Today, MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving announced Tandem as one of the Yield Giving Open Call’s awardees working with people and in places experiencing the greatest need in the United States.Tandem, Partners in Early Learning received $2 million.
Tandem, Partners in Early Learning® is a nonprofit working at the intersection of social justice and early childhood education. The foundations for all learning are built during the first five years of life. Tandem builds a society supportive of children’s development by partnering with families and educators to co-create interactive learning experiences paired with books reflective of diverse cultures, leading to lifetime impacts of social, racial and economic justice. Through Tandem programs, families are better equipped to support children’s early learning and development, while educators and schools are better equipped to support all children.
In March 2023, Yield Giving launched an Open Call for community-led, community-focused organizations whose explicit purpose is to enable individuals and families to achieve substantive improvement in their well-being through foundational resources.
“This gift is a testament to our partnerships with families, educators, and community organizations and would not be possible without their work. We look forward to collaborating with our community to identify how we can use these funds sustainably to expand our reach and deepen our impact for children during the most critical time of their lives.” – Savitha Moorthy, Executive Director of Tandem, Partners in Early Learning
The Open Call received 6,353 applications and initially planned for 250 awards of $1 million each. In the Fall of 2023, organizations top-rated by their peers advanced to a second round of review by an external Evaluation Panel recruited for experience relevant to this cause, and underwent a final round of due diligence. In light of the incredible work of these organizations, as judged by their peers and external panelists, the donor team decided to expand the awardee pool and the award amount.
“We are excited that our partnership with Yield Giving has resonated with so many organizations,” said Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change. “In a world teeming with potential and talent, the Open Call has given us an opportunity to identify, uplift, and empower transformative organizations that often remain unseen.”
More information on the Yield Giving Open Call and other initiatives can be found at www.leverforchange.org.
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Tandem, Partners in Early Learning
Tandem, Partners in Early Learning® is a nonprofit working at the intersection of social justice and early childhood education. Our mission is to co-create equitable, high-quality early learning experiences in partnership with the families, educators, and organizations that we serve. We know that investing in early learning is key to interrupting patterns of racial and economic exclusion and we prioritize work with communities disproportionately impacted by systemic oppression. Tandem impacts 20,000 Bay Area families annually through multigenerational interventions that leverage caregivers’ strengths as children’s first teachers. Tandem influences education systems to increase access to multilingual, multicultural, high-quality early learning for all families.
Yield Giving
Established by MacKenzie Scott to share a financial fortune created through the effort of countless people, Yield Giving is named after a belief in adding value by giving up control. To date, Yield’s network of staff and advisors has yielded over $16,500,000,000 to 1,900+ non-profit teams to use as they see fit for the benefit of others. To learn more, visit www.yieldgiving.com.
Lever for Change
Lever for Change connects donors with bold solutions to the world’s biggest problems—including issues like racial inequity, gender inequality, lack of access to economic opportunity, and climate change. Using an inclusive, equitable model and due diligence process, Lever for Change creates customized challenges and other tailored funding opportunities. Top-ranked teams and challenge finalists become members of the Bold Solutions Network—a growing global network that helps secure additional funding, amplify members’ impact, and accelerate social change. Founded in 2019 as a nonprofit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Lever for Change has influenced over $1.7 billion in grants to date and provided support to more than 145 organizations. To learn more, visit www.leverforchange.org.
