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Voter-Approved Children’s Fund Profile: Escambia County, FL

The Escambia Children’s Trust aims to improve outcomes for children and youth by funding early learning, development services, health care, out-of-school programs, mental health programs, and family support services.
Photo credit: Escambia Children’s Trust

Voter-Approved Children’s Fund Profile: Escambia County, FL

Name of Fund: Escambia Children’s Trust

Percent of Locality’s Children in Poverty: 23.5% (2024 U.S. census data)

Annual Revenue: $13.1 million (2025 audit, most recent data available) Property taxes accounted for $11.9 million with the rest of the funds coming from interest and grant fund repayment.

Funding Mechanism: Property tax (millage rate of $0.4043 per $1,000 assessed property value) 

Year Established: 2020

Percent of Voters Who Approved the Fund, 2020: 61%

Expiration Date: 2030

Fund Purpose: Comprehensive services for children and youth, including early learning, development services, out-of-school programs, and family support

Children’s Funding Project thanks our partners at Escambia Children’s Trust for their help with this profile.

Worked with Children’s Funding Project

  • Children’s Funding Project ballot measure cohort member
  • Children’s Funding Project community of practice member
  • Children’s Funding Accelerator grantee

Filed under:

Infants and Toddlers, Early Childhood, Middle Childhood, Youth, Young Adults, Advocates/Intermediaries, Policymakers/Agency Leaders, Publication, Voter-Approved Children’s Funds

QUICK LINKS

Fund History and Description

Fund Purpose and Impact

Governance and Administration

Relevant Links

More Resources

Updates and Events

Fund History and Description
Photo credit: Escambia Children’s Trust

In 2019, Achieve Escambia, a nonprofit dedicated to improving outcomes for children, convened a community roundtable of 50 Escambia County leaders to address issues facing children and youth in the community. At the time, the county ranked 47 out of 67 counties in the 2019 Florida Child Well-Being Index, and rates of child abuse were nearly double the state average. 

The state of Florida authorizes its counties to levy and dedicate property tax revenue to an independent special taxing district, known as a Children’s Services Council via voter approval. So, the roundtable members decided to use their local authority to address the issues facing the county’s children by establishing a Children’s Services Council. They launched a campaign called Vote Yes for Kids to create the Children’s Services Council and secured placement on the November 2020 ballot. On Election Day, Escambia County voters approved the ballot measure with 61% of the vote, establishing the Escambia Children’s Trust.

Fund Purpose and Impact
Photo credit: Escambia Children’s Trust

The Escambia Children’s Trust aims to improve outcomes for children and youth in the county by providing funding for early learning, development services, health care, out-of-school programs, mental health programs, and family support services. The Escambia Children’s Trust focuses on the following four target areas based on a community needs assessment that it conducted in September 2022:

  1. Children are healthy.
  2. Children are ready to succeed in school and life.
  3. Children are safe and protected from abuse and neglect.
  4. Children have support to help them avoid risky behaviors.

The Escambia Children’s Trust has the potential to serve 10,000 children from birth to 5 years old with early learning and development services. It also provides out-of-school time and career readiness programs to teens and young adults. Additionally, the Children’s Services Council supports family and community services, such as preventing child neglect, drug abuse, and youth arrests.

In fiscal year 2023–2024, the Escambia Children’s Trust invested about $10 million dollars in 26 different programs.

Governance and Administration

Children’s Services Councils in Florida, including Escambia Children’s Trust, are established and governed under Florida Statute 125.901. The statute allows counties to place a referendum on the ballot to create an independent special taxing district that dedicates its revenue to programs for children and youth. The Children’s Services Council is governed by a 10-member board that initially convened in January 2021, with five mandated members:

  1. The Escambia County school district superintendent
  2. A member of the school board
  3. A representative from the Escambia County Department of Children and Families
  4. A member of Escambia county government
  5. A juvenile judge

Soon after, in February 2021, the Escambia County Commission nominated other members to fill the remaining five spots, which were confirmed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, as required by state statute. The Children’s Services Council’s day-to-day operations are managed by a team of about six staff members who conduct the Children’s Services Council’s grant making, communications, and evaluation.