Margaret Brodkin

Margaret Brodkin is the founder and leader of Funding the Next Generation. Brodkin is a nationally recognized advocate for children, who has spearheaded innovations in a wide range of local public policies, including San Francisco’s groundbreaking Children’s Fund. She graduated from Oberlin College and earned her social work degree at Case Western Reserve University. After 12 years of social work experience in mental health and community centers, she became Executive Director of Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth, a position she held for 26 years. During that time her leadership led to over a billion new dollars added to the San Francisco budget for services to children, youth and families, and major local policy changes in child welfare, juvenile justice, youth development, after-school, and child care. Her work also led to new structures in government that ensured accountability, transparency and authentic community engagement – including the Department of Children, Youth and Families, the Juvenile Probation Commission and the San Francisco Youth Commission.

In 2004, she was appointed Director of the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families, the agency which manages the Children’s Fund. She developed new programs and policies to strengthen neighborhood institutions, expand after-school, serve transitional age youth, and create partnerships with over a dozen other city agencies. In 2009, she launched New Day for Learning, a collaboration between the city and the school district to promote community schools. Since 2013, Brodkin has led her own consulting business, and has served as a lecturer at SF State University where she teaches public administration and social change.  She speaks throughout the country about advocacy for children.

In 2014, Brodkin founded Funding the Next Generation, which she directed through 2024.