Dr. Seuss Foundation and San Diego Foundation open a $2 million joint grant application for early childhood programs

A combined funding round for nonprofits serving children from birth through age 8

The Dr. Seuss Foundation and San Diego Foundation have opened a joint grant opportunity totaling up to $2 million for San Diego County nonprofits focused on early childhood development. The two organizations are using a single, shared application so eligible groups can be considered for one or both funding streams in the same submission.

The grant round is structured around two initiatives. Ready to Learn is administered by San Diego Foundation and targets children from birth through age 5, with funding priorities that include early literacy and language development, family-centered learning, and strengthening expertise in the early education workforce. Bright Futures is a Dr. Seuss Foundation program that supports organizations serving children up to age 8, with an emphasis on early literacy, school readiness, playful and experiential learning, and social-emotional development.

How the $2 million is divided and what applicants can expect

Each initiative is committing $1 million, bringing the combined total to $2 million. Individual awards can be as high as $60,000 per organization. Applications are to be reviewed jointly by the two foundations, a process intended to reduce administrative burden for nonprofits and streamline access to aligned funding sources.

The application window is open through Friday, February 20, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific time. Eligible applicants are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations serving San Diego County.

• Total available funding: up to $2 million across both initiatives
• Maximum award size: up to $60,000 per organization
• Program focus: early literacy, school readiness, and social-emotional development
• Age range served: birth through age 8 (varies by initiative)
• Deadline: February 20, 2026 (5:00 p.m. PT)

Context: early literacy needs and a longer-term funding structure

The new grant round builds on a multi-year collaboration between the two foundations. Ready to Learn is also tied to a permanent endowment established by the Dr. Seuss Foundation at San Diego Foundation, designed to generate ongoing support for early literacy work. As of March 2025, the partnership reported $3.7 million in collaborative grantmaking from 2022 through 2024 and more than 47,000 people served through their collaborative grantmaking since 2022.

The funding arrives amid continuing concerns about early reading outcomes across the region. Recent statewide assessment reporting for 2023–2024 indicates that roughly half of San Diego County students did not meet the state standard for reading, with results also showing sizable gaps among student groups. These outcomes help frame why grant programs aimed at early literacy and readiness—especially those that include family engagement and provider support—remain a core focus for local philanthropy and early childhood systems.

The shared application is designed to allow one submission to be evaluated for either grant opportunity, or both.

For local organizations, the combined process may lower time spent on duplicative applications while expanding the pool of potential funding for early learning services, literacy supports, and developmental programming for young children across San Diego County.