Montana Budget & Policy Center Selected as the New KIDS COUNT Grantee

Oct 28, 2019

By Tara Jensen

Contact: Tara Jensen, co-director of public affairs, tjensen@montanabudget.org, 406-422-5848 Today, the Montana Budget & Policy Center (MBPC) announced that, effective January 1, 2020, MBPC will serve as the new host agency in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota for KIDS COUNT, a 30-year-old project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and a premier national source of data on children and families. MBPC will be the first grantee in the country to assume the responsibilities for KIDS COUNT in a three-state regional area. “The Montana Budget & Policy Center is honored to be selected by The Annie E. Casey Foundation to serve as the grantee for the KIDS COUNT project,” said Tara Jensen, Co-Director of Public Affairs at MPBC. “We look forward to building on the KIDS COUNT work that was done by pervious grantees over the years. This grant provides us with an opportunity establish authentic relationships and deepen our partnerships with those advocating for data-driven solutions that strengthen children and families in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.” The Montana Budget & Policy Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization providing in-depth research and analysis on budget, tax, and economic issues. MBPC’s core focus is publishing credible, timely, and easy-to-understand reports on the fiscal policies that most impact Montanans living on low and moderate incomes. MBPC identifies and advocates for public policies that work for all communities, including Indian Country. More information about MBPC can be found at www.montanabudget.org. “The Montana Budget & Policy Center is a respected, independent source for state policy information. I am thrilled they will be assuming the responsibilities of the KIDS COUNT grant and expand its work for the well-being of children and families across the state,” said Susan Hay Patrick, CEO of United Way of Missoula County. KIDS COUNT seeks to provide state legislators, public officials, and child advocates with the reliable data, policy recommendations, and tools needed to advance sound policies that benefit children and families and to raise the visibility of children’s issues through a nonpartisan, evidence-based lens. Each year, the Foundation produces a comprehensive report — the KIDS COUNT Data Book — that assesses child well-being in the United States. The indicators featured in the Data Book are also available in the Data Center. KIDS COUNT has grantees in all 50 states and three territories. “We ask our 50 states and three territorial KIDS COUNT partners to use reliable data, coupled with stories and effective communications, to advance a policy advocacy agenda that will contribute to the well-being of children and families in their jurisdiction,” said Dennis J. Campa, Associate Director, State Policy Reform and Advocacy at The Annie E. Casey Foundation. “Based on Montana Budget & Policy Center’s stellar data analysis, policy advocacy reputation, and community engagement track record, we are pleased to welcome them to the KIDS COUNT network.” In order to ensure a thoughtful transition, MBPC is conducting a survey to assess what data, issues, and policies matter to partners, what research is needed, and how MBPC can help improve the lives of children in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The survey can be found here.