Friends of the Children began as a local, nonprofit organization in 1993 in Portland, Oregon, and has grown to a network of more than 36 independent nonprofit chapters across the United States. The growth of this network took place after the formation of a national organization, the nonprofit Friends of the Children—National. Over time, this organization created a plan for scaling a long-term professional mentoring model and expanding service delivery throughout the country. To achieve its mission of breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty, the organization has centered its expansion on creating opportunity for youth and families, setting audacious goals, creating clear requirements for the formation of new chapters, and targeting services to address challenges related to risk factors such as foster care, housing instability, and mental health.