Voter-approved children’s funds pose a unique opportunity for states and communities to harness public will to increase funding for children and youth and fill existing funding gaps. We define voter-approved children’s funds as a portion of state or local tax revenue dedicated to children’s services via a ballot measure.

Dedicating funding via ballot measure creates a stream of sustained funding that cannot be cut or reassigned to a different purpose during annual budget processes. This allows children’s funds to focus on long-term impacts and to build a resilient and diverse network of programs and providers. Because voter-approved children’s funds are created from public dollars by voters, voter-approved children’s funds also have an increased burden of transparency and accountability that builds public awareness and support. No fund that has returned to the ballot for renewal has failed to achieve reauthorization.