A New Home for the Equity Collaborative

In 2019, SVP stepped up to serve as the initial fiscal sponsor, lead fundraiser, and capacity builder for the Early Childhood Equity Collaborative. We were committed to helping them achieve their goals of increasing investment in culturally-specific early childhood practices, and shifting the public narrative to make equity a priority in Oregon’s early education system. The Collaborative is composed of six organizations: 

• Black Parent Initiative (BPI)
• Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization (IRCO)
• KairosPDX
• Latino Network
• Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) 
• PCUN

They grew their membership from five Portland-area nonprofits to 14 across Oregon in 2022, strengthening their ability to advocate for statewide policy initiatives. Building on the victory of the 2019 Early Childhood Equity Fund, in the 2023 legislative session the Collaborative plans to focus on policies to support a more diverse early childhood workforce, and shift the public narrative to elevate strengths within communities of color and immigrant/refugee communities.

SVP’s intended role was supporting the start-up and early growth phase (in the incubator role we often play in venture philanthropy), so in late 2021, we began searching for a new home that would serve as fiscal sponsor moving forward. After thoughtful due diligence and co-creation of a new partnership plan, we are pleased to share that we transitioned the Collaborative to the Children’s Institute this month. It is an excellent fit since the Children’s Institute leverages research, practice, policy, and advocacy to shift systems toward justice for families so that all of Oregon’s children, prenatal to grade five, have access to opportunity. 

While our role is changing, SVP remains a steadfast champion of the Equity Collaborative’s mission, and will serve as partners to Children’s Institute in order to ensure a smooth transition. We are optimistic that the Collaborative will continue to build upon its early successes and achieve its vision of redesigning early childhood systems that have for far too long posed barriers to racial equity.

This post was originally published on SVP Portland’s website – you can see it here.