At some point, every one of us will need care or need to provide care. The care economy — historically undervalued and underfunded — is an intersectional and intergenerational issue encompassing child care and early learning, paid leave, long-term services and supports for older adults and people with disabilities, and supports for paid care workers, including higher wages, benefits, and workplace rights and protections.

COVID-19 allowed us to witness the extraordinary contributions of caregivers and exposed the failings of our nation’s care policies, especially for communities of color. Important work is happening across the country to shape the national dialogue and change the way we think about care. Now is the time to transform public thinking and build support for a robust and equitable care infrastructure.

On October 26, 2023, we were joined by over 200 partners, funders and care economy advocates to launch a new report supported by the Care for All with Respect and Equity (CARE) Fund and developed by Asset Funders Network, Economic Opportunity Funders, Early Childhood Funders Collaborative, Grantmakers In Aging, Grantmakers In Health, and Disability & Philanthropy Forum on the care economy narrative change landscape in the U.S.

Coming together for the first time across issues and constituencies represented by this diverse range of PSOs, we discussed the evolving landscape of narrative change efforts across the care economy, lessons being learned by practitioners and by funders, and potential opportunities for further learning and action.