FAQ
Our sponsors become cosponsors and donations will be used to purchase food to your sponsored child.
Our goal is two cosponsors for each child in Iran to ensure a stable system of support that is more independent of government turbulance. One sponsor, through our Iran partner, provides a stipend from inside Iran or another country unencumbered by US sanctions on Iran. You can be or are already the second cosponsor who, through Child Foundation, provides food. Your support will fill your sponsored child’s Child Foundation-issued student food card each month.
This card is functionally a grocery store gift card used to claim the food imported for that child.
Sponsorship dollars go to providing food for the intended child’s family. Imported food will be distributed throughout Iran via a large, independent chain grocery store. This means, each month, families can collect the food at their convenience and with complete dignity.
Child Foundation promised that the new sponsorship program would genuintely benefit children and their families, operate efficiently, withstand political turbulence, and abide by regulations in both countries. These are our commitments.
Together, we can ensure the wellbeing of our thousands of young students will be independent of government politics as food is not sanctioned and is needed more than ever.
We love it when our sponsors show extra generosity for a child, unfortunately, our children from Iran cannot receive any extra gifts at the time. Our partner in Iran has focused only on the sponsorship program to supply monthly groceries.
However, you can give a one-time donation toward buying laptops, tablets and other school supplies for underprivileged students in Iran by giving here.
We are excited that food is not sanctioned by the US government because grocery costs are a significant burden for the average Iranian household and even more so for our sponsored students’ families as need and academic motivation are the two most important qualifications for Child Foundation scholarships. Reports from our Iran partner office indicate food insecurity is an even more urgent need now for low-income families. We can help put food in front of our sponsored children and so we will.
We have seen the Iran program’s impact in students’ reports that the financial and emotional support over the years helped them excel. We are confident that the program’s impact will continue because food is a basic need that families must meet for their young scholars to stay in school. We know that hungry students struggle to learn.
We have hundreds of children today who want to learn and qualify for sponsorship. Their families are in need. Sponsoring a child today gets food on the way to their family in the next shipment.
Keep in mind that the economic conditions in Iran have worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic. Food prices have risen alarmingly, and the tough economy has also resulted in some food and employment shortages. These young scholars need our support to access education.
Our Iran partner will issue your sponsored child’s student food card and fill it each month with credit for the food Child Foundation imported. The third party grocery store will report the food claimed to our Iran office to ensure that families struggling with the process get support. We designed a smart and agile system.
Our social workers are regularly in contact with the children and want to assure each family gets the food it needs.
Further, sponsors are welcome to reach out to their sponsored children by letter. Video and phone chats will be available again after the pandemic subsides.
The food imported and package composition may differ from month to month. We have been successfully delivering beans and lentils to families. Upcoming food packages will feature more diversity of foods including portions of rice, chickpeas, and (periodically) meat.
U.S. sanctions on Iran are among the strictest in the world. To sponsor Iranian children within these restrictions, we are now importing food into the country with child sponsorship support to help thousands of students in our program to stay and succeed in school.
The good news is that we can now send educational funds for our partner in Iran to purchase school supplies and services like laptops, tablets, internet access, books, other critical support for our students.
Our other programs do not have the same limitations, and, as a result, we can support children differently in countries like Cambodia, India, or Indonesia.
Child Foundation takes U.S. laws and regulations seriously. Our cosponsorship program, with its food support to sponsored children’s families, is in compliance with U.S. sanctions on Iran.
Yes, Child Foundation still has access to the General License E and several other general licenses from OFAC, which allow us to raise and send funds for humanitarian and disaster relief efforts. We used general licenses to send aid after the Kermanshah earthquake, several major flooding, and during COVID. Our current fundraiser for Iran Care Packages addresses urgent food insecurity due to the coronavirus, and you are welcome to donate as this money will be sent to our Iran partner to help our most vulnerable children. There are also other general licenses available for use due to COVID and education needs.
You are welcome to contact our office by email at [email protected] and by phone at (503) 224-0409. We would appreciate a personal conversation with you about these details.
With the new era of instability in Afghanistan, uncertainty surrounds the future of humanitarian support from nonprofit agencies. Since the ability to intake children and set up the process is curtailed, for now, we are pausing new sponsorships in Afghanistan.
However, Child Foundation remains dedicated to our students and their families and finding ways to support them in the new and more challenging environment. If you already sponsor an Afghan child, your monthly support is being held to make a big difference for them as soon as we have good reason to believe we can safely get resources for your sponsored child.
