Children's Inn at NIH

The Inn provides "A Place Like Home" in a healing environment for seriously ill children and families to stay together while participating in groundbreaking medical treatment at NIH.

How do you help people in my community?

Anyone who has ever had a sick family member knows the hardship that can accompany illness. When a child is seriously ill, the entire family is affected; spouses and siblings may have to be separated, medical treatment and travel create a significant financial burden, and families may become isolated in their own communities. Our mission is to provide a home to keep families together during their child’s treatments, reduce stress, and facilitate healing through the mutual support of other families facing similar situations. People from all walks of life who have sick children in their family are able to benefit from the programs and services that The Children’s Inn provides.

The Children’s Inn has been home to seriously ill children and their families from all 50 states and 74 different countries. Since our services have touched the lives of families and children from all across the United States and many countries—from large cities to small towns, and even rural villages—it is likely that someone from your community or surrounding area has stayed or will have to stay at The Inn.

Why do you need my support?

While The Children’s Inn is located on the campus of the National Institutes of Health, it is a private non-profit entity that has to raise funds to cover all operating costs. We do not charge families to stay at The Inn, no matter how long the visit, so donations—no matter how large or small—are vital to keeping our doors open. It is because of the generosity of our donors that we are able to continue providing services such as arts and crafts, bingo, Camp INNcredible, teen night, Giggles Children’s Theater, family night, EducateINN and many other activities that help to keep our residents’ minds off of the real reason that have to be here. 

How can I be sure that you will use my money wisely and won't waste it?

Since our establishment in 1990, The Children’s Inn has been committed to maintaining the integrity of our fundraising program in order to ensure both effective financial management and exceptional programming for the children and families we serve. The Children’s Inn at NIH has been recognized twice in 2010 for exemplary management practices. This spring, The Inn met all 20 rigorous “Standards for Charity Accountability” and is thrilled to display the Better Business Bureau Charity Seal. According to Art Taylor, President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance, “National charities that display the BBB Wise Giving Alliance seal can do so with pride; not only are they attesting to their organizations’ adherence to sound standards, they are helping to increase donor confidence and strengthen public trust in giving.” Kathy L. Russell, The Inn’s Chief Executive Officer, stated that “we take great pride in demonstrating financial accountability; The Inn’s success depends on the generosity of our donors [and] we want our donors to be fully assured that their contributions are used wisely and effectively.”

In addition, in June 2010, The Inn was honored as a finalist for the Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management; this competitive award recognizes outstanding achievement in nonprofit management in areas such as financial management, risk management, organizational planning, and much more.

The Children’s Inn at NIH has a history of heavy congressional spouse involvement on our Board of Directors, providing guidance and ensuring accountability. The Inn also has over 200 volunteers from the community to help in virtually every operational aspect, enabling us to keep our staff overhead costs low. In FY09, only 11% of our annual operating budget was allocated for general and administrative costs. Our audited financial statements are available upon request. In addition, we maintain a donor privacy policy to protect the privacy of our donors and their special relationship with The Children’s Inn.

Can I Volunteer? How?

Visit www.childrensinn.org and click on Volunteer or Get INNvolved to see the many opportunities in which you can help the children and families who stay at The Children’s Inn.