Foundations

Foundations provide private funds to institutions and to private non-profits agencies and organizations through grants or opportunities that meet specific foundation giving guidelines. The foundations listed here consistently fund research, services, training, and publications. They work to build infrastructure and collaboration around service systems helping young children be physically and emotional healthy.

A complete list of over 400 national foundations and their grants objectives can be obtained from The Foundation Center.

Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) has worked to build better futures for disadvantaged children and their families in the United States. The primary mission of the Foundation is to foster public policies, human service reforms, and community supports that more effectively meet the needs of today's vulnerable children and families. The Kids Count Data Book rates states individually on a variety of indicators of child and family well being. AECF has been working with states to help develop strategic plans for mental health services to young children.

The Commonwealth Fund works to improve healthcare coverage and quality. The Child Health and Development section focuses on children's health and development including opportunities to identify children with developmental and behavioral disorders, or those who are at risk of developing such problems, and to initiate appropriate interventions. The Child Development and Preventive Care program provides grants to implement four strategies to enhance well-child care by promoting systemic changes in the delivery of primary child health services. ABCD grants "Assuring Better Child Health and Development" grants have been awarded the past 2 years to over 20 states and institutions. In 2004 the Early Child Development in Social Context: A Chartbook was published which reviews 30 key indicators of development of children 0-6 and offers practical implications for providing services.

Foundation for Child Development (FCD) is a national, private philanthropy dedicated to the principle that all families should have the social and material resources to raise their children to be healthy, educated and productive members of their communities. The Foundation seeks to understand children, particularly the disadvantaged, and to promote their well-being. The FCD Index of Child Well-Being is a national measure of American children's' well being since 1975.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation seeks to improve the health and health care of all Americans. "Covering Kids & Families," a program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is a national initiative to increase the number of children and adults who benefit from federal and state health care coverage programs. This program operates in 46 states. Another program provides major funding to Family Support America to provide a national technical assistance initiative to selected states to enable them to establish statewide networks of community-based family resource and support service centers.