Make sure to join our newsletter to get updated as the situation in Afghanistan unfolds.
Our team on the ground has been extremely cautious and systematic about contacting families; as a result, contact is slow and limited. We will inform you if we are able to make contact and there is anything you can do to help the family.
Please refrain from sending letters intended for your sponsored child at this time, as we are unable to ensure it can be safely delivered.
Our first priority is to apply these funds to the needs of vulnerable Afghans, including the nearly 900 families we have been working with. We know that food and safe shelter are vital but, to maximize our impact, we continue to assess needs as matters change day by day.
Our second priority with the fund is to support those Afghans displaced out of the country.
We are optimistic that Child Foundation will be able to continue working in Afghanistan. These matters may take weeks, if not several months, to sort out properly. We want to safeguard prospects and give every opportunity to support children in Afghanistan after the dust settles some. For this reason, we are proceeding with great caution.
We will keep you updated on the status of the program, your support, and the flow of resources into and within Afghanistan.
The child will receive your support roughly 1-2 months after a sponsor has initiated sponsorship and paid the first month’s support. It is possible for support to take a bit longer for Iranian children as food shipment arrivals may not be aligned well with the beginning of your sponsorship. However, the support will be passed on as soon as is possible to help the child focus on studies and remain in school.
Often, you are not. Sometimes a child’s scholarship is around $60 per month. If you sponsored the child for $30 per month, we will be searching for a second sponsor to meet the child’s needs completely. In that case, you are a cosponsor alongside another sponsor living in your community.
Your sponsorship of a child in Iran is a different kind of cosponsorship. Our Iran program is carefully designed and implemented to meet the complex legal requirements of US sanctions on Iran. The Iran partner office finds a sponsor to provide a stipend while our office finds a sponsor to fill the child’s family’s Student Food Card (a grocery store gift card to claim food imported for the child and issued by the Child Foundation partner in Iran) each month. Reports from the Iran partner office indicate food insecurity is an urgent need for low-income families. A significant portion of a family’s meager income is budgeted for food. Cosponsored families can buy specific food items we import and have delivered to a nearby grocery store. Together, we can ensure the wellbeing of our thousands of young students in Iran will be independent of government politics as food is not sanctioned and is needed more than ever.
All communication between sponsors and sponsored children is supervised by the Child Foundation USA office and the local office in the child’s country. There are three ways you can reach out to the child. The most common means is by writing a letter. Please write your letter either in English or the child’s native language and send it to the Child Foundation office mailing address or email. Sponsors can also request a translated and supervised call or video chat by contacting Child Foundation at [email protected] or (503) 224-0409. Due to COVID-19, a call or video chat may not be possible at this time and we encourage sponsors to write letters.
As initial support can take roughly 1-2 months to reach the child, we suggest sponsors send their first letter or request their first phone or video chat 2-3 months after first filling out the sponsorship application. Please see the “How can I communicate with my sponsored child?” question for more.
Roughly every six months, sponsors will receive a progress report prepared by the child’s social workers. New sponsors may not receive a progress report for up to nine months. Usually, the child’s grades, social worker’s report, new photos, and a letter from the student are included. The social worker will mention urgent needs the family faces so that sponsors can choose to send extra one-time support if they would like to.
Additionally, Child Foundation will notify sponsors two months prior to each child’s birthday and important holidays that impact the child so that sponsors can celebrate the child with a letter or gift.
Sponsors can donate an extra amount in a one-time donation for a child’s birthday, holiday, or at any time the sponsor desires. Sponsors are also more than welcome to send extra support as a one-time donation based on a child’s urgent needs, as explained in a progress report or otherwise.
Sponsors can always inquire about their child’s wellbeing by calling ((503) 224-0409) or emailing our office ([email protected]). We will reach out to the partner office in the child’s country to learn from the social worker if the child needs extra support at this time. Unfortunately, sometimes family members become ill or unemployed. In natural disasters, homes may be damaged. Sponsors can send extra money for food, rent, clothing, or heat to be used as the family sees fit. The sponsor may also request that a specific item be purchased for the family (i.e., refrigerator, laptop, bicycle, etc.) The partner office will purchase and deliver on the sponsor’s behalf. Child Foundation will receive a receipt and/or other evidence that the child received the gift.
