BACKGROUND
What is Fund IRL?
Fund IRL is a national movement led by Children's Funding Project and supported by a coalition of organizations working to ensure that resources recovered through social media litigation are reinvested in young people.
As communities raise concerns about the impacts of social media on youth mental health and safety, these lawsuits create an opportunity to invest in the real-world relationships, programs, and supports young people need. This includes afterschool and summer programs, sports, arts, mentoring, mental health services, and safe community spaces where young people can learn, connect, and belong. Fund IRL California is a state coalition convened by the Partnership for Children & Youth, in partnership with Children’s Funding Project.
The goal is to turn social media accountability into meaningful investments in young people's well-being while continuing to advocate for safer technology and platform design.
Learn more about the national Fund IRL movement
Why it matters in California
California has an opportunity to direct resources recovered through social media litigation toward the programs and services that support young people's health and development. The state's announced Meta settlement represents a significant potential investment in addressing social media-related harms, but how those resources are allocated will help determine their lasting impact. Fund IRL California is working to ensure that settlement resources expand access to the relationships and experiences young people need to thrive.
These funds should complement, not replace, existing public investments in youth programs and services, and should not take the place of holding social media companies accountable for safer platform design.
OUR PRIORITIES
Fund IRL California advocates for investments that:
Expand real-world opportunities: Support afterschool and summer learning, sports, arts, mentoring, recreation, nature-based and other programs that foster connection, belonging, and positive youth development.
Strengthen mental health and digital well-being: Invest in prevention, mental health supports, digital safety education, and access to appropriate care.
Center young people and communities: Ensure youth, families, and community-based organizations have a meaningful role in shaping funding decisions.
Advance equitable access: Prioritize young people facing the greatest barriers to programs and services, including youth with disabilities, older youth, and those in underinvested communities.
Ensure responsible, lasting investments: Use evidence to guide decisions, maintain transparent oversight, strengthen the youth-serving workforce, and complement existing public funding.
Click here to read our Guiding Principles & Framework (adapted from the national Fund IRL coalition).
TAKE ACTION
Interested in joining? Email Laura Beebe, Policy Director, for more details.