Focus Area: Advocacy in Early Childhood

Grant Amount: $10,000

Based in Minneapolis, serves statewide. Begun in 1976 as Genesis II for Families, the organization merged with Minnesota Communities Caring for Children in 2020, adding a statewide focus for its services supporting families through culturally competent services. FamilyWise is now developing an advocacy initiative to its direct service programs, drawing on the experiences of parents and helping them to find their advocacy voice on issues that reflect their lived experience.

Grant supports building the Parent Leadership Program, which is a program that empowers parents and caregivers to develop advocacy skills, share their stories in public settings, and positively influence policy and system decisions that affect their families. FamilyWise is creating a statewide network of parent leaders and hosting a convening of the network in February 2025. These efforts will help engage and empower leaders at local and state levels, provide resources to parent leaders, connect organizations and agencies in dialogue about the importance of parent voices, parent mentorship, and parent leadership in communities, and more.