Friends of the Children

About Friends of the Children

Friends of the Children was founded in 1993 in Portland, OR with just three Friends—salaried, professional mentors—and 24 children. Today, we are a national network with 48 locations across the country. Friends of the Children was founded by Duncan Campbell, a successful business entrepreneur whose own troubled childhood inspired him to found the organization. Our innovative model pairs children who are in foster care or in high-poverty schools with a Friend. Each child selected for the program has a Friend by their side from kindergarten through high school graduation—12+ years, no matter what. Research has shown that to break the cycle of generational poverty, children need long-term, relationship-based support to graduate from high school, remain free from involvement in the criminal justice system, wait to parent until after their teen years, and pursue opportunities through post-secondary education, serving our country or finding living-wage employment. Third-party evaluation of program graduates shows that: 90% of our youth graduate with a high school diploma or a GED; 96% remain free from juvenile justice system involvement; 95% wait until after their teen years to become parents; and 92% go on to enroll in post-secondary education, serve our country, or enter the workforce.