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Friends of the Children is a national nonprofit organization that selects and invites youth – all of whom have unique talents, interests and dreams, and face multiple systemic obstacles – to be paired with a paid, professional mentor called a Friend. We hire and train Friends to support our youth from as early as age 4 through high school graduation – 12+ years, no matter what.

Our model is distinct, courageous and proven. We revolutionized the youth mentoring field by creating the first and only long-term professional mentoring program in the country. We are experts in building sustained and nurturing relationships with youth.

This is at the core of what we do. Each child gets a dedicated, one-on-one Friend who listens to their hopes and dreams. Friends empower our youth to set – and achieve – their goals. Friends also create meaningful experiences that empower youth to build life skills and make healthy choices while exploring the child's diverse talents and interests.

Our model is real, and it works.

Our Mission

Impacting generational change by empowering youth who are facing the greatest obstacles through relationships with professional mentors – 12+ years, no matter what.

Values

At the core of Friends of the Children’s mission is our organizational value of putting children first—walking alongside youth who face some of life’s hardest challenges from kindergarten through high school, for 12+ years no matter what.

Put Children First

Put Children First

Putting Children First as a key value for the organization means that the youth we serve are the primary focus of everything we do at Friends of the Children. We intentionally serve youth who are facing great obstacles. We listen to youth and base decisions on their needs and dreams, as they write their own stories of success. We foster a supportive, consistent relationship between each youth and professional mentor—a relationship that grows through high school, and into their adult lives.

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    2024

    • Chapters established in Coachella Valley, CA, Stockton, CA and La Grande, OR
    • Los Angeles chapter expands to third location in San Gabriel Valley and fourth location in Long Beach
    • Ballmer Group invests $2.3M to sustain and expand our work in Washington State
    • Congress approves $850,000 grant for National Center of Excellence
    • Friends of the Children closes out $30M campaign for the 30th anniversary

    2023

    • Gary & Christine Rood invest $33M in the Friends of the Children network
    • Chapters established in Pocatello, ID and Philadelphia, PA
    • Boston chapter expands to second location in East Boston
    • Chicago chapter expands to second location in South, Chicago
    • Klamath Basin chapter expands to second location in Chiloquin in partnership with the Klamath Tribes
    • Western Montana chapter expands to second location on Flathead Indian Reservation
    • Central Oregon chapter expands to second location in La Pine, OR
    • Echo Fund invests $6M to support the expansion of partnerships with rural and tribal communities
  • He Sapa graduate looking up

    2022

    • Oglala Sioux Tribal Resolution passes in support of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation expansion
    • Chapters established in Minneapolis - St. Paul and Houston
    • He Sapa chapter expands to second location in Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
    • Friends of the Children – He Sapa established in Rapid City, SD, as first Indigenous-led location
    • Chapters established in Phoenix, AZ and Billings, MT
    • MacKenzie Scott invests $44M in the Friends of the Children network
    • 2Gen Impact Randomized Controlled Trial launches in partnership with the University of Notre Dame

    2021

    • Chapters established in Missoula, MT and Colorado Springs, CO
    • Echo Fund invests $6M to support the expansion of partnerships with rural and tribal communities
    • Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies invests $2.5M to expand partnerships with tribal communities
    • Conrad N. Hilton Foundation invests an additional $3.4M to expand 2Gen work and to study its impact

    2020

    • Chapters established in Lane County, OR and Southwest Washington
  • History 2015-2019

    2019

    • Chapters established in Fargo, ND; Tacoma, WA, Detroit, MI; and Salt Lake City, UT
    • Los Angeles chapter expands to second location in Antelope Valley
    • Annie E. Casey caregiver study results published in Child & Family Social Work

    2018

    • Michael Jordan makes multi-million dollar investment in Friends of the Children
    • Conrad N. Hilton Foundation invests $1.75M to launch 2Gen pilot

    2017

    • Chapters established in Austin, TX; Charlotte, NC; Chicago, IL; Los Angeles, CA; and Central Oregon
    • Preliminary findings from the Randomized Controlled Trialare published in Prevention Science

    2016

    • San Francisco Bay Area, CA chapter established
    • Friends of the Children receives a $4M Social Innovation Fund award
    • Russell Wilson begins investing in Friends of the Children through his Why Not You Foundation; wife Ciara joins partnership later

    2015

    • Portland chapter expands to second location in Gresham
    • Network-wide performance management system launched
    • Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention invests $500,000 to support the expansion of service to foster youth -- the first of five awards through 2021 totaling $8.5M
  • History 2010-2014

    2014

    • Tampa Bay, FL chapter established NY chapter expands to second location in the South Bronx
    • Friends of the Children begins selecting youth directly from foster care

    2013

    • $5M gift from Bob and Dottie King to establish a National Endowment, ensuring there will always be a National headquarters

    2012

    • Trelya, based in Cornwall, United Kingdom, secures $1 million in public juvenile justice prevention funding from Britain's Big Lottery to embed Friends of the Children's model within its program, officially becoming an affiliate.

    2010

    • Social Return on Investment Study determines that every dollar invested in Friends of the Children returns over $7 to the community
  • History 2005-2009

    2009

    • Duncan Campbell is awarded The Purpose Prize.
    • We launched a centralized database called Efforts to Outcomes to track program data and outcomes across all locations.

    2008

    • NIH awards $3M for Randomized Controlled Trial of the effectiveness of the Friends of the Children model
  • History 2000-2004

    2004

    • Boston, MA chapter established

    2001

    • New York, NY chapter established

    2000

    • Chapters established in Seattle, WA and Klamath Falls, OR
  • History 1993 How it All Began

    Friends of the Children was established in 1993 by entrepreneur Duncan Campbell and his wife, Cindy Campbell, in Portland, Ore. The Campbells purchased a school building in the same Northeast Portland neighborhood where Duncan experienced a challenging childhood. After finding business success, Duncan wanted to help kids who grew up in an environment like his. In 1992, The Campbell Institute for Children, conducted extensive research to determine the most effective program model to help young children overcome adversity and realize their inherent resilience and potential. The research clearly indicated that the strongest protective factor a child can have is a long-term, nurturing relationship with a consistent and caring adult.