Children's Foundation of Memphis
About Us
The Children's Foundation of Memphis is the private foundation established in 1982 with the sale of The Crippled Children's Hospital. Our mission is to serve the health and well-being of children in the Memphis area.
Our primary grantee is the Children's Foundation Research Institute (CFRI), which is a partnership among the Children's Foundation of Memphis, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, and Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. This partnership has supported pediatric medical research since 1993.
We currently also direct funds to programs at a small number of exemplary youth-serving organizations that strive to help children in the Memphis area reach their potential and become independent, productive adults. These programs promote healthy early childhood development and school readiness, enhanced educational skills and academic achievement, and effective avoidance of high-risk behaviors such as drug abuse, violence, and teen pregnancy.
If your program aligns with our mission and one of our stated focus areas, please call or e-mail the office to receive information on applying for a CFOM grant.
-Our Mission-
to serve the health
and well-being
of children
in the Memphis area
Our Story
In 1917, a group of women from Calvary Episcopal Church saw a need and discussed raising funds to purchase a wheelchair for a child with polio. Conversations with Dr. Willis C. Campbell, the first professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Tennessee Medical School, challenged them to not simply purchase a wheelchair but to build a much-needed children's hospital as well. The Crippled Children's Hospital opened with four patients in 1919. By the mid 1940s, it had served over 2,800 children and had expanded services to provide not only medical and dental care but also a home, an education through high school graduation, and occupational therapy - all free of charge to its patients. By the late 1970s, occupancy rates at the hospital had fallen due to the reduction in the numbers of children needing residential care for crippling diseases. In 1982, the decision was made to close the hospital, sell the property to Methodist Health Systems and place the proceeds in a foundation which would continue to help improve the lives of children. The Children's Foundation of Memphis is proud to carry on this mission today.
700 Colonial Road #227
Memphis, Tennessee 38117-5142
901-683-3176