For more than 30 years, the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative (ECFC) has brought together national, regional, and local funders committed to supporting young children and their families. ECFC works to increase the effectiveness of philanthropic investment in systemic, equity-focused approaches to early childhood and to advance policies and practices that support children from prenatal through age eight, their families, and the early childhood field. Through shared learning, collaborative funding, and coordinated policy efforts, ECFC helps funders align their investments, learn from one another, and leverage their collective influence. ECFC is fiscally sponsored by Third Sector New England, Inc. (TSNE), which formally employs ECFC staff, including the RCCF Director.
The Raising Child Care Fund (RCCF), a philanthropic fund hosted by ECFC, launched in 2019 to channel philanthropic resources to grassroots organizations that work alongside families, early educators, caregivers, and providers to build power and advance a more equitable child care system. RCCF's Theory of Change centers the voices of those who most rely on and work in child care, especially people who have historically been disenfranchised and excluded from decisions that affect them. RCCF invests in their leadership and organizing, grounded in the belief that those closest to the challenges facing child care must help lead the movement for change. Alongside its grantmaking, RCCF engages funders in learning about grassroots organizing as an essential, historically underfunded strategy for social change and connects organizers with additional funding, resources, and relationships.
RCCF has raised nearly $30 million from private foundations. Today, 16 foundations support its work in 19 states and Washington, DC. More than 75% of RCCF's grantee partners are led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. The Fund provides unrestricted support, giving grassroots organizations the flexibility to pursue child care-focused organizing and power-building strategies responsive to their communities.
ECFC is a fiscally sponsored project of TSNE (tsne.org).
To learn more, please visit: ECFC | Raising Child Care Fund | 2025 Impact Report
Launched in 2019 by the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative (ECFC), the Raising Child Care Fund (RCCF) invests in the people and organizations building power for a more equitable child care system. RCCF supports grassroots organizers who work alongside parents, early educators, caregivers, and providers and brings funders together to learn, invest, and act more strategically. What began as an idea among a small group of foundations has grown into a national network supporting organizing across 19 states and the District of Columbia.
RCCF enters its next chapter at a pivotal moment for child care, grassroots movements, and philanthropy. Its grantee partners are demonstrating what sustained organizing can achieve, from advancing universal child care and defending public investments to strengthening coalitions and building community leadership. At the same time, a shifting political and funding landscape is requiring philanthropic institutions to make difficult choices about where and how to invest, making RCCF's role in connecting funders with movements and communities increasingly important.
ECFC is seeking nominations and applications for the next Director of the Raising Child Care Fund to build on RCCF's strong foundation and guide its next phase. The Director will lead strategy, fundraising, grantmaking, funder engagement and education, and relationships with grantees and movement partners. A central priority will be strengthening RCCF's financial sustainability and expanding its philanthropic constituency by retaining committed partners and developing relationships with funders and allies who recognize child care's connections to economic opportunity, workforce development, racial and gender equity, immigrant justice, and other issues affecting children and families.
Reporting to the ECFC Executive Director, the RCCF Director will be a leader who can move credibly between philanthropy and movements and understands both the urgency of community-led change and the opportunities and constraints of institutional philanthropy. They will bring a deep appreciation for grassroots organizing and power building; the judgment to know when philanthropy should lead, convene, leverage its influence, or step back; and the ability to make a compelling case for sustained investment. The next Director will build new relationships and alliances while stewarding the values, partnerships, and community-led approach that have made RCCF effective.
The RCCF Director provides strategic and day-to-day leadership for the Fund, with a particular focus on fundraising and strengthening RCCF's philanthropic constituency, alongside responsibility for grantmaking, funder engagement and education, partnerships, and organizational strategy. Working closely with the ECFC Executive Director, the Director will build on RCCF's established model while helping the Fund navigate a changing philanthropic landscape and plan thoughtfully for its long-term sustainability and impact.
The Director will join an experienced team of RCCF staff and consultants and work in close partnership with committed grantees and funding partners. The incoming Director will also have the opportunity to assess the Fund's capacity and shape additional staffing to support its evolving needs. RCCF is currently completing a strategic planning process that will inform its next phase, including its governance and decision-making structures. Throughout this evolution, maintaining meaningful grantee participation and community-informed decision-making will remain central to RCCF's approach.
We seek candidates with significant leadership experience navigating complex organizations, partnerships, or movements, along with a strong combination of the qualifications, experiences, and capacities described below. We recognize that candidates may bring these strengths through different professional pathways and do not expect any one candidate to bring equal depth across every area.
The physical demands described here are representative of those for this position. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. Work is performed in an office environment and in close proximity to other workers.
While performing the duties of this position, the employee is required to:
This is a fully remote position open to candidates nationwide. The Director is expected to maintain a home office conducive to productive work and virtual meetings. ECFC provides necessary computer equipment and office supplies.
This is a full-time position with some scheduling flexibility. Most working hours should fall between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, with regular availability between noon and 5:00 p.m. ET to accommodate partner meetings across U.S. time zones. The Director should expect approximately 10–15% travel for funder and partner meetings, conferences, convenings, and other RCCF/ECFC activities.
Compensation:The hiring salary range for this position is $170,000 - $180,000 annually, dependent on experience and internal equity within ECFC. The full salary range within the role is $170,000 - $200,000 annually.
Benefits: This position is eligible for a full benefits package including:
TSNE/ECFC strives to achieve excellence through a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment that embraces all of our individual and collective differences. Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Middle Eastern and North African, Bilingual and/or Bicultural candidates, and LGBTQ2SIA+ candidates are encouraged to apply. We value and honor the unique talents, learning styles, and lived experiences of each individual that enrich and strengthen our workplace culture, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.
All employment conditions are based on an individual’s performance and job qualifications. TSNE/ECFC prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, creed, color, religion, native language, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, parental status, pregnancy, race-based hairstyles, or any other protected characteristic stated by federal and state law. Regardless of any class’ protection under the law or lack thereof, TSNE/ECFC celebrates diversity and values the strengths that come with having a diverse team of employees. It is represented in our workplace culture, and it is who we are.
TSNE/ECFC's EEO statement extends to volunteers, interns, contractors, vendors, and clients.
TSNE/ECFC is committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the application and hiring process. If you need an accommodation to apply or participate in any part of the hiring process, please contact accommodations@tsne.org. Requests will be handled confidentially and shared only as needed to evaluate and implement the accommodation.
At Third Sector New England, Inc. (TSNE) we know that change is possible and that change can be activated within people and communities. We’re a capacity building organization that partners with nonprofit organizations to provide the services, programs, and resources they need to support their communities and, ultimately, create a more equitable society.
We work with organizations to face barriers, like access to resources and capacity, by ensuring they have the support they need; financial, human, and more, to operationalize their work. We are committed to doing this work with equity at the forefront, and a deep understanding of the systemic inequities that pose barriers to impact, especially for organizations that work with historically marginalized communities.
TSNE exists to serve and partner WITH organizations and we do so by offering robust research about the state of the nonprofit sector, providing financial, administrative, and operational support, and building spaces, like the Nonprofit Center, and The Link, where nonprofit organizations can convene and strategize towards the future.
