The Kids in Need Foundation (kinf.org) provides underfunded classrooms around the country with free school supplies. The foundation’s mission is to ensure that disadvantaged students in inner-city schools don’t lack the tools necessary for a quality education. Individual donors and partner companies such as Target, Office Depot, and Staples donate surplus school supplies, which are distributed to schools that need them through a national network of resource centers located in 29 major cities. Since its founding, in 1995, the foundation has distributed a total of $450 million in supplies and bettered the education of about 2.4 million students annually. It has also awarded about $1.4 million in grants to K-12 teachers to finance creative classroom projects.
Each charity we feature has earned a four-star overall rating from Charity Navigator, which ranks not-for-profit organizations on the strength of their finances, their control of administrative and fund-raising expenses, and the transparency of their operations. Four stars is the group’s highest ranking.
