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Advances in Early Childhood Development
Early Childhood Matters
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A guide
Building a society for babies, toddlers, and caregivers
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Catholic Care for Children in Eastern Africa
A Regional Portrait
Community Driven Systems Change
The power of grassroots-led change for long-term impact and how funders can nurture it
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Youth Participatory Grantmaking in Sierra Leonne
Lessons from the Tar Kura Initiative
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Never only one zebra
A Review of Measurement Frameworks in Children's Care
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Community-Driven Systems Change
The power of grassroots-led change for long-term impact and how funders can nurture it
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Youth Participatory Grantmaking in Sierra Leone
Lessons Learned from the Tar Kura Initiative
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ECFG develops and commissions resources for our members and the wider philanthropic community to support more and better funding for children and youth.
weaving collective Practice
A learning journey for funders on child and youth participation
This learning journey for funders explores what child and youth leadership and partnership means in practice and offers meaningful ways to practice child- and youth-centered funding and participation in philanthropy. The Learning Journey Package comprises four workshop recordings (each recording is accompanied by detailed notes, key takeaways, and a trove of resources for further exploration), each tackling crucial aspects of participation such as safeguarding, compensation, internal advocacy, and support for youth-led movements.
Available: in english | en español | en français | em português
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In 2022, ECFG commissioned Degan Ali and her team at DA Global to lead us through a decolonizing grantmaking journey that included learning webinars, collective learning and reflection, the identification of promising practices, and the development of a framework that funders could use to elevate equitable grantmaking, resulting in this Framework to Decolonize Child and Youth Philanthropy. This tool is intentionally focused on supporting those who have embarked on a change process within their organizations, those who want to make additional adjustments, and those who are grappling with how to get started.
child and youth philanthropy
Framework to decolonize
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weaving a collective tapestry
A funders' toolkit for child and youth participation
In early 2022, Elevate Children Funders’ Group commissioned a research study to better understand child and youth participatory models used by funders. The resulting Funders’ Toolkit for Child and Youth Participation, co-created by an amazing group of young leaders, and with the guidance of an advisory committee and the ECFG Child and Youth Participation working group, is the first of its kind to offer support and guidance on the substantive “how-to” of child and youth participation - tailored specifically to funders.
The evidence is clear that from the
moment a child is conceived, they need their parents, caregivers, and/or
families to survive, thrive, and meet their
developmental potential. Earlier this year, the ECFG Parenting & Family Strengthening interest group identified the need to understand
philanthropic investments that support the
adults whose behaviors, skills, and well-being
impact children’s development.
ECFG commissioned this exercise
to map foundation investments in
parenting and caregiving across the
Global South. This mapping explores the who, what, when, where, and
how of these investments.
for parent, caregiver, and family support programs in the global south
Philanthropic funding
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Manufacturing Moral Panic in Alliance Magazine
THINK THE 'ANTI-GENDER' MOVEMENT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH PHILANTHROPY? THINK AGAIN
ECFG Executive Director, Heather Hamilton, and Matty Hart of the Global Philanthropy Project were recently published in the December 2021 issue of Alliance Magazine with an article on how the "anti-gender" movement is impacting philanthropy across program areas and around the world.
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The Shifting Power in Grantmaking series was designed to help funders explore what shifting power means for them, and how they can value community action and agency in their grantmaking. This toolkit provides a workbook overview of the series, walking participants through pre-readings, webinar recordings, and exercises.
To improve child and youth outcomes: the series toolkit
Shifting Power in Grantmaking
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Understanding the global south
key philanthropic trends, challenges and opportunities in asia, africa, and latin america
In early 2021, ECFG partnered with the International Education Funders’ Group (IEFG) to commission research designed to help us diversify our philanthropic support networks with more members from the Global South and to make our spaces more attractive and responsive to these new members. Through the research process, the team at Sattva Consulting identified a number of observations about philanthropy in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and offered insights about welcoming Global South funders into Global North philanthropic spaces. ECFG and IEFG were delighted to support the development of this report, as a resource for the broader philanthropic community.
