Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health

The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health is an independent public charity, devoted exclusively to promoting, protecting, and sustaining the health of children, with a focus on San Mateo and Santa Clara counties in Northern California. The foundation, established in 1996, evolved from Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University. The foundation is named for noted philanthropist Lucile Salter Packard, who had a lifelong devotion to the health and well being of children.

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Programs

The foundation employs three strategies to advance the health and well being of children: It is the primary fundraiser for Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital; it provides grants to organizations in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties that promote the health and well being of children; and it disseminates information to raise awareness and promote action regarding key children’s health issues.

Fundraising

The foundation is the primary fundraiser for Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and the pediatric programs of the Stanford University School of Medicine. Donations support family-centered care, research, and training for pediatricians and researchers. In May 2007, the foundation launched a $300 million campaign for Packard Hospital and the School of Medicine.

Grantmaking

Grantmaking advances the health of children in two areas: preventing neglect, child abuse, and other forms of intentional injury in children ages 0-5; and promoting the emotional and behavioral health of preteens ages 9-13.

Information

The foundation’s Information Program provides information about the health and well being of local children. Through this program, the foundation sponsors events, research, surveys, and polls about children’s health, including a comprehensive poll to determine how Bay Area parents say their kids are faring. The Information Program also runs several websites aimed at parents, policymakers, and professionals:

• Kidsdata.org provides facts about children ages 0-18 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Data encompass all aspects of children's health, from asthma and alcohol consumption to weight and reading proficiency levels. Foundation staff send a monthly newsletter, Kidsdata Monthly, to provide a regular summary of new and noteworthy data and resources from kidsdata.org. Kidsdata has been nominated for a Webby award twice.

• Kidscal.org is a calendar of children's health events sponsored by nonprofit organizations in California's San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Users can search by location, type of event, and age of child. The events are designed for children ages 0-18, parents, educators, and health professionals. Foundation staff send out a weekly e-mail alert, Kidscal Update, noting new and notable events from the calendar.

• The Preteen Alliance is a collaborative that promotes the emotional and behavioral health of preteens. Through its website, a monthly e-mail newsletter, public events and sponsorship of research, the alliance focuses on children ages 9-13.

In the news

In early 2007, the foundation announced the appointment of its new president and CEO David Alexander, M.D.[1] Also in 2007, a survey commissioned by the foundation found that Bay Area parents listed stress, depression, weight and the fallout from family conflict as among the chief concerns for their children.[2] In 2006, the foundation released a survey that found that schools and the well being of children were the top concerns for Bay Area adults regardless of parental status, gender, political affiliation, or income level.[3]

Lucile Packard

Lucile Packard (1914-1987) and her husband, David (1912-1996), co-founder of Hewlett Packard Company, were dedicated to children and were the driving force behind the development of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. There are several distinct organizations that bear Lucile Packard’s name. Among them are The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. Because of their similar names, the organizations can be confused with each other, and they often work closely together to help improve the health of children.

See also

• Stanford University Medical Center
• The David and Lucile Packard Foundation