Eligible applicants must fall into one of the following three categories:
- Current Type III Early Learning Centers licensed by the Louisiana Department of Education to operate in Orleans Parish or those with the intent to apply for a license to operate a Type III commercial early childhood education facility located in Orleans Parish with demonstrated experience in early childhood education.
-OR-
- Current Family Child Care providers with academic approval in Orleans Parish (grantees must opt in to academic approval for the duration of the grant compliance and recapture period)
-OR-
- Developers or property owners with an existing or planned Type III Early Learning Center may apply if they identify an eligible co-applicant, who is a current or new Type III Early Learning provider.
Eligible applicants must adhere to all of following requirements:
- Applicants must serve children from six weeks through age 3;
- Applicants must apply for subsidized seats administered by Agenda for Children or other authorized agencies;
- Applicants must be in good standing with the State of Louisiana, City of New Orleans, and all other applicable entities to ensure the business is in full compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and operations;
- Applicants must be free of any pending Louisiana Department of Education investigations or legal actions that call into question the applicant’s capacity to care for children in a manner that ensures their safety, including, but not limited to documented repetitive and/or serious violations;
- Applicants that are currently licensed through the Louisiana Department of Education must resolve outstanding violations prior to execution of the grant agreement;
Project Site Eligibility
Eligible project sites must adhere to the following:
- Located within Orleans Parish
- Appropriately zoned for the type of center operated or proposed, or legally non-conforming as determined by the City of New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits;
- Type III Early Learning Centers that are, or will be, owned or leased by the eligible applicant/organization at the time of application;
- If the site is leased, the lease must be recorded with the Land Records Division of the Office of the Clerk of Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans and have a term that matches or exceeds the grant monitoring period, which shall not be less than 2 years regardless of grant scale. Leased sites will require proof of the owner’s approval of work being performed. 1
- Family Child Care providers with academic approval that are owned, occupied, and operated by the applicant/provider.
Eligible Grant Activities
Eligible grant activities fall into four major categories:
- Design and architectural and engineering technical assistance
- Business development technical assistance
- Minor renovations and improvements
- Major renovations and new construction
1 If the lease is shorter than the grant compliance and recapture period, a letter from the building owner stating their intention to continue the
lease through the grant compliance and recapture period will suffice for application purposes.
Each grant tier SEED, SUPPORT and GROW cover funding for different eligible grant activities as explained in the chart below:
Ineligible Grant Expenses include:
- Property acquisition;
- Extraordinary costs required for retrofitting (e.g., underpinning and excavation);
- Vehicle or transportation expenses;
- Business or working capital;
- Indirect or administrative costs;
- Professional development;
- Day-to-day operating costs such as salaries, rent and food purchases;
- Non-permanent supplies (e.g., art materials) and other consumable materials such as paint, cleaning supplies, paper, etc.;
- Repayment of loans or reimbursement of any otherwise eligible expenses incurred prior to the execution of the Grant Agreement;
- Any expense that does not support increasing quality or quantity of infant and toddler seats;
- Any expenses deemed ineligible by NORA Staff.
Required Application Documents
In addition to completion of the application form, each application includes required supporting documentation that must be included with the submitted application.
Required Documents for Part A Application:
- Owner’s Resume/Professional Biography
- Current photos of facility (interior and exterior)
- Evidence of Site Control (Lease/Act of Cash Sale/Letter of Intent/Other applicable documents) or Available Sites Under Consideration (real estate listing, draft lease document, etc.
Required Documents for Part B Application:
- Proposed Project Plan
- Business Summary
- Business Plan (Required for GROW Grant Tier only)
- Project Sources and Uses of Funds
- Scope of Work
- Site Evaluation (if necessary)
- Construction Documents (if necessary)
- Construction Bids / Cost Estimate
- Construction Timeline
- Continuous Operations Plan (if necessary)