OVERVIEW: The Burke Foundation aims to improve the health and well-being of underserved children. The foundation invests in the most promising programs narrowing developmental, achievement, and health gaps in New Jersey. IP TAKE: The foundation … [Read more...] about The Burke Foundation
Early Childhood Education
Inside the Bainum Family Foundation’s Deepening Support for Early Ed
Casey Family Programs
OVERVIEW: Casey Family Programs works nationally to provide human services to vulnerable children. It also offers consulting, policy development and research and evaluation services to stakeholders in the field. IP TAKE: Casey Family Programs is an … [Read more...] about Casey Family Programs
Bainum: How a Youth-Focused Family Philanthropy Has Evolved Over Five Decades
One Organization’s Quest to Forge a Civic Path Out of the Culture Wars, and Rally Funders
This Pooled Fund Is Driving Progress for Early Care — and Confronting a Possible Setback in D.C.
The last decade has seen an upsurge in awareness of the importance of early care — for children, families and the future — that has not yet translated to substantial change on the ground. Our early care system, which is not a system at all but a … [Read more...] about This Pooled Fund Is Driving Progress for Early Care — and Confronting a Possible Setback in D.C.
How a Family Foundation Backs a Multifaceted Approach to Lifting Families Out of Poverty
Hope. Money. Love. These are the three tools that LIFT employs to break generational cycles of poverty. The nonprofit, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, works by providing funds, coaching and support to parents of young … [Read more...] about How a Family Foundation Backs a Multifaceted Approach to Lifting Families Out of Poverty
L.A. Foundations Back Renovation of a Historic Facility Serving Children with Visual Impairments
Since 1938, the Blind Children’s Center in Los Angeles has provided early care and education for young children with visual impairments and other disabilities. Now, with the help of several philanthropies, the historic building where the center is … [Read more...] about L.A. Foundations Back Renovation of a Historic Facility Serving Children with Visual Impairments
New Funding Initiative Aims to Boost Wages for Early Educators — And Help Fix a Broken System
“America’s child care system is broken,” the Annie E. Casey Foundation stated flatly when it released its Kids Count Data Book this year. Each year, the foundation provides an overview of American children and their wellbeing, and this year, it … [Read more...] about New Funding Initiative Aims to Boost Wages for Early Educators — And Help Fix a Broken System
What’s the Plan for the Moody Foundation’s Texas-Sized Pledge to Lone Star State Students?
There is no question that the Moody Foundation — and the family behind it — have made their mark on Texas. The foundation is known for large, capital-purpose gifts, and the family name adorns buildings across the state, including at the University of … [Read more...] about What’s the Plan for the Moody Foundation’s Texas-Sized Pledge to Lone Star State Students?
A Philanthropy Built on Chocolate Expands its Mission to Support Early Childhood
Chocolate is the Hershey family’s most celebrated commodity, but Milton Hershey, the so-called “Henry Ford of chocolate,” left behind another legacy, as well: a school that carries his name. The Milton Hershey School, based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, … [Read more...] about A Philanthropy Built on Chocolate Expands its Mission to Support Early Childhood
Hands-On Help: The Other Side of MacKenzie Scott’s Recent Early Childhood Ramp-Up
We recently reported on MacKenzie Scott’s flurry of support this year for early childhood — including gifts to a number of organizations that consider advocacy a major part of their mission. Those groups make a case for more equitable and robust … [Read more...] about Hands-On Help: The Other Side of MacKenzie Scott’s Recent Early Childhood Ramp-Up
Righting the World: How Five Globally Bestselling Authors Give
Authors like Stephen King and J.K. Rowling are household names to anyone who likes to read, and regularly produce works that sit atop bestseller lists around the world. But how do these and other successful chroniclers of the human condition engage … [Read more...] about Righting the World: How Five Globally Bestselling Authors Give
MacKenzie Scott’s Recent Giving for Early Education Spotlights the Power of Advocacy
MacKenzie Scott has been at it again with her own special brand of philanthropy: surprising nonprofit organizations around the country with multimillion-dollar gifts — no strings attached. Early childhood is a focus for Scott's most recent blizzard … [Read more...] about MacKenzie Scott’s Recent Giving for Early Education Spotlights the Power of Advocacy
Recent Layoffs Raise Questions About the Future of Education Funding at CZI
Recent developments at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative haven’t received much attention: During the second week of August, the philanthropy created by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, cut its education team, laying off 48 … [Read more...] about Recent Layoffs Raise Questions About the Future of Education Funding at CZI
Facing Deep Regional Inequality, Silicon Valley Community Foundation Zeroes in on Early Childhood
Silicon Valley may invoke images of sleek workplace hubs and lush, leafy compounds, but not every corner of the valley is burnished by high-tech dollars. Poverty is also a stark fact of life in this region where wealth inequality is greater than in … [Read more...] about Facing Deep Regional Inequality, Silicon Valley Community Foundation Zeroes in on Early Childhood
Inside a Media Funding Partnership to Get the Word Out about Early Childhood
The U.S. is trapped in a fog of cognitive dissonance when it comes to what we know about what very young children need to thrive, and what we’re actually doing about it. Breakthroughs in brain science show that babies’ brains begin developing even … [Read more...] about Inside a Media Funding Partnership to Get the Word Out about Early Childhood
