Our Mission

The Kids In Need Foundation’s mission is to ensure that every child is prepared to learn and succeed in the classroom by providing free school supplies nationally to students most in need.

For the 16 million kids who come from families struggling with extreme poverty, getting school supplies can make all the difference in the world to their future success. How can a kid be expected to succeed in the classroom without the basic tools to learn?

Recent studies* show that when kids have new school supplies of their own:

• Grades, classroom behavior, and engagement improve
• Self-esteem increases
• Attitudes toward school and learning strengthen

Last year, the Kids In Need Foundation helped 154,000 teachers and 4.8 million students in some of the most challenged communities across the country. In our 20 years, we have distributed nearly $800 million in supplies to kids who would otherwise go without.

Learn more about the Kids In Need Foundation and our mission with our 2016 Impact Report, our 2016 Accomplishments, and our latest 2016 Annual Report.

*The 2015 Kids In Need Foundation School Supply Impact Survey of more than 7,000 teachers nationwide in low-income communities on how access to free school supplies has impacted their classroom and students.