About Us

What we do

An overview of Children Now

Our Mission

Children Now’s mission is to find common ground among influential opinion leaders, interest groups and policymakers, who together can develop and drive socially innovative, “win-win” approaches to helping all children achieve their full potential.

A Unique, Proven &
Repeatable Approach

Figure: Children Now’s Approach (Click to enlarge image)

Why It’s Time For
The Children’s Movement

Our nation’s leaders often speak of children being a priority, yet the reality is that children continue to be underrepresented and under-funded by state and federal policymakers. Their well-being is steadily declining because our political system is driven by the interplay and competition among interest groups.

Interest groups rely on the established sources of political power—organized constituencies, lobbying dollars and campaign contributions—to get results. Since children currently do not have any source of political power behind them, they have no competitive voice in this system.

“But they’re kids,” you may be thinking, “aren’t their issues treated differently?” They’re not. 25 years of experience on the front lines and the opinions of the top political analysts with whom we’ve strategized tell us that children are subject to the same political forces as any other issue.

Children Now—and your participation in The Children’s Movement—gives children the source of political power they need. Together, we can hold policymakers and industry more accountable by giving children a stronger voice in interest group-driven politics. We, as a unified force, can bring attention to the tremendous opportunities our society has in establishing better policies and practices concerning our children.

Our Funding

Children Now’s work is funded by the following foundations and organizations, as well as by individual contributions.

The Atlantic Philanthropies

Atlas Family Foundation

S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation

Birth to Five Policy Alliance

California Community Foundation and Ford Foundation

California Education Policy Fund (Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors)

The California Endowment

California HealthCare Foundation

The California Wellness Foundation

The Annie E. Casey Foundation

DentaQuest Foundation

Joseph Drown Foundation

East Bay Community Foundation

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation

First 5 LA

Ford Foundation

Friedman Family Foundation

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Heising-Simons Foundation

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

Hurlbut-Johnson Fund

The James Irvine Foundation

Walter S. Johnson Foundation

The Dirk & Charlene Kabcenell Foundation

Kaiser Permanente Northern and Southern California Regional Community Benefit Program

Morgan Family Foundation

Pacific Life Foundation

Pew Charitable Trusts

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation

Silver Giving Foundation

Sisters of the Holy Family

Tikun Olam Foundation

Stuart Foundation

Westly Foundation

W.K. Kellogg Foundation