NC Child

What NC Child does

NC Child is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit policy advocacy organization headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, that conducts research, coalition-building, and direct legislative advocacy to improve outcomes for children and families across all 100 North Carolina counties. Formed on January 1, 2014 through the merger of Action for Children North Carolina (founded 1983) and the Covenant with North Carolina's Children (founded 1996), the organization focuses on four priority areas: high-quality early childhood education, child health and well-being, nurturing homes and communities, and family economic security.

Its core products are data and research assets rather than commercial technology. These include the NC Child Data Center (35+ metrics filterable by county and legislative district), the KIDS COUNT Data Center (operated under the Annie E. Casey Foundation affiliation, tracking 100+ measures of child well-being), County Data Cards for all 100 NC counties, the biannual Child Health Report Card produced with the North Carolina Institute of Medicine, the Mental Health Mapping Dashboard, and the NC Health Equity Impact Assessment tool. Advocacy and coalition programs — the Child Advocacy Network (5 regional hubs), Youth Advocacy Council, Parent Advisory Council, and the ExCEL NC business coalition — translate this research into grassroots organizing and direct engagement with the North Carolina General Assembly.

The revenue model is philanthropic: individual tax-deductible donations, foundation and institutional grants, corporate sponsorships, and coalition partnerships (including support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC, and CareQuest Institute for Oral Health). The organization holds GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency and 501(c)(3) status, with governance provided by a Board of Directors and led by Executive Director Erica Palmer Smith (appointed September 2022) and a leadership team of approximately 20 staff. Notable recent advocacy outcomes include Medicaid Expansion passage in 2023, end of corporal punishment across all 115 NC public school districts, Raise the Age legislation, and 7,400+ children gaining access to early learning subsidies.

Name

NC Child

Legal name

NC Child

Website

https://ncchild.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NC Child is a North Carolina 501(c)(3) nonprofit child advocacy organization that combines policy research, data products, and coalition-building to influence state legislation on early childhood education, child health, and family economic security across all 100 NC counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Advocacy Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA)

Keywords

• Child welfare advocacy
• Child policy research
• Early childhood education
• Family economic security
• Child health data

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: NC Child accepts tax-deductible donations from individuals to support advocacy work for children and families across North Carolina.
2. Foundation and Grant Funding: The organization receives funding from foundations and institutional grants to support research, advocacy, and community engagement programs.
3. Coalition Membership and Partnerships: NC Child houses and supports the ExCEL NC business coalition, which brings together business leaders to advocate for child care solutions, creating a network-based funding and influence model.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NC Child is a nonprofit child advocacy organization that produces policy research and data reports on child well-being across North Carolina, runs coalition-building programs (Child Advocacy Network, Youth Advocacy Council, Parent Advisory Council, ExCEL NC), and engages in direct legislative advocacy at the state level. The organization maintains data platforms and publications covering child health, early childhood education, family economic security, and child welfare for use by policymakers, advocates, and community members.

Product overview

NC Child is a nonprofit child advocacy organization that operates a portfolio of data platforms, advocacy programs, and coalition-building initiatives. Core data products include the NC Child Data Center (centralized metrics on child welfare across 35+ indicators), Mental Health Mapping Dashboard, County Data Cards, KIDS COUNT Data Center partnership, North Carolina Child Health Report Card, and North Carolina Health Equity Impact Assessment. The organization also runs advocacy programs including the Child Advocacy Network (CAN), Youth Advocacy Council (YAC), Parent Advisory Council (PAC), and ExCEL NC business coalition. These products and programs work together to provide research, data, community engagement, and legislative advocacy to improve outcomes for North Carolina children.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ExCEL NC: A business coalition housed at NC Child that advocates for increased state funding for child care solutions.
• Child Advocacy Network (CAN)

Products and services

• NC Child Data Center Centralized data platform aggregating more than 35 metrics on child welfare, early childhood education, K-12 education, child health and well-being, and family economic security, filterable by county and legislative district, for use by advocates, policymakers, and the public.
• Mental Health Mapping Dashboard Interactive dashboard showing mental health resources available to students across school districts in North Carolina, providing a roadmap for expanding access to school-based mental health resources.
• County Data Cards Print-friendly local snapshots of child well-being for all 100 North Carolina counties, comparing county data to state averages across five areas: A Strong Start, Family Economic Security, Nurturing Homes and Communities, Health and Wellness, and High-Quality Education.
• KIDS COUNT Data Center Online database operated in partnership with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, providing custom reports on education, employment, income, health, insurance, population, family characteristics, poverty, and youth risk factors across geographic areas.
• North Carolina Child Health Report Card Biannual compilation of child health data published in partnership with the North Carolina Institute of Medicine, tracking key indicators of child health and well-being including teen births, infant mortality, poverty, and child deaths.
• North Carolina Health Equity Impact Assessment Tool developed in partnership with the NC Division of Public Health to address racial disparities in health outcomes by helping decision-makers focus efforts and align strategies for families of all races and ethnic backgrounds.
• Child Advocacy Network (CAN) Statewide network of child advocates bringing together parents, direct service organizations, healthcare professionals, youth leaders, and faith groups to build power for public policies benefiting children and families, with 5 regional hubs across North Carolina.
• Youth Advocacy Council (YAC) Program engaging 16 high school students from across North Carolina in advocacy, building leadership skills, and advocating for NC Child priorities including youth mental health.
• Parent Advisory Council (PAC) Advocacy group of parents and caregivers from across North Carolina whose children rely on Medicaid, ensuring those with lived experience have a voice in how Medicaid and NC Health Choice work for children.
• ExCEL NC Business coalition housed at NC Child that brings together business leaders to advocate for increased state funding for child care solutions and back policies such as Senate Bill 1042 for statewide subsidy reimbursement floor.
• Advocacy Publications Range of reports, briefs, and publications documenting trends in child well-being and the impact of public policy decisions on children and families across North Carolina.

