Finding the Money: How Fiscal Leaders Can Keep Families Together with Marie Zemler Wu and D.L. Moffitt

In this episode, Valerie talks with Marie Zemler Wu and D.L. Moffitt of Foster America about an innovative shift happening in child welfare financing. Marie, Co-founder and Executive Director, and D.L., Fiscal Innovation Specialist, explain how Foster America is reimagining the way we support families by creating a just and equitable alternative to the current child welfare system. They envision families receiving the support they need before encountering child protective services and the threat of family separation.

Foster America has a fiscal strategy centered on family preservation. In partnership with national leaders and philanthropies, they launched the Fiscal Leadership Circle to rethink how existing child welfare funding is utilized. Marie and D.L. share insights into the crucial role fiscal leaders play in driving systemic change and how mentorship and community-building around state and federal funding streams can offer new opportunities to rethink resource allocation.

This conversation goes beyond financing. It’s about aligning our budgets with our values, ensuring that funding reflects what families truly need. Marie and D.L. also highlight a real-life example of a family benefiting from these approaches, showing how fiscal innovation can help keep families together.