For Immediate Release
June 28, 2023
WASHINGTON – The Raising Child Care Fund (RCCF) today announced a $3 million gift from MacKenzie Scott. The Raising Child Care Fund is an initiative of the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative (ECFC) that pools private foundation dollars to give grants to groups that amplify the voices of families, early educators, and allies. The Fund works alongside leaders to build powerful coalitions to transform child care and expand equity in states. The one-time gift will support the RCCF’s goal of raising $12 million by 2025 to increase investments in current and future partners.
“RCCF has been an invaluable partner investing in grassroots groups with multi-year general operating grants and then getting out of the way so we can do the work we were entrusted to do,” said Mary Ignatius, Parent Voices CA. “The funding from MacKenzie Scott will only strengthen and expand this model; adding depth and breadth to RCCF’s current and future partners. We hope others join in funding grassroots child care organizing led by families and providers of color.”
“Since launching in 2019, RCCF has become a learning laboratory for centering racial equity and changing funder practices to better support power building in communities,” said Early Childhood Funders Collaborative Executive Director Shannon Rudisill. “This investment will go a long way in supporting our work and mission.”
The gift comes at a critical point as grassroots organizers work to build momentum for greater state and federal investments in child care. Federal pandemic relief funds, due to expire later this year, helped keep 70,000 child care programs open. The Century Foundation estimated that 3 million children will lose child care if the child care funds in the American Rescue Plan Act are not extended.
“All children and families deserve access to quality and affordable childcare, and all early educators deserve compensation that honors their role in society and the economy,” said Rachel Schumacher, director of the Raising Child Care Fund. “This gift is a testament to their work.”
The RCCF will regrant the bulk of the gift to state partners.
“RCCF brought us closer to grassroots organizers and local leaders, and has illuminated the important role they play to build power and strategically shift systems so that children,parents, and child care providers can thrive,” said Marie Hocker, a member of the RCCF Executive Committee and a Principal at Imaginable Futures, a venture of the Omidyar Group
“This significant investment in our work reaffirms our shared commitment to empowering families and child care providers through grassroots organizing,” said Erin Clark, organizer with 9to5. “Our work is rooted in the experiences of our members, who lead and shape our campaigns, building communities where all families can thrive. We are deeply grateful to the Raising Child Care Fund for recognizing the impact of grassroots organizations like ours and for their dedication to fostering positive change led by those most impacted.”
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