day-to-day operations and sustaining existing programs. They often do not have time, opportunities, or resources to take a step back and consider new approaches to strategically address their challenges by exploring new ways to do their work with greater efficiency or impact. Increased state funding should supplement immediate operational needs in the early education and childcare sectors, and UWGNB wants to give local organizations the wherewithal to seize this moment to address their innovation challenges to make long-lasting, system-wide changes. Ideally, organizations will work collaboratively to experiment, pilot, and test new ideas and approaches that can lead to breakthroughs in the wellbeing of preschool age children and, by extension, their families.

Specifically, UWGNB is offering the Innovation Challenge to support innovative, collaborative projects that link access to early childhood education and care to increasing economic mobility for caregivers. UWGNB defines an “innovative” approach as a novel solution that is more effective, efficient, collaborative, and/or sustainable than current solution(s).

Some examples of innovative projects happening in other communities include:

• The Childcare Entrepreneur Steward Training Program in Fitchburg, MA aims to increase the number of culturally competent (in-home) family childcare programs to increase availability of high quality early learning experiences for children in their city.
• The Mayor’s Scholarship fund in Lawrence, MA allows families who do not have a state childcare subsidy to access affordable, subsidized, licensed childcare.  Instituted in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, this fund allows parents to return to the workforce and have a safe place for their children.
• In searching for a solution to raise teacher compensation without burdening families with increased tuition, Friends Center in New Haven, CT developed a unique and collaborative approach to meet one of teachers’ highest expenses — housing. Launched in January 2021, their Teacher Housing Initiative offers eligible teachers free housing as a salaried benefit.

The Innovation Challenge Fund will inspire equally novel approaches here in Greater New Bedford.

Application Process & Timeline

Projects chosen will be experimental in their outlook, seeking to learn from both their successes and mistakes. Projects selected for the Innovation Fund might include:

• Reimagining the design of a program or services
• Building capacity within an organization or across the sector
• Leading cross-sector collaborations

Applicants may apply for up to 3 years of funding, with one year of funding guaranteed and funding in year 2 and year 3 dependent on the achievement of project milestones. Applicants may apply for up to $100,000 in total. Collaborative projects can apply for up to $175,000.

The following organizations and projects will be eligible for funding:

• Non-profits, public entities (e.g., schools, hospitals, government, etc.), and for-profits with a social mission; collaborative projects are encouraged.
• Applications that seek funds for capital expenditures.
• Applications that seek funding for multiple years.

The following are not eligible for funding:

• Applications for political purposes, religious purposes, or programs requiring religious participation.
• Applications that seek support for established programs, programs’ loss of another revenue source, fundraising expenses, or debt reduction.
• Funding for organizations with programs or activities that are incompatible with the mission of the UWGNB.
• Applications that do not serve or benefit the Greater New Bedford community.

Applications for the 2024 Innovation Challenge are now closed.