Why it Matters

The National Children's Alliance (NCA) filed a lobbying disclosure on July 28 , reporting $120,000 in spending as it pursues funding restoration through the appropriations process.

The organization is working through both in-house and external lobbying channels, employing HB Strategies alongside its own staff. Denise Edwards, an in-house lobbyist, handles the organization's direct advocacy efforts.

The push comes after the Department of Justice terminated hundreds of grants in April 2025, including funding for Children's Advocacy Centers. More than 550 organizations across 48 states and territories were impacted by the cuts.

By the Numbers

NCA has maintained a dual lobbying structure throughout 2025 and 2026, and spending held steady compared to the prior quarter's $140,000 in first quarter activity. HB Strategies' 2026 Q2 filing for National Children's Alliance reported $100,000.

Bradley Cooper, Stacy McBride, Meghan Schmidtlein, and Joe Novotny were lobbyists for HB Strategies on National Children's Alliance in 2026 Q2, but Edwards has been the sole in-house lobbyist, working exclusively for National Children's Alliance since at least 2012.

The Agenda

National Children's Alliance has also backed a bipartisan child safety legislative package. The organization voiced support for the Sentencing Accountability for Exploitation (SAFE) Act, the Ending Coercion of Children and Harm Online (ECCHO) Act, and the Stop Sextortion Act ahead of a Senate Judiciary Committee vote.

The SAFE Act would revamp outdated federal sentencing laws for child exploitation offenses, the ECCHO Act would criminalize violent online networks by prohibiting the coercion of children to hurt themselves or others, and the Stop Sextortion Act would criminalize the extortion and coercion of children using child sex abuse material.

NCA also supported TREY's Law, introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz, which would void non-disclosure agreements silencing child sexual abuse survivors.

The Bottom Line

NCA is maintaining consistent lobbying pressure on appropriations while supporting broader child protection legislation, and the organization's dual approach reflects ongoing efforts to restore funding lost in the 2025 DOJ cuts while advancing its policy agenda on Capitol Hill.

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