Foundation and the Ad Council Work to Help Children

July 1, 2004 — The Freddie Mac Foundation gave a $100,000 grant to the Advertising Council. The grant will be used to support the Ad Council's Commitment to Children. The contribution marks the Foundation's first grant to the Ad Council and places the Foundation among the Ad Council's Leadership Circle, the largest class of donors for the organization.

"The Ad Council's 'Commitment to Children' initiative fits wonderfully with the Foundation's dedication to opening the doors of hope and opportunity for children in our community," said Maxine B. Baker, president and CEO, Freddie Mac Foundation. "We are proud to support these efforts on behalf of children by partnering to create communications programs that address vital issues affecting our nation's children and enabling parents to create a caring family environment for their children."

The Ad Council launched its Commitment to Children initiative in 1995 and now devotes 70 percent of its resources towards children-related issues. The goal of the initiative is to develop communications programs that strengthen parenting skills, empower and support family members and caring adults through community efforts, and stimulate children to engage in responsible behavior. Last year, the Ad Council added 10 new campaigns intended to benefit children to its docket, including Childhood Cancer, Online Sexual Exploitation, Early Childhood Learning, Foster Adoption and a campaign with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) designed to prevent underage drinking.

"We are grateful to the Freddie Mac Foundation for their generous contribution which marks the start of a long-term partnership that will enhance our campaigns and, ultimately, benefit so many children," according to Peggy Conlon, president and CEO, The Advertising Council. "The issues that are important to the foundation correlate closely with many of our campaigns, including adoption, child abuse and education. This grant will provide resources to help the Ad Council continue to deliver critical messages to Americans which can improve the lives of both children and families."

Since 1995, public service campaigns focusing on improving the lives of children account for approximately 70 percent of the Ad Council's agenda. The Ad Council Commitment to Children has leveraged over $6.2 billion in donated media. A key element of the Commitment to Children has involved the use of research. Over the years, the Ad Council has conducted both quantitative and qualitative research to gauge public opinion, to understand the underlying process behind the public's thinking and to track the success and reach of messages created to help make children's issues a priority. Early in the Commitment to Children research, the Ad Council found that the public blamed parents for children's problems, and did not feel inclined to help "those bad parents" whose children were facing difficulties. The public also felt that the problems facing children were so overwhelming they could not imagine doing anything that would, or could, make a real difference.

However, today, there are signs that the public is becoming more optimistic about children and what they can do to help. A brand new survey recently fielded by the Ad Council, "Engaging the Public on Behalf of Children 2004," reveals dramatic shifts in the public's views of children, their sense of responsibility to all children, and their willingness to help. It also points to a climate in which the public is poised to respond in positive ways to messages that offer opportunities to help kids.

The Ad Council is a private, non-profit organization with a rich history of marshalling volunteer talent from the advertising and media industries to deliver critical messages to the American public. Having produced literally thousands of PSA campaigns addressing the most pressing social issues of the day, the Ad Council has effected, and continues to effect, tremendous positive change by raising awareness, inspiring action, and saving lives. To learn more about the Ad Council and its campaigns, visit www.adcouncil.org.

The Foundation has invested $141 million in nonprofit organizations serving children and families since its inception in 1991. In more than a decade, the Foundation has helped better the lives of 1.5 million children. The Foundation has traditionally awarded grants in three focus areas-programs preventing child abuse and neglect by building strong families, finding adoptive homes for foster children and developing youth to their full potential. The grant to the Ad Council supports all three focus areas.