Child welfare agencies across the United States protect and promote the welfare of children and youth who are at risk of, or who have been victims of, maltreatment. State and local child welfare agencies rely on multiple funding streams to administer programs and services, and each state’s unique funding composition determines what services are available to children and families, which approaches are used, and the way that child welfare agencies operate. At least seven funding sources are available to agencies, each with its own unique purposes, eligibility parameters, and limitations; this creates a complex financing structure that can be challenging to understand.
To address this challenge, Child Trends conducts a biennial national survey of child welfare agency expenditures to promote a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities that agencies face in serving vulnerable children. The Child Welfare Financing Survey originated in the mid-1990s and is a comprehensive guide to child welfare agency expenditures. It has been administered and published by Child Trends since 2007, with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Casey Family Programs.
Report and overview
Download the report
Download state-level data table
Funding by source
Medicaid
Social Services Block Grant (SSBG)
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
Title IV-B
Title IV-E
Other federal funds
State and local funds
Webinar Recording
Infographics
Child Welfare Financing 101 – SFY 2016
Federal/State and local spending breakdown
State funding profiles
Funding by state
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Child Welfare Financing Survey SFY 2014
During each round of the survey, states are provided the opportunity to make corrections to data they submitted in prior years. We incorporate these updates into the latest Child Welfare Financing Survey products. Therefore, the historical data used in the latest products may differ from the data originally reported in products from prior years.
Report and overview
Child Welfare Financing SFY 2014: A survey of federal, state, and local expenditures
Child Welfare Financing SFY 2014: National Overview
Webinar Recording
Financing child maltreatment prevention and family support services: Highlights from three agencies
Highlights from the SFY 2014 Child Welfare Financing Survey, December 2016
Webinar Slides
Financing child maltreatment prevention and family support services: Highlights from three agencies
Highlights from the SFY 2014 Child Welfare Financing Survey, December 2016
Infographics
Funding by source
Medicaid
Other federal funds
Social Services Block Grant (SSBG)
State and local funds
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
Title IV-B
Title IV-E
Funding by state
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming