Ecosystem building has become an important strategy among entrepreneurship funders and is representative of innovative approaches foundations are employing to drive change. Since 2017, Burton D. Morgan Foundation has been deeply engaged with Entrepreneurship Funders Network (EFN), a growing national community of funding organizations focused on entrepreneurship, including family, community, institutional, and corporate foundations; philanthropic individuals; government agencies; and other non-traditional funders – which focus on entrepreneurship or rely on it as a key mechanism for achieving their missions.
EFN's mission is "to galvanize philanthropic funders to inspire entrepreneurship, support entrepreneurs, and strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems. By informing, connecting, and catalyzing action, EFN increases its members' knowledge, networks, and efficacy; bolsters entrepreneurship; and contributes to shared prosperity." Members have diverse philanthropic approaches and collectively work at local, state, regional, and national levels in the United States. What began in 2017 with a modest convening at Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has grown to a robust learning community of philanthropic members.