We're excited to release our new, interactive map of state and local children's budget analyses from around the country. This map identifies states and localities that have taken an important first step toward better financing the supports kids need: understanding how much money is currently being invested. Also known as 'fiscal maps,' these children's budget analyses help establish a clear understanding of the existing web of funding streams that fund child- and youth-focused programs and supports in a city, county, or state.

Our new map highlights the 20+ communities that have prioritized kids in their budget process; for many, their fiscal map is the groundwork for better aligning current funding and generating new funds. If your city or state has yet to create a fiscal map or children's budget, we can help you do so. What gets budgeted, gets done!

See the new map of children's budget analyses here.

Introducing the Children's Funding Accelerator

This month, we’re excited to announce the creation of the Children’s Funding Accelerator. This new, nonpartisan 501(c)4 will provide financial and political support to child advocates in pursuit of dedicated public children’s funds across the country. The Accelerator will work to remove the significant financial barriers that too often determine which communities have access to democratic processes such as ballot initiatives. The Accelerator team hopes that by lowering the campaign fundraising burden and fostering connections to political expertise, we can increase the likelihood of success for public children’s fund campaigns all over the US.

Stay tuned for details on the first cohort of children’s fund campaigns, appearing on the ballot in November, 2020.

The Local Children's Cabinet Network, convened by Children's Funding Project, the Forum for Youth Investment, and Harvard’s Education ReDesign Lab, recently held a webinar focused on how children's cabinets are addressing COVID-19, systemic racism, and more (watch the recording here). It was a rich discussion attended by many community leaders from around the country, and even the world.

In the face of immediate and prolonged crises, children's cabinets offer a flexible and resilient infrastructure to coordinate responses among multiple stakeholders, all for the benefit of kids. We learned how Hamilton County, TN's cabinet has led the effort to provide 500,000 hours of summer learning to 10,000 students in the county and how Minneapolis, MN's cabinet is partnering with young people to release videos on COVID-19 and mental health.

For more info on the Local Children's Cabinet Network, including how to join, see here.