A. Strategy

• Public/private partnerships

B. Issue

• Children, youth, families

C. Organizational background
The Foundation Consortium is an alliance of private, community, and family foundations that share a common vision and goal for California's children to be safe, healthy, and learning each day. Through the Consortium, independent foundations work together and learn how to leverage their resources by aligning individual grantmaking around common values and outcomes for children, youth, and families.

Beginning in 1989, a group of foundation representatives concerned with education and social services began meeting occasionally to discuss current issues and concerns such as the Healthy Start Support Services for Children Act. This legislation, passed by the California legislature in 1991, brought schools and other agencies into partnerships to provide integrated prevention education and services to children facing multiple problems such as inadequate nutrition, poor health, and family dysfunction. Passage of the Healthy Start legislation led to the creation of the Foundation Consortium for School-linked Services (later renamed the Foundation Consortium for California's Children and Youth) which was formed by eight foundations interested in impacting the Healthy Start program. To this end, the Consortium formalized a public/private partnership with the State of California in 1992 to improve outcomes of the Healthy Start program. Over a three year period, the Consortium invested a total of $5.1 million into this partnership.

Since 1996, the Consortium has adopted a broader mission to impact policy development and implementation which effect California's youth. Consortium members have developed a set of principles to guide their involvement in public policy efforts. These are reflective of general best practices for grantmaking and foundation engagement. [link to best practices page] The Consortium's main strategy for change is public-private partnerships. In addition to the Healthy Start program, partnerships have included:

• AB 1741 County Partnerships
• Results for Children Initiative (partnership with four county First 5 California Prop. 10 programs)
• Family Support Partnership
• The California After School Partnership
• The Childe Welfare Improvements Partnership
• Results Focused Community Change Partnership with San Joaquin County

The Consortium has continued to grow and now has 21 foundation members. Representatives from member organizations sit on the Consortium's board and active Executive and Program committees. The Consortium operates out of Sacramento, with a current budget of $3.7 million and a staff of 10.