About Friends of the Children
Impacting generational change by empowering youth who are facing the greatest obstacles through relationships with professional mentors – 12+ years, no matter what.
Focus Areas
Youth mentoringYouth developmentFoster care supportMental health supportsFamily services / Two-generation approachesEducation and post-secondary readiness
Who They Fund
local chapters/affiliates of a national or regional organizationmembership-based community organizations
Funding Style
capital/capital-improvement fundingaffiliate/chapter-level supportcapacity building (operational infrastructure)
About Friends of the Children
Friends of the Children’s recent grantmaking centers on chapter support for a national network of local affiliates, with repeated awards to locations such as Friends of the Children - Sw Washington, Friends of the Children - Los Angeles, and Friends of the Children - New York. The foundation also made a large building project grant to Youth Resources Inc, showing that its support extends beyond operating aid into physical infrastructure when a local program site needs it. Across the recent list, the pattern is clear: the foundation backs organizations delivering long-term youth mentoring and related supports through chapter-level funding and project-specific capital grants. The grant record reflects a funder working through a broad affiliate model rather than one-off program awards. Many of the recipients are named as local Friends chapters in cities and regions across the country, including Phoenix, Philadelphia, Twin Cities, He Sapa, and Eastern Montana. That structure fits the organization’s stated emphasis on empowering youth facing the greatest obstacles through relationships with professional mentors over 12+ years. Recent grants show that this mission is carried out through ongoing support to local chapters and occasional investment in facilities and renovations that sustain program delivery.
What Friends of the Children Funds
Youth mentoring is the clearest thread in the recent grants list. Friends of the Children gave $1,692,796 in 2024 to Friends of the Children - Sw Washington for chapter support, and it gave $1,190,000 in 2025 to Friends of the Children - Philadelphia for the same purpose. Those awards point to sustained backing for local mentoring infrastructure. The foundation also supports chapter stability in place-based settings. It awarded $1,143,694 in 2024 to Friends of the Children - He Sapa, $1,149,200 in 2024 to Friends of the Children - Eastern Montana, and $803,000 in 2024 to Friends of the Children - Eastern Idaho, all for chapter support. In addition, a 2025 grant of $4,713,638 to Youth Resources Inc for a building project shows support for physical site needs alongside operating aid. Education and post-secondary readiness appear within the broader youth-development strategy, but the grant data most clearly shows funding for affiliate operations and local service delivery.
How Friends of the Children Gives
Typical grant size sits at $61,445 at the 25th percentile, $171,066 at the median, and $393,575 at the 75th percentile, indicating a mix of mid-sized awards and much larger chapter-level grants. The recent record shows recurrence across multiple years: Friends of the Children - Sw Washington, Friends of the Children - Los Angeles, Friends of the Children - New York, Friends of the Children - Portland, Friends of the Children - Utah, Friends of the Children - Twin Cities, and Friends of the Children - He Sapa all appear more than once. The foundation makes program-related investments and funds local chapters and membership-based community organizations through restricted, project-specific support rather than open individual giving.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$13.5M
Total Assets
$32.7M
Total Revenue
$22.4M
Total Expenses
$23.4M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $61K and $394K, with a median of $171K.
25th Percentile
$61K
Median
$171K
75th Percentile
$394K
Geographic Reach
National19 states funded
About 20% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
TERRI SORENSEN
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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