Florida's Children First
Florida's Children First is a Boca Raton-based 501(c)(3) founded in 2002 that advances the rights of children in Florida's foster care, juvenile justice, and disability systems through legislative advocacy, legal representation, and youth-led organizing via its Florida Youth SHINE program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersBoca Raton, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Florida's Children First does
Florida's Children First is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan, independent advocacy organization founded in 2002 and headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. Its mission is to protect and advance the rights of children and youth impacted by Florida's child welfare, juvenile justice, and disability systems through systemic reform, education, youth voice, and promotion of high-quality legal representation. The organization operates four interconnected program areas: legislative and executive branch advocacy in Tallahassee, judicial advocacy via legal representation and amicus briefs, a youth-led advocacy sub-brand called Florida Youth SHINE (founded 2005, operating across 15 statewide chapters with 350+ members), and professional training programs including a free monthly CLE-accredited training series and the Florida Dependency Law Center online legal resource.
The business model is donation- and grant-funded rather than revenue-generating. Income streams include individual donations, corporate and foundation sponsorships, planned/legacy gifts, and in-kind pro bono professional services. Six statewide sponsors (FFLA, Kelley Kronenberg's Justice for Kids division, Guardian Trust, the Paul Palank Memorial Foundation, the Shane McGee Foundation, and Stuart Building Products) each contribute $25,000 or more annually, and the organization holds a 4-star (99%) Charity Navigator rating and a Platinum 2023 GuideStar seal. There is no proprietary technology platform; the organization is not technology-focused and instead relies on a small professional staff of approximately 7-10 (including an Executive Director, Deputy Director, VP Communications, Staff Attorney, FYS Statewide Coordinator, Community Development Manager, and Office Manager) supported by a 30+ member Board of Directors drawn principally from Florida child welfare attorneys.
The organization is governed by an independent Board, holds EIN 52-2372998, and is the only Florida organization consistently combining legislative, executive, judicial, and legal advocacy under a single roof for children in care. It files amicus briefs, trains attorneys and Guardian Ad Litems, educates foster parents and caseworkers, and runs direct advocacy programming for current and former foster youth, including youth experiencing homelessness. Its measurable policy outcomes include extension of Florida's tuition and fee exemption to age 28 (described as best-in-nation), driver's license and insurance access, Keys to Independence housing legislation, extended Medicaid to age 26, and the 2023 Nancy C. Detert Champion for Children Act and 2025 Young Adult Housing Support law (SB584/HB879).
Florida's Children First firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Florida's Children First
- Legal name
- Florida's Children First, Inc.
- Website
- https://floridaschildrenfirst.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Florida's Children First is a Boca Raton-based 501(c)(3) founded in 2002 that advances the rights of children in Florida's foster care, juvenile justice, and disability systems through legislative advocacy, legal representation, and youth-led organizing via its Florida Youth SHINE program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Florida's Children First industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Advocacy Services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Parenting Skills & Child Development Education (EDACALAA)
Keywords
Where Florida's Children First is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boca Raton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Florida's Children First business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Contributions: Individual donations from supporters who contribute to fund advocacy programs and quality of life needs for children in Florida's foster care system
- Corporate and Foundation Grants/Sponsorships: Statewide sponsors and grants from organizations including FFLA, Kelley Kronenberg, Guardian Trust, Paul Palank Memorial Foundation, and others at various contribution levels
- Planned and Tribute Gifts: Legacy gifts through bequests, beneficiary designations, and charitable remainder trusts
- Pro Bono Support: In-kind professional services from attorneys and other professionals who provide legal, counseling, and other services pro bono
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels10 records
Florida's Children First product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Florida's Children First is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization that provides direct advocacy, legal representation, and policy reform work for children and youth involved in Florida's child welfare (dependency), juvenile justice (delinquency), and disability service systems. It also operates the Florida Youth SHINE program, which empowers current and former foster youth to advocate for themselves and their peers, and delivers training and support for system stakeholders such as attorneys, Guardians ad Litem, and judges.
Product overview
Florida's Children First operates as a non-profit advocacy organization offering multiple interconnected programs and resources. The core offering includes advocacy for children's rights through systemic reform. Florida Youth SHINE serves as the flagship youth-led advocacy sub-brand with 15 chapters statewide. Supporting programs include the Monthly Training Series providing CLE credits for professionals, the Florida Dependency Law Center online resource for legal practitioners, Know Your Rights educational programs, FYS Digital Stories content created by youth, and various publications. These offerings work together to advance the organization's mission of protecting children's rights in Florida's child welfare, juvenile justice, and disability systems.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Direct Advocacy and Legal Representation for Children and Youth Individual advocacy and legal representation for children and youth entangled in Florida's dependency (foster care), delinquency (juvenile justice), and disability service systems. Delivered at no cost to the child or family.
- Policy and Systemic Reform Advocacy Statewide policy advocacy and systemic reform work aimed at improving Florida's child welfare, juvenile justice, and disability systems for children and youth.
