IL BEGIN resources and advocates for Reproductive Justice (RJ), Birth Equity (BE), and Early Childhood (EC) to be seen together as a continuum and for the shared social determinants to be named.

In doing so, IL BEGIN supports community organizations, state partners, and philanthropy to move toward designing and resourcing services in a much more interconnected way.

Reproductive Justice (RJ)

Birth Equity (BE)

Early Childhood (EC)

We came together to

Connect and coordinate stakeholdersUnlock funding and smooth the flow of funds across issuesChange the narrative about cross-issue linkages

Connect and coordinate across stakeholdersUnlock and smooth the flow of funding across issues Change the narrative about cross-issue linkages

01.

Connecting and coordinating stakeholders

We create spaces where government, service providers, advocacy groups, and philanthropy can talk to each other about the same families and the same barriers. Sometimes that looks like bridging community feedback to state partners; sometimes it means helping funders see across issues instead of funding in silos. The goal is better coordination and reduced redundancy through support of structured conversations and follow up.

02.

Unlocking funding and smoothing the flow of funds across issues

We encourage and influence philanthropy to put dollars where cross-issue work is already happening, and facilitate peer-to-peer funder education about the linkages across issues. We share information on grantees, due diligence processes, strategy building, and internal approval materials in order to build on each others’ learning and work. Where new funders are entering the space, we provide education and a starting point. Over time, we will explore aligned grants, pooled funding, and/or calls for proposals.

03.

Changing the narrative about cross-issue linkages

We lift up materials, stories, and data that show why Reproductive Justice (RJ), Birth Equity (BE), and Early Childhood (EC) should be addressed together. When funders and policymakers see the same picture, it becomes easier to design “no wrong door” services and to invest in statewide work, including in areas that have faced systematic disinvestment.

We welcome philanthropic funders of all sizes to join the collaborative.

Please reach out via the contact form.

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