Government and philanthropy often share common goals and a capacity to enable wide-scale systems change. When they work together, they make ideal partners—philanthropy contributing nimbleness and a spirit of experimentation, while government commands the resources to sustain what works. In Los Angeles County, such collaboration was catalyzed by the murder of an 8-year-old boy in 2013. This tragic death prompted the Board of Supervisors to empanel a commission of notable child welfare experts to examine systemic failures.
Since then, an increasingly durable and agile spirit of collaboration in L.A. has fueled an ability to test new ideas, assess their effectiveness, and bring them to scale in ways that significantly impact child welfare reform. As a result of these efforts, the previously siloed and reactive child protection system is moving toward becoming a more integrated countywide child well-being system. Cultivating Hope Through Action: How Public-Private Partnerships Are Strengthening Child and Family Well-Being in L.A. County, is a report chronicling the work that drove increased collaboration and funding in L.A. County. It also addresses ways to grow similar collaborative ecosystems for child and family well-being in the future. Read the executive summary and full report below.
Paul G. Haaga, Jr., is retired Chairman of the Board of Capital Research and Management Company. Prior to joining Capital in 1985, his experience included roles as Partner at Dechert Price & Rhoads and Senior Attorney for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Paul also led National Public Radio as acting President and CEO from September 2013 to July 2014. His board service includes serving as Vice Chair and Finance Committee Chair at NPR, Chairman of the Board of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and Trustee of The Huntington. Additionally, he is a Trustee for Princeton University and Georgetown Preparatory School as well as a member of the Board of Overseers of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, the National Council of the American Enterprise Institute, the Board of Overseers of Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and the Policy Circle at Pardee-Rand Graduate School. Paul earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Princeton University, an M.B.A. from the Wharton School, and a J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School. He joined the Parsons board in 2016.