Quantifiable outcome

• NC moved from 34th to 32nd in national child well-being rankings
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Care4Carolina CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 March 2023NC Child served as a founding member of Care4Carolina, a statewide coalition of over 150 organizations dedicated to expanding Medicaid in North Carolina. The coalition successfully advocated for Medicaid Expansion, which passed in 2023.
• Annie E. Casey Foundation (KIDS COUNT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNC Child serves as the North Carolina affiliate for the Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT project, maintaining and recording more than 100 measures of child well-being at state and local levels since 1990.
• North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNC Child partners with NCIOM to produce the biannual North Carolina Child Health Report Card, a compilation of child health data used by policymakers and advocates.
• CareQuest Institute for Oral HealthminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner providing support for oral health advocacy resources and fact sheets to help families and community leaders advocate for effective solutions.
• Blue Cross Blue Shield (North Carolina)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBlue Cross Blue Shield supported NC Child's oral health research, including the Teeth Talk listening tour report on child oral health outcomes.
• Together We Can (Macon County)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNC Child partners with Together We Can, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Macon County focused on supporting foster families and children through transitional housing and community programs.
• Gladwell OrthodonticsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRaleigh-based orthodontic practice selected NC Child for their Charity Cafe initiative, donating cafe proceeds to support child health and oral health advocacy.
• North Carolina Division of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNC Child partnered with the NC Division of Public Health to develop the North Carolina Health Equity Impact Assessment tool to address racial disparities in health outcomes.
• NC DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNC Child works with NC DHHS on Medicaid expansion outreach, managed care resources, and policy initiatives affecting children and families.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Annie E. Casey Foundation: National foundation that operates the KIDS COUNT network and for which NC Child is the North Carolina affiliate. Directly comparable as a child welfare research and advocacy organization focused on data-driven policy, with NC Child functioning as its state-level implementation partner.
• Children's Defense Fund: National child advocacy organization focused on child poverty, health, and education policy. Highly comparable in mission, advocacy methodology, and reliance on data-driven policy research, though operates at national scope rather than state-specific.
• First Focus on Children: National bipartisan advocacy organization dedicated to making children a priority in federal policy and budget decisions. Comparable as a multi-issue child advocacy organization with research publications and coalition-building, though focused on federal rather than state-level policy.

Direct peers

• North Carolina Partnership for Children (Smart Start): NC-based nonprofit focused on early childhood education access through the Smart Start initiative, founded in 1993 partly due to NC Child's predecessor advocacy. Operates in the same child welfare policy space and frequently partners or aligns on early childhood education advocacy.
• Voices for Virginia's Children: State-level child advocacy organization in Virginia with similar structure: research, data products, legislative advocacy, and coalition building around child welfare issues. Closest peer in terms of single-state, multi-issue, data-driven advocacy model.
• NC Pediatric Society (American Academy of Pediatrics - NC Chapter): North Carolina's chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, advocating for child health policy. Directly comparable in operating geography (NC), focus on child health outcomes, and legislative engagement, though specialized in pediatric health rather than multi-issue.
• NC Institute of Medicine (NCIOM): Independent nonprofit that partners with NC Child to produce the biannual Child Health Report Card. Comparable as a health policy research and data organization in NC producing evidence-based reports for policymakers and advocates.

Emerging players

• Care4Carolina Coalition: Statewide coalition of 150+ organizations that NC Child helped found and led through Medicaid Expansion passage in 2023. Comparable as a coalition-based advocacy organization with shared leadership and overlapping priorities on healthcare access for children.
• Texas Kids Belong: Texas-based child welfare advocacy organization focused on foster care and adoption reform. Comparable as a state-level child advocacy organization using research and policy to drive outcomes, though narrower in scope than NC Child.

Regional players

• Action for Children (Ohio): Ohio-based child advocacy and policy organization with similar multi-issue focus on early childhood, health, and economic security. Comparable state-level child advocacy model operating in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ncchild
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/1ncchild
• Facebookfacebook.com/ncchildorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nc-child
• Instagraminstagram.com/n.c.child

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NC Child