TAYLORSVILLE, UT — October 21, 2025 — Waterford.org, a national nonprofit leader in early education, announced a groundbreaking grant designed to bring high-quality, research-backed early learning to more young learners through an innovative philanthropic model.

The multi-year matching funds grant will support educational organizations that want to bring  Waterford’s proven early learning programs to their students. The grant is designed to support districts, charters, and education organizations committed to early learning in PreK through 2nd grade reading, math, and science. Ideal partners for this grant are prepared to implement Waterford’s programs at scale with fidelity and will prioritize professional learning, data-driven impact, and strong collaboration to ensure lasting success for their students.

Early learning is one of the most effective ways to support long-term student success. Research shows that high-quality early education leads to stronger academic outcomes, higher graduation rates, and lasting benefits well into adulthood.

With a catalytic investment from the Valhalla Foundation, the matching funds reduce the barrier to entry for school districts and education providers seeking to implement Waterford’s proven PreK through 2nd grade programs. This funding approach brings together nonprofit expertise, philanthropic capital, and education leadership to help more children build a strong academic foundation from the very start.

“This is exactly the kind of cross-sector collaboration we need to expand access to great early learning experiences,” said Matt Hill, CEO of Waterford.org. “With Valhalla’s investment, we’re scaling a sustainable, research-backed solution that helps children thrive in the earliest, most critical years of learning.”

“We are optimistic that Waterford’s matching grant fund will enable early learning programs to provide many more children with evidence based early math, science and literacy instruction – putting them on track for academic success in higher grades, “ said Sara Allan, President, Valhalla Foundation