Due to sanctions placed on Iran by the U.S. government, Child Foundation is unable to provide extra support to children outside of food assistance. At this time, if you give a one-time donation, it will go toward buying laptops and supplies for our students in Iran.
Child Foundation works closely with an accountant with extensive experience in nonprofit accounting and financial management to ensure funds are spent in accordance with our donors’ intentions. Each year, we voluntarily perform an audit through Hoffman, Stewart and Schmidt, an independent licensed auditing company. The audit complies with the Internal Revenue Service’s regulations. The results and full financial statements are available here.
Additionally, gifts above and beyond the monthly sponsorship for children living in countries like Afghanistan, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Tajikistan will mean that sponsors receive a thank you letter and evidence the gift was received. For example, if you pay for a bicycle for your sponsored child in Afghanistan, you will soon receive a thank you letter and photo of the child with the gift once it has been delivered.
Child Foundation commits to facilitating the support of a sponsored child until they are finished with their education. This means that a child may choose not to go to college after high school and they will have “graduated” from our program. If they choose to go to college, we hope you will be their sponsor until they have finished their program. We are proud to have medical doctors and researchers among our graduates who received support into masters and doctoral programs.
Child can otherwise leave the program or become “inactive” if they no longer qualify based on their family’s improved economic stance, repeatedly poor performance in school even after tutoring and extra classes, unwillingness to cooperate with social workers’ reporting, or other various reasons. As the sponsor, you would receive a notification of the child’s inactivation with a written rationale and final letter (if possible). At that point, our office will coordinate with you to match you with a new child in need of support.
You may cancel your sponsorship at any time as there is no contractual obligation to support the student for a specific amount of time. We appreciate your notice and reason for cancelation with one month’s notice via email to [email protected]. Your advanced notice will help us find another sponsor for the child so that their success is not disrupted.
We do our best to honor your request for sponsorship payments. If you want to pay by credit card, you may pay on our website or setup a recurring payment through our office. If you want to pay by check, you can write and send the check to our office using the statement and return envelop Child Foundation sends. Otherwise, you can set up online bill pay through your bank.
To update your address, contact or credit card information, please call our office at 503-224-0409 ext.34 or visit our secure website to fill the Update Your Information form here.
Established in 1994, Child Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization registered in the state of Oregon. Child Foundation is currently supporting children in Iran, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Nepal, and the United States.
Our Sponsorship Program provides ongoing economic stability for children in need, enabling them to remain in school. Sponsorship creates a unique relationship between an individual donor and a sponsored child. By pairing up a child with one or more sponsors, this child is able to obtain the necessary relief that they need. Generally, children sponsored through Child Foundation's programs are supported for their entire academic career. For some children, this is until high school, for others, it may include college. Sponsor a child now!
Our mission and purpose as a public charity is to help gifted and talented children who are economically disadvantaged remain in school. Child Foundation supports children and their respective families to overcome the burdens of poverty so that they can become healthy, educated, self-sustaining and contributing members of society.
Child Foundation is supervised by a Board of Directors, who are all serving as volunteers. Their names and information can be found here.
Child Foundation utilizes General License E from OFAC, which allows us to raise and send funds for humanitarian efforts. This is the kind of aid you helped us send when the recent earthquake and flood caused so much destruction.
Food for humanitarian purposes is not subject to sanctions, and we apply for this support in our Iranian cosponsorship program. Given the increase of goods prices in Iran, such packages will relieve the burden felt by vulnerable families and help children focus on their education.
We are able to send funds to provide laptops, tablets, internet access, backpacks, and other supplies to support disadvantaged students’ education.
Child Foundation works closely with an accountant experienced in nonprofit accounting and financial management to ensure funds are spent in accordance with our donors’ intention. We voluntarily perform an annual audit each year that complies with the Internal Revenue Service’s regulations. Full financial statements are available on our website.
There are many ways that you can check Child Foundation's financial history and operations. As a public charity we are registered with the following organizations. You can check their website to see how they've rated us.
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Charity Navigator: America's premier charity evaluator has given Child Foundation their highest rating (Four Stars)
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GuideStar: The national database of nonprofit organizations operating in the U.S. has given Child Foundation its gold rating (The Gold Participant)
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Independent Charities of America: ICA has provided Child Foundation with their highest seal of approval (Best). Out of over a million charities in America, fewer than 2,500 have been awarded this seal, and Child Foundation is one of them.
