Child Care Partnership Grant Program

The Washington State Department of Commerce is seeking to contract with multiple organizations to implement the Child Care Partnership Grant Program, targeting counties and cities across Washington state including Franklin, Grant, Grays Harbor, Chelan, and Yakima Counties. The procurement aims to leverage collaborative community partnerships to assess and plan for expanding child care slots, with a focus on preparing communities to competitively access funds for child care and early learning capital projects. Eligible proposers must develop community coalitions, conduct needs assessments, create strategic plans, and support workforce development initiatives related to child care expansion. The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO F26-214P5) requires proposers to be licensed in Washington, serve Washington populations, and qualify as federally recognized tribes, local government entities, nonprofits, public agencies, school districts, or Educational Service Districts. Evaluation criteria will assess Technical Proposal (59%), Management Proposal (22%), and Scope of Work/Cost Proposal (19%), with potential additional priority points for serving historically underserved populations and rural communities. Key dates include pre-proposal conferences on March 4, 2025 (tribal organizations) and March 5, 2025 (other proposers), with final proposals due by April 17, 2025 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time for a contract period of July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.

The procurement includes specific restrictions on eligible organizations and funding allocations, with a total program budget of $885,000 and individual award amounts typically ranging from $30,000 to $70,000. Proposals exceeding $70,000 will be automatically disqualified, and funding will be provided on a reimbursement basis for accepted deliverables. Proposers that do not require mandatory individual arbitration clauses for employees will receive an additional 1% on their final evaluation score. The program explicitly excludes construction, capital asset purchases, and direct service provision from eligible activities. Eligible organizations can earn up to 15% additional priority points for proposals targeting historically underserved populations and rural communities. The contract specifically prohibits activities that involve direct service delivery, focusing instead on planning, assessment, and strategic development to enhance child care capacity across Washington state. Reimbursement will be contingent upon successful completion of specified project deliverables and adherence to the program's comprehensive guidelines for community child care expansion initiatives.