Who is Starlight Children's Foundation?
When a child is hospitalized for a serious illness, it often comes with different challenges and difficulties.
That’s why Starlight exists.
We ensure children’s hospitals are easier places for kids to be. Our vital programs help prepare kids for treatments, distract them from endless pokes or pain, find relief from stress and anxiety, and ease boredom to help kids feel better.
That’s why we aim to bring joy to hospitalized kids through essential programs that inspire comfort, alleviate stress, and unleash the healing power of play, so kids don’t just cope – they thrive.
Through our innovative and holistic range of programs, we help kids find their inner strength and resilience so they can navigate the challenges of hospitalization and illness with courage and confidence.
Why Starlight?
Starlight is America’s broadest-reaching charity focused on sick kids. Starlight’s reach is local yet national. You can donate to support kids in your own community, region, state, or across the country.
Starlight is also recognized as an integral part of the total care of hospitalized kids. Starlight programs help kids facing a wide range of diagnoses, from all serious illnesses to chronic illness, to injury, from inpatient to outpatient.
Starlight is an accredited 501(c)(3) and delivers its programs free of cost to over 700 children’s hospitals and healthcare facilities nationwide, serving 3.4 million children. 47% of facilities in Starlight’s network serve medically underserved communities.
Starlight has received the highest grades possible for accountability and transparency across all not-for-profit rating organizations, including a four-star rating from Charity Navigator for seven consecutive years, an achievement attained by only 13% of charities.
Charity Navigator
Guide Star
Great Nonprofits
Charity Watch
Happy Kids Heal Faster
Happiness improves our health and emotional well-being. That’s why Starlight’s play-powered programs all aim to deliver happiness to kids with serious illnesses.
What Donor Dollars Deliver
Starlight’s tangible, play-powered programs supports a child’s healing with play throughout their hospital journey; bringing comfort, positive distraction, and a sense of normalcy during the moments they may feel overwhelmed, anxious, or stressed.
“98% of Starlight hospital partners strongly agree or agree that Starlight programs help put kids at ease and combat kids’ anxieties and stress while in the hospital.”
The Starlight Families program also exists to bridge the gap between a child’s hospital journey and their at-home recovery. By joining this program, families receive digital tools and resources and early access to Starlight programs that continue to bring happiness to pediatric patients and their families.
Ways to Give Happiness
Together, we can improve every hospitalized child’s mental and emotional wellbeing to help them thrive as they navigate a serious illness.
Get involved today!
1. Donate to Give Happiness
When you donate, you can specifically fund a specific Starlight program.
2. Start a Fundraiser
Start a fundraiser in your community through the activities you love. Starlight has initiatives including charity runs, streaming, and fandom with purpose.
3. Become a Corporate Partner
Starlight’s stress and anxiety relieving programs are customizable and are able to integrate partner brands across Gowns, Toy Deliveries, Content on VR, and Games on Gaming Station.
Starlight’s partners include Nintendo, LEGO, Mattel, and Major League Baseball.
Deliver happiness to your inbox!
Subscribe for periodic impact updates, ways to get involved, and give back to families in need.
