Quick Summary:
Children make up nearly one-quarter of the U.S. population, yet only 8.57% of federal spending was directed toward them in fiscal year 2025. That disparity is not inevitable—it is the result of choices about whose needs are visible in the budget, who has access to decision-makers, and whose stories shape public priorities. With sustained advocacy and stronger youth civic infrastructure, we can build a federal agenda that treats young people as essential partners in America’s future.
The federal budget is one of the clearest expressions of our national values. It determines whether families can access nutritious food, whether schools have the resources to serve students well, whether young people can receive mental health care, and whether communities create safe, joyful places to grow up.
Yet the numbers reveal a troubling disconnect. Children account for roughly one in four people in the United States, but First Focus on Children’s 2025 Children’s Budget
found that just $8.57 of every $100 in federal spending went toward children. That share has declined sharply from its recent 2021 high, even though the decisions made today will shape young people’s health, educational opportunity, economic mobility, and civic participation for decades. ([firstfocus.org](https://firstfocus.org/childrens-budget/?utm_source=openai))
Seen & Heard believes this is a solvable problem. As a national, nonpartisan nonprofit, we work alongside young Americans ages 15–25 to ensure they have real tools, real mentors, and real access to the policymakers making decisions about their lives. Learn more About Seen & Heard
and the work to build a stronger future with—not merely for—young people.
Why Does This Budget Gap Exist?
First, children’s needs are often spread across many different programs and agencies. A child may benefit from Medicaid, nutrition assistance, public education funding, housing support, child care assistance, disability services, transportation, and community-based programs. Because these investments are fragmented, it can be difficult for the public to see a single, unified “children’s budget” and understand what is at stake when individual programs are cut.
Second, much of federal spending is driven by large mandatory programs that primarily serve adults and older Americans, including Social Security and Medicare. Those programs are critically important, but their scale means that children’s investments must compete for attention in the remaining parts of the budget. The Urban Institute’s Kids’ Share analysis similarly found that federal spending per older adult far exceeds federal spending per child. ([apps.urban.org](https://apps.urban.org/features/2025-kids-share-federal-expenditures/?utm_source=openai))
Third, children do not vote—and too often, that means their interests are treated as less urgent. Parents, caregivers, educators, advocates, and young people themselves may raise the alarm, but the systems that influence policy are not consistently designed to bring youth voices into the room early enough or often enough.
That is why youth civic engagement matters. The gap is not simply a funding issue. It is a representation issue.
Where Underinvestment Shows Up Most Clearly
Federal underinvestment affects young people across every stage of childhood and adolescence. While specific programs vary by state and community, several categories are especially vulnerable when children are not centered in budget decisions.
Health and safety:
Children need reliable access to preventive care, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, school-based health services, mental health support, safe housing, and protection from violence. When these systems are underfunded, families often face longer waits, fewer providers, and harder choices during moments of crisis.
Education:
Public schools, special education services, after-school programs, career exploration, and college-and-career pathways all depend on durable investment. Federal support cannot solve every challenge in education, but it can help reduce inequities and ensure that a student’s opportunity is not determined by their ZIP code.
Economic stability for families:
Nutrition programs, child care support, housing assistance, and refundable tax credits help families meet basic needs. These are not separate from children’s outcomes; they are foundational to attendance, learning, health, and long-term well-being.
Youth joy and belonging:
Young people also need more than crisis intervention. They deserve safe places to gather, opportunities to build relationships, arts and recreation, mentorship, and communities where they are respected. Investing in youth joy is a serious policy priority because belonging, connection, and hope are protective factors—not extras.
How Children’s Advocacy Organizations Are Pushing Back
Advocacy organizations across the country are making the children’s share of the federal budget easier to see and harder to ignore. Budget analyses translate sprawling federal data into a clear question: Are national investments aligned with the needs of the people who will inherit the consequences of today’s decisions?
Coalitions are also organizing around specific policy threats and opportunities, including efforts to protect children’s health coverage, nutrition assistance, child care, education funding, and family economic supports. The Children’s Budget Coalition and other advocates have warned that cuts to programs such as Medicaid and SNAP can disproportionately harm children and families. ([campaignforchildren.org](https://campaignforchildren.org/take-action/tell-congress-no-more-cuts-to-medicaid-or-snap/?utm_source=openai))
But data alone is not enough. Policymakers need to hear directly from people affected by policy: the students navigating under-resourced schools, the young people seeking mental health care, the families balancing food costs and housing, and the youth leaders with ideas for what would work better. Strong advocacy combines research, coalition-building, public education, and lived experience.
Why Young People Are Uniquely Positioned to Lead
Young people are not simply the recipients of policy. They are experts in how policy lands in real life.
They know what it feels like when a school counselor is unavailable, when a bus route makes it difficult to participate in an after-school program, when mental health support is out of reach, or when adults make decisions about “youth needs” without asking youth themselves. Their firsthand knowledge can make public policy more practical, more accountable, and more responsive.
Young people also bring urgency and long-range perspective. They will live with the consequences of decisions about education, health and safety, climate, workforce opportunity, and democracy longer than anyone else at the table. When they are equipped with civic skills, mentorship, policy access, and trusted platforms, they can turn personal experience into public leadership.
This is the civic infrastructure Seen & Heard is building through youth leadership development, advocacy training, relationship-building, and opportunities for young people to engage directly with policymakers. Our Youth Board of Directors, Youth Ambassador Program, Fellows Program, Herd Hub digital engagement platform, and partnerships are designed to help young people move from being consulted occasionally to shaping the agenda consistently.
Closing the Gap Starts With Who Gets Heard
America does not lack the resources, ideas, or young leaders needed to close the children’s budget gap. What we need is a sustained commitment to make children visible in federal priorities and to ensure young people have meaningful power in the policies that affect them.
When we invest in youth civic infrastructure, we strengthen the entire advocacy ecosystem. We create more informed communities, more responsive policymakers, stronger coalitions, and better conditions for young people to thrive.
Seen & Heard is building that movement—nonpartisan, youth-centered, and grounded in the belief that young Americans deserve to be seen, heard, and trusted. Donate today
to support youth leadership, civic engagement, and policy advocacy that puts young people first.
FAQ
What share of federal spending goes to children?
In fiscal year 2025, 8.57% of federal spending was directed toward children, according to First Focus on Children’s Children’s Budget analysis. ([firstfocus.org](https://firstfocus.org/childrens-budget/?utm_source=openai))
Why does federal investment in children matter?
Federal investments support health coverage, nutrition, education, housing stability, child care, safety, and other foundations that influence young people’s lives today and their opportunities tomorrow.
What is youth civic infrastructure?
Youth civic infrastructure includes the tools, mentorship, relationships, training, platforms, and access young people need to participate meaningfully in public life and policy change.
How does Seen & Heard support youth advocacy?
Seen & Heard builds pathways for young people ages 15–25 to develop leadership skills, share their stories, collaborate with peers and partners, and engage policymakers on issues affecting their futures.
How can I help close the children’s budget gap?
You can support organizations that elevate youth voices, advocate for policies that invest in children, engage with local and national leaders, and make a donation to Seen & Heard to help expand youth civic power.