The Early Childhood Funders Collaborative’s collective grantmaking footprint continues to grow, with over $15 million in grants awarded across nearly half of U.S. states through the Racial Justice and Equity Fund and the Raising Child Care Fund. Together, these initiatives have supported 40 grantee partners, illustrating the organization’s ongoing commitment to strengthening early childhood ecosystems nationwide.
At the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative (ECFC), the Racial Justice and Equity Fund (RJEF) is demonstrating what thoughtful, trust-based philanthropy can look like in practice. With the leadership of Director Leng Leng Chancey, RJEF is reshaping what it means to resource communities — making processes lighter and more flexible, and relationships more human.
From the moment RJEF launched, Chancey approached the work with two decades of organizing experience and a clear vision: “I was really adamant that coming from the other side, I want as much of a low lift as possible for the grantee partners, rooted in shifting power away from funders and toward communities.”
Many RJEF grantees are small organizations with budgets under $1M, often without capacity for lengthy RFP cycles. “They don’t have a huge development department… So, we really lean into building a trust-based philanthropy approach, really centering what trust-based philanthropy means and how we execute it.”
The goal is simple: remove burdens so grantees can focus on their work. Or, as Chancey put it: “We shouldn’t dictate to them how the money should be spent. They are the ones doing the work, and they know best.”
A Low-Lift, Relationship-Centered Approach
RJEF has one type of funding opportunity: a three-year, flexible general operating grant. Each year, every grantee receives $100,000 for operational support and $25,000 for technical support. Although written grantee application requirements are intentionally light, the review selection process is thorough and grounded in community leadership, rigor, and relationships.
“We have curated a community of experts… leaders in the [social justice] movement,” Chancey explained. These leaders serve on the grantmaking committee, nominate organizations, and work closely with RJEF staff through a relational interview process before final decisions are made.
Just as RJEF compensates grantees fairly, they compensate community decision-makers too: “We also give these grants committee members a stipend, because we believe everybody should be paid for their labor.”
But perhaps one of the most unique aspects of RJEF’s model is how seriously the fund takes its own accountability.
“People say trust-based philanthropy — but how do you hold yourself accountable?” Chancey said. From the fund’s launch, RJEF hired evaluators to assess both its internal processes and grantee experience. Evaluators also work directly with organizations to co-create impact storytelling and end burdensome reporting. “There is no written reporting required. The evaluators will write up the report for them.”
Grantees also receive support to develop compelling collateral they can use with future funders. Chancey noted, “There are so many organizations that don’t have the capacity or resources to tell their story.”
An Intersectional Lens on Early Childhood
RJEF’s approach is rooted in an expansive understanding of early childhood well-being — one that sees children in the context of their families, communities, and identities.
“If we want to improve childhood well-being,” said Chancey, “we’re not only talking about access and affordability issues in childcare. We’re also talking about issues like climate, environment, housing, food access, civic engagement, immigrant justice… all of that matters.”
This perspective broadens who is typically considered an early childhood organization. Groups focused on housing, mutual aid, mental health, immigrant justice, and community organizing all play a role in shaping child and family well-being.
“We’re trying to build a bigger tent,” Chancey emphasized. “We’re resourcing groups that might not traditionally think they’re doing early childhood work — but they really are.”
Meeting Families Where They Are
The work of RJEF grantees is urgent, complex, and deeply human.
Some partners are filling immediate gaps created by inequitable systems. Chancey described a grantee who began delivering diapers in rural areas where the closest diaper bank was 100 miles away. “She had a mobile van providing diapers and formula.”
Stories from RJEF’s grantees reflect the essential role frontline organizations play — and the importance of funding their work with flexibility and trust. This kind of frontline work often becomes the foundation for organizing, narrative-shifting, and policy engagement.
“Our best asset is raising the money and giving it to the community that is doing the work,” Chancey said. “We are trying to resource groups that need us the most right now.”
The Role of Fiscal Sponsorship in Empowering the Work
As a fiscally sponsored organization of TSNE, ECFC is able to focus on mission, strategy, and impact while TSNE manages operational infrastructure.
“The TSNE team has been great,” Chancey shared. “This work needs both rigor and love — and I think TSNE has both.” She emphasized the power of trust-based partnership on the operational side too: “There’s never been a time where I email someone at TSNE and they say, ‘No, I don’t have time for you.’ It’s a symbiotic relationship.”
For Chancey, who previously served as an executive director, that responsiveness matters. “I can be very demanding… I want to know exactly what’s happening in the financial reports. But that rigor is part of the work — and TSNE matches it.”
Advice for Funders
When asked what funders exploring trust-based or diversified grantmaking should keep in mind, Chancey offered a challenge: “We have to reflect on why we’re doing this work, and who it is benefiting. Are we just checking boxes? Are the boxes we’re checking even the right ones?”
Funders, she believes, should use their positional power thoughtfully: “We have to have more audacity and understand our privilege and be ready to push back. The same old, same old is not necessarily the right way.”
Looking Ahead: Trust, Evaluation, and a Bigger Tent
As RJEF continues to refine its model, Chancey is excited about the ongoing integration of evaluators and coaches into the work. “Evaluation often starts as an afterthought, but we want to hold ourselves accountable. If people want to lean into trust-based philanthropy, they also have to learn how to build trust and redistribute decision-making power.”
With clear processes, community-led decision-making, and an expansive view of early childhood well-being, the Racial Justice and Equity Fund is showing how philanthropy can evolve and how systems change must start with individual people.
As Chancey put it, “If you want legislative or policy change, it has to start with the individual. You have to take care of the individual so they can free up their headspace to advocate for themselves.”
Learn more about RJEF’s work, explore their tools, and get involved at ecfunders.org/rjef.
Learn more about TSNE’s Fiscal Sponsorship services at tsne.org/fiscal-sponsorship.