The Early Childhood Opportunity Fund (ECHO) Fund is Agenda for Children’s innovative grant program that seeks to increase access to high-quality early care and education for children from birth through age four, through directly funding early childhood programs’ needs.
The ECHO Fund directly supports the needs of early learning programs in our region, investing in increased access, ingenuity, and quality for our youngest learners. Since the fund’s inception in 2018, Agenda for Children has distributed over $2M in ECHO grants to over 200 organizations.
Who Funds the ECHO Fund?
The ECHO Fund is made possible through the generous support of national foundations, state funding, individual donors and local educational partners, as well as through the School Readiness Tax Credit program. Learn more
Are ECHO Grants Currently Accepting Applications?
The ECHO Fund is is currently accepting applications for Hurricane Ida Relief! Learn more
Founder, Agenda for Children
Judy Watts was a fierce child advocate who co-founded Agenda for Children to make Louisiana a state where all children can thrive. She was a commited anti-racist who worked closely with the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond. Under her leadership, Agenda made major impacts on early care and education, child welfare, juvenile justice and children’s health care access.
Since 2018, Agenda for Children gas provided over $2M in grants to centers and nonprofits through our ECHO Fund for stabilization supports, quality improvements, and innovative projects.