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We are thrilled to share this new ECFG-funded report from the Funder Safeguarding Collaborative (FSC) on the challenges, positive practices, and opportunities for collaboration between funders on safeguarding. FSC helps grant-making organizations strengthen safeguarding within their own organizations and those they fund by connecting funders to safeguarding knowledge and best practices, creating peer learning spaces, and offering high-quality safeguarding support.
Challenges, positive practices, and opportunities for collaboration
FUNDER APproaches to safeguarding
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Strategic plan 2021-2023
a summary of ecfg's new strategic plan
With the expert help of I.G. Advisors, ECFG went through an ambitious and incredibly participatory strategic planning process through the first months of 2021, including extensive consultations with external stakeholders and a series of grantee focus groups. Together, we engaged in serious inquiry about the change we wanted to see in the world, how we thought that change might happen, and what actions we could take collectively to make the biggest impact. This summary document contains key outcomes from those efforts, including a new vision and mission for our collective work, an ecosystem level Theory of Change, and detailed goals and strategies for the next three years.
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The objective of this study was to map current practices in philanthropic support for child and youth led work at the community level and provide strategic advice to donors on how to strengthen their funding modalities through participatory approaches. The recommendations from this process will pave the road for members to challenge their own practices; build on momentum to shift money down to the grassroots level; explore ways to influence the broader sector; and influence and shift the wider donor community thinking and approaches.
Philanthropy's role in strengthening child- and youth-led community rooted groups
shifting the field
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Manufacturing moral panic
weaponizing children to undermine gender justice and human rights
This new research, co-developed with the Global Philanthropy Project with the research team Sentiido, explores how gender-restrictive groups are using child protection rhetoric to manufacture moral panic and mobilize against human rights, and how this strengthens the illiberal politics currently undermining democracies. The report’s comparative analysis of case studies in Bulgaria, Ghana, and Perú underscores recurring strategies, narratives, and actors, and gives insight into how gender-restrictive groups collaborate and engage in cross-coalition work around the globe.
This short thought-piece was commissioned by ECFG in September 2020 to help members navigate the uncertainty around how COVID would impact children in the longer-term. The paper includes a desk review of the impacts of previous pandemics and economic crises on children; an overview of likely impacts for children of the COVID crisis, including projections by age cohort; four potential scenarios and related planning questions; recommendations for funding, advocacy, and research; and a bibliography of key resources and reports.
Impacts on children and the search for opportunities
COVID-19 Future trends
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Support LGBTI Youth
A series of resources
A series of resources from Elevate Children Funders Group and Global Philanthropy Project, including a video, social media cards, an infographic, and a presentation.
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In September 2020, ECFG Executive Director Heather Hamilton interviewed six members of the network about their journey towards participatory philanthropy, particularly engaging children and youth. This is what they said.
six foundations' journeys
participatory philanthropy
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Pulling back the curtain
What Do Non-Funders Think Are the Key Challenges, Needs, Gaps and Opportunities in Supporting Children and Young People Facing Adversity?
It is a rare opportunity for non-funders to honestly and anonymously share with funders their candid feedback of what is working (and not). By sharing and learning together, we can both deepen our knowledge and ensure better outcomes for children and young people the world over.
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A series of resources from Elevate Children Funders Group and Global Philanthropy Project, including country-specific policy briefs, social media cards, and infographics for Nepal and Haiti.
A series of resources
Why Funding for Orphanages is Harming the Children it Aims to Help
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Program learning event
Preventing and Responding to Violence Against Children in Schools July 2015
Sponsored by the ECFG, a three-day Program Learning Event (PLE) on Violence against Children in and around Schools (VACiS) held in Kampala, Uganda from 14-16 July 2015, attracted 77 practitioners, donors, advocates, researchers and government representatives in the field of violence against children from Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Germany, the United Kingdom and United States of America. The theme of the event was developing a common learning agenda on preventing and responding to VACiS.
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Young people are often among the most affected by conflict. But to engage with them solely as victims or perpetrators of war obscures the vital role they play
in peacebuilding, writes Ghazal Keshavarzian of Elevate Children Funders Group and Catherine Thompson of Peace and Security Funders Group.
Peacebuilding deeply article
To achieve lasting security, invest in young peacebuilders
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Strategic Plan 2017-2019
Elevating a Holistic Agenda for Children in Adversity - A Map for Philanthropy
In 2016, ECFG embarked on a strategic review process to refine key elements of its work and to increase its relevance to the philanthropic field. This process resulted in a three-year strategic plan launched in early 2017. This resource summarizes the strategic plan process and results.
