Children's Defense Fund HQ

The Children's Defense Fund champions policies and programs that lift children out of poverty; protect them from abuse and neglect; and ensure their access to health care, quality education and a moral and spiritual foundation. Supported by foundation and corporate grants and individual donations, CDF advocates nationwide and through its network of state and regional offices on behalf of children to ensure children are always a priority.

CDF advocates for the best interests of children through rigorous research, public education, youth leadership development, and community-based programs in 30 states across the country. By providing scholarships, college preparation, and ongoing support, CDF helps high school students who have overcome obstacles and challenges in their lives. With Freedom Schools™, CDF focuses on reading enrichment, self-esteem and empowerment, and motivation for children to improve their educational performance, and to make a positive difference in their communities. Through independent research, CDF publishes reports which inform and provide evidence-based guidance to officials and policy leaders toward practices that will make a meaningful and lasting positive impact in the lives of each child.

The Children's Defense Fund is one of the oldest and most respected child advocacy organizations in the country. We are well known for developing programs that are evidenced-based and provide heavily evaluated outcomes for the children, youth and families served. CDF is a national organization with the capacity to work for children at the federal, state and community levels across the country; headquartered in Washington DC with offices in California, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

CDF reaches over 12,000 children and trains over 1,500 college-aged emerging leaders annually with its Freedom Schools program; on average 1.4 grade equivalent increase in reading skill is reported for students over the six week period. In policy, CDF has worked with nonprofit partners and community groups to bring the writing and passage of significant legislation, such as Child Welfare Service Improvement and Innovation Act, and has published numerous national and state reports, like “Ending Child Poverty Now," "The State of America's Children," and many others.