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Child Foundation's programs have been endorsed by the United Nations and we are currently registered with the Department of Public Information Non-governmental Organizations (DPI.NGO).
Child Foundation's annual and fiscal reports are always available to the general public. You can read our annual reports here and view our financial reports (done by an independent auditor) and our tax returns here.
Yes, in 2012 the audit committee of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) examined all of Child Foundation's accounts for the last five years and concluded that all income, expenses, and credits had been reported accurately. According to the IRS letter, Child Foundation continues to qualify for exemption from Federal Income Tax and will continue to hold a 501(c)(3) status.
Additionally, a 13-month IRS audit came to a close on May 1, 2020. The IRS examined two years' worth of documentation including all governing instruments, contracts, licenses, board and committee meeting minutes, and accounting and financial statements. Specifically, the IRS auditor examined:
Every wire transfer sent by Child Foundation USA over the last two years including those sent to Afghanistan and Iran.
Each memorandum of understandings (MOU) which set out how Child Foundation USA works with each affiliate office around the world.
Each contracted trustee, officer, director, and key employee contract to ensure transparent, reasonable wages.
All donations, tracing their being applied to the intended campaign or child with only reasonable and reported overhead cost reductions.
The criteria for selecting children eligible for programs and how needs were assessed. We explained our internal auditing process which verifies that resources are received by children and used to support their education.
Our independent auditor and their records.
We received a flawless finding from IRS with no changes to our status as a non-profit, tax-exempt organization. The successful audit was no surprise to Child Foundation. We are proud to be a top-rated and transparent organization who put the welfare of children at the center of all we do.
Child Foundation maintains low overhead through a myriad of methods: 1. Providing programs to large number of children in concentrated areas, helping us to efficiently and effectively distribute services. 2. Making sure our social workers are trained volunteers who live in that country or region. 3. Actively pursuing donations from corporations and companies. 4. Organizing fundraising events with trained volunteers. 5. Maximizing resources by operating with a small staff who each assume a variety of roles. 6. Utilizing volunteers throughout the United States and other countries who help Child Foundation.
Afghanistan, Cambodia, India, and Nepal Sponsorship Programs
Your donated dollars will be sent to the child or children you are sponsoring in the form of a stipend. The stipend supports the child's education by helping with their school-related costs and living expenses so they can focus on learning.
Indonesia and Tajikistan Sponsorship Programs
Your donated dollars will be sent to the sponsored child's education program as tuition so that the child receives lessons or extra-curricular and tutoring support to excel in school.
Iran Sponsorship Program
Your donated dollars will purchase and distribute food packages for each student and their family. The food will be shipped to Iran from a neighboring country, adhering to US sanction which do not require a license to send food, medicine, and medical equipment. We will prioritize non-perishable and culturally-typical foods like rice, lentils, beans, and oil.
Yes. All contributions made to Child Foundation are deductible from taxable income in the U.S. Every January, Child Foundation sends an official statement to its donors that reflects all of their donations from the previous year. Our tax ID number is 93-1148608.
Many sponsors participate in their company's Matching Gift Program. Matching Gift Programs enable employers to double, triple and sometimes quadruple their employee's charitable contributions. Simply contact your human resources department and ask if your company has a Matching Gift Program for public charities.
Although Child Foundation's main goal is to help children stay in school, we do provide humanitarian aid to help children and their families when there is an urgent need. Child Foundation was very active when deadly earthquakes hit Afghanistan, Haiti, Japan, Pakistan, and Turkey and collected both in-kind and cash donations to help rebuild the countries. Our Afghanistan office regularly organizes blood drives to help children with thalassemia and provides free rides for their blood transfusions. We also fundraise for children who need to undergo expensive surgeries or treatments that they cannot afford.
There are many ways that you can help Child Foundation assist children in need.
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Sponsor a child: Go to our Sponsor page and choose one or more children to help.
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Donate: You can visit our one-time donation page and choose any of our humanitarian projects in which you are interested in, and help launch or continue that program through your generosity.
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Volunteer: Please complete our volunteer application, and we will contact you to see how we can work together to help children in need.
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Spread the Word: Talk to your friends and family about Child Foundation's humanitarian activities and share your own experience with them. If you need additional copies of our annual magazine, annual report, or just a list of our children waiting to be sponsored, please contact us and we will send them to you.
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Follow us: We are on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. You can follow us on our social media outlets or just send us your e-mail and we will send you our bi-monthly newsletter.