The Care for All with Respect and Equity (CARE) Fund

Why Now?

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the failings of our nation’s care policies, especially for communities of color. Following the lead of advocates across the spectrum of care issues, now is the moment for philanthropy to align resources at the pace and scale needed to emerge from this crisis with a care infrastructure that works for everyone. That’s where the CARE Fund comes in.

The CARE Fund
Believes in:

Care for All

We value and amplify the voices and leadership of all who give and receive care — parents and other family caregivers, care consumers, and professionals who work in early care and education and long-term services and supports.

Universal high-quality publicly financed care infrastructures are foundational for thriving and sustainable families and economies that benefit us all.

All families and individuals deserve public investment to care for themselves and their loved ones across generations with dignity.

All families and individuals deserve public investment to care for our loved ones and ourselves throughout our lives and across generations.

A universal high-quality care infrastructure supports families’ economic security and creates a thriving sustainable economy for us all.

Respect

The women who work in early care and education and long-term services and supports — many of whom are immigrants and women of color — deserve living wages and benefits.

Improving the quality of jobs directly improves the quality of care that children, older adults, and people with disabilities deserve to thrive and live with dignity.

Care systems and services must recognize our interdependence and be rooted in respect and self-determination for all.

Photo Credit: W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Equity

An equitable care economy must undo the legacies of racism, slavery, xenophobia, sexism, ageism and ableism that have devalued care.

We must ensure that care systems and services create good jobs and provide high quality universally affordable and accessible benefits and services to the full diversity of our families and communities.

Photo Credit: Caring Across Generations

Spotlight

The CARE Fund at US Department of Labor Women's Bureau and The Worker Institute at ILR-Cornell 2022 Conference

On September 22, 2022, the US Department of Labor Women’s Bureau and The Worker Institute @ ILR-Cornell co-hosted a day-long conference on prioritizing gender and racial equity for a strong and just economy. Executive Director Anna Wadia discussed the CARE Fund and the imperative that care programs funded by the American Rescue Plan are implemented equitably, and her remarks were featured in Early Learning Nation. Julie Kashen, Director for Women’s Economic Justice at The Century Foundation and a consultant to the CARE Fund, moderated a panel, Invigorating the Care Infrastructure & Investing in Care Jobs, including Haeyoung Yoon, Senior Policy Director at CARE Fund grantee National Domestic Workers Alliance.

CARE Fund Holds Learning Meeting in June 2022 on Financing Caregiving Systems & Policies

To build a robust care infrastructure, we need sustainable and equitable revenue sources and financing models. In June 2022, the CARE Fund held a learning meeting for funders on Financing Caregiving Systems & Policies. We encourage you to watch the videos. Part 1 features an in depth opening panel discussion on Care Financing Models and Equity. Part 2 includes all four interactive small group discussions with the panelists and state and local leaders on what it takes to mobilize a base of support for revenue streams for caregiving systems and policies. We sincerely thank all of the presenters and participants for the rich discussion and learning.

Ai-jen Poo "Care Has Momentum, Care Is Essential"

On June 28, 2021, the CARE Fund held a dynamic learning session among grantee partners, donors contributing to the fund, and other philanthropic professionals with an interest in the care agenda. Click here for a summary of the meeting and here for a full video recording.
Ai-jen Poo, Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Director of Caring Across Generations, is featured above.

Why Heising-Simons Joined the CARE Fund

Barbara Chow, Director of the Education Program at the Heising-Simons Foundation, explains why a Foundation committed to early childhood development decided to join the CARE Fund. The video is excerpted from a July 2021 panel hosted by the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading.