The Child Tax Credit is a United States tax credit that is available to certain taxpayers who have qualifying children.
The Child Tax Credit aims to provide relief for families with children as they seek to provide for their children. The rise in prices for commodities, fuel, and other goods and services has placed a financial burden on many American families, making the tax credit a much-needed relief.
For the Latino community, the need for the Child Tax Credit is even greater. Latinos are more likely to be living in poverty than any other ethnic group in the United States. The Child Tax Credit can help alleviate some of this poverty and give these children a chance to have a better life.
Sadly, many Latino families are unable to take advantage of this tax credit as they simply do not have access to the proper information. Plus, public policymakers are often seeking to trim tax credits year-to-year, making it difficult for families to keep up with the changes.
To pressure the US Congress to extend the Child Tax Credit, Unidos US teamed up with Frontiers Animation to produce an animated video.
Unidos US, one of the nation's largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organizations, teamed up with Frontiers Animation to produce a video informing about the US Child Tax Credit and how it can help Latino families. The video tells the story of Brenda, an immigrant from México who counts on this tax to help her in life.
In this case study, we will explore the work that Unidos US did with Frontiers Animation to produce this video and analyze the impact that it has had.
Opportunity
In order to help families take advantage of life-saving Child Tax Credits, families need to know how to access and apply for these credits. Unidos US works tirelessly to ensure that Latino families have access to the information and resources they need in order to find financial assistance and live better lives.
Unidos US is the nation's largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization. Since their founding in 1968, they have contributed to a stronger America by elevating the voice of Latinos and defending and advancing community concerns.
To reach as many people as possible, Unidos US decided to partner with Frontiers Animation to produce an animated video that would explain the Child Tax Credit in a way that is easy to understand.
Frontiers Animation is an award-winning animation studio specializing in producing high-quality, engaging animated content. The power of animated video is that it can take complex topics and make them easy to understand.
By working with Frontiers Animation, Unidos US created a video that would reach a wide audience and help educate them about the Child Tax Credit. Their objective was to create a video to tell the story of Brenda - a strong, courageous, and determined woman who arrived in the United States six years ago.
After escaping abuse from the father of her children, Brenda found work in the US and is seeking her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. The only way she could achieve these amazing goals was with the help of the CTC.
By sharing Brenda's story with powerful animation, Unidos US and Frontiers Animation set out to create a video informing and educating people about the Child Tax Credit and how it can help families in need. The goal was to deliver a project that would pressure policymakers to extend this vital tax credit.
The Process
From start to finish, the process of creating the animated video was a close partnership between Unidos US and Frontiers Animation. The design of the video began with consultations between the two organizations to ensure that the video would accurately reflect the needs of the Latino community.
Unidos US already had an interviewed Brenda, who would become the storyteller in the final animated video. Unidos US took this initial interview and shared it with the Frontiers Animation team.
This unique interview helped our creative team to create the desired product in a way that would resonate with the target audience.
Once the script was finalized, it was time to start animating. The Frontiers Animation team went to work creating the character designs and animation style that would bring Brenda's story to life.
After the animation was complete, Frontiers Animation sent the video back to Unidos US for final approval. While the product exceeded the team's expectations, sudden and unexpected changes to the CTC caused the video to become outdated as information and access to CTC became outdated almost as soon as the team published the video.