About
Make-A-Wish is the world's largest wish-granting organization, serving children diagnosed with critical illnesses. Make-A-Wish America, the national office headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, supports a network of independently chartered nonprofit chapters throughout the United States and its territories. Since the first wish in 1980, the global Make-A-Wish movement has granted more than 650,000 wishes worldwide.
Mission
Make-A-Wish exists to grant the wish of every child diagnosed with a critical illness. The organization believes a wish is an integral part of a child's treatment journey, bringing hope and strength to wish kids and their families.
What they do
- Wish granting: local chapter staff and volunteers meet with each wish child and family, learn the child's one true wish, and work to make it come true. In the United States, a wish is granted every 33 minutes.
- National network support: Make-A-Wish America serves as the national office for independently chartered chapters operating across the U.S. and its territories.
- Global reach: Make-A-Wish International, formed in 1993, extends wish granting to nearly 50 countries and territories on six continents.
- Volunteer engagement: the movement is supported by more than 27,000 volunteers worldwide who serve as wish granters, fundraisers, and event support.
History
Make-A-Wish traces its origin to 1980, when Christopher James Greicius, a 7-year-old Phoenix boy battling leukemia, wished to become a police officer. His community came together to fulfill that wish, inspiring the founding of the organization by Tommy Austin, Frank Shankwitz, Allan Schmidt, and Scott Stahl, with Chris's mother Linda Pauling among the co-founders. The organization celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2020.
Scale and impact
Collectively, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 650,000 wishes worldwide since 1980. The U.S. network grants a wish every 33 minutes, and the movement is powered by more than 27,000 volunteers around the world.
Financials
According to ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer, Make-A-Wish Foundation of America (EIN 86-0481941) is a 501(c)(3) organization that reported total revenue of $136,767,956, total expenses of $137,816,534, and total assets of $125,508,364 for the fiscal year ending August 2025. The IRS issued its tax exemption in June 1986.