Inside Philanthropy
At the Arlington, Virginia-based Child Care Aware of America (CCAA), an umbrella organization of child care resource and referral agencies, Deputy Executive Officer Michelle McCready...reports a big uptick in interest and an expanded pool of new foundations and funders from adjacent issues. Institutions with a traditional focus on disaster relief, economic security, women’s issues and K-12 education now all see common cause with ECE and are responding positively to requests for support.
Private companies are responding in a different way, wanting to engage at an even more impactful level than donations or sponsorships, she says. CCAA is using relationship-based approaches for building partnerships at the state and local levels. “The driver,” McCready says, “is community interest and voice. We engage with our partners in social media and are proactive in building support and awareness with a wide range of funders together.”
Overall optimistic outlook
McCready says that thanks to that deepened interest, CCAA has captured 28% more grant funding in Q1 of FY22, which began October 1, than the same period last fiscal year. And overall, their philanthropic revenue increased by 37% between FY19 and FY20. In FY21, the increase slowed to 5%. And further growth is on temporary hold pending Build Back Better.
