Virginia bill to elevate, support fatherhood
HB1511 to codify, grant money for what science and humans know: Dads are important
Continuing its leadership on boys and men’s issues, Virginia legislature will consider a bill to devoted to promoting and supporting fatherhood through research, media campaigns and community grants.
HB1511 is about “everything we can do at the state level to signal the importance of fathers,” said bill sponsor Delegate Michael Feggans (D-97 Virginia Beach) which will be heard by House the Health and Human Services Committee.
The Virginia Fatherhood Initiative aims to:
Establish a Fatherhood Initiative that will recognize “fathers as essential partners in child and family well-being, addressing a critical gap in family support services and promoting positive father involvement linked to improved maternal, child, and family outcomes.”
This includes investing in a statewide public education campaign about the importance of fathers.Assess the needs of Virginia fathers through the many community agencies already working with dads.
Establish a fund to distribute multi-year grants to nonprofit community organizations to address the needs of Virginia’s fathers.
HB1511 is very similar to the 2023 Responsible Fatherhood Initiative bill introduced by former Republican delegate Dave A. LaRock. HB2489 did not pass out of the House Appropriations Committee.
But in the three years since, the world has changed dramatically with widespread recognition of the unique issues facing men and boys. The issue is now firmly mainstream and safe for casual conversation on all points of the political spectrum (mostly!).
A few short years ago, Richard Reeves established the American Institute for Boys and Men with $20 million funding from the Melinda French Gates’s foundation and national headlines frequently report devotion to males from governors in Maryland, California, Michigan and Utah. Many believe Virginia’s HB1188 will create the nation’s first state commission on boys and men — signaling the beginning of a surge of policy and program change around the country.
Should Feggans’s initiative pass, Virginia will join a handful of states including Ohio and Florida with legislatively created programs to support and promote fatherhood.
Research on father importance
Common sense and science agree: dads are critical to thriving families and communities. Lack of father engagement is a public health, safety and economic crisis.
Thousands of studies and meta-research find time and again that father engagement is tightly linked with better outcomes for children, mothers and the fathers themselves:
Children’s mental, physical, emotional social, academic success, and long-term outcomes related to early sex and pregnancy, incarceration, drug use, employment and relationship health improve with better father relationships
Child abuse rates are lower when fathers are actively involved
Maternal and infant outcomes are better when the father is involved in prenatal and post-birth care
Men who are involved fathers less depressed, work more paid hours and less likely to be repeat criminal offenders
In separated families, family violence rates are lower when moms and dads parent equally
Related men and boys initiatives
Keep an eye on Virginia HB1188 that is sailing through committees unopposed to launch the country’s first legislatively created Commission for Boys and Men.
Washington state legislature is considering two bills to create a Washington commission, headed by Virginia Coalition for Boys and Men special advisor Blair Daily and his Washington Initiative for Boys and Men.
![[UPDATES] Virginia Introduces Bill to Create First U.S. Commission for Boys and Men](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dnt6!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb38db456-be23-4a00-bf4b-59de6c80684b_1550x808.png)
House Bill No. 1511 in full
2026 SESSION
INTRODUCED
26105747D
Offered January 23, 2026
A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 1 of Chapter 2 of Title 63.2 a section numbered 63.2-214.4, by adding a section numbered 63.2-319.1, and by adding in Title 63.2 a chapter numbered 24, consisting of a section numbered 63.2-2400, relating to Fatherhood Initiative; fatherhood needs assessment; Fatherhood Initiative Grants Program and Fund established.
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Patron—Feggans
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Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Article 1 of Chapter 2 of Title 63.2 a section numbered 63.2-214.4, by adding a section numbered 63.2-319.1, and by adding in Title 63.2 a chapter numbered 24, consisting of a section numbered 63.2-2400, as follows:
§ 63.2-214.4. Fatherhood Initiative.
A. The Department shall develop and implement the Fatherhood Initiative (the Initiative). The Initiative shall focus on the recognition of fathers as essential partners in child and family well-being, addressing a critical gap in family support services and promoting positive father involvement linked to improved maternal, child, and family outcomes.
B. The initiative shall, at a minimum, involve the establishment of a statewide father engagement media and education campaign.
C. The Department shall collaborate with other relevant agencies of the Commonwealth to develop and implement the initiative.
§ 63.2-319.1. Fatherhood needs assessment.
A. Each local board shall ensure that it is addressing the unique needs of the fathers of children who are served by the local department of social services.
B. Each local board shall:
1. Conduct an initial assessment of its engagement with such fathers and provision of and referral to father-oriented services.
2. Create an action plan to address any gaps identified through the assessment and implement the action plan.
C. The Department shall annually review how the local board is meeting the needs of fathers, including, at a minimum, how the local board is helping fathers establish positive, stable relationships with their children and assisting fathers in receiving needed services. The local board shall provide any relevant information on how it is meeting the needs of these fathers to the Department.
CHAPTER 24.
FATHERHOOD INITIATIVE GRANTS PROGRAM AND FUND.
§ 63.2-2400. Fatherhood Initiative Grants Program and Fund.
A. From the funds appropriated for such purpose and from the gifts, donations, grants, bequests, and other funds received on its behalf, there is established (i) the Fatherhood Initiative Grants Program (the Program), to be administered by the Department, and (ii) a special nonreverting fund to be known as the Fatherhood Initiative Grants Fund (the Fund). The Fund shall be established on the books of the Comptroller. All moneys appropriated by the General Assembly for the Fund, and received from any other sources, public or private, shall be paid into the state treasury and credited to the Fund. Interest earned on moneys in the Fund shall remain in the Fund and be credited to it. Any moneys remaining in the Fund, including interest thereon, at the end of each fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund but shall remain in the Fund. Expenditures and disbursements from the Fund shall be made by the State Treasurer on warrants issued by the Comptroller upon written request signed by the Commissioner.
B. Subject to the authority of the Department to provide for its disbursement, the Fund shall be disbursed to award grants to nonprofit community-based organizations to address the needs of fathers. Grants shall be awarded for no more than three years, with subsequent year funding contingent on compliance with grant requirements and adequate performance. Such organizations may apply for grants from the Program on a form approved by the Department. Grant recipients shall submit reports to the Department in a format and at intervals, which shall be at least annually, prescribed by the Department.
C. The Department shall develop appropriate criteria and guidelines for the use of funding provided from the Fund and shall establish monitoring and accountability mechanisms for organizations receiving funding. Additionally, the Department shall (i) identify qualifying organizations based on criteria developed by the Department and in accordance with this section and (ii) ensure that grants provided by the Program are utilized in a manner that aligns with the Program’s goals.
Congrats for your work and influence on this, Emma. It is encouraging to see "the other F word" — Fathers — explicitly, forthrightly and courageously appearing in the charters of male-friendly governmental efforts.
What has stuck in my head for years, since beginning my research on fatherhood is the research dollars that has gone to the topic at a federal government level...$15M over 3+ decades for dads compared to $10B on motherhood. I hope these initiatives are the start. We need a lot more. Thank you for sharing!