Over half the nation lives in “childcare deserts,” with too few providers — or none at all. In response, the Washington State Department of Commerce created a vital grant program to support local community capacity planning efforts, but it only had funding for half of the requests.
The situation called for nimble innovation since time was of the essence. We raised and facilitated a $3.6M philanthropic match to ensure that all 40 communities received the funding they needed. Philanthropy and the government don’t have a lot of experience working together, so we acted as “translators” and guides to create a streamlined funding path for funders and community organizations.
Team: Sarah Lee, Tresa Thomas Massiongale