- Florida Youth SHINE Youth Leadership Program Youth-led leadership and advocacy program that empowers current and former foster youth to advocate for themselves, their peers, and improvements to the child welfare system.
- Training and Technical Assistance for System Stakeholders Training, technical assistance, and collaborative advocacy for attorneys, Guardians ad Litem, judges, case managers, and other professionals working within Florida's child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 350 Florida Youth SHINE members driving advocacy statewide
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Florida's Children First
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Florida's Children First technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Florida's Children First partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered key legislative, core and key.
- Sen. Ileana Garciakey legislativeSenate sponsor of SB 584/HB 879 Young Adult Housing Support bill that passed unanimously
- Rep. Marie Paule Woodsonkey legislativeHouse sponsor of HB 879 Young Adult Housing Support bill
- Rep. Alex Rizokey legislativeHouse sponsor of HB 879 Young Adult Housing Support bill
- Florida Legal ServicescoreProduced monthly training series in partnership, providing CLE credits for attorneys
- Public Interest Law Section (PILS) of the Florida BarcoreCo-producing monthly training series for child welfare professionals
- Forever FamilykeyMedia partnership producing youth stories in collaboration with Florida Department of Children and Families
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Florida's Children First competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Florida Guardian ad Litem Program: Florida's state-administered program providing volunteer advocates for abused and neglected children in dependency court. Directly comparable to FCF in Florida-based child welfare advocacy and serving the same foster care population through court advocacy.
- Voices for Children Foundation: San Diego-based nonprofit supporting the local Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program and advocating for foster youth. Comparable as a state/regional child welfare advocacy organization but serves California rather than Florida.
Direct peers
- FosterClub: Oregon-based nonprofit that empowers current and former foster youth through peer support, leadership training, and advocacy. Comparable to FCF/FYS in youth-led structure, focus on foster youth aging out of care, and digital storytelling strategy.
- Juvenile Law Center: Philadelphia-based nonprofit law firm advocating for children in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems through impact litigation, policy, and training. Closely matches FCF's blend of legal advocacy, amicus briefs, and professional training for child welfare attorneys.
- Children's Rights: National nonprofit that uses impact litigation and policy advocacy to reform child welfare and foster care systems for vulnerable children. Directly comparable to FCF in pursuing systemic reform through courts, legislation, and agency advocacy.
- National Foster Youth Institute: National nonprofit that organizes current and former foster youth to advocate for policy reform in the child welfare system. Directly comparable to FCF in its youth-led advocacy model and policy focus on foster care, but operating at a national rather than single-state level.
- A Better Childhood: National nonprofit that litigates and advocates for reform of state child welfare and foster care systems. Directly comparable to FCF in targeting systemic reform of state foster care systems, including through court action and legislative advocacy.
- National Center for Youth Law: Oakland-based nonprofit legal organization advancing justice for children and youth through impact litigation, policy advocacy, and training. Comparable to FCF in combining youth-focused legal advocacy, training resources, and systemic reform across child-serving systems.
Broad incumbents
- Casey Family Programs: Large Seattle-based operating foundation focused on safely reducing the need for foster care and supporting youth in care. Comparable in mission to FCF but operates at much greater scale and directly provides services rather than solely advocating.
- National CASA / GAL Association for Children: National nonprofit that supports and grows state CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) programs providing volunteer advocacy for children in foster care. Comparable in advocating for foster children's rights and providing volunteer advocates, though at much greater scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Florida's Children First social profiles
Digital presenceFlorida's Children First compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Florida's Children First financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Florida's Children First leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Florida's Children First subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Florida's Children First funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Florida's Children First M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Florida's Children First
What does Florida's Children First do?
Florida's Children First is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization that provides direct advocacy, legal representation, and policy reform work for children and youth involved in Florida's child welfare (dependency), juvenile justice (delinquency), and disability service systems. It also operates the Florida Youth SHINE program, which empowers current and former foster youth to advocate for themselves and their peers, and delivers training and support for system stakeholders such as attorneys, Guardians ad Litem, and judges.
Is Florida's Children First a public or private company?
Florida's Children First is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Florida's Children First founded?
Florida's Children First was founded in 2002. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Florida's Children First based?
Florida's Children First is headquartered in Boca Raton, United States, in the North America region.
How does Florida's Children First make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations and Contributions are the primary driver. The others are corporate and Foundation Grants/Sponsorships, planned and Tribute Gifts and pro Bono Support.
Who are Florida's Children First's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Florida Guardian ad Litem Program and Voices for Children Foundation. Direct peers are FosterClub, Juvenile Law Center, Children's Rights, National Foster Youth Institute, A Better Childhood and National Center for Youth Law. Broad incumbents are Casey Family Programs and National CASA / GAL Association for Children.
Does Florida's Children First have an API?
No public API is recorded for Florida's Children First.
What industry is Florida's Children First in?
Florida's Children First's product category is Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Advocacy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAA, Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits, with a secondary code of EDACALAA, Parenting Skills & Child Development Education. Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 8300.