Friends of the Children

Friends of the Children
Formation1993 (1993)
FounderDuncan Campbell
TypeNon-profit
Tax ID no. 93-1300690
PurposeMentorship
HeadquartersPortland, Oregon, U.S.
Region served
United States
Websitefriendsofthechildren.org

Friends of the Children is an American nonprofit organization that provides professional mentorship to at-risk youth, beginning in kindergarten and through the completion of its program at high school graduation. It was founded in 1993 by Duncan Campbell.

History

Friends of the Children was founded in 1993 by Duncan Campbell to provide professional mentorship for at-risk youth. He was inspired by his own difficult childhood, having been raised in Portland, Oregon, by parents who struggled with alcoholism. Additionally, his father served two separate sentences in prison. Funding for Friends of the Children was created through the sale of Campbell’s timber investment fund in 1989.[1] The organization grew out of the Campbell Institute for Children, an early iteration of Friends of the Children, founded in 1992.[2] Early benefactors of the nonprofit included the Meyer Memorial Trust, U.S. Bank, and Hasbro Children’s Foundation.[3]

In 1998, Public/Private Ventures, a research organization, conducted a preliminary assessment of the effectiveness and replication potential of Friends of the Children’s program, deeming it to be “worthy of further investigation”.[3] In 1999, a new chapter was approved to open, which preceded a wave of expansion for the nonprofit. A new nonprofit was created to oversee the expansion of Friends of the Children in 2000.[3]

In 2002, Friends of the Children received a $1.5 million grant from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. The grant was gifted shortly after the appointment of Catherine Milton, founder of the Haas Center for Public Service, as the president of the national nonprofit. Approximately $500,000 of that grant went towards a $6 million study into Friends of the Children’s programs, determining their effectiveness. By 2004, Friends of the Children began seeking funding along the East Coast of the United States,[4] and in that year, it was serving 600 children through 11 local chapters.[5] Following this, in 2005, Friends of the Children for King County was a recipient of a $100,000 grant from the Fordham Street Foundation, founded by Julie Bigelow, who at one time was a partner in the Preston Gates & Ellis law firm and one of the owners of the Seattle Mariners.[6]

In 2011, Friends of the Children was operating in six cities, including New York and Boston.[7]

Through 2014, Friends of the Children operated 5 chapters. The organization received a $4 million grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service in 2016, with the purpose of studying the nonprofit’s programs and allowing it to expand.[8] It would receive an additional $1.2 million grant from the Social Innovation Fund in 2017, allowing the nonprofit to create programs in the San Francisco-based neighborhoods of Bayview and Hunters Point. Friends of the Children partnered with HOPE SF, an initiative created by the mayor’s office, to renovate distressed public housing sites.[9]

In 2018, Friends of the Children received support from Michael Jordan, who donated all proceeds from the creation of The Last Dance to the organization, totaling millions of dollars to help Friends of the Children reach a $25 million fundraising goal.[10]

By 2019, Friends of the Children operated in 15 cities in the United States, including Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Charlotte, and Austin.[1] The organization received support from the Why Not You Foundation, a philanthropic organization run by Russell Wilson.[11]

In 2021, Simone Biles became an ambassador for Friends of the Children, speaking about her experiences in foster care and the support the nonprofit provides to children in foster care. During her Gold Over America tour, Biles donated $50,000 towards the opening of a Houston chapter for the organization.[12][13] Biles would later highlight Friends of the Children through her appearance on a 2023 Wheaties box.[14]

In 2022, MacKenzie Scott donated $44 million to the Friends of the Children, giving $15 million to the organization’s national headquarters and splitting $29 million across 12 of the organization’s chapters, including Tampa Bay, Detroit, and Los Angeles. Prior to the donation, Friends of the Children’s national budget was $50 million for the year. Through that same year, the organization had expanded to 26 chapters,[8] including an expansion into Colorado[15] and Rapid City, South Dakota, where Friends of the Children opened its He Sapa chapter, focusing on supporting Indigenous youth from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.[16][17]

