About Us

Friends of the Children-SF Bay Area’s (Friends-SF’s) mission is to effect generational change by empowering youth who face the greatest obstacles, providing them with long-term relationships with Professional Mentors—12+ years, no matter what! Our chapter was founded in 2016 to improve long-term outcomes for youth experiencing the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and complex trauma. Friends-SF uses a research-validated risk assessment tool to identify children ages 4-6 with the fewest protective factors and most significant risk factors, then pairs them with paid, professional mentors to provide consistent, trauma-informed relational support through high school graduation. Part of a national network of 36 independent locations, Friends of the Children has been impacting generational change for the last 30 years.