Children’s Defense Fund builds community so young people grow up with dignity, hope, and joy.
Children’s Defense Fund’s grantmaking is anchored in recurring support for national and local organizations that work on children’s health, early learning, education, family stability, and youth justice. The largest recent award in the data is $1,414,666 to National League of Cities Institute for program supports, alongside repeated seven-figure support to New Yorkers for Children and Save the Children Federation Inc. That pattern points to a funder that backs established intermediaries as well as issue-specific partners over multiple years. The foundation also gives at a level that often supports sustained work rather than one-off project bursts. Recent grants include repeated awards to Unidosus, The Center for the Study of Social Policy, Start Early, and The James B Hunt Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy Foundatio across 2024 and 2025. Its active program list adds another layer: Children’s Defense Fund runs or sponsors initiatives such as CDF Freedom Schools®, the Black Student Leadership Network Fellowship and Ambassador Program, and CDF in the States state-level work in Minnesota. Together, those signals show a funder focused on children’s well-being through policy, organizing, literacy, and leadership development.
In child health and policy work, Children’s Defense Fund gave $1,414,666 to National League of Cities Institute for program supports, and $1,020,000 to Unidosus for program supports. Those grants sit alongside state-level work through CDF in the States, including the CDF-MN Child Health initiative in Minnesota. Education and early learning also appear prominently. The foundation gave $648,000 to Start Early for program supports, and repeated support to The James B Hunt Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy Foundatio for program supports in 2024 and 2025. Youth justice and family support show up in grants to The Anti-recidivism Coalition in Los Angeles and The Center for the Study of Social Policy in Washington, DC. The recent grant record also includes New Yorkers for Children for program supports, linking child welfare to place-based services.
Children’s Defense Fund’s typical grant size is $17,000 at the 25th percentile, $39,000 at the median, and $129,209 at the 75th percentile. The recent record shows both mid-sized awards and repeated large program-support grants, suggesting a layered grantmaking approach. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including New Yorkers for Children, Save the Children Federation Inc, Unidosus, Start Early, The Center for the Study of Social Policy, The James B Hunt Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy Foundatio, The Connie Rice Institute for Urban Peace, Arts for Healing and Justice, and The Anti-recidivism Coalition. The foundation is classified as a Pure DAF Provider, and the grants shown are program supports or program-restricted/project-level funding.
$13.3M
$40.1M
$24M
$34.9M
Most grants fall between $17K and $129K, with a median of $39K.
25th Percentile
$17K
Median
$39K
75th Percentile
$129K
About 8% of grants go to recipients in TX.
STARSKY WILSON
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Grant recipients are entirely U.S.-based in the data, with 152 grants to U.S. organizations. Washington, DC appears frequently among recipients, including National League of Cities Institute, Unidosus, and The Center for the Study of Social Policy. Other recurring recipient hubs include New York, NY; Chicago, IL; Los Angeles, CA; and Fairfield, CT. The top state by grant count is Ohio, while 6% of grants go to recipients in the District of Columbia.
The grant record and active programs point to organizations working in children’s health, early learning, education, child welfare, youth justice, literacy, leadership development, community organizing, and faith-based engagement. Recent grants include program support to groups such as New Yorkers for Children, Start Early, and The Anti-recidivism Coalition.
Yes. The recent grants list includes multiple-year support for several recipients, including New Yorkers for Children in 2024 and 2025, Save the Children Federation Inc in 2024 and 2025, and Unidosus, The Center for the Study of Social Policy, Start Early, and The James B Hunt Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy Foundatio across 2024 and 2025.
The typical grant size is $17,000 at the 25th percentile, $39,000 at the median, and $129,209 at the 75th percentile. The recent grant list also shows larger program-support awards in the hundreds of thousands and above, indicating that the foundation funds at multiple scales.
Recipients are all in the United States in the data, and Washington, DC appears often among grantee locations. The top state by grant count is Ohio, and 6% of grants go to recipients in the District of Columbia.
Yes. The active program listings show unsolicited applications are accepted for the CDF Freedom Schools® Sponsor Program, CDF Freedom Schools® — Sponsor a Site, the Black Student Leadership Network Fellowship and Ambassador Program, and CDF in the States: CDF-MN Child Health.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Children'S Defense Fund that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Organizations interested in sponsoring a CDF Freedom Schools® site and able to meet application, training, fiduciary, and programmatic requirements.
