ECFC Budget & Tax Policy Watch Party, Part 1: Economic Opportunity Funders’ (EOF) Budget and Tax Policy Briefing Livestream Access

ECFC members and other early childhood focused funders are invited to join us for a Budget and Tax Briefing Watch Party in collaboration with Economic Opportunity Funders’ (EOF) Budget and Tax Policy Briefing.

Why Federal Budget and Tax Policy Matters to State and Local Funders 

States get about one-third of their revenue from the federal government — funds that help pay for health care, schools, housing, roads, child care, job training, and a range of other programs. Unlike the federal government, most states and localities must balance their budgets every year and are directly affected by fluctuations in federal funding, presenting state policymakers with important choices regarding how to adjust their own spending in response.

State budgets are expected to shrink substantially in 2025, as the post-pandemic era of federal aid, record spending, and historic tax cuts comes to a close. Policymakers will face difficult decisions about whether to raise taxes or reduce critical programs and services like food assistance, Medicaid, housing, and education investments. In addition, the expiration of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act presents an urgent moment to ensure states and localities have the revenues they need to invest in programs for children and families and an opportunity to correct our course towards a more equitable tax code. These debates and their outcomes will touch every corner of philanthropic work — early childhood, health care, state, and local government services, climate change, housing, senior services, family support services, and much more.

WATCH PARTY, Part 1: March 25 Livestream access

Economic Opportunity Funder’s Spring 2025 Budget and Tax Policy Briefing for Grantmakers will take place March 24 and 25 in Alexandria, VA.   Two plenaries will be livestreamed on March 25 (featuring ECFC members!*):

 Federal Budget and Tax Outlook: 11:00 AM-12:30 PM ET

Speakers: Joan Alker, Center for Children and Families at the Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy; Carol Joyner, Family Values@Work; Sharon Parrott, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; Amber Wallin, State Revenue Alliance; Parita Patel, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation* (moderator)

State Budget and Tax Outlook: 2:00 PM-3:15 PM ET

Speakers: Marcia Egbert, The George Gund Foundation*; Nathan Gusdorf, Fiscal Policy Institute; Hannah Halbert, Policy Matters Ohio; Abriana Kimbrough, Washington Area Women’s Foundation; Kimberly Perry, DC Action; Michael Cassidy, The Annie E. Casey Foundation* (moderator)

WATCH PARTY, Part 2: March 27 ECFC Watch Party Huddle
2pm-3pm ET | 1pm-2pm CT | 12pm-1pm MT | 11am-12pm PT | 9am-10am HT

Join ECFC for our post-EOF plenary watch partn discussion on March 27.  We will be joined by Ife Finch Floyd, Director of Economic Justice at the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute (GBPI), where she leads GBPI’s ongoing proactive work to promote economic security and opportunity, key components of economic justice. Prior to GBPI, she served as the Director of TANF Research and Analysis with the Family Income Support Division at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities where she supported state partners, expanded engagement with advocates, analyzed data and policy and moved forward racial equity research and conversations within the organization.  Our Watch Party huddle will provide an opportunity hear Ms. Floyd’s national and state perspective on what’s happening with state budgets followed by discussion around what ECFC members and other early childhood and child/family focused funders are hearing and seeing around state budget and tax issues, and how grantmakers can work collaboratively to ensure that decisions made about public funding impacting struggling populations are informed by the best practices of our communities and grantees.

ECFC Watch Party registrants will receive:

1. 1. Zoom link to watch the Mach 25th livestream sessions or recording (within a week of the event); and
   2. Zoom link to join us on March 27 for discussion.

Cost: There is no cost to participate in ECFC’s Watch Party opportunity.

Watch Party Attendees:

All staff of ECFC members, philanthropy serving organizations, funder collaboratives and early childhood focused funders are invited to attend.