Fathers & Families was incorporated as a Massachusetts 501(c)3 not-for-profit charitable organization on February 24, 1998. Founded by Ned Holstein, M.D., M.S., John Cristofano, John Maguire, and Phil Clendenning, our original name was "Foundation for Fathers and Families, Inc." In 2002, we shortened our name to "Fathers and Families," and trademarked our new name with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Fathers & Families protects the child's right to the love and care of both parents. We seek shared parenting for the children of divorced and never-married parents with equal rights and responsibilities for fathers and mothers.

We saw that fathers' organizations in Massachusetts were polarized at two extremes.

On one side were organizations that provided fellowship, support, and commiseration for fathers who had been badly treated by the family courts, but had no realistic program for changing society's treatment of divorced and never-wed fathers and their children.

On the other side were militant organizations, strong on rhetoric and confrontation, but also lacking a realistic program for social change.

Fathers & Families was determined to enter the middle ground. We would grow into a powerful advocacy organization, using modern, sophisticated tools to fight for social change, while avoiding unfunded efforts to provide social services to fathers, as well as intemperate rhetoric and confrontation.

We began immediately with a marketing campaign to attract as many supporters as possible, as well as a media campaign to maximize our visibility. As our funding increased, we retained professional lobbyists in late 1999, and we gradually increased sustainable member services. We are currently in the process of intensifying our media visibility, expanding our marketing efforts, improving our research capabilities, and launching our legal defense fund.

For every advocacy organization in America, there are two keys to success: members and money.

Our membership has now grown to approximately 1,800 men and women. In 2002, we reached our goal of $100,000 of contributions and gifts, up nearly 50% from 2001, while almost all other charitable organizations saw declines of 20% or 30%.

Our goals in 2006: 2,500 members and $300,000 in revenue, allowing us to add or improve the legal defense fund, media campaign, marketing, research, and member services.