The Escambia Children’s Trust recently received notices from two funded partners regarding changes to their grant agreements.
CMB Visions Unlimited Withdraws from CAREs Grant
CMB Visions Unlimited, Inc., a youth and family services organization, has voluntarily withdrawn from its CAREs Grant funding agreement with the Trust, effective Jan. 31.
- In their letter to the Trust, CMB cited persistent challenges, including limited access to transportation and late school dismissals, as significant barriers to meeting the attendance levels and engagement outcomes required by their proposal. CMB had $204,420 left on the third year of its Out-of-School-Time grant. Read CMB Visions.
According to the Trust’s financial reports as of Feb. 28, CMB had received $1,006,460. The Trust reported that it served 100 children from June 2024 to May 2025, but the charts showed an average of 63.75 participants per month. CMB only assessed 43 students in grades 1-5:
- First Grade: Out of 9 students assessed, 4 (44%) maintained their grade, 3 (33%) dropped in grades, 2 (22%) improved in Language Arts, and improved in Math.
- Second Grade: Out of 8 students assessed, 4 (50%) maintained their grade, 1 (11%) improved in Language Arts and 3 (37%) in both Language Arts and Math.
- Third Grade: Out of 14 students assessed, 7 (50%) maintained their grade, 5 (36%) showed gains in Language Arts, 1 (7%) showed a gain in math, and 1 (7%) showed a gain in both math and Language Arts.
- Fourth Grade: Out of 9 students assessed, 3 (33%) maintained their grade, 3 (33%) showed gains in Language Arts, and 3(33%) in Math.
- Fifth Grade: Out of 3 students assessed, 2 (67%) maintained their grades, and 1 (33%) went down in math.
See Report – Page 34.
Legal Services of North Florida Withdraws Sole Source Application
Legal Services of North Florida (LSNF) has withdrawn its sole-source application for the Expanded Representation of Children in Need project, which was submitted on March 17. The decision came following feedback from the Trust’s Board and staff regarding an anticipated reduction in available funds. Read Legal Services Withdrawal.
- According to the Trust’s financial reports as of Feb. 28, LSNF received $1,450,924. Its new application was for $2.23 million for the next three years.
LSNF Executive Director Leslie Powell-Boudreaux addressed the Board this morning, emphasizing that the withdrawal was not made lightly. “We don’t withdraw the application because the work isn’t important or because the need has somehow gone away,” she said. “There is still much work to do. We will continue to seek other means to serve these children, and we will continue to partner with the Trust.”
- Speaking to the program’s three-year impact, Powell-Boudreaux noted that LSNF has helped more than 300 children who faced some of the toughest barriers to finding a path to success, and pledged to return with a funding request as the financial picture becomes clearer.
Rebecca Schernitzki, who has led the education component of the grant since November 2023, described the breadth of the program’s work in truancy and delinquency court. “In year three of our contract, we’ve served over 163 children strictly for educational purposes,” she told the Board. “Of those in delinquency, 90% were successfully terminated from probation and not sent away to programs.”
- She expressed concern about what lies ahead for these children without continued support: “It’s not going to be good. It’s going to be more expensive, more ineffectual, and more detrimental to Escambia County as a whole.”
Carrie Cromey, Assistant Director of Litigation at LSNF, highlighted the program’s work in dependency cases, noting significant cost savings to taxpayers. In cases handled by attorney Angela Holck, who is board-certified in juvenile law, the time before children enter the adoption process has been cut by roughly half, and the program has demonstrated measurable savings in boarding costs by facilitating faster family reunification.
Trust Chair Dr. Rex Northup thanked LSNF on behalf of the full Board, stating publicly that the withdrawal of the funding request is “regrettable on our part” and reflects no shortcoming of the organization or its work. “There is no reflection absolutely on your organization and the vital work that you all have been doing.”
LSNF Requests Two-Month Contract Extension
Alongside their withdrawal, LSNF requested a two-month extension of their current contract through June 30, 2026. The extension will allow LSNF to continue serving children through the end of the school year, responsibly wind down the project, and fulfill their professional obligations under the Florida Bar for children already represented in the program. The Trust’s Board of Directors approved Resolution 2026-17 authorizing the extension at this morning’s meeting. No additional funds are being awarded as part of the extension.
