Friends of the Children

What Friends of the Children does

Friends of the Children is a national nonprofit that aims to break the cycle of generational poverty through long-term mentoring. Each child it enrolls is paired with a salaried, professional mentor, called a Friend, who stays with them from pre-kindergarten through graduation: '12+ years, no matter what.' Duncan Campbell founded it in Portland, Oregon, in 1993.

Paying mentors as staff instead of relying on volunteers is central to the model: the goal is one steady adult across a child's whole school career. The network had 42 locations as of early 2025 and had served more than 16,000 children and families. Local chapters are separate nonprofits, supported by a national office in Portland. The organization reports that 96% of its youth stay free of juvenile justice involvement, 90% earn a high school diploma or GED, 95% wait until after their teen years to become parents, and 92% go on to further education, military service or work.

The national office holds a Four-Star, 100% rating from Charity Navigator and reported about $22 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending August 2025. Donors can give to the national organization or to a local chapter directly.

Key facts

• Pairs each child with a paid professional mentor from pre-kindergarten through graduation: '12+ years, no matter what' (homepage)
• 96% of youth stay free of juvenile justice involvement and 90% earn a high school diploma or GED (homepage outcomes)
• 42 locations nationwide and more than 16,000 children and families served (January 2025 press release)
• National office reported $22.35M in revenue for the fiscal year ending August 2025 (ProPublica / IRS Form 990)

Before you give

• The national donate form takes one-time or monthly gifts and shows PayPal, Apple Pay and DAFpay (donor-advised fund) options.
• Local chapters are separate nonprofits with their own EINs (for example, Friends of the Children Portland has its own Charity Navigator profile at /ein/931098105). Check which entity you are giving to.