Research has shown that when dads are engaged and present, kids do better. We celebrate dads on Father’s Day because we should celebrate everything that makes children’s lives — and outcomes — better. When children have close relationships with father figures, they tend to avoid high-risk behaviors; have higher-paying jobs and healthy, stable relationships; and have higher IQ test scores. The benefits go on, but one thing’s for sure: Dads matter in the lives of children, and so we should support and celebrate their presence in their kids’ lives.
Here are just a few organizations that champion dads and understand the integral role that fathers play in the lives of their children.
All Pro Dad
All Pro Dad is a program of Family First that provides tools and resources to dads that allow them to be more present in the lives of their children. Spearheaded by former NFL coach Tony Dungy, NFL player Benjamin Watson, ESPN personality Dan Orlovsky, and many other prominent sports figures, All Pro Dad hosts a yearly interactive get-together for kids and dads at an NFL or NCAA stadium and a monthly school program where dads meet up with their children at school to spend time bonding and relationship building.
Donate to All-Pro Dad here.
Center for Family Policy and Practice
The Center for Family Policy and Practice is a nonprofit organization that advocates for fair and equitable laws and policies that affect low-income families and fathers. Focusing on child support, family safety and security, and financial and economic security, the CFPP acts as a think tank to develop solutions to barriers experienced by low-income fathers and fathers of color.
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Donate to the Center for Family Policy and Practice here.
Child & Family Blog
The Child & Family Blog provides research-driven content on the impact of family on social, emotional, and cognitive child development. In addition to covering topics like race, divorce, and inequality, the Child & Family Blog covers research on the importance of fathers and the role they play in both the family dynamic and the development of children.
Donate to the Child & Family Blog here.
Family Equality Council
The Family Equality Council works to ensure that members of the LGBTQ community have the ability to create families and provide support, education, activism and advocacy, and the resources they need to become parents and foster loving, healthy family relationships. The FEP also tracks national and state legislation that affects the ability of LGBTQ couples to become parents and maintain parental rights.
Donate to the Family Equality Council here.
Fathering Together
Fathering Together provides anyone who identifies as a father with tools and resources to uplift and support them as they work to create a “more equitable society.” The organization hosts different communities so that dads from every walk of life can reach out to peers for help, support, and advice while working to make the world a better and safer place for their children.
Donate to Fathering Together here.
The Fatherhood Project
The Fatherhood Project is a Massachusetts-based program that empowers fathers to become more “knowledgeable, active, and emotionally engaged with their children.” Through research-based principles and curricula and programs like Dads Matter, Dads in Recovery, Teen Dads, and Divorcing Dads, the organization aims to help all dads be more present and engaged with their children while focusing on dads in marginalized and underserved communities.
Donate to The Fatherhood Project here.
Fathers Incorporated
Fathers Incorporated is an Atlanta-based nonprofit that works with federal lawmakers and leaders in the responsible fatherhood movement, faith and business leaders, and family law practitioners to advocate for legislative and community changes that promote fathers’ involvement in the lives of their children. The group focuses on co-parenting, domestic violence, incarceration, child development, child support, and employment and financial stability. Fathers Incorporated provides resources and programs for fathers to engage with their children healthily and raise awareness through programs like the Million Fathers March and Black Dads Count.
Donate to Fathers Incorporated here.
Fathers’ Uplift
Fathers’ Uplift is a one-of-a-kind organization that provides fathers with the tools they need to overcome trauma, addiction, racial barriers, and emotional issues to help them fully engage with their children and families. Fathers’ Uplift provides therapy, coaching, training opportunities, and youth enrichment with the aim of reducing the number of children raised without positive father figures in their lives. It is the only organization in the United States that offers therapy, counseling, and addiction support specifically geared toward fathers and their families with the aim of reuniting families and providing them with the framework to thrive.
Donate to Fathers’ Uplift here.
National Fatherhood Initiative
The National Fatherhood Initiative is the country’s largest provider of research on the involvement of fathers and the impact fathers have on families. It provides communities with resources and training to increase father engagement with the goal of ensuring that communities and human service organizations have the tools and training they need to be father-inclusive so fathers can be more involved in the lives of their children.
Donate to the National Fatherhood Initiative here.
NAFFA
The Native American Fatherhood and Families Association is an Arizona-based nonprofit focusing on nourishing family relationships through its Fatherhood Is Sacred/Motherhood Is Sacred (FIS/MIS), Linking Generations by Strengthening Relationships, and Addressing Family Violence & Abuse programs. Employing culturally sensitive curricula and materials, NAFFA is able to address the specific concerns of the Native American community to reunite families and empower fathers to become family leaders.
Donate to the NAFFA here.
National Partnership for Women and Families
The National Partnership for Women and Families understands that families benefit when dads are present and actively engaged. One way the NPWF is creating a more equitable world for women is by spearheading programs, legislation, and calls to action that support fathers by promoting active fatherhood and gender equality.
Donate to the National Partnership for Women and Families here.
Promundo/Equimundo
Established in Brazil in 1997, Promundo has worked globally to engage fathers in the care economy, promote active fatherhood and promote gender equity and justice by engaging men and boys with women and girls. The organization is currently undergoing a rebranding to be more inclusive of all genders. Its new name, Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice, “reflects our commitment to fostering gender equity and our roots in social justice. The name change also captures our approach of collaborating with and never overshadowing our diverse partners worldwide.”
