Children's Action Alliance

What Children's Action Alliance does

Children's Action Alliance (CAA) is a Phoenix, Arizona-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit policy advocacy organization that works to advance the health, education, safety, and economic security of Arizona's children and families through research, lobbying, coalition-building, and direct civic engagement. Founded in 1988 and reorganized under its current identity in 2009, CAA serves vulnerable Arizona populations including low-income families, uninsured children (43,200+ children under age 6 uninsured as of 2024), foster youth, and kinship caregivers (57,000+ supported through AZ Grandparent Ambassadors), while also engaging Arizona state legislators and policymakers as a secondary audience. The organization's core product surface is non-commercial and includes eight named programs: the Arizona KIDS COUNT Data Book (the only statewide child well-being data book, produced under the Annie E. Casey Foundation KIDS COUNT network affiliation), an annual Legislative Scorecard, the Request to Speak (RTS) digital advocacy tool, Fostering Advocates Arizona (a youth foster-care advocacy program housed under CAA), Opportunity Passport (transition support for youth aging out of foster care), Families First Forum, Cities for Kiddies (municipal-level advocacy), and the Changemakers civic education course. The organization does not sell commercial products or proprietary technology platforms.

CAA generates revenue through two primary streams: individual/foundation/corporate donations augmented by an annual Champions for Children Awards Luncheon fundraiser, and grants (including through the Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT initiative and other state/foundation grants supporting research, advocacy, and coalition activities). There are no commercial pricing models; all resources, publications, and civic engagement tools are provided free of charge. Distribution occurs through CAA's website (azchildren.org, English/Spanish bilingual), email action alerts via the Salsa Labs platform, earned media coverage in Arizona outlets, legislative lobbying and testimony, coalition-network dissemination, and community events.

CAA houses two adjacent operating subsidiaries — Fostering Advocates Arizona (FAAZ) and the Arizona Center for Economic Progress (ACEP) — both wholly owned 501(c)(3)s operating under CAA's institutional umbrella. The organization is governed by an independent board (chaired by David Higuera as of June 2026), with leadership transitioning from January Contreras to David Lujan as Executive Director in June 2026. Organizational scale is small (11–50 employees), with core policy staff across health, early learning, child welfare, and southern Arizona operations. Notable policy outcomes in the FY27 budget cycle include ~$45M in child care assistance investment (highest in 15+ years), funding for two additional years of universal school meals, and $8.2M for extended foster care coaching.

Name

Children's Action Alliance

Legal name

Children's Action Alliance

Website

https://azchildren.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Children's Action Alliance is an Arizona-based 501(c)(3) policy advocacy nonprofit that advances children's health, education, safety, and economic security through research, lobbying, coalition-building, and civic engagement programs serving vulnerable Arizona families, foster youth, kinship caregivers, and policymakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Welfare Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Engagement & Home–School Partnership Programs (EDACALAB)

Keywords

• Child welfare advocacy
• Policy research nonprofit
• Legislative scorecard
• Community coalition building
• KIDS COUNT data publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: CAA generates revenue through donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors. The organization hosts an annual Champions for Children Awards Luncheon as a fundraising event and encourages public donations through its website (azchildren.org/donate/).
2. Grants and Government Contracts: As a member of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT network, CAA receives support through the KIDS COUNT initiative. Additional grant funding supports research, advocacy programs, and coalition activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Children's Action Alliance is a nonprofit advocacy organization that advances policies benefiting Arizona's children and families through data-driven research, legislative advocacy, and community organizing. Its core offerings include the Arizona KIDS COUNT Data Book, an annual Legislative Scorecard, the Request to Speak digital advocacy tool, and programs supporting foster youth (Opportunity Passport, Fostering Advocates Arizona), kinship caregivers, early childhood education, and K-12 funding.