Deadline: 2026-08-27 informational session; 2026 application release on August 10, 2026; 2027 CDF Freedom Schools Sponsor Application Deadline: September 28, 2026
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Create a free accountDeadlines and eligibility are summarized from public sources and may change — always confirm the details on the funder's official application page before applying.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES INSTITUTE | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,414,666 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| NEW YORKERS FOR CHILDREN | NEW YORK, NY | $1,320,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| SAVE THE CHILDREN FEDERATION INC | FAIRFIELD, CT | $1,044,666 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| UNIDOSUS | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,020,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES INSTITUTE | WASHINGTON, DC | $750,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| START EARLY | CHICAGO, IL | $648,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| THE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF SOCIAL POLICY | WASHINGTON, DC | $583,333 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF SOCIAL POLICY | WASHINGTON, DC | $583,333 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| THE JAMES B HUNT INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND POLICY FOUNDATIO | CARY, NC | $556,666 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| UNIDOSUS | WASHINGTON, DC | $300,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| START EARLY | CHICAGO, IL | $300,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| THE JAMES B HUNT INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND POLICY FOUNDATIO | CARY, NC | $300,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| SAVE THE CHILDREN FEDERATION INC | FAIRFIELD, CT | $300,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| THE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF SOCIAL POLICY | WASHINGTON, DC | $300,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| THE CONNIE RICE INSTITUTE FOR URBAN PEACE | LOS ANGELES, CA | $256,974 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| ARTS FOR HEALING AND JUSTICE | LONG BEACH, CA | $190,960 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| THE ANTI-RECIDIVISM COALITION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $181,818 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| THE ANTI-RECIDIVISM COALITION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $177,663 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| ACADEMIA CESAR CHAVEZ CHARTER | ST PAUL, MN | $155,391 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| FRIENDSHIP ACADEMY OF THE ARTS | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $154,333 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| CLEAN AND HEALTHY NEW YORK | ALBANY, NY | $147,500 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| ACADEMIA CESAR CHAVEZ CHARTER | ST PAUL, MN | $128,892 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| EVERY TEXAN | FLINT, TX | $128,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| ARTS FOR HEALING AND JUSTICE | LOS ANGELES, CA | $125,949 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| YOUTH JUSTICE COALITION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $122,770 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| TEXANS CARE FOR CHILDREN INC | AUSTIN, TX | $114,500 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| THE CONNIE RICE INSTITUTE FOR URBAN PEACE | LOS ANGELES, CA | $113,807 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| TEXANS CARE FOR CHILDREN INC | AUSTIN, TX | $108,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| CLEAN AND HEALTHY NEW YORK | ALBANY, NY | $105,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| FRIENDSHIP ACADEMY OF THE ARTS | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $104,448 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| MISSISSIPPI CENTER FOR JUSTICE | JACKSON, MS | $100,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| EVERY TEXAN | AUSTIN, TX | $94,500 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| YOUTH JUSTICE COALITION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $94,040 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| YOUTH JUSTICE COALITION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $92,091 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| POLICY MATTERS OHIO | CLEVELAND, OH | $85,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| TEXANS CARE FOR CHILDREN INC | AUSTIN, TX | $75,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| EVERY TEXAN | FLINT, TX | $75,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| THE ANTI-RECIDIVISM COALITION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $70,199 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| THE CONNIE RICE INSTITUTE FOR URBAN PEACE | LOS ANGELES, CA | $69,364 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| THE SCIENCE MUSEUM OF MINNESOTA | SAINT PAUL, MN | $59,556 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| KIDS WIN MISSOURI | MERRIAM, KS | $50,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| CLEAN AND HEALTHY NEW YORK | ALBANY, NY | $40,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| MINNESOTA COUNCIL OF NONPROFITS | SAINT PAUL, MN | $40,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| VARIOUS HATS INC | AUSTIN, TX | $39,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| HOLA OHIO | PAINESVILLE, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| CHUCKANUT HEALTH FOUNDATION | BELLINGHAM, WA | $25,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| AVANCE-AUSTIN | AUSTIN, TX | $25,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| UNITED WAY OF GREATER KNOXVILLE | KNOXVILLE, TN | $25,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| ERIE NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
| FAYETTE COUNTY FAMILY RESOURCE NETWORK INC | OAK HILL, WV | $25,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORTS |
PROGRAM SUPPORTS
PROGRAM SUPPORTS
ACADEMIA CESAR CHAVEZ CHARTER
$155,391PROGRAM SUPPORTS
ACADEMIA CESAR CHAVEZ CHARTER
$128,892PROGRAM SUPPORTS
POLICY MATTERS OHIO
$85,000PROGRAM SUPPORTS
VARIOUS HATS INC
$39,000PROGRAM SUPPORTS
AVANCE-AUSTIN
$25,000PROGRAM SUPPORTS
FAYETTE COUNTY FAMILY RESOURCE NETWORK INC
$25,000PROGRAM SUPPORTS
