Children's Defense Fund
CHILDREN'S DEFENSE FUND ENVISIONS A NATION WHERE MARGINALIZED CHILDREN FLOURISH, LEADERS PRIORITIZE THEIR WELL-BEING, AND COMMUNITIES WIELD THE POWER TO ENSURE THEY THRIVE.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF
Total Assets
$40.1M
-30.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$7.0M
+95.5% YoY
Grant Count
34
+100.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$207K
-2.3% YoY
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $40,067,480 | $57,617,574 | $58,320,035 |
| Revenue | $23,995,349 | $23,484,456 | $23,874,522 |
| Expenses | $34,918,824 | $34,275,209 | $28,045,615 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $805,651 | $952,405 | $-1,565,228 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
135 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Who else does Children's Defense Fund fund?
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Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| STARSKY WILSON | PRESIDENT/CEO | 35 | $366,711 |
| SHERI BRADY | VICE PRESIDENT, STRATEGY & PROGRAM | 35 | $200,742 |
| CHERYL COOK-POSLEY | NATL DIR, MVMT BUILDING & PROGRAMS | 35 | $160,016 |
| OLETA FITZGERALD | DIRECTOR OF SOUTHERN REGIONAL OFFICE | 35 | $155,443 |
| KATHLEEN FLYNN | CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | 35 | $143,878 |
| KRISTAL CLEMONS | NATIONAL DIRECTOR FREEDOM SCHOOLS | 35 | $137,642 |
| ALTA RIGGS | CONTROLLER TO OCTOBER 2024 | 35 | $137,349 |
| SHAQUITE PEGUES | MANAGING DIRECTOR FREEDOM SCHOOLS | 35 | $135,893 |
| MARIAN EDELMAN | PRESIDENT EMERITA | 35 | $115,126 |
| DON DARIUS BUTLER | CHAIR | 5 | — |
| DEBORAH JEWELL-SHERMAN | SECRETARY | 1 | — |
| MARTIN RODGERS | TREASURER | 1 | — |
| ZACHARY BOYERS | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | — |
| WILLIAM CLAY GRUBB | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | — |
| MALAAK COMPTON-ROCK | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | — |
Geographic Focus
Where this funder has awarded grants
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Data last updated March 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.
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