In 2023, Friends of the Children received a $33 million donation from philanthropists Gary and Christine Rood. A portion of the donation was used to fund the Duncan and Cindy Campbell National Center of Excellence, a "learning hub for long-term mentoring" in Portland, Oregon.[18] Through that year, Friends of the Children operated 26 chapters in 36 sites across 19 states and Tribal sovereign nations.[19]

In December 2025, Friends of the Children’s network received a $200,000 grant from the National Football League. The nonprofit had previously received support from the Chicago Bears, and was represented by New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas, who wore cleats depicting Friends of the Children branding for the league’s My Cleats Initiative. By the end of 2025, Friends of the Children had expanded to 44 locations.[20]

Program

Friends of the Children’s mentorship program hires and pays professional mentors, known as "Friends", who are then responsible for eight children individually.[1][21] Before a Friend is paired with a family, they undergo specialized training and experience working with individuals suffering from trauma.[21] The children are selected while they are in kindergarten, and the program operates until the child graduates from high school. The Friend spends four hours with each of their students each week, two of which are in a classroom setting, and the other two helping the student with extracurricular activities.[1][21] Children selected for the program include those who have been in foster care, have families that are on welfare, or have parents who have been incarcerated.[5] Friends of the Children seeks to support both the children participating in the program and their parents or guardians through its "2gen" approach.[20]

While Friends of the Children is a national organization, it operates via local chapters. In starting a local chapter, the nonprofit requires a new chapter to raise approximately three years of operating income in advance, totaling around $1.5 million, where no more than 40% of the funding can come from one individual source. Previous donors to local chapters include Michael Jordan (Chicago and Charlotte, North Carolina), Steve and Connie Ballmer (Seattle and Los Angeles), and Rachel Arnold, then a partner at Vista Equity Partners (Austin, Texas).[1]

Outcomes

Through internal studies, Friends of the Children recorded "that the intensive interaction helped build trust, increased the children’s positive social behavior and was more likely to keep the children out of trouble." Additionally, children paired with a mentor often improved their relationship with their parent or caregiver.[1]

A study from researchers at the University of Washington and Washington State University showed that pairing a child with a mentor "provided children and their caregivers with a consistency and continuity that was critical to the program’s success."[1] Additionally, a study into the mentors and their interactions with families by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that Friends of the Children connected "the entire family to resources such as counseling, transportation assistance and material resources such as food and clothing", empowered "caregiver participation in school-related activities, such as supporting special needs and navigating individualized education planning", and supported "youth to self-regulate and build positive relationships while also helping caregivers to navigate behavioral challenges."[21]

According to statistics found in a 2023 Philadelphia Citizen article, "83% of Friends participants earn a high school degree, and 92% of those individuals enroll in post-secondary education, enter the military or join the workforce, and 93% avoid the juvenile justice system. Nearly 100% hold off on having children until after their teen years".[22]

A study conducted by the Harvard Business School Association of Oregon into Friends of the Children mentees found that for every dollar invested, "the community benefits by $7 in saved social costs and that each child who completes the program saves the local community $900,000 in justice system, health care and teen parenting costs."[17][22]

In a 2017 study, it was determined that children who had participated in a Friends of the Children program exhibited higher "emotional strength" and were less disruptive in school.[23][24]

Recognition

Friends of the Children has received praise from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and researchers from Stanford University and the University of Washington.[1]

Kim Starkey Jonker, lecturer at Stanford Business School, wrote about Friends of the Children in her book Engine of Impact, praising the organization for its ratio of mentors to students, allowing for replicable results.[1]

In 2012, Friends of the Children founder Duncan Campbell was honored at the 84th Annual Portland First Citizen Award Banquet. Then-House representative Earl Blumenauer, who could not attend the event, praised Friends of the Children in a speech on the House floor.[25]

