Save the Children USA

Save the Children USA
Name	Save the Children USA
Formation	1932
Type	Non-governmental organization
Headquarters	Fairfield, Connecticut
Leader title	President and CEO
Leader name	Janti Soeripto

Save the Children USA is an American nonprofit humanitarian organization founded in 1932 that focuses on improving the lives of children through health, education, protection, and emergency response programs. The organization operates domestically and internationally, partnering with multilateral bodies, national governments, and local actors to deliver services in crises and development settings. It collaborates with a wide array of institutions and participates in global forums to influence child-focused policy and practice.

History

Save the Children USA traces its roots to early 20th century relief efforts and was established amid interwar humanitarian movements that included actors such as League of Nations, Herbert Hoover, American Relief Administration, and relief societies responding to the Spanish Civil War. Founders were inspired by contemporaneous efforts like Eglantyne Jebb's work, the Save the Children Fund in the United Kingdom, and transatlantic philanthropic networks linked to families associated with Rockefeller Foundation initiatives and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. During World War II the organization engaged with agencies such as the Office of Strategic Services and relief coordination involving UNRRA and later integrated into postwar reconstruction dialogues alongside Marshall Plan stakeholders. In the late 20th century, Save the Children USA expanded programming in response to famines in Ethiopia, conflicts in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Rwanda, and displacement crises connected to events like the Gulf War and the Yugoslav Wars. In the 21st century the organization scaled emergency responses to outbreaks of Ebola virus disease, the Syrian Civil War, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and the COVID-19 pandemic, while engaging with global initiatives such as the United Nations Children's Fund and the Sustainable Development Goals agenda.

Mission and Programs

The stated mission centers on improving child survival, learning, and protection, working across sectors and forming partnerships with actors including World Health Organization, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, World Food Programme, UNICEF, and national ministries such as the Ministry of Health (India) and the Ministry of Education (Kenya). Programmatic areas have included nutrition interventions aligned with WHO guidelines, early childhood education models connected to research by Harvard University and University of Oxford, child protection systems development comparable to frameworks from International Labour Organization and Convention on the Rights of the Child signatories, and emergency cash transfer pilots influenced by practices at the World Bank and International Rescue Committee. Save the Children USA has implemented large-scale vaccination campaigns in collaboration with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and maternal health initiatives reflecting recommendations from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded studies. Its reading and education programs have coordinated with curriculum reforms in countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal, and monitored outcomes using metrics similar to the Programme for International Student Assessment and the Every Child Learning frameworks.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

The organization functions as a national member of the Save the Children movement and interacts with international offices, national societies, and networks that include Save the Children International, Save the Children UK, and other national affiliates. Governance has involved a board of directors drawn from philanthropy, corporate, and nonprofit sectors with ties to entities like Ford Foundation, Cisco Systems, Goldman Sachs, and universities including Columbia University and Yale University. Executive leadership has included presidents and CEOs with backgrounds tied to humanitarian operations and development policy, engaging with forums such as the Clinton Global Initiative, the World Economic Forum, and panels convened by the United Nations General Assembly. Regional program directors coordinate activities across continents, liaising with bodies like African Union, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and national disaster management agencies such as Federal Emergency Management Agency and National Disaster Management Authority (India).

Funding and Financials

Funding sources encompass individual donors, institutional grants, corporate partnerships, and foundations including relationships with USAID, European Commission, United Nations, Gates Foundation, and corporate giving from firms like Google, Coca-Cola, and Pfizer. Financial reports have detailed expenditures across programmatic lines, emergency appeals, and administrative costs, and the organization has been evaluated by watchdogs such as Charity Navigator, GuideStar, and Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance. It has issued public appeals for crises including the Syria humanitarian crisis, the Yemen crisis, and natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and Typhoon Haiyan, receiving multilateral funding and private philanthropy in response.

Advocacy and Policy Work

Advocacy efforts target child-focused policy agendas at venues such as the United Nations, U.S. Congress, European Parliament, and regional bodies including the African Union and Organisation of American States. Campaigns have centered on child protection laws consistent with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, nutrition policies aligned with World Health Assembly resolutions, and education financing discussions informed by UNESCO analyses. Save the Children USA has produced policy briefs and research collaborating with institutions such as Brookings Institution, Center for Global Development, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine to influence debates on humanitarian access, child marriage legislation, and cash transfer programming.

Controversies and Criticism

The organization has faced scrutiny over internal culture, program outcomes, and financial management in ways similar to other large NGOs, prompting reviews linked to governance standards from entities like Charity Commission for England and Wales and audit practices recommended by International Aid Transparency Initiative. Past controversies have prompted independent investigations, leadership changes, and reforms touching on safeguarding policies comparable to reforms implemented after high-profile cases involving Oxfam and Plan International. Critiques have also addressed operational choices in complex contexts such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia where humanitarian access, counterterrorism measures, and donor conditionality—issues debated at forums like UN Security Council and Financial Action Task Force—affect programming. The organization continues to engage external reviewers and partners including Independent Commission on Aid Impact-style evaluators to strengthen accountability and compliance.

Category:Children's charities based in the United States