April Newsletter

Kids playing together in out-of-school activities

Turning Social Media Accountability Into Youth Opportunity

Across the country in a majority of states and over 2,000 school districts, families, and local governments have filed lawsuits against major social media companies alleging harm to youth well-being. Those cases are starting to result in major payouts as just last week juries in New Mexico and Los Angeles held Meta and YouTube accountable for harms to young people on their platforms. These dollars, and the potential settlements or other payouts from the pending cases, could create a powerful opportunity to invest in what young people need most: real-life connection.

Our national coalition, Fund IRL, is working to ensure any payouts from these lawsuits support opportunities such as after-school and summer programs that provide young people with safe spaces, supportive mentors, and meaningful opportunities to connect, learn, and belong. For millions of young people who still lack access to these opportunities, that investment could be transformative.

Learn more about the coalition’s work to invest in our kids’ mental well-being on the new Fund IRL website. Then, join us for a webinar on April 23, 2026, at 2 p.m. Eastern Time to learn how to activate and advocate for investments in young people with Fund IRL.

Visit Fund IRL Website

What's New

Raising State Revenue for Kids

Policymakers are facing tighter budgets in their 2026 state legislative sessions but new revenue strategies are opening a path to expanded investments for kids. See which states are stepping up and how advocates can help in our latest blog. Then, on April 16, at 2 p.m. Central Time, join a webinar with State Revenue Alliance featuring blog author Bruno Showers for an in-depth session on tax policy and revenue generation for PN-3.

Read the Blog

In the News

According to First Focus on Children, in fiscal year 2025, 1.59% of all federal spending was dedicated to supporting children from birth to age 3. What does that mean for the services that infants and toddlers need? Read what our Founder and CEO Elizabeth Gaines said in a recent article from The 74.

Read the Article

In Case You Missed It

A Legacy of Best Starts

Sheila Ater Capestany championed and led Best Starts for Kids, a voter-approved children’s fund in King County, WA, that has served more than half a million children and their families.

Watch the Interview

Supporting Native Nations

Learn more about the principles that guide our partnerships with Native nations to ensure we honor sovereignty, respect traditions, and foster shared success.

Read the Principles

Dedicated Funding for Kids Grows Across the Nation

Lifeguard with happy kids splashing in pool

Voter-approved children’s funds offer a unique opportunity for communities to harness public will to increase funding for children and youth. Moreover, they provide a meaningful countermeasure to threats to public funding that communities face from recent federal funding cuts and policy changes and state budget constraints. Since 1946, local communities have created more than 50 funds nationwide. Together these funds generate more than $2 billion annually for children and youth.

Five years ago, Children’s Funding Project and our partner advocacy arm Children’s Funding Accelerator launched an effort to help communities turn voter support for early childhood into these types of dedicated, sustainable public dollars. Of the 26 campaigns this effort supported between 2020 and 2025, 22 won at the ballot. These winning campaigns generated $1.3 billion in dedicated, recurring public funding for services for young children and families, helping communities and states move from short-term dollars to durable public investment.

In last year’s elections alone, four communities accounted for up to $300 million per year in dedicated funding, with more efforts planned for ballots in 2026. What do these wins mean for communities? You can read more about our experience assisting many of these funds, from campaign planning all the way through implementation, in our collection of case studies and voter-approved children’s fund profiles. Additionally, stay tuned for new voter-approved children’s fund resources coming this year.