Grantmakers for Children, Youth & Families: About Us: Partners: Early Childhood Funders' Collaborative

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Early Childhood Funders' Collaborative

The Early Childhood Funders' Collaborative (ECFC) is an affiliation of individuals who serve as staff at foundations or corporate giving programs that have substantial grantmaking portfolios in early childhood care and education. ECFC was formed by grantmakers to provide opportunities for networking, information sharing and strategic grantmaking.

ECFC Activities
ECFC meetings facilitate information sharing and networking and create opportunities to plan coordinated or joint grantmaking initiatives. Meetings are hosted by ECFC members and are held in different geographic locations. In addition, ECFC conducts research by commissioning papers, convening meetings, and conducting interviews in order to help inform grantmakers on issues of early childhood. Occasionally, special educational programs or sessions are held in conjunction with ECFC business meetings or outside the venue of the business meetings. These educational programs, which are often open to other early childhood grantmakers, provide opportunities to hear from experts on topics of interest to early childhood grantmakers and to discuss these topics in depth. ECFC also holds educational programs in conjunction with other grantmaking affinity groups or associations. The ECFC creates opportunities for members to work together to advance the shared priorities of the collaborative. However, members are under no obligation to participate in these collaborative ventures.

ECFC Initiatives
In January 2002, the ECFC launched an initiative – Building Early Learning Systems in the States (know as the Build Initiative). The Build Initiative has a bold vision: to create comprehensive early learning systems in the states to support those who set policies, provide services, and advocate for children from birth through age five so that our youngest children are safe, healthy, eager to learn, and ready to succeed in school. The Build Initiative is charting new territory. No state today has the ideal comprehensive early childhood system. Current programs, policies and services for young children and their families often operate in isolation, at cross purposes, or without enough resources to meet critical needs. Build serves as connective tissue, bringing together leading thinkers, policy makers, practitioners and advocates in several states and providing them resources to foster the innovations necessary to eventually build those systems. Build's multi-state partnership promotes positive development of young children from birth through age five by providing incentives for states to develop comprehensive early childhood systems available to all families. Build has provided grants and technical assistance and has created a learning community for peer-to-peer information sharing and access to expertise and resources from around the country. For more information on the Build Initiative, visit www.buildinitiative.org.

In 1995, the ECFC created a funding pool to support a major leadership development initiative called Taking the Lead, an ambitious effort to identify and nurture established and emerging leaders in the early childhood field.

Membership in ECFC
The Early Childhood Funders' Collaborative (ECFC) is a leadership group of experienced funders who are deeply immersed in supporting early childhood education for the long haul. The role of the ECFC differs from that of affinity groups. It is not an organization geared to those new to the field of early childhood. Rather, it is a group committed to exploring issues in depth and sharing the personal and institutional knowledge and experiences of its members. Funders who share a similar interest and commitment may be invited to join. Barbara Reisman, the Executive Director of the Schumann Fund for New Jersey, currently leads ECFC as Chair with a five-member steering committee. For information on the Early Childhood Funders' Collaborative contact either:

Susan Hibbard
ECFC Coordinator
19 Orkney Street
Portland, ME 04103
207-822-4333
susan.hibbard@myfairpoint.net

Deborah Stahl
ECFC Coordinator
321 Casino Avenue Cranford, NJ 07016
908-276-0384
Deborah.Stahl@verizon.net

ECFC Member Foundations

A.L. Mailman Family Foundation

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Caroline and Sigmund Schott Foundation

Foundation for Child Development

Foundation for Early Learning

George Gund Foundation

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Kirlin Foundation

McCormick Tribune Foundation

McKnight Foundation

Miriam and Peter Haas Fund

Peppercorn Foundation