Bay Area Early Childhood Funders

Brochure History and Evolution Membership List Survey
2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 and earlier
Racial Equity in Grantmaking
The Value of Play for Early Learning The Power of Play for Addressing Trauma in the Early Years Play: It's the Way Young Children Learn (in 6 languages)
Messaging/Policy Project Immigration Resources Engaging Business to Champion Early Care and Education Quality Child Care Initiative 1997-2002
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Racial Equity in Grantmaking

 

In 2021, ECF embarked on a path to more fully address and elevate racial equity in early childhood philanthropy. ECF is hosting a series of safe-space Learning Sessions for its members, developed a Racial Equity Framework to guide its work, and began to collect resources for ECF members interested in furthering their own racial equity work. ECF is committed to placing intentional focus on racial equity in all of its activities.

Racial Equity Learning Sessions

  • October 3, 2023, next Racial Equity Learning Session, 9:00 am


  • June 6, 2023: Facilitated by consultants Shiree Teng and Ernesto Saldaña

    ECF was happy to relaunch its Racial Equity Learning Sessions. ECF members shared they wanted the sessions to be driven by two things: first, more time to further “dip their toes” into vulnerability and connect with one another as peers engaging in racial equity, and, second, to continue to learn of promising practices that integrate racial equity into grant making.

    Connecting with Peers
    This first session featured two brief processes to connect participants to one another. We began with small groups where participants shared their earliest memory about race. Next, in dyads, members went deeper and they posed three questions to one another reflecting on 1) “who are you,” 2) “who do you pretend to be,” and 3) “who do you think I am?” in their leadership identities.

    Community Engagement Presentation by the Heising-Simons Foundation
    With these wonderful connections made, participants then enthusiastically pivoted to learn more from their peers at the Heising-Simons Foundation about their ongoing community engagement work. September Jarrett, Malia Ramler, Afreyea Tolbert, and Andrea Michel shared their learning and challenges. Some of their specific learnings included:

    • Parents and providers are most proximate to the challenges and are best positioned to reimagine and improve an early childhood systems.
    • This work takes much learning as well as unlearning some “traditional” practices and actively working to decenter foundations.
    • This is long term work with relatively short term grants.
    • Video submissions have helped elevate grassroots practitioners’ powerful stories as well as streamlined the selection process and broadened and diversified the Foundation’s networks.

  • ECF July 28, 2021 Learning Session: Liberatory Designs and Strategic Thinking
  • ECF April 30, 2021 Learning Session: Grantee/Community Engagement Conversation
  • ECF March 18, 2021 Learning Session: Racial Equity in Grantmaking Conversation #1
    • Audio (click to play or right-click to download)

 

 

 

For more information about the Early Childhood Funders
please email us at earlychildhoodfunders@gmail.com
or call 510-918-6381

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