Funder Collaboratives

Although this is not an area in which the Foundation seeks proposals, we frequently partner with other funders to promote common agendas or to support particular initiatives. Specifically, we have helped to establish and shape three funding collaboratives.

Early Childhood Funders Collaborative

Established in 1994, the Early Childhood Funders' Collaborative (ECFC) is a consortium of national and state foundations with substantial grantmaking programs in early childhood care and education. ECFC provides networking, information sharing and strategic grantmaking opportunities for its members. Through its work, ECFC has recognized that 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. In response, ECFC created Build to invest private funds to help states create comprehensive systems of early care and education. Currently, Build states include Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and its learning partners Hawaii, Michigan, Oklahoma and Washington.

Child Care & Early Education Fund in New York City

The Child Care and Early Education Fund is a $4 million, multi-year collaborative of funders and public agencies seeking to improve publicly supported child care in New York City. The Fund supports projects that advance programmatic and policy reforms at the city or state levels needed to expand access to child care and improve the quality of center and family based care.  A key outcome of the Fund is the establishment of the NYC Early Childhood Professional Development Institute which coordinates all training and career development services for individuals who work with young children in New York City.

Institute for Community Peace

The Institute for Community Peace (ICP), formerly the National Funding Collaborative on Violence Prevention, was established in 1994 as a partnership among public and private funders. Initially ICP convened experts in violence prevention and related disciplines, and community collaboratives with the purpose of stimulating local collaborations to foster the development of community based violence prevention strategies.  Currently ICP is focused on promoting safe, healthy, and peaceful homes and communities by mobilizing community resources and leadership. ICP supports strategies that emphasize resident engagement and community empowerment and expanded national attention to the range of factors that can prevent violence and promote peace.