Have questions about the Healthy Children’s Fund? You’re in the right place!
This page covers the most common questions about how the fund works, where the money goes, who can apply, and how the community stays involved.
If you don’t see your question here, you can always reach out to our team for more information.
What is the Healthy Children’s Fund?
The Healthy Children’s Fund is the culmination of more than a decade of efforts by hundreds of community members from both the public and private sectors. It is a voter-approved initiative that supports young children and their families in Whatcom County. Grounded in the belief that improving children’s health leads to a healthier community overall, the Healthy Children’s Fun was approved in November 2022 as a 10-year, renewable property tax levy which took effect in 2023.
The fund is estimated to collect $10 million per year for early childhood learning and care and for the support of vulnerable children. We are working to be fiscally responsible with taxpayer dollars by braiding this funding with state and federal dollars in support of programs and service providers.
Who is in charge of this fund?
Whatcom County Executive is responsible for all county operations including the Health and Community Services Department. This office makes sure that the Healthy Children’s Fund is managed well and that the money is only used for things that are allowed by the fund’s rules.
The Whatcom County Health and Community Services Department is part of the Whatcom County government. This department is in charge of managing the Healthy Children’s Fund work. Their job is to create the plan and steps needed to make sure the fund works well, including suggesting how the money should be divided, the ways to use it, and how it will all work.
Whatcom County Council serves as the budget authority of the Healthy Children’s Fund. According to the rules for this fund, the Council will also: approve the plans for how the fund will be used, which are presented by the County Executive; approve contracts, following the county’s usual rules; receive reports that check how well the fund is working; and work with the County Executive’s office to put any suggested improvements into action.
The Healthy Children’s Fund Implementation Team is composed of parents and community members, early learning & care and vulnerable children program experts & staff. This group recommends the fund’s policy, holding the “bigger picture” of funding recommendations, goals, and priorities and ensuring these funds are allocated effectively.
The Child & Family Well-Being Task Force (CFWBTF), was created by the Whatcom County Council. The HCF ordinance states that this group will collaborate with the Whatcom County government every two years on the Implementation Plan (essentially a work plan), independent audit process, and write and deliver an annual report to the public and City Council.
Who approves the spending of these funds?
The Whatcom County Council approves allocations over $75,000, and two members of the Whatcom County Health and Community Services department – the department director and human services manager – approve disbursements below that amount.
How are Healthy Children’s Fund spending decisions made?
Healthy Children’s Fund dollars are intended to be spent in alignment with 10 strategies that were developed in collaboration with community partners. The strategies shown below are estimates based on data available when the implementation plan was developed (March 2023).
- Provide funds for small capital projects to expand, renovate or repurpose buildings to increase early learning and care slots in a mixed-delivery system.
- Coordinate current and develop additional pathways to ensure a stable early learning and care workforce to deliver high-quality programs for children.
- Improve access to early learning and care through subsidies that reduce the cost of programs for children from families which are cost burdened.
- Ensure access to early learning and care by promoting the expansion and retention of the early learning and care workforce.
- Create regional early learning & care hubs that include shared administrative services, co-located early learning and other services for children and families, and support for smaller providers in the county (i.e., the “hub and spoke model”).
- Support innovative approaches to meet various Healthy Children’s Fund goals for early learning and care.
- Recruit mental and behavioral health workforce to Whatcom County.
- Develop and/or expand resources and programs for families who disproportionately experience housing instability.
- Expand and enhance early parenting supports.
- Integrate and co-locate services via coordinated access to resource navigation.
See page 21 of the Whatcom Healthy Children’s Fund Implementation Plan for additional information.
What local programs and organizations have received Healthy Children’s Fund dollars?
The list of funded programs is expanding. Visit the Healthy Children’s Fund Progress page for updates on the organizations and providers who have received funding. While there, subscribe to our email list for occasional updates about funding opportunities and other program updates.
Are Healthy Children’s Fund dollars being used for other government needs?
No. Healthy Children’s Fund dollars are only used to fund programs that align with the 10 strategies outlined in the Whatcom Healthy Children’s Fund Implementation Plan. In addition to programs, the fund pays for staff, supplies and other administrative costs that are directly related to the Healthy Children’s Fund. However, no more than 9% of the fund’s budget may be used for administration.
How will Healthy Children’s Fund dollars reach the rural areas of Whatcom County?
In most cases, an application evaluation committee, which includes representatives from Whatcom County government and community representatives with subject matter expertise, will review and evaluate proposals and submit recommendations for funding. The county will evaluate proposals based on the evaluation criteria: values, expectation of success, readiness and impact. When agency proposals are evaluated, priority and additional evaluation points are given to providers that demonstrate how they will serve rural areas.
If you operate a rural childcare center or program that supports children and families, and could use additional funding to facilitate expansion, please watch the Bid Listings page for opportunities. Or email healthychildrensfund@co.whatcom.wa.us to discuss other opportunities that may be available.
Where can I go to get up-to-date information about funding opportunities?
You can view o0psign up for the Healthy Children’s Fund newsletter at the bottom of this page.
Who can apply for funding opportunities?
Eligible operators and service providers are encouraged to apply. They may include nonprofit, for-profit, private and public entities, higher education programs and/or early learning and care providers that can meet Whatcom County contracting requirements. Specific eligibility criteria will be based on the requirements of each funding opportunity. All contractors and subcontractors must adhere to anti-discrimination and child protection laws and policies. The majority of Healthy Children’s Fund funds will prioritize equitable access for traditionally underserved communities.
Watch for proposal requests by subscribing to the Healthy Children’s Fund Newsletter.
I know of a rural program that would benefit from these funds, but they do not have experience with the RFP process. Is assistance available?
It is a priority to make funding opportunities accessible to all providers, regardless of size or organizational capacity. All requests for proposals (RFPs) include a question-and-answer period and a contact person who is available to guide organizations through the RFP process. Please review project proposal information on page 40 of the Healthy Children’s Fund Implementation Plan.
The Chuckanut Health Foundation can provide technical assistance to any provider who needs assistance in applying for funding or responding to RFPs. This includes budget development and grant writing. Visit the Training & Technical Assistance page for more information.
How do you know the programs you are creating with these funds will actually help families in this community?
When organizations are awarded funding, they must demonstrate how their actions will meet one or more of the 10 strategies of the Health Children’s Fund. This includes how the organization will measure success. Each funded program will be evaluated by an independent evaluator to ensure it is meeting its goals. Programs that don’t meet their metrics will be modified or changed.
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