Children and youth spend 80% of their time outside of school. Yet the public services that help nurture and prepare them remain dramatically underfunded and deeply inequitable. Access to high-quality early childhood care and education, after-school and summer programs, mental health support, food and nutrition resources, college and workforce preparation, and other social services often depends on a family’s ability to pay. In a nation with so much collective abundance, a family’s income should not prevent children from receiving the care and support they need to thrive.
Children’s Funding Project is a nonprofit social impact organization that helps communities and states expand equitable opportunities for children and youth through strategic public financing. Through our hands-on technical assistance and collection of resources, we
help local and state leaders and public agencies understand the multiple sources that fund services for children and youth;
coach policymakers on aligning existing funds with local and state priorities and implementing strategies to maximize their impact;
equip advocates with the skills and resources to build public and policymaker support for children and youth services and to generate new and sustainable revenue sources;
collaborate with communities and states to develop customized financing solutions tailored to their individual needs and goals; and
build collective momentum toward an equitable and proactive approach to children’s funding.
During our first full year as an independent nonprofit organization, we helped more than 70 communities understand their existing funding, coordinate those resources, and generate new revenue dedicated to children and youth. Specifically, we supported the creation or reauthorization of voter-approved children’s funds in six communities that will generate more than $2 billion in resources during the next decade.
Meanwhile, in 2021, we provided information and tools to more than 100 communities to help local advocates understand, access, and use the federal funding their communities will receive from the American Rescue Plan, which dedicates $200 billion to children and youth nationwide. As we continue to grow, Children’s Funding Project will build a culture within the children and youth services field that prioritizes strategic financing to ensure that this historic level of federal aid becomes a down payment on sustained and robust investments in children and youth going forward.
By working with communities, states, and national partners, Children’s Funding Project builds a constituency of advocates committed to supporting children and youth—from birth to young adulthood. Through this collective action, we will realize our vision for a nation where all children and youth thrive because all communities maintain equitable, coordinated, and sustainable funding for comprehensive programs and services.