In 2022, Friends of the Children appeared on a segment of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, guest-hosted by Ciara, where it was praised for its mentorship work.[26]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Sullivan, Paul (25 January 2019). "Charity Finds Success in Work With At-Risk Children, but It's Costly". New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 September 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  2. ↑ McCann, Fiona (17 October 2018). "This Portlander Has Devoted His Life to Helping At-Risk Children". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 24 July 2026. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Shirk, Martha (1 June 2005). "So Many Friends, So Fast". Youth Today.
  4. ↑ Hallman Jr., Tom (28 August 2022). "In 2004, The Oregonian wrote about Friends of the Children: Founder hopes to find more friends across country". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 Johnson, Jason (19 October 2004). "SAN FRANCISCO / 'We're there for the kids every day' / Hunters Point charity mentors at-risk children". SFGate. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  6. ↑ Shaw, Linda (13 May 2005). "Fordham Street Foundation grants support minority youths". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 24 July 2026. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  7. ↑ Fogarty, Colin (21 February 2011). "Money For Mentors: Portland Program Sees Success". NPR. Archived from the original on 19 September 2025. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  8. 1 2 Beaty, Thalia (25 August 2022). "MacKenzie Scott supports child mentors with $44 million gift". AP News.
  9. ↑ Sawyer, Nuala (24 February 2017). "Child mentorship program launches in Bayview, Hunters Point with $1.2 million grant". San Francisco Examiner. Archived from the original on 24 July 2026. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  10. ↑ Skiver, Kevin (2 November 2018). "Michael Jordan invests millions in Friends of the Children nonprofit to help break poverty cycle". CBS Sports.
  11. ↑ Brown, James; Patrick, Alvin (8 September 2019). "Russell Wilson asks the important question: Why not you?". CBS News. Archived from the original on 23 July 2026. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  12. ↑ Rose Falcone, Dana (7 March 2023). "Simone Biles Volunteers with Youth Mentor Charity: Foster Kids Hold 'a Special Piece of My Heart'". People Magazine. Archived from the original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  13. ↑ Piekos, Christian (18 October 2025). "Gymnast Simone Biles speaks with children in foster care system in Chicago: 'She's just like me'". WLS-TV. Archived from the original on 24 July 2026. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  14. ↑ Gartner, Jordan (25 January 2023). "'I am honored': Olympic superstar Simone Biles unveils new Wheaties box". WKYT-TV. Archived from the original on 24 July 2026. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "New program helps provide professional mentors to at-risk kids" (Video). KOAA-TV. 19 April 2022. Archived from the original on 24 July 2026. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  16. ↑ Thorson, Sydney (20 September 2022). "'Friends of the Children' introduces its first culturally specific chapter in Rapid City". KELO-TV. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  17. 1 2 Pfankuch, Bart (16 October 2023). "New Native American mentoring program in South Dakota builds lifetime bonds". South Dakota News Watch.
  18. ↑ Tiano, Sara (15 January 2023). "Friends of the Children Awarded $33 Million Grant to Bolster Mentoring Program". Imprint News.
  19. ↑ Zimmerman, Sophia (25 April 2023). "Friends of the Children Launches Twin Cities Chapter". Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine.
  20. 1 2 Jankowski, Andrew (30 December 2025). "Portland-Based Nonprofit Scores Touchdown With NFL Grant". Willamette Week.
  21. 1 2 3 4 "Study: Long-Term Mentoring Helps Foster Families". Annie E. Casey Foundation. 28 November 2018. Archived from the original on 12 February 2026. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  22. 1 2 Pompilio, Natalie (31 August 2023). ""An Amazing Commitment to Children"". Philadelphia Citizen. Archived from the original on 24 July 2026. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  23. ↑ Sierra, Antonio (23 June 2025). "Friends of the Children mentoring program expands to Eastern Oregon". Oregon Public Broadcast.
  24. ↑ Eddy, J. Mark; Martinez, Charles R.; Grossman, Jean Baldwin; Cearley, Jennifer J.; Herrera, Danita; Wheeler, Alice C.; Rempel, Jeff S.; Foney, Dana; Gau, Jeff M.; Burraston, Bert O.; Harachi, Tracy W.; Haggerty, Kevin P.; Seeley, John R. (1 November 2017). "A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Long-Term Professional Mentoring Program for Children at Risk: Outcomes Across the First 5 Years". Prevention Science. 18 (8): 899–910. doi:10.1007/s11121-017-0795-z. ISSN 1573-6695.
  25. ↑ "Proceedings and Debates of the 112th Congress, Second Session" (PDF). United States Congress. 25 April 2012.
  26. ↑ Pitawanich, Christine (4 March 2022). "Portland-based nonprofit takes national stage on 'Ellen'". KGW.
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