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 1,000 grants totaling over $5.7M in ECHO grants.
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?
Yes! We are currently accepting applications for the Fall 2023 Quality Grant. LEARN MORE
WE’RE HIRING!
Agenda for Children is currently fielding applications for the Manager, Early Childhood Grant Opportunities Position.
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 has provided over $4.8M in grants to centers and nonprofits through our ECHO Fund for stabilization supports, quality improvements, and innovative projects.