Introduction
Our Vision & Mission
Our Values
Our Strategy
Our Approach
The Burke Foundation believes everyone benefits when
we invest in families right from the start.
The returns are measurable – up to $13 for every dollar invested – and immeasurable, as in a lifetime of health and well-being.
We identify effective early childhood solutions and invest in promising approaches to address the needs of young children and families in New Jersey.
Our community-centered approach promotes health and well-being today and into the future.
Our Vision
We are guided by a vision of New Jersey families thriving and improving health and well-being across generations.
Our Mission
We identify, rigorously evaluate, and scale policies and programs that foster the healthy development of children and families in the earliest years — the most crucial time to build a foundation for lifelong health and well-being.
Our Values
Community
The communities we serve are at the heart of our work.
Learning
We reflect on and share our learnings to strengthen our impact and better the field.
Innovation
To drive lasting change, we identify, strengthen, and scale promising solutions and learn from our successes and failures.
Empathy
We embrace a diversity of voices. We listen to and learn from the perspectives of others.
We are committed to trust and empathy.
Collaboration
Our impact is greater when we work with others.
Our resources and abilities are only a small part of what is needed to achieve our goals.
In 2022, we launched the Burke Foundation’s strategy,
Building Strong Partnerships for Community and Care in the First 1,000 Days.
Through these efforts, we strive to create generational impact in health and well-being.
We invest in initiatives that focus on the time from pregnancy through a child’s second birthday.
Our approach pairs primary care with other crucial services for families to deliver better care, improve prevention, and make community connections for babies, parents, and families.
Increasing the number of community doulas, nurses, and child care educators in New Jersey is critical to this strategy.
Our strategy centers four vital initiatives that support young children, their families and communities:
Our Approach
At the Burke Foundation, we invest in changemakers who improve the lives of children and families in their communities.
We pursue targeted initiatives and multi-sector partnerships to drive lasting and measurable change.
Discover
We seek out the most effective early childhood solutions and explore innovative and promising approaches that address the needs of young children and their families.
Listen
We engage directly with families to better understand their needs and challenges.
We work with communities to align our goals and focus our support where it makes the greatest difference.
Invest
We pilot, strengthen, and scale promising programs by offering funding, technical assistance and critical connections.
We offer evaluation assistance to help our grantee partners measure results, course-correct, and sustain their impact.
Collaborate
We leverage partnerships with other early childhood leaders, policymakers, and collaborators to amplify the impact of the Burke Foundation’s resources.
Our team works with key stakeholders in the field to identify gaps in knowledge and funding, share promising new approaches, and disseminate best practices.
Systems Change
We engage public and private partners to amplify, scale, and create lasting impact.
We support advocacy, research, and funding initiatives that work toward equitable treatment for every child and their family.
