Parents and other adult caregivers are a child’s first teachers, tasked with building the most important skills for their lifelong learning and success. Thousands of New York City families take on the hard work of parenting without access to basic services, housing, food, or income – challenges made worse by systemic inequities and the COVID-19 pandemic.

At FUEL (Robin Hood’s Fund for Early Learning), we’re working to transform New York City into an early learning metropolis. That means reaching beyond traditional child care centers and making every environment a child occupies an opportunity to learn and thrive. We launched FUEL for 50 to invest in promising, community-led programs from any nonprofit serving New York City families with children ages 0-3. Our awardees have been on a three-year journey, receiving phased funding, support for program development and capacity building, and fostering connections with other nonprofits and early childhood experts.