Find the capital to move your business forward.
Money is one of the biggest barriers between a childcare business idea and an operating, sustainable business.
FUND helps childcare entrepreneurs understand financing options, find legitimate opportunities, prepare for funding, and connect with organizations that can help them access capital.
Start With The Need—Then Find The Right Capital
Understand What Your Business Needs
Before looking for funding, understand how much capital your business needs, what you need it for, and which financing options fit.
- Grants
- Microloans
- SBA-Backed Loans
- Grants
- Microloans
- SBA-Backed Loans
- CDFIs
- Community Lenders
- Bank Financing
- Facility Financing
- Local & State Programs
- Personal Capital
- CDFIs
- Community Lenders
- Bank Financing
- Facility Financing
- Local & State Programs
- Personal Capital
The first question isn’t simply “Where can I get money?” It’s “What kind of capital fits what I’m trying to do?”
FIND GRANTS
Free money exists. Easy money usually doesn’t.
Childcare businesses may encounter grants from government agencies, foundations, local organizations, facility initiatives, and economic-development programs.
But grants can have narrow eligibility requirements, limited application windows, geographic restrictions, and specific permitted uses.
CBCH helps surface legitimate opportunities and makes it easier to understand who they’re for and where to apply.
IMPORTANT
CBCH does not guarantee funding. Grant availability, deadlines, eligibility, and award amounts can change. Always verify current information directly with the funding organization.
03 — EXPLORE LOANS & COMMUNITY CAPITAL
Traditional banks aren't the only source of business financing.
Childcare entrepreneurs may be able to access capital through SBA Programs, Microloan Intermediaries, CDFIs, Mission-Driven Lenders, State Programs, and Local Loan Funds.
Some organizations specifically exist to expand access to capital for entrepreneurs and communities that have historically had less access to traditional financing. CBCH helps entrepreneurs identify those institutions and understand where they may fit.
04 — GET FUNDING READY
Finding a lender isn't the same as being ready for one.
Before applying, you may need to organize:
- Business Plan
- Tax Returns
- Startup Budget
- Credit Information
- Financial Projections
- Use of Funds
- Personal Financial Information
- Ownership Documents
- Business Financial Statements
Requirements vary significantly by program.
CBCH also connects entrepreneurs with organizations offering capital-readiness assistance and business advising.
05 — FINANCE YOUR FACILITY
Sometimes the biggest expense is the building.
Opening or expanding a childcare business may require capital for property acquisition, leasehold improvements, renovations, construction, accessibility improvements, outdoor space, furniture and equipment.
Some programs are designed specifically for childcare facilities. Others provide commercial real-estate or fixed-asset financing that childcare businesses may be able to use.
06 — FIND CAPITAL FOR GROWTH
Funding isn't only for startups.
An existing childcare business may need capital to:
Add Classrooms
Increase Licensed Capacity
Hire Staff
Purchase Equipment
Improve a Facility
Stabilize Cash Flow
Acquire Another Business
Purchase Real Estate
The right financing structure depends on what you’re building and what your business can support.
BLACK CAPITAL ACCESS
Access to capital shapes who gets to own.
Black entrepreneurs have historically faced barriers to accessing traditional business capital.
CBCH can’t eliminate those barriers. We can make it easier to identify Black-focused capital organizations, mission-driven lenders, CDFIs, business-development organizations, and funding-readiness programs that entrepreneurs may otherwise never know exist.
Where a resource is specifically designed to support Black entrepreneurs, CBCH identifies it.
RESOURCE DIRECTORY
Search for capital without searching the entire internet.
Browse CBCH’s vetted funding resources.
FILTERS
Grant Funding
Small Business Funding
Startup Funding
Transparency
Current information matters.
Funding programs change. Application windows close. Grant appropriations end. Loan terms change. New programs launch.
CBCH tracks when resources were last reviewed and periodically re-verifies time-sensitive opportunities.
When we’re unable to confirm that an opportunity is currently accepting applications, we won’t present it as open.
Future Feature
Coming Later: CBCH Funding Finder
Future interactive tool: entrepreneurs answer questions about business, location, funding need, and stage; system surfaces potentially relevant opportunities.
V1 REQUIREMENT: informational preview only. Do not build the tool.
Next Step
Capital and real estate often meet in the same place.
If you’re opening a center, expanding capacity, or thinking about owning the property your business operates from, your next decision may be the facility itself.