“Engaging with ECFC was the catalyst to my desire to design a community-driven grantmaking pilot in Allegheny County. It deepened my understanding of philanthropy, what it means to center equity in grantmaking, and the power of collaboration to better meet the needs of organizations closest to children and families.”

~ Robyn Tedder, Early Childhood Funder’s Alliance of Southwestern Pennsylvania

"ECFC's dedication to native communities and indigenous early childhood development has been a crucial (and long overdue) connection for Liftoff’s Network. The thought leadership offered by ECFC and its partners to support native children and families has been immensely valuable. ECFC’s fall gathering in Washington DC was not only inspiring but also provided actionable insights. We've taken these learnings and connections to inform our efforts as we consider the needs and strengths of the thousands of children belonging to the Seneca Nation of Indians – one of several nations in what is now New York State and Southern Ontario, Canada."

~ Rachel P. Bonsignore, Liftoff Western New York

"Belonging to ECFC connects us to other funders as well as other funder groups of which we are not a member but have overlap with our portfolio (e.g., Grantmakers in Health). ECFC is a helpful platform for learning from others, sharing the work of our grantee partners, and building support and collaboration for advancing mutual goals, particularly through the new ECFC workgroup focused on early relational health. The policy angle will become increasingly important to Einhorn Collaboratives’s strategy in the coming years; being a member of ECFC gives us a streamlined way of monitoring and potentially influencing federal, state, and local policy."

~Ira Hillman, Einhorn Collaborative

"ECFC membership allows us to network with other early childhood funders to identify successful strategies we can use within our own organization and community."

~Liz Star, HopeStar Foundation

"The November 2023 Member Meeting was an incredibly moving experience for me. It was inspirational to be immersed in stories of indigenous approaches to ECE and early relational health from so many insightful leaders engaging in discussions of culture, faith & spirituality, language reclamation, and nurturing. I also appreciated that ECFC members were exposed to pre-reading that grounded us in the history of trauma experienced by indigenous communities and the impacts of white privilege - the ECFC community seemed to embrace the role of “humble learner”. As a Black woman who experienced poverty and discrimination there was a lot that I could relate to, but I also found that there was (and is) a great deal for me to learn. The leadership team at the Trust has engaged several presenters from the meeting in the months following and we continue to learn from them and seek guidance to meaningfully support indigenous communities. Thank you, ECFC, for lifting their voices.

~ Toscha Blalock, Trust for Learning

"One of the most memorable experiences I had with ECFC was participating in a panel discussion that celebrated Native Culture, Language, and Self-Determination. During this discussion, I emphasized the significance of making small investments that have the potential to grow into substantial contributions, “small bets” through leveraging of funds. Throughout the conversation our panel emphasized the importance of social justice to restore our people.  I hope I/we were able to impress upon other philanthropic organizations the importance of funding indigenous organizations so that we can reclaim our way of teaching, learning, child rearing and way of life."

~ Nāpua Rosehill, Kamehameha Schools 

"We wanted to join an affinity group of like minded peers who were taking a lead in enhancing the systems that support early care and education. We need to test and validate the good work we are already doing and incorporate the learning of what’s working well for our other partners around the country." 

~Eddie Gale, The A.D. Henderson Foundation

"The Ford Family Foundation joined ECFC because we know we have more to learn and share about partnering effectively with: individuals caring for/educating young children, non-profits, philanthropic peers and the public sector on issues related to school readiness. We also believe that we have a unique perspective to share about working in rural communities."