Mayor's office outlines Office of Children, Youth and Families funding plan; $115,000 requested now, $2.75 million proposed for FY26

The mayor’s office briefed council committees March 5 on plans to stand up an Office of Children, Youth and Families and on near‑term funding to get the office operating.

At the committee meeting the mayor’s office said it will ask the council for a supplemental appropriation of $115,000 to fund initial implementation through the remainder of the current fiscal year; the presentation identified the money as coming from unspent salary savings in vacant finance department positions. The administration said it will propose a full fiscal‑year allocation of $2.75 million for the office in the FY2025–26 budget the mayor will submit to the council.

Why it matters: the office is intended to coordinate city efforts, philanthropic partners and service providers to address child and family outcomes across housing, education, health and workforce. The administration and its community partner said the city portion is intended primarily to create an administrative hub and that programmatic service delivery will rely heavily on contracted partners and philanthropic investments.

Staff told the committee the city will not necessarily accept all philanthropic dollars into city accounts; rather, some funding will support partner organizations that deliver services directly in neighborhoods while the office and a children’s cabinet align strategy and measure outcomes. The mayor’s office said it expects Impact Tulsa, a local nonprofit that is part of a national collective‑impact network, to play a core coordinating role; staff described a sole‑source contract with Impact Tulsa based on the organization’s national experience and local partnerships. The transcript records the mayor’s office characterizing Impact Tulsa as “a contractor to run the office and also the children's cabinet.”

Councilors asked several clarifying questions about the source of the $115,000 and the longer‑term funding plan. Finance staff said the $115,000 would be carried by the finance department’s current fiscal‑year vacancy savings and would not reflect an abolished position; the administration said the $2.75 million proposal will be included in the next fiscal‑year budget submission.

Staff also said the office will emphasize data and shared outcome measures and will work with community partners — including health centers and school partners — to reduce duplicative services and help align philanthropic investments. The administration referenced other U.S. cities with similar offices and said the model combines municipal funding for backbone coordination with external investments to scale interventions.

Ending: Committee members asked for quarterly reporting and for Impact Tulsa and the mayor’s office to provide more detail on contractor roles and expected community outcomes before the council makes a final appropriation for FY26.