Ms. Foundation Seeks to Increase Traction for Childcare Amongst Funders
Childcare is out of reach for working families, but few funders have stepped in to fill the gap.
In 2015, the Economic Policy Institute, a progressive-leaning think tank, found that in 33 states and the District of Columbia, infant care costs more on average than in-state tuition at a public university. Access to affordable childcare would put struggling families on surer financial footing. Childcare seems like a natural interest for funders that care either about early childhood education or the struggles of working parents, but so far, it hasn’t emerged a major priority for grantmakers.
The Ms. Foundation wants to change that. “We know that because of systemic issues around racism and sexism, sectors like the childcare sector have been both underfunded and undervalued,” said Aleyamma Mathew, director of the women's economic justice program at the foundation. This intermediary funding group focuses on reaching women of color and low-income women through investment in grassroots organizations. It got serious about childcare about five years ago, and has released a study on what it's learned...