Children Now

Children Now
Name	Children Now
Formation	1988
Type	Nonprofit organization
Headquarters	Oakland, California
Region served	United States
Focus	Child welfare, media advocacy, public policy

Children Now

Children Now is a U.S.-based nonprofit advocacy organization focused on child welfare, media access, and public policy for young people. Founded in 1988 in California, it has engaged with philanthropies, legislative bodies, broadcasters, and research institutes to shape programs affecting children and families. The organization has interacted with a broad array of institutions across the nonprofit, philanthropic, legislative, and media sectors.

Overview

Children Now worked at the intersection of philanthropy, nonprofit networks, and media institutions to promote child-focused policies. It engaged with foundations such as the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation, and the Ford Foundation, while collaborating with advocacy groups including Save the Children, Children's Defense Fund, Common Sense Media, and Zero to Three. Policy partnerships included engagements with state governments like California Department of Social Services, federal entities such as the Department of Health and Human Services, and legislative actors from the California State Legislature and the United States Congress. Media collaborations linked the organization to broadcasters and networks including PBS, NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS, and Disney–ABC Television Group.

History

Children Now was established amid late-20th-century debates over child welfare and media influence, emerging alongside initiatives by organizations such as the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Early work intersected with campaigns led by figures from the Children's Television Workshop and research from scholars at Harvard University, Stanford University, and the University of California, Berkeley. The group contributed to state-level efforts in California during gubernatorial administrations and legislative sessions involving actors from the California Assembly and the California Senate. Over time, its agenda responded to national policy shifts under administrations in the White House and to legal developments from the United States Supreme Court and federal agencies like the Federal Communications Commission.

Programs and Initiatives

Children Now developed initiatives in media literacy, early childhood development, health access, and school readiness, often coordinating with education and health institutions. Programs referenced research from the Rand Corporation, the Pew Research Center, and the Urban Institute while aligning with service providers such as Head Start and Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. Media-focused initiatives engaged producers and distributors at Sesame Workshop, the Public Broadcasting Service, and independent producers who had worked on projects featured at festivals like the Sundance Film Festival and platforms such as Netflix. Health and mental-health programming involved partnerships with clinical networks associated with Johns Hopkins Medicine and Mayo Clinic, and training modules informed by curricula developed at Columbia University Teachers College and University of California, Los Angeles.

Advocacy and Policy Impact

In advocacy, Children Now supported legislation and regulatory action on issues tied to child welfare, health insurance, and media access, operating alongside coalitions that included Everytown for Gun Safety, MomsRising, and March of Dimes. Policy campaigns touched on state budget processes in Sacramento, California and federal policymaking in Washington, D.C., interacting with staff from committees such as the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The organization contributed to campaigns related to health coverage that intersected with laws like the Children's Health Insurance Program and with administrative rules from agencies including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Federal Communications Commission. Research and reports by Children Now were cited alongside analyses from the Brookings Institution, the Economic Policy Institute, and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Funding and Organization

Children Now's financial support came from a mix of foundations, corporate sponsors, and individual donors, similar to funding models used by organizations such as United Way, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Bloomberg Philanthropies. Corporate partnerships involved media companies including Time Warner, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and major technology firms like Google and Apple Inc. Governance structures reflected nonprofit practices seen at institutions such as the Council on Foundations and the Independent Sector, with boards drawing members experienced at universities like Yale University, Princeton University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Criticism and Controversies

Children Now faced critiques common to advocacy nonprofits, including scrutiny over funding transparency and perceived alignment with corporate partners, comparable to controversies that affected organizations such as Americans for Prosperity and The Heritage Foundation. Critics referenced debates about nonprofit influence in policy similar to those involving the Gates Foundation and questioned program outcomes in ways reminiscent of disputes around Teach For America and KIPP. Regulatory and media watchdogs, including commentators from ProPublica and The New York Times, examined relationships between advocacy groups and broadcasters such as NBCUniversal and ViacomCBS; academic critiques from scholars associated with Georgetown University and Columbia University raised broader questions about advocacy strategies and evidence standards.

Category:Nonprofit organizations based in California