G-2405-21661

American Children’s Campaign (ACC) is a multi-partisan, strategic advocacy and equity collaboration led by citizen leaders to make children a top priority. The organization is based in and serves the state of Florida and has been a leader in policy advocacy that has addressed issues of foster care, juvenile justice, and health care. 

ACC is a returning CareQuest Institute grantee that leveraged its most recent grant to enhance its communications and advocacy campaign to authorize dental therapy. This work began with ACC crafting dental therapy legislation alongside the Florida Dental Hygiene Association (FDHA) and Floridians for Dental Access (FLDA) and led to early success with the legislation passing favorably with no amendments through two House committees. To build on this success, the organization plans to renew its public education and strategic policy advocacy workplan to maintain momentum around this bipartisan issue.

ACC’s proposal outlines three priority strategies for the coming year. First, the organization plans to intensify its bipartisan public education campaign aimed at policymakers and their civically engaged supporters. This work will be focused in the Tampa Bay area, south and southwest Florida, Jacksonville, central Florida, and Tallahassee. These locations were identified to align with political sponsors and polling data collected from the organization’s initial CareQuest Institute grant project, which indicated oral health as an issue of bipartisan support throughout the state. To execute this, ACC will meet with key Republican and Democratic policymakers who have neutral or opposing standpoints on the issue to dispel misinformation and further build its base of supporters.

While public education continues, ACC will identify and elevate a diverse range of voices to inform and advance the campaign, with a particular focus on spotlighting leaders who have been supporting the strategic development and tactical execution of this campaign. This approach reflects a desire for favorable Democratic support and the anticipated outcome that legislation could pass both chambers in 2026. Finally, ACC will develop a fiscal proposal to ensure that state revenue appropriations are available upon authorization of dental therapy to avoid delays in implementation. ACC will identify favorable appropriations for a dental school aligned with policy legislation and convene an Oral Health Innovation and Equity Workgroup that will develop cost estimates for implementing dental therapy in Florida. This has historically been an area in dental therapy advocacy and implementation that can make policy change ineffective if not addressed early on.

The requested amount totals $175,000, which is a slight reduction from the organization’s 2023 grant. Of that amount, approximately 40% of the funds will be allocated to three personnel roles, with some matching support indicated. Another significant portion of the budget will be used to cover consultant fees for communications and marketing, aligned with the education campaign. This request represents 40% of the organization’s operating budget.