Everybody deserves affordable child care
Our child care providers join families as our young ones’ first teachers. No matter their ZIP code, every child deserves to be set off on a path to success, and that starts with affordable early care and education.

We believe child care is the cornerstone to advancing racial and gender equity
A strong economy demands a strong child care system across the nation.
It does take a village: That means funding from a combination of federal, state and local sources. There is a dire need for scaling both center-based facilities as well as family child care homes. Our providers are most often women, specifically women of color, and they need — and deserve — resources for their businesses to thrive.
Our Early Care and Education Impact
$420 million
invested in early care and education to date
353,000
total slots impacted to date
1,930
grants to ECE providers (July 1, 2022-Sept. 30, 2023)
79%
of our ECE grantees identify as BIPOC

Facilities Funds Management
LIIF strengthens the ECE sector through grantmaking and technical assistance to build, expand and/or renovate facilities. We currently offer these services throughout the year in the following locations: California (statewide); New York City; Washington, D.C.; and Atlanta.
Case Study: Sunnydale, San Francisco
Part of HOPE SF, this project was launched in 2008 to transform four public housing sites into a vibrant, thriving community through holistic rehabilitation. This deal leverages LIIF’s full suite of products — across Lending, New Markets Tax Credits, and Early Care and Education — with a significant impact-led, racial equity focus. Sunnydale builds on LIIF’s long-term partnerships with Mercy Housing (developer) and Wu Yee Children’s Services (child care).
Questions?
California: childcareca@liifund.org
San Francisco: childcaresf@liifund.org
New York City: childcarenyc@liifund.org
Washington, D.C.: childcaredc@liifund.org
National: ece@liifund.org

Capacity building
Capacity building in the ECE sector is essential to build robust child care ecosystems. LIIF’s Capacity Building team provides consulting services to enable CDFIs, governments and other key ECE stakeholders to successfully respond to ECE supply building and facilities funds proposals, implement grantmaking and loan programs, and administer business technical support programs. The Capacity Building team also provides technical assistance, training and resources to help providers build capacity and preserve and expand ECE programs across the country.
Case Study: Build Up Oregon
LIIF was first commissioned to author a report on how to incentivize co-location of affordable housing with early care and education facilities. Build Up Oregon initially aims to create or preserve 600 child care slots by supporting co-location with affordable housing developments, helping low-income families access early education, providing economic development opportunities and strengthening communities. LIIF is providing capacity building services to lead Craft3, along with two other local CDFIs, MESO and NOAH.

Advisory, State Policy and Partnerships
Our experienced Advisory and Policy team can help you analyze and understand the current state of child care in your community through facilities needs assessments, mapping tools, and other child care needs and financial-modeling tools. We advise on policy and budgetary strategies to increase and sustain the supply of child care. The team also provides guidance for developers and advocates on building child care facilities, and conducts research to support increased access to ECE in LIIF’s core markets and nationwide.
Case Study: Young Children and Climate Work
LIIF partnered with the University of California, Berkeley Center for Cities and Schools to publish a seminal piece which lays out the main principles for prioritizing young children in climate work.

We’re here to lend a helping hand
LIIF’s ECE Program strives to reflect the diversity of the communities in which we work. Please see below for additional language capabilities.
Hablamos Español
- Sandra Amorim
- Garth Bunse
- Andrea Del Valle
- Cindy Esquivel
- Hope Fang
- Jenifer Fernandez
- Kathy Perez Godoy
- Cristina Gonzalez
- Yarimar Gonzalez
- Ivan Haro
- Lesley Hutchinson
- Mona Malan
- Esmeralda Martin-Singh
我說中文
- Nancy Chen (Cantonese)
- Nancy Ha (Cantonese)
- Phranda Wolfe (Cantonese)