Strategic public financing is a process that allows states and communities to assign a cost to their goals and policy priorities for children and youth and, ultimately, to identify ways to cover those costs. It often builds on existing strategic plans by addressing the following three questions:

1. Current investment: How much funding supports our goals right now?
2. True cost: How much will it cost to fully fund our goals
3. New funding: How do we fill the gap between current funding and needed funding?

State and community leaders then can use fiscal maps, cost models, and revenue generation research and analysis as tools to answer these questions.