Massachusetts Early Childhood Funder Collaborative

The Massachusetts Early Childhood Funder Collaborative (MA ECFC) is a new partnership effort working to ensure that all young children in Massachusetts have the opportunities and supports they need to thrive. This group of public and private foundation and individual funders has come together over the course of an extensive planning process to create this Collaborative, which will serve as a vehicle to strengthen the community of early childhood funders and to work towards policy and systems change by catalyzing a unified early childhood strategy. We will be hosted by a registered 501c3 that is still being determined.

Vision:

"All young children in Massachusetts will have the opportunities and supports they need to thrive."

Role:

The Massachusetts Early Childhood Funder Collaborative (MA ECFC) will contribute to achieving its Vision by:

1. Creating a vehicle to strengthen the funder community and provide a forum to exchange knowledge and expertise
2. Building awareness of the importance of Early Childhood and driving growth in Early Childhood philanthropy in Massachusetts
3. Identifying gaps, levers, and strategic opportunities for coordinated investment
4. Leveraging the Collaborative’s collective voice to influence policy and systems change
5. Catalyzing cross-sector collaboration and alignment to advance a unified early childhood strategy in Massachusetts
6. Identifying clear and common metrics to track and evaluate the Collaborative’s progress and inform process or strategy refinement

Guiding Principles

The work of the MA ECFC will be guided by the following principles:

•      Equity: We will focus our efforts on families marginalized due to race, income or immigration status who experience inequitable access to services and inequitable outcomes.

•      Cultural Relevance: We will ensure that the work we do and the programs, services, and work we support are respectful of and responsive to the language and culture of our families and communities.

•      Families as partners: We will ensure that the work we do as well as the programs, services and work we support are grounded in respect, equity, and partnership with the families and communities we serve.

•      Fair, equitable support for early childhood workforce: We will support and advocate for systems that include equitable, sustainable living wages for early childhood workforce with defined career trajectories and leadership opportunities.

•      Whole child: We will ensure that the programs, services and work we support attend to all areas of a child’s growth and development.

Leadership

Steering Committee

The MA ECFC Steering Committee provides overall governance, leadership, and fiscal oversight of the Collaborative. Steering Committee members are elected to staggered two-year terms.

​Steering Committee Members:​

• Karley Ausiello, United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley
• Paul Belsito, Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation
• Ayesha Cammaerts, Boston Children’s Hospital
• Turahn Dorsey, Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation
• Brian Gold/Elizabeth Pauley, The Boston Foundation
• Lydia Magliozzi Icke, Commonwealth Children’s Fund
• John Vasconcellos, SouthCoast Community Foundation

​Advisory Committee

The MA ECFC Advisory Committee will be comprised of diverse community stakeholders such as parents, providers, public sector partners, business leaders, national funders and thought leaders. This group will play a critical role in the functioning of the MA ECFC by providing input and guidance to the Collaborative to help ensure cross-sector alignment, relevance, and positive impact for young children in Massachusetts, their families, and the early childhood workforce. 

​Funder Members

Membership is open to all types of funders who have an interest in investing in Early Childhood in Massachusetts including private foundations, corporate foundations, community foundations, United Ways, and individuals.