Our role as funders

We are guided by a whole community, whole family, and whole child approach. We know now is the time to invest in long-term, systemic solutions and comprehensive supports that bolster the health, well-being, and development of young children.

Funding opportunities

What we fund

Over the past 25 years, our investments and advocacy efforts have benefited more than 325,000 children and another 250,000 parents and providers. We invest in: 

  • Family: Initiatives and policies that foster parent leadership.  
  • Health and well-being: Programs and policies that improve the well-being of families and communities and protect the right to personal bodily autonomy and safe, healthy pregnancies and birth outcomes. 
  • Learning and care: Programs that provide affordable access to quality early care and education, training for providers, and policies and initiatives that expand the diverse early care and education workforce. 
  • Neighborhoods: Working together with communities to make sure neighborhoods are safe, livable, and kid-friendly.

Our approach to funding

As a funder and policy advocate we’ve adopted a systems-build approach strategy to address the underlying structural issues—the root causes—that prevent communities, families, and children from thriving in Alameda County. 

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News

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Jan 2, 2025

Annual Report highlights successes and partnerships

Please join us in celebrating our collective work accomplished over the past 25 years.   From the start, First 5 has stood as a powerful reflection of California voters’ values. The passage of Proposition 10 in 1998 was a transformative moment, enabling California to fund early childhood programming in each county, weaving together our societal commitment to a child’s…

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Jan 2, 2025

Staff participate in the development of the 2025 Policy Agenda

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Jan 2, 2025

Strengthening system partnerships through collaborative investments in diaper distribution program

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Early childhood education remains one of the strongest investments we can make in the long-term success of our students and the long-term economic strength of our communities.

Abigail Spanberger, Former United States Representative