Product overview

Children's Action Alliance is a non-profit advocacy organization that operates as a single unified entity focused on children's welfare advocacy rather than a technology product company. The organization offers a portfolio of advocacy programs and tools including the KIDS COUNT Data Book (their signature statewide data resource), the Legislative Scorecard, the Request to Speak (RTS) digital tool for legislative engagement, and various programs supporting children and families including Fostering Advocates Arizona, Opportunity Passport, Families First Forum, and the Changemakers advocacy training program. The organization does not offer commercial software products or technology platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fostering Advocates Arizona: A youth advocacy organization housed at and supported by Children's Action Alliance to raise the voices of young adults who have experienced foster care.
• Arizona Center for Economic Progress
• Changemakers
• Champions for Children Awards Luncheon

Products and services

• Arizona KIDS COUNT Data Book

Quantifiable outcome

• Expanded Kids Care (CHIP) to 225% FPL, enabling 22,000+ children to gain health coverage
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Fostering Advocates Arizona (FAAZ)coreOthersFostering Advocates Arizona is housed at and supported by Children's Action Alliance to raise the voices of young adults who have experienced foster care. FAAZ organizes the annual Day at the Capitol and advocates for policy improvements to the child welfare system.
• Arizona Center for Economic Progress (ACEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAA co-founded the Arizona Center for Economic Progress with the goal of advancing policies that create a fairer tax system and better economic opportunities for all Arizonans. ACEP operates as a separate 501(c)(3) under CAA's institutional umbrella.
• Annie E. Casey Foundation — KIDS COUNT NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAA is the designated KIDS COUNT affiliate in Arizona for the Annie E. Casey Foundation. This partnership grants CAA access to national child well-being data, methodology, and resources to produce the Arizona KIDS COUNT Data Book and county-level data snapshots.
• Arizona Grandparent Ambassadors (AZGA)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAZGA is a statewide network of grandparents raising grandchildren, representing over 57,000 kinship caregivers in Arizona. CAA supports and collaborates with AZGA on kinship care policy advocacy and legislative priorities.
• Prevent Child Abuse ArizonasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAA partners with Prevent Child Abuse Arizona on joint advocacy initiatives, including virtual policy conversations on children in immigrant families, to advance shared goals around child safety and family well-being.
• Arizona Early Childhood Alliance (AZECA)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAA participates in the Arizona Early Childhood Alliance, which organizes the annual Early Childhood Day at the Capitol and advocates for early childhood education and care policies across the state.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families: Statewide child and family advocacy nonprofit and KIDS COUNT affiliate in Arkansas. Operates with a similar multi-issue model covering health, early childhood, K-12 funding, and family economic security — directly comparable to CAA's portfolio.
• Colorado Children's Campaign: Colorado's leading child advocacy nonprofit and KIDS COUNT affiliate. Mirrors CAA's model of producing a signature data book, publishing annual legislative scorecards, and running multi-issue campaigns on health, early childhood, and K-12 funding.
• Texas Children (Center for Public Policy Priorities): Texas-based child and family policy advocacy organization that has historically produced KIDS COUNT data for the state. Directly comparable to CAA as a multi-issue children's policy nonprofit with a strong data publication franchise.
• Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children: Pennsylvania's statewide child advocacy organization and KIDS COUNT affiliate. Comparable to CAA in its data-driven legislative advocacy, budget analysis, and coalition-based model spanning health, early learning, and child welfare.
• Voices for Ohio's Children: Ohio's state-level child advocacy and policy organization. Comparable to CAA in its state budget analysis, legislative advocacy, and focus on health coverage, child care, and family economic security.
• Connecticut Voices for Children: Connecticut-based independent research and advocacy organization working on child and family policy. Comparable to CAA in its data-driven legislative advocacy, focus on health coverage, child welfare, and family economic security.
• Michigan's Children: Michigan's statewide child policy advocacy organization. Comparable to CAA in its state budget advocacy, multi-issue children's agenda, and coalition-building approach — though it is not the KIDS COUNT affiliate.
• Voices for Virginia's Children: Virginia's premier child advocacy nonprofit and KIDS COUNT affiliate. Directly comparable to CAA as a state-level, multi-issue children's policy organization producing legislative scorecards, data publications, and coalition-based advocacy.
• NC Child: North Carolina's child advocacy organization and KIDS COUNT affiliate. Closely comparable to CAA in producing county-level child well-being data, publishing a Legislative Report Card, and advocating on health coverage, child care, and family economic security.

Broad incumbents

• Annie E. Casey Foundation: National private foundation that operates the KIDS COUNT network of which CAA is the Arizona affiliate. While not a direct competitor, it is the parent organization of CAA's signature data franchise and the most material institutional relationship in CAA's operations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CAA_Arizona
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/azchildren

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Children's Action Alliance