This manual is a guide to creating a local children’s fund through the ballot—giving local voters the opportunity to directly allocate funds to children and youth services. There are other approaches to generating public funding for children’s services (e.g. through the annual budget process) and Funding the Next Generation has materials to help you decide the right approach for your community. Note that while this manual is focused on California, most of the information will be relevant to cities and counties throughout the country.