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Investors

The nation’s leading investors in early childhood education, health, and family support have added policy advocacy to their portfolios. 

In 2005, the Buffett Early Childhood Fund began to execute a strategy to align policy advocacy with the increasing amount of science that was pointing to the crucial importance of investing in early childhood.

It had become clear that all the direct services funding in all the nation’s foundations together would not be enough to ensure the best outcomes for every child in the country.

And because state-level policymakers make so many of the decisions about the scale and scope of early childhood support in their states, the plan included an all-new organization to support and align state early childhood policy advocacy. That’s us. (We were called the Birth to Five Policy Alliance back then.)

Other leading national investors immediately saw the power in the strategy, and Buffett’s support was quickly joined by investments from the Irving Harris Foundation, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, and the J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation.

Each year, as our state advocates win millions and millions in new public commitments for early childhood in their states, national foundations and philanthropists commit more resources to this high-return investment.

Today, our principal investors include:

Ballmer Group

Buffett Early Childhood Fund

Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies

Conrad Hilton Foundation

David & Lucile Packard Foundation

George Kaiser Family Foundation

Heising-Simons Foundation

Imaginable Futures

Irving Harris Foundation

J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation

Pivotal Ventures

Richard W. Goldman Family Foundation

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Roots & Wings Foundation

Valhalla Foundation

W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation

W.K. Kellogg Foundation

See the Alliance’s Guidestar profile and IRS 990 filings at Candid

The Alliance 50-State Progress Report gives investors a detailed, state-by-state picture of early childhood policy progress.

Invest in the Pooled Fund

Want to join these strategic leaders? Investors of all sizes—including those focused on specific states or regions—have driven impact by investing in the pooled fund. Contact us to learn about how your investment in the pooled fund is a smart, high-return way to lift all states.

From Our Investors

National Early Childhood Funders: Ballmer Groups Spotlight on Alliance for Early Success

Ballmer Group Spotlight: Alliance for Early Success
Dr. Raychael Jensen, Ballmer Group's portfolio manager for early childhood and families, explains why investing in the Alliance is key to building a national movement to fully fund quality early childhood education.

Imaginable Futures Spotlight: Why We Invested
Ashley Beckner, a venture partner at Imaginable Futures, shares insights about the organization's investment in state policy advocacy, equity, and coalitions.

“We know that education, health, and family support in the earliest years can put a child on the path to success. But taking this to scale simply isn’t possible without bold new commitments by states and their leaders. That’s why we continue to invest in the Alliance for Early Success’ 50-state strategy to improve funding, access, and quality. The Alliance really makes the most of our support.”