First 5 LA Early Childhood Policy Advocacy Fund - Community Opportunities Flexible Fund FY 25-26
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Thank you for your interest in the Community Opportunities Flexible Fund. Los Angeles-serving nonprofit organizations, fiscally sponsored projects, and social-benefit businesses are invited to apply. Applicants must have total annual budget under $6 million and be involved in systems change initiatives affecting children ages prenatal to 5 and their families.
OVERVIEW
The Community Opportunities Flexible Fund provides a broad range of grants, stipends, contracts, and related expenditures of up to $80,000. Funding may be used to help build community connections and elevate the voices of those with lived experience in an effort to change systems affecting children prenatal to 5 and their families. Upcoming deadlines: September 8, 2025, and January 9, 2026.
COFF aims to be accessible. We encourage applications from organizations that have never received foundation or government grants, or other forms of funding in the past. No prior relationship with First 5 LA is required.
For a complete set of funding guidelines, please visit: https://communitypartners.org/ecpaf.
Unsure if your work is connected to systems change? Our friends at Social Justice Partners LA put together a wonderful guide defining systems change and explaining how it differs from direct service.
FUNDING
Funds must support First 5 LA’s overarching systems change goal: that public systems most critical to children's development prenatal to 5 advance belonging and justice for communities which experience significant inequities.
Priority for funding will go to initiatives led by people historically excluded from and/or negatively impacted by the systems for which they are advocating change. For example, this includes people who experience poverty and/or other injustices based on racism, anti-Blackness, disability status, immigrant status, anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, and the like.
Funds may be used for a wide variety of purposes related to strengthening the voice of people most impacted by inequity and building community connections to change systems affecting children prenatal to 5 and their families in Los Angeles County. Under First 5 LA by-laws, no funds may be used for grassroots lobbying.
For a complete set of funding guidelines, please visit: https://communitypartners.org/ecpaf.
Depending on availability of funds and the nature of the funding, awardees may apply and receive funds multiple times over the four years of this fund. However, funding for each awardee will not exceed $80,000 per fiscal year (July 1 – June 30).
APPLICATION PROCESS
Upcoming deadlines: September 8, 2025, and January 9, 2026.
Please complete the fields below to submit your application. After submission, a member of the Community Partners team may follow up to discuss your idea in further detail.
Depending on the nature and size of the request, we may ask you for additional information before seeking final approval from First 5 LA staff. Funding decisions may take up to 10 weeks following the application due date.