Dear Friends and Colleagues,
When we successfully united 50 Kids’ Chance state organizations into a national movement, we created a powerful vehicle for supporting families across America whose security and forward momentum is threatened by workplace tragedy.
Kids’ Chance of America (KCOA) is more than a scholarship program. It is a community of people who are dedicated to removing barriers to students’ dreams. Just a quick look at our Meet Our Kids page will tell you all you need to know about the return on our investment.
“I have two jobs lined up, both in my field of work. I wouldn’t be able to get these kinds of jobs without this scholarship. I just feel as though this opportunity was a blessing. Without it, I don’t know if what I got going for myself would be possible.”
Kids’ Chance state organizations provide scholarships and support to the kids of workers who have been injured on the job.
Collectively since 1988, Kids’ Chance organizations have awarded nearly 11,000 scholarships totaling more than $39 million.
The Planning for the Future initiative reached 1,370 submissions this year—a 16% increase over last year. We experienced a nearly 30% increase in submissions for kids 15 years old and younger and an 11% increase in submissions for kids 16 years of age and older.
Our Planning for the Future initiative identifies potential scholarship applicants, especially those not yet old enough to think about higher education.
Submit an Eligible Kid
.png)
In total, we allocated $360,000 in direct scholarship support to the states, with states in good standing receiving $7,500 in conjunction with our annual meeting in April.
In addition, over $400,000 was spent in direct support of our state organizations, including seed funding for newly established states, professional counsel in scholarship practices and nonprofit best practices, the Kids’ Chance National Conference, the scholarship platform Kaleidoscope, Planning for the Future (PFF), our educational programs (such as webinars and roundtables), marketing collateral, our Awareness Week activities, scholarship development, our state accelerator program and emergency grants.
The national office continues to see growth in our fundraising program. We are pleased to welcome two new national partners in the past year: Ametros and Mahathi Infotech.
In total, 18 leaders in the workers’ compensation industry have stepped forward to provide critical funding to fuel our mission and support of our 50-state network. We continue to be supported by a generous community of individual donors and are grateful for a dedicated board of directors, who have 100% participation in giving.
The National Conference corporate sponsorship program was a complete success, with more workers’ compensation industry-related companies supporting our annual gathering. We continue to build our endowment program with additional gifts, and our annual giving program saw more “new” donors than any year in our history.
.png)
Stories are what drive the Kids’ Chance mission. Hearing directly from scholarship recipients and volunteers as they reflect on their experiences not only reiterates the importance of our organization’s work, but also reinvigorates our community and those who make it all possible.
At the 2024 Kids’ Chance of America National Conference, we welcomed the second class of Kids’ Chance Ambassadors to share their stories on stage. Karen, Marco, and Hannah will join our inaugural class of Olivia, Michaela, and Arianna to represent Kids’ Chance across the country.
Our Ambassador program showcases the power of our community and the impact of our mission. We look forward to seeing our newest Ambassadors at Kids’ Chance events and meetings in the coming year.
.png)
Kids’ Chance of America brings together many of the leaders in the workers’ compensation industry to steer the organization and ensure it fulfills its purpose.
We benefit from an active Advisory Board, Board of Directors and Board Committees, an Executive Committee and Executive Director, our Council of State Organizations (CSO), and a newly-formed President's Circle, created to engage past leadership in the ongoing advancement of the national organization.
Our focus has shifted from creating state organizations to
growing sustainable state organizations with scholarship
programs that help us advance our mission of More Money
for More Kids.
