About me:

About Us

First Candle is a national nonprofit health organization uniting parents, caregivers and researchers nationwide with government, business and community service groups to advance infant health and survival.  With help from a national network of member and partner organizations, we are working to increase public participation and support in the fight against infant mortality.   

First Candle is tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code and has been recognized as one of the top fifteen children's charities in America and as a "little charity that does big things" by Parenting and Parents magazines. Worth Magazine also named First Candle one of the nation's top 100 charities worthy of donor support.

A national member in good standing of Community Health Charities, First Candle participates in workplace giving programs across the country. We are proud to maintain administrative costs well below the nonprofit industry standard of 25 percent.  In fiscal year 2002-2003, First Candle reported that fundraising and administrative costs comprised only 18 percent of the organization's total operating budget.

History

Started in the early 1960s as the National SIDS Foundation, the organization's primary focus was to support families who had experienced the death of a baby to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).  Through the Foundation, grassroots advocacy efforts were successful at securing the first national funding available specifically for SIDS research. In 1987, forged through the merger of several national and regional SIDS groups from across the country, the SIDS Alliance was created as an umbrella organization to provide a single, focused entity dedicated to the elimination of SIDS.  For 17 years, the SIDS Alliance prioritized and accomplished significant reductions in SIDS rates in the United States.

In 2002, the SIDS Alliance board of directors voted to expand the organization's mission to address other areas of infant death, including stillbirth and miscarriage. The organization has committed its resources -- both human and financial &--- in the hopes of having a similar impact it had and continues to have on SIDS rates on all areas of infant mortality. Fittingly, the organization also voted to change its name to First Candle, Helping Babies Survive and Thrive, to reflect its broader mission and hope for the future.

Mission

First Candle promotes safe pregnancies and the survival of babies through the first years of life.
 
Through programs of research, education and advocacy, we are working toward a future where all babies are provided the best possible chance to reach not only their first birthday, but many happy birthdays beyond. Until we reach this goal, we remain committed to providing compassionate grief support to all those affected by the death of a baby.

Contact Us

First Candle is here to help. Whether you are seeking information on ways to help your baby survive and thrive, have experienced the death of a precious infant or are a professional working with families, this site is your gateway to support.

For more information, feel free to call us toll free at 800-221-7437 or via email at info@firstcandle.org. Our mailing address is:

First Candle
1314 Bedford Avenue, Suite 210
Baltimore, MD 21208