Blue Meridian

Blue Meridian Partners, a philanthropic venture making massive bets to improve the child welfare field, will become a standalone nonprofit as its foundation home winds down over the next year. The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation (EMCF) has housed the venture since it was launched three years ago with funding commitments from Ballmer Group, The Duke Endowment, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and several others.

In February of 2016, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (DTFA) found out it was in line to become part of one of the biggest philanthropic investments in the history of youth services.

Steve and Connie Ballmer got in on the ground floor of the technological revolution centered on the rise of the personal computer. Having amassed a tech-fueled fortune worth over $20 billion by the time he retired after 34 years at Microsoft, the pair are once again key players at the forefront of a new age, this time as the power of technology is injected into the child welfare system in hopes of improving the lives of children, youth and families.

As Youth Services Insider reported earlier this month, a small group of youth- and family-serving organizations will soon change forever thanks to massive investments from Blue Meridian Partners, a capital aggregation project led by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation.