Equity-Driven: A venture whose mission and work is explicit about driving equity in at least one Equity as Impact Category and is actively working to improve along other best practices for explicitly centering equity in their mission and theory of change, internal team/board and practices, and external deployment of their programs/products/services.

Ventures that are equity-driven typically demonstrate a commitment to being in constant conversation with the communities they serve, a bent towards disrupting/dismantling systems of oppression, and a steadfast focus on achieving more equitable outcomes for historically oppressed children and families.

Growth Stage: A stage in an organization's lifecycle where it actively explores and refines strategies for expansion and growing its impact. During this phase, the organization evaluates and iterates on its methods to achieve sustainable growth, enhance its reach, and maximize its social impact with its target audiences.

Impact: positive change in outcomes (measured qualitatively or quantitatively) for children, families, and/or other stakeholders in the ECD ecosystem. At Promise, we prioritize the achievement of more equitable outcomes for the targeted populations in our Equity as Impact framework as the most effective way to fulfill the universal aspirations we hold for all children and families.

Proximate Leaders: Leaders whose identities and/or experiences mirror or represent the populations they serve and orientations demonstrate deep empathy for and knowledge of the communities they support. We understand leaders’ proximity by how they talk about their experiences, identities, and their whys.