Grant guides
Funding programs for childcare providers
One guide per program. We publish a figure only after it's verified against the primary source — you'll see the badge and the date on every one.
What happened to childcare stabilization grants? (2026 status)
Half the internet still says 'apply for the childcare stabilization grant.' It's gone. Here's the verified afterlife from ACF's own records — what ended and when, what a few states kept running, and the four doors still open to you.
VerifiedHow childcare funding actually reaches you (the four doors)
The federal government doesn't hand grants to providers — it funds states, and states fund you. Here's the CCDF pipeline in plain English, and the four provider-facing doors every state runs some version of.
VerifiedCACFP: the food money that isn't a grant (but should be)
The Child and Adult Care Food Program pays you back for meals and snacks you already serve. It's the most under-used money in family child care — ongoing, year-round, and open now. Here's how it works and the current rates.
VerifiedLicensing and QRIS: the two gates in front of the money
Almost every childcare dollar — subsidy, quality grants, CACFP, pre-K, employer programs — runs through two gates: being licensed, and your state's quality rating system. Clear both and you raise your revenue without raising tuition.
VerifiedThe private layer: foundations, associations, and United Ways
Private childcare funding is real but smaller than the internet implies — and a lot of it is 501(c)(3)-only, meaning individual home providers reach it through partners. Here's the honest map of what you can actually apply to.
VerifiedThe employer play: 45F and cost-share partnerships
A 2025 tax-law change gave local employers a big new reason to pay for childcare — and a new way to partner with a provider like you. Here's the enacted credit and the cost-share model, and how a provider pitches it.
VerifiedNext step
Get matched when we launch
Stalwell + Amivale is launching soon. Join the waitlist and we'll match your childcare providers to funding the day it opens — no spam, one email.