2 0 2 5
Y E A R
I N
R E V I E W
A Distinct Year at CAFO
CAFO unites a growing movement in shared initiatives to inspire and equip God’s people to care effectively for vulnerable children and families, rooted always in Christian discipleship and the life of the local church.
CAFO COMMUNITY & Member Highlights
57
323
ORGANIZATIONAL MEMBERS
GLOBAL NETWORKS
842 CHURCH MEMBERS
(Up from 298 in 2024)
4,192,525
CHILDREN SERVED
by the CAFO community in 2025
Including 5,978 churches and 2,155 NGOs
6,759,521
FAMILIES SERVED
by the CAFO community in 2025
Inspiring & Equipping God’s People
2025 BY THE NUMBERS
29,795
Lessons completed in CAFO Academy
$176,000
Grants distributed in support of collaboration & excellent practice
47,138
Live learning engagements (webinars, coaching, cohorts, live events, etc.)
FIVE New books published 118,000
Unique visitors from 203 countries viewed our website
Until There’s More Than Enough — 2nd Edition When There is Crisis: A Handbook for Christian Foster & Adoptive Families Facing Serious Struggle Caleb Koala’s Comeback Ride in Hebrew and Arabic Everyone Can Do Something — Third Edition
Summit Highlights
3,472 attendees (including Virtual Collaborate+) 52 countries represented (68 countries including Virtual Collaborate+) 48 states represented 266 presenters 207 workshops
CAFO INITIATIVES
2025 Highlights & Vision for 2026 PURE RELIGION PROJECT
MORE THAN ENOUGH
Inspiring a holy and helpful vision for the Church
Helping US communities transform foster care
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Released the third edition of “Everyone Can Do Something” with new, expanded content.
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Created new church-based resources in collaboration with the Izidor film.
Goal for 2026: Expand “Effectively Engaging Churches” primer into a full-length book to better equip church engagement by nonprofit organizations.
CENTER ON APPLIED RESEARCH FOR VULNERABLE CHILDREN & FAMILIES Connecting research with practice for effective global care •
Celebrated the success of 13 institutions transitioning to family care and 861 children placed in families as part of the Care Transition Accelerator Academy program.
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Provided 4,825 live coaching hours through individual calls, peer learning communities and in-person training courses.
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Served over 50 collaborative networks representing 62 counties in 26 states. Also launched a new event, Unstuck, in West Virginia and Michigan.
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Released the second edition of “Until There’s More Than Enough: Working Together to Transform Foster Care Where You Live” with new, expanded content.
Goal for 2026: Expand Unstuck events into multiple states, aiming to increase the total number of US foster care networks.
INSTITUTE FOR FAMILY-CENTERED HEALING & HEALTH Helping foster and adoptive families nurture growth and healing •
Released a new book, “When There Is Crisis: A Handbook for Christian Foster & Adoptive Families Facing Serious Struggle,” to help struggling families.
Goal for 2026: Release the second edition of “Vulnerable Children in a Digital Age” to renew the call to help every child develop resilience in a digital world.
Goal for 2026: Create a new “Field Guide” to help families
SOUL CARE
GLOBAL NETWORK
Encouraging habits God uses to sustain us in the work for justice and mercy •
Hosted 100+ CEOs and spouses at Soul & Strategy retreat.
•
Published new academic research on organizational practices of soul care and formation, empirically confirming the measurable difference these commitments make for employees in nonprofit work.
cultivate healing and flourishing in the home over time through simple, research-informed habits and everyday Christian practices.
Uniting global networks to work better, together •
Hosted 1,400 leaders from over 50 countries at the annual Collaborate event, with live-stream connection into 29 locations worldwide.
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Led Community Mapping Cohort among network leaders, resulting in 10 local projects spanning Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe.
Goals for 2026: Expand resources, research and guidance for Christian leaders across the field.
Goal for 2026: Deepen approach to coaching global networks
DEVELOPMENT & DISCIPLESHIP
COMMUNICATIONS & ADVOCACY
Guiding new approaches in fundraising
Spurring the CAFO community through compelling communications
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Supported 225 ministries with coaching, leading to overall revenue growth of $24 million since 2020.
Goal for 2026: Expand services to offer more group coaching opportunities for engaged CAFO members.
toward more effective leadership, governance and health.
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Published landmark article, “A Watershed Perspective on Child Welfare” in National Affair Journal, sparking serious policy discussions in DC and considerations for reform.
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Led a working group to develop wise AI guidelines and conducted fresh research on US Christian engagement in foster care and adoption.
THANK YOU Thank you for caring for vulnerable children and families! Your support helps strengthen Christian collaboration and provide wise, effective care for orphaned and vulnerable children and families in the US and all around the world.
CAFO.ORG/TOGETHER
We’re Committed to YOU Through Transparency, Excellence and Financial Accountability For the first time, Ministry Watch included CAFO on its list of “Largest Christian Advocacy Organizations.” CAFO was the only organization on the list to receive a perfect 100 Rating for Ministry Watch’s Donor Confidence Score in 2025.
All CAFO administration is covered by sponsors, membership, and other sources, so 100% of your donations go to fuel CAFO initiatives that grow and guide effective care for children.