The passage of the Community Solutions for Healthy Child Development Grant Program (CSF) is more than just a win for funding; it is a victory for structural change and co-governance.
Historically, funding for early childhood programs often adheres rigidly to “evidence-based practice” models. V&C has long argued that this approach systematically excludes small, BIPOC-led organizations because they lack the resources to generate Western academic “evidence”. This creates a cycle of exclusion. The CSF breaks this cycle by prioritizing community knowledge.
The most radical aspect of the CSF is the governance mechanism it codified. The legislation established a Community Solutions Advisory Council composed of community members with lived experience of racial inequities. This council is charged with reviewing applications and selecting grantees. This structure effectively transfers power away from state bureaucrats at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) directly to the community.
We are already seeing life-changing support for hundreds of Minnesotan families through funded projects like the Ninde Doula Program, Roots Birth Center, and efforts focused on Indigenous language immersion. This is proof that solutions for significant challenges should come from communities closest to those challenges.
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