• Grants

FY24 Comprehensive Grant Application

Local First Steps Partnership Formula Grant

Per South Carolina law, the South Carolina First Steps Board of Trustees awards grants of state funding to local First Steps partnership organizations in order to fill gaps in services for children 0-5 in their county. The partnership’s needs and resources assessment and long-range comprehensive plan are factors that determine formula funding.

Targeted Funding Grant

In addition to formula funding, the South Carolina First Steps Board of Trustees awards targeted funding grants. The targeted funding grant includes funding to support new or expanded initiatives, including AmeriCorps, core functions, parenting programs, and child care quality programs.

READY Sustain and Expand Effective Programs Serving Children and Families Grant

Resources for Early Acceleration and Development in Youth (READY) was created in Proviso 1.105 of the 2022-23 State Budget Bill with $3 million in General Funds, recurring annually, to South Carolina First Steps for the purpose of issuing competitive and targeted grants to local First Steps partnerships. In FY2022-23, South Carolina First Steps intends to award up to $1,435,000 per year in READY targeted grants to local First Steps partnerships, renewable for at least one additional year, to serve more children and families in their community. This targeted funding supports evidence-based programs for children birth through age 3 who live in rural communities and in communities where kindergarten readiness scores are consistently below the state average.

As a condition of receiving state funds, partnerships must demonstrate compliance with a set of 46 minimum qualifications. View the complete list of minimum qualifications here.

Eligibility
First Steps local partnership organizations

Deadline
05/3/2023

Focus Area
Formula Funding, Targeted, READY