Friends of the Children
Friends of the Children - Portland, 44 Northeast Morris Street, Portland, OR 97212
About
Friends of the Children pairs each child with a paid, professional mentor called a Friend. Each child has a dedicated, one-on-one Friend who listens to their hopes and dreams and creates meaningful experiences that explore the child’s diverse talents and interests. Friends work with youth to set and achieve their goals and to build life skills and make healthy choices.
• Ages: 4–18 years old
• Schedule: Friends of the Children supports youth from as early as age 4 through high school graduation in relationships that last 12 or more years, no matter what.
Friends of the Children is a national nonprofit organization that began in 1993 and intentionally serves youth who are facing great obstacles. The organization’s mission centers on impacting generational change by empowering youth who are facing the greatest obstacles through relationships with professional mentors over 12 or more years, no matter what. Friends of the Children created what it describes as the first and only long-term professional mentoring program in the country and fosters supportive, consistent relationships that grow through high school and into youths’ adult lives, grounded in a foundation of love and acceptance and a “no matter what” approach. The program builds community through one-on-one connections that are described as authentic, respectful, and meaningful, and it works together and holds itself accountable with data to achieve short- and long-term outcomes.
Friends of the Children reports that it builds relationships within the communities of their youth and families to strengthen social networks and provide bridges to new opportunities, and that it advocates so every child, regardless of historical and present challenges, has the resources, support, and voice needed to thrive. The organization states that it works to challenge and remove obstacles so potential is not limited by circumstance, leverages personal strengths so youth can take ownership of their futures, consistently inspires possibility through empathy, hard work, and fun, and celebrates achievements of all sizes. Friends of the Children also states that it is disciplined in its commitment to goals while being innovative in how it reaches them, believes everyone deserves the chance to reach their full potential because where a child starts should not decide how far they go, and amplifies and listens to the hopes and dreams of the children, families, and communities it serves. The organization acknowledges that each of its chapters is located on lands that were home to Indigenous people since time immemorial and affirms the inherent sovereignty and unique cultures of the first peoples of this land.
Friends of the Children has received a $4 million Social Innovation Fund award. An Annie E. Casey caregiver study involving the program had results published in the journal Child & Family Social Work, and preliminary findings from a randomized controlled trial of the program are published in the journal Prevention Science. Friends of the Children – He Sapa is described by the organization as its first Indigenous-led location.
Last updated July 13, 2026.
• Ages: 4–18 years old
• Schedule: Friends of the Children supports youth from as early as age 4 through high school graduation in relationships that last 12 or more years, no matter what.
Friends of the Children is a national nonprofit organization that began in 1993 and intentionally serves youth who are facing great obstacles. The organization’s mission centers on impacting generational change by empowering youth who are facing the greatest obstacles through relationships with professional mentors over 12 or more years, no matter what. Friends of the Children created what it describes as the first and only long-term professional mentoring program in the country and fosters supportive, consistent relationships that grow through high school and into youths’ adult lives, grounded in a foundation of love and acceptance and a “no matter what” approach. The program builds community through one-on-one connections that are described as authentic, respectful, and meaningful, and it works together and holds itself accountable with data to achieve short- and long-term outcomes.
Friends of the Children reports that it builds relationships within the communities of their youth and families to strengthen social networks and provide bridges to new opportunities, and that it advocates so every child, regardless of historical and present challenges, has the resources, support, and voice needed to thrive. The organization states that it works to challenge and remove obstacles so potential is not limited by circumstance, leverages personal strengths so youth can take ownership of their futures, consistently inspires possibility through empathy, hard work, and fun, and celebrates achievements of all sizes. Friends of the Children also states that it is disciplined in its commitment to goals while being innovative in how it reaches them, believes everyone deserves the chance to reach their full potential because where a child starts should not decide how far they go, and amplifies and listens to the hopes and dreams of the children, families, and communities it serves. The organization acknowledges that each of its chapters is located on lands that were home to Indigenous people since time immemorial and affirms the inherent sovereignty and unique cultures of the first peoples of this land.
Friends of the Children has received a $4 million Social Innovation Fund award. An Annie E. Casey caregiver study involving the program had results published in the journal Child & Family Social Work, and preliminary findings from a randomized controlled trial of the program are published in the journal Prevention Science. Friends of the Children – He Sapa is described by the organization as its first Indigenous-led location.
Last updated July 13, 2026.
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