How It Works:
Giving Factory Direct is an innovative, new clothing donation program to support children facing Clothing Insecurity in our communities.
You and your family donate two outfits from the comfort of your home directly to a child who needs them.
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- Sign up, start a donation, get matched with a child.
- Pack two outfits (gently used or new) for the child you’re matched with.
- Ship (for free) directly to the child in need.
- Spread the word about Giving Factory Direct.
Watch the video below to learn about our process!
Questions? See the FAQs below.
More questions? Email support@givingfactorydirect.org
Children's Clothing Insecurity: A Hidden Crisis
More than 20 million American children currently live below 200% of the federal poverty line (a total of $53,000 for a family of four, annually). All are at risk of being clothing insecure. Not having appropriate clothing harms a child’s health, safety, and self-esteem, factors known to impact a child’s academic performance and long-term success.
Cradles to Crayons® believes that all children should have what they need at home, at school, and at play. We’ve been connecting communities to provide no-cost access to these essentials since 2002. Now, thanks to Giving Factory Direct, we can go beyond our current service areas to support those 20 million children across the country.
Our Impact:
—Sheltering Arms, NYC Service Partner
—Remy’s Mother
—Win NYC, NYC Service Partner
—Sheltering Arms, NYC Service Partner
Fund the Cause
Make a financial donation to help us get more clothes to children in need.
What Goes In My Clothing Donation?
Two high-quality, seasonally appropriate outfits.
Package them at home and ship (for free!) to one of our service partners who will deliver your donation to a child in need.
A cornerstone of our mission, our Quality = Dignity guidelines ensure that all donations meet the standards every child deserves.
Watch the video to review our quality standards!
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is the goal of Giving Factory Direct?
What are Cradles to Crayons’ quality standards?
At Cradles to Crayons, we believe that Quality = Dignity. Giving Factory Direct uses donated clothing that has been hand-selected with care to meet a boy or girl’s specific needs. Please ensure that your gently used donations are washed and high-quality (no rips, stains, or inappropriate messaging). Click here to watch our quality standards video.
How can I get involved and what's expected?
Signup is easy! Go to givingfactorydirect.org and create an account. From there you will be prompted to take our Quality Quiz to ensure your donations meet our standards.
Then, enter the sizes of the clothing you have to donate (or let us know if you’d like to go shopping for a child) and you will be matched to a child. If you are not matched immediately, look for an email within 3 days with your match!
Once matched, you have 10 days to ship your clothing using theI pre-paid UPS shipping label provided. If you need more time, email us at support@givingfactorydirect.org.
All of your account information and matches can be accessed by logging into givingfactorydirect.org at any time.
Should I wash the clothes before I ship them?
What is considered “seasonally appropriate”?
How do I ensure that the items I send are in the correct sizes?
What sizes do you accept?
Who receives the clothing donations (KidPacks) from Giving Factory Direct?
How do I ship my donation?
All packages must be shipped using the pre-paid UPS label provided through Giving Factory Direct. You must provide your own box. The label provided will contain all the appropriate information to process your package and deliver it to the child you have been matched with.
Can I ship more than one KidPack in a single box/bag?
No! All clothing donations must be shipped separately using the auto-generated UPS label provided to ensure they are processed correctly and delivered to the correct child. Please do NOT put multiple donations into one box even if they are going to the same location, as they may be going to different families.
Do I have to ship my KidPack? Can I drop it off?
All donations must be shipped using the UPS shipping label provided to ensure they are processed correctly and delivered to the matched child. PLEASE DO NOT DROP KIDPACKS OFF AT THE LOCATION.
If I am matched with a child and I am unable to send it within the time frame, can I send it at a later date?
If you are unable to ship your KidPack within ten days of being matched, please email support@givingfactorydirect.org and we can give you a shipping extension.
Can I buy new clothing for any child or match to donate for any size?
You are welcomed to buy new clothing as long as you are able to pack and ship your clothing donation (KidPack) using the auto-generated UPS label within ten days of being matched. DO NOT ship new clothing from online retailers directly to the Service Partner as they will not be able to identify who the clothing is for.
I have more to give. Can I ship extra items?
Not yet! Please only donate the clothing requested as specified by the information on the match. Many children and families receiving a clothing donation (KidPack) must transport their items on public transportation and the predetermined KidPack contents are easy to carry. If you live near Boston, Chicago, or Philadelphia, you can always bring additional items to a drop-off location near one of our Giving Factories.