To Start Children on the Right Path, Funders Seek to Strengthen Earliest Relationships
In 2017, the Einhorn Collaborative and a core group of other funders came together to investigate where they could best support parents so that their children would reach the necessary milestones to be ready for kindergarten.The anchoring point, they … [Read more...] about To Start Children on the Right Path, Funders Seek to Strengthen Earliest Relationships
“Rockstar Successful.” Why Early Ed Funders Are Backing This Unique Approach to Training Educators
There isn’t an easy fix for the crisis in early childhood education, but removing the obstacles facing early educators would get us at least part of the way there. EDvance College was created to tear down some of those barriers by making it easier … [Read more...] about “Rockstar Successful.” Why Early Ed Funders Are Backing This Unique Approach to Training Educators
An Audacious Effort to Transform the Foster Care System Gets a Big Funding Boost
Anyone who has had contact with the U.S. foster care system — particularly the children who’ve spent time in that system — will tell you that it’s broken. Sixto Cancel is one of those children, and now he is working to transform foster care from the … [Read more...] about An Audacious Effort to Transform the Foster Care System Gets a Big Funding Boost
How the Ballmers Aim to Build and Diversify the Early Ed Workforce in Washington State
The Ballmer Group recently announced a big gift for the youngest children in its home state of Washington. The grants, which total $43 million, will focus on “building, strengthening and diversifying the state’s early childhood education workforce,” … [Read more...] about How the Ballmers Aim to Build and Diversify the Early Ed Workforce in Washington State
A Conversation With Sushma Raman, the New President and CEO of Heising-Simons Foundation
Sushma Raman, who was recently appointed president and CEO of the Heising-Simons Foundation, is so new to the job that she’s still living on the other side of the country. She will soon be moving to California, where the foundation is based, leaving … [Read more...] about A Conversation With Sushma Raman, the New President and CEO of Heising-Simons Foundation
Backed by a Broad Swath of Patient Funders, Early Ed Advocates Scored a Major Win in New Mexico
Patience and persistence are essential qualities for advocates of early childhood education in the U.S. Most recently, for example, Congress refused to pass a legislative package that would have significantly expanded early care throughout the … [Read more...] about Backed by a Broad Swath of Patient Funders, Early Ed Advocates Scored a Major Win in New Mexico
To Advance Health Equity, a Big Hospital Gift Targets the Earliest Childhood Experiences
As research on child development has progressed, funders supporting education and the wellbeing of children have shifted their work further upstream, into the earliest months and years of life. Sometimes, that means tackling health inequities … [Read more...] about To Advance Health Equity, a Big Hospital Gift Targets the Earliest Childhood Experiences
This Collaborative Fund Is Channeling a “Sea Change” in How America Views Care
The Care for All with Respect and Equity (CARE) Fund launched in 2021 with the aim of amassing and giving away $50 million over five years to impact policy and transform systems to improve caregiving and the lives of caregivers — including those who … [Read more...] about This Collaborative Fund Is Channeling a “Sea Change” in How America Views Care
Six Questions for Dr. Laura Gerald of Reynolds Trust, as it Reckons With its Past and Plans for the Future
To mark its 75th anniversary, the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust made a startling announcement: the organization, which was built on the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company fortune, will completely divest from tobacco by the end of 2022. The R.J. … [Read more...] about Six Questions for Dr. Laura Gerald of Reynolds Trust, as it Reckons With its Past and Plans for the Future
How the American Indian College Fund is Strengthening Early Ed in Native Communities
Despite an abundant body of research demonstrating the value of early childhood education and its positive impact on everything from school readiness to long-term health, quality ECE is too often in short supply — particularly in low-income … [Read more...] about How the American Indian College Fund is Strengthening Early Ed in Native Communities
This Major Anti-Poverty Collaborative is Doubling Down on Support for Early Childhood
Blue Meridian Partners prides itself on thinking big. Its mission is ambitious: “To transform the life trajectories of young people and families in poverty.” To do so, the funding collaborative makes hefty investments in strategies that aim to … [Read more...] about This Major Anti-Poverty Collaborative is Doubling Down on Support for Early Childhood
This U.N.-Created Fund Is Moving $1 Billion and Counting for Education During Times of Crisis
Educating children in crisis situations was an acute enough problem before COVID that the U.N. dedicated its first global breakout fund to finding solutions. Five years on, a global pandemic — and protracted conflicts that have produced 100 million … [Read more...] about This U.N.-Created Fund Is Moving $1 Billion and Counting for Education During Times of Crisis
Here’s What We Know About a Walton Heir’s Zoma Foundation, a Big Supporter of Early Childhood
The Waltons are America’s richest family, and the Walton Family Foundation is by far their most prominent and largest vehicle for charitable giving, making $750 million in grants in 2020. But it’s a big family, and one whose philanthropy stretches … [Read more...] about Here’s What We Know About a Walton Heir’s Zoma Foundation, a Big Supporter of Early Childhood
