named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
Campaign Funds for Childcare (CFCC)
Advocates for and tracks state policies allowing candidates and officeholders to use campaign funds for childcare and dependent care expenses related to campaign or official duties
Campaign Funds for Security (CFS)
Tracks and promotes policies enabling candidates and officeholders to use campaign funds for security expenses, including personal protection, cybersecurity, and structural security measures
Family-Friendly Legislative Reform
Pushes for structural changes such as remote voting, paid family leave, livable wages, and childcare access to make legislative service more accessible to parents and caregivers
activities · 2 groups
What they do
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Political Leadership Training for Underrepresented Groups 1 activity
- Advocacy for policy solutions to support mothers in public officeDevelops and promotes non-partisan policy solutions to reduce systemic barriers preventing mothers from running for and serving in elected office. Focuses on expanding access to campaign funds for childcare and security, and educates policymakers and the public on structural inequities affecting caregiver representation.
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Uncategorized 4 activities
- Direct provision of educational resources and guidance for candidatesProvides educational materials and practical guidance to candidates on using campaign funds for childcare and security expenses, including how to report caregiving costs as legitimate campaign expenditures.
- Research on campaign spending for security and political violenceConducts research on the rising use of campaign funds for security expenses, analyzing FEC disbursement data to document a 7,000% increase in federal security spending from 2014 to 2024 compared to a 389% increase in overall campaign spending. Tracks over 800 federal candidates who reported security expenses during that period.
- Research on political participation of mothers and caregiversConducts and publishes research on the underrepresentation of mothers and caregivers in government, including tracking parenthood status of lawmakers at federal and state levels and analyzing the impact of caregiver representation on family-friendly policy outcomes. Maintains an inclusive dataset on moms with minor children in Congress and state legislatures, updated through February 2026.
- Tracking and reporting on Campaign Funds for Childcare usageTracks, analyzes, and publishes data on the use of campaign funds for childcare expenses, including state and federal candidates across 25+ states. Documents $700,455.54 in spending from 2018 to 2025 by 148 candidates, with findings showing disproportionate benefits for women and candidates of color.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$1.41M
Contributions & grants$1.41M100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$1.20M
Program expenses60%
Admin / overhead25%
Fundraising15%
Salaries & benefits$840K
Grants paid out$60K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$2.26M
Cash$1.68M
Investments$0
Liabilities$179K
Net assets$2.08M
Liquid reserves16.8 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -38.7%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| LIUBA GRECHEN SHIRLEY | FOUNDER AND CEO (SEE SCH O) | 22 | $105K |
board members · 7
- CANDACE VALENZUELA — BOARD MEMBER
- ELLIE BERTAINI — SECRETARY
- GAYATRI AGNEW — CHAIR (THROUGH 1/22/24)
- KATIE BETHELL — CHAIR
- MELANIE FONDER KAYE — BOARD MEMBER
- SIMONE GREENBAUM GROSS — TREASURER
- TRICIA SHIMAMURA — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 12
Who they work with
- Anna Brittany Partner — Collaborates on research related to gender, parenthood, and politics.
- Echoing Green Partner — Corie Pope Lieberman served as Vice President of Development prior to joining Vote Mama Foundation.
- Federal Election Commission Government — Granted approval for use of campaign funds for childcare expenses.
- Federal Election Commission Government — Relies on FEC advisory opinions to guide federal candidates on the use of campaign funds for childcare and eldercare.
- Federal Election Commission Government — Source of campaign finance data used in research on campaign funds for security.
- Liuba Grechen Shirley Partner — Founder and CEO of Vote Mama Foundation
- Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey Network — Alumni affiliation through graduate education
- National Conference of State Legislatures Partner — Cited as a source for data on state legislative pay and employment structures.
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County Network — Alumni affiliation through undergraduate education
- Vote Mama Lobby Network — Part of an interconnected trio of organizations under the Vote Mama umbrella that empowers moms in office and on the campaign trail.
- Vote Mama PAC Network — Part of an interconnected trio of organizations under the Vote Mama umbrella focused on electing Democratic moms.
- press@votemama.org Partner — Point of contact for media inquiries
strategies · 3
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Data-Driven Advocacy and Representation Analysis 45 orgsmethodology: data_driven_advocacyBy measuring and making visible the representation of parents in government through rigorous, open-source data collection, we drive policy advocacy and public discourse, because evidence-based insights increase credibility and catalyze systemic reform.shared approach: Advocacy Through Empowered Communities →
- Integrated Advocacy, Research, and Electoral Support Model 45 orgsmethodology: integrated_advocacy_and_research_modelBy combining advocacy, research, and electoral support into a unified strategy, we transform the political system to be more family-responsive, because integrated efforts amplify impact beyond what any single approach could achieve.shared approach: Advocacy Through Empowered Communities →
- Structural Reform for Caregiver Inclusion 45 orgsmethodology: structural_reform_for_caregiver_inclusionBy reforming legislative structures—such as pay, benefits, scheduling, and campaign finance rules—to accommodate caregiving responsibilities, we increase political participation of mothers and parents, because systemic barriers that exclude them are reduced or eliminated.shared approach: Advocacy Through Empowered Communities →