Conrad N. Hilton Foundation invests $3.4 million to expand Friends of the Children's two-generation approach and study its impact

PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Friends of the Children, the national youth-serving organization that hires and trains paid, professional mentors, announced today it received $3.4 million in grants from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. The awards include a $1 million grant to study the model's impact through a randomized controlled trial (RCT), the gold standard for research, as well as a $2.4 million grant to expand a Two-Generation (2Gen) approach to mentoring youth?and by extension their families?who have been impacted by foster care.

"With generous support from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Friends of the Children can support even more parenting former foster youth as well as families impacted by foster care to achieve their aspirations and innate potential, while learning from their experiences to transform child welfare systems across the country," said Terri Sorensen, CEO of Friends of the Children. "We look forward to learning more about the impact of our Two-Generation approach, in partnership with the University of Notre Dame, through the randomized controlled trial. We are grateful to the Hilton Foundation for their partnership, guidance and support of this approach."

The grant for the RCT will support research development and implementation to rigorously study the organization's 2Gen approach. The RCT will be conducted in partnership with the University of Notre Dame's Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO). The six-year multi-site RCT will examine the impact of Friends of the Children's 2Gen approach. Up to five Friends of the Children locations in different parts of the country will participate in the RCT, with approximately 650 caregivers who will be enrolled in the study through annual cohorts over three years.

"A randomized controlled trial is the gold standard for evidence-based practice," said Heather Reynolds, Managing Director of LEO. "We look forward to exploring Friends of the Children's impact on preventing child welfare system involvement, reducing the length of stay in foster care, supporting caregivers in creating family stability and improving access to family support services that increase economic mobility."

Read the full press release here.

Media Contact:
Ariane Le Chevallier
[email protected]

SOURCE Friends of the Children