The Birth to Five Policy Alliance was established in 2005 with an investment by the Buffett Early Childhood Fund and the leadership of Joan Lombardi to shift the odds in favor of young children at risk for poor outcomes. We do this by promoting innovative and successful policies with the funding necessary to achieve positive early learning, strong families, and good health for vulnerable children birth to age five.

In 2008 the Alliance was incorporated as an independent organization under the leadership of Lisa Klein. Currently the pooled fund has 7 investors: the Buffett Early Childhood Fund, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the JB and MK Pritzker Family Foundation, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the Irving Harris Foundation, and an anonymous donor.

The Birth to Five Policy Alliance invests in three strategies: strategic and broad-based leadership to build new champions for early childhood policy, state-based advocacy, and knowledge development and dissemination including research and policy analysis.