Think of Us

Think of Us is a systems change organization helping accelerate the transformation of the child welfare system into a Child and Family Well-Being System — one that helps youth and families heal, develop, and thrive. We focus on driving structural change and cultural transformation across the ecosystem — shifting how government systems operate, make decisions, and define success. This work builds on a series of national and state laws, regulations, and policy directions that have created the opportunity for child welfare systems to operate in drastically different, more family-centered ways.

Our work spans innovation, collaboration, and implementation to strengthen reform efforts that help children, youth, and families build stability, connection, and well-being. We partner with government, philanthropy, and communities nationwide to accelerate reform — grounding every effort in lived experience, guided by data, and strengthened by technology.

We translate lived experience into actionable insights, embed those with firsthand experience in the work of change, and co-design strategies that bridge practice and policy. When gaps appear in the ecosystem, we develop — or help others develop — proof points that show how the system can work differently. And when we learn what works (or what doesn’t), we bring those lessons to policymakers and leaders to shape new laws, regulations, and practices that make lasting change possible. We tackle the most challenging problems and innovation risks that others can’t - working to make child and family well-being the organizing goal of the nation’s child welfare system.

Here’s what this looks like:

• Built the Lived Experience Engine into the largest dataset of its kind (51,000+ voices), powering AI tools and shaping reforms
• Helped secure passage of the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act and the Protecting America’s Children Act, landmark federal reforms
• Partnered with California to launch the Kinship Accelerator in 8 counties, backed by $150M and a budget increase from $317M → $896M
• Partner to drive a national kin-first shift: 39 states (plus 5 tribes) adopting kinship standards, unlocking $3B for families
• Operate direct resource networks, connecting 1,827 families to $28M+ in support

Our team members share a commitment to driving systems change through creative problem-solving, obsessive curiosity, and a love of quickly driving innovative, measurable, and impactful results.