The Children’s Trust staff and board of directors are dedicated to funding evidenced-based programs that achieve positive outcomes for children and families in the community and deliver a robust return on investment. As a government agency, they are committed to transparent, public and competitive solicitations processes awarding a variety of grants that balance long-term ambitions with short-term needs, to agencies proposing high-quality programs.
Their strategic plan is grounded in the following four foundations: social, educational, economic and environmental. Although no single program or organisation can secure these foundations on its own, funding direct services is the centrepiece of the investment strategy, because children need resources and support to develop, grow healthy and contribute to the local economy. Therefore, their budget is allocated among the following priority investments:
Parenting, Early Childhood Development, Youth Development, Health & Wellness, Family & Neighbourhood Supports, Community Awareness & Advocacy, Program & Professional Development, Special Populations.
In the late 1980s, recognising that the needs of children in Miami-Dade County far exceeded the resources and support systems available, a cadre of committed individuals spearheaded a drive to address the problem through the creation of a special taxing district. Using a Florida statute that allowed for such an initiative, the group was successful in bringing a referendum to ballot in 1988, but voters failed to pass it. However retired Miami Herald publisher David Lawrence Jr. led the charge with a new initiative just over a decade later. Given this second opportunity and with a much better funded campaign, Miami-Dade voters in September 2002 approved the creation by a 2-1 vote of what is now The Children’s Trust. One key difference between the 1988 and 2000 campaigns was that the latter emphasized a commitment to all Miami-Dade children, while still clearly recognizing that some children are more at risk and therefore need more help. A “sunset provision” required voters to decide five years later if the institution should continue to exist. Despite the difficult economic climate in 2008, 86 percent of voters reauthorized The Children’s Trust on August 26