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Are you an ECFG member with research or recent publications that you'd like us to share? Let us know!
Catholic sisters are champions of care reform. Working with governmental, civic, and church leaders, and within their local communities, they are leading efforts to transition from institutional care toward family- and community-based care for children. Catholic sisters’ leadership, service and spiritual witness have advanced the common good through a profound commitment to working on behalf of the vulnerable and marginalized.
Catholic Care for Children in eastern africa
A Regional Portrait
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Building a society for babies, toddlers and caregivers - a guide
an integrated policy brief
The early years is a window of opportunity to make a lasting impact on human lives. With the right support, governments can help babies and toddlers reach their full potential. Whether making policies for a nation or a village, this guide explains both why and how policymakers and practitioners can put young children first. It covers integrated policies and vital services to promote early child development, covering six key policy sectors: Health, Nutrition, Education, Social Protection, Urban Planning, and Labor and Employment.
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Climate change is especially dangerous for young children. Yet discussions about climate seldom refer to the fate of young children. They should. This edition of Bernard van Leer's Early Childhood Matters is dedicated to examining the many ways that climate change and early childhood intersect. Hear from leading policymakers, researchers, educators, urban planners and activists from around the world, about how to both develop ecological resilience and improve well-being in the early years.
the climate issue
Early childhood matters 2021
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sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism
the cambodian case
Sexual abuse of children occurs all over the world and global research indicates that risks occurring in the context of travel and tourism are increasing. No country is immune and new travel patterns and use of new technology create specific risks for children. This report is intended to provide updated knowledge on key dimensions of sexual abuse and exploitation in travel and tourism. The report describes the changing dynamics in Cambodia regarding child sexual abuse and exploitation in travel and tourism and provides a qualitative update of the current situation.
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Between March and August 2020, International Child Development Initiatives (ICDI), commissioned by UBS Optimus Foundation and GHR Foundation, conducted a review of measurement frameworks in Children’s Care. The goal was to analyze the potential for a common measurement framework that could support Children’s Care reform and system change to improve outcomes for vulnerable children.
A Review of Measurement Frameworks in Children’s Care
never only one zebra
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Community driven systems change
the power of grassroots led change for long term impact and how funders can nurture it
Between 2017 and 2020, Firelight embarked upon a learning journey to listen deeply to CBO grantee-partners & understand how to better support them in creating lasting change at the community level for children, youth, and families. Now, they are sharing these insights with the wider sector as a source of guidance to funders, INGOs, practitioners, and scholars. Both objectives were driven by a realization that there was limited documented and published evidence on how to strengthen the capacity and success of CBOs, especially from the perspectives of CBOs themselves.
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In 2019, the Fund for Global Human Rights partnered with Purposeful, a feminist movement-building hub for adolescent girls, to pilot a participatory grant-making initiative in Sierra Leone aimed at promoting youth leadership and amplifying the voices of young people. This report captures the many valuable lessons about how to foster genuine participation of children and young people.
lessons learned from the tar kura initiative
youth participatory grant-making in sierra leone
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Early Childhood Matters
Advances in early childhood development
The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the enormous gaps between communities, cities, regions and nation states. To shape a better future, investing in early childhood needs to remain a priority for all governments and societies. Front and centre of Bernard van Leer's Early Childhood Matters are resounding calls to action from global leaders and experts to ensure that young children, families, frontline workers and cities continue to thrive. The 33 articles included this year demonstrate a diversity of projects, programs, and policies on how to address several of todays’ challenges impacting babies, toddlers and their caregivers.
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Vulnerable and marginalised youth in Montreal face a complex interconnectivity of barriers to accessing crucial health-promotion tools, including: mental health services, housing, and education and employment options as they transition to adulthood. Through a combination of interviews with stakeholders in the youth-serving nonprofit sector, and contextual research into social determinants of health and institutional exclusion for Canadian youth, this report analyzes three Key Issues and their impacts on the immediate and long-term well-being of youth in Montreal.
an analysis of key issues and community assets
Effectively supporting Montreal youth on the margins
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