Giving Factory Direct delivers clothing straight from families who would like to make a difference to families facing clothing insecurity. Children receive a donation—a package of high-quality, seasonally appropriate, essential clothing—packaged and shipped by participating donors, and delivered by one of our service partners.

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.

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 the 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.

All donations should meet our Quality = Dignity standards and should be cleaned prior to shipping. Please make sure that your clothing is clean and high-quality before including it in your donation.

All donors should ship clothing that is appropriate for the current weather where the child you are matched with lives. If it is close to a change in season, it is appropriate to include some items for the months ahead.

*Coat donations are seasonal and will only be a donation option during the winter season.*

Every child matched is a specific request from a family, and our Service Partners are meticulous about providing accurate sizing information. Please only donate clothing in the exact size requested. We cannot accept clothing in sizes that do not match the child’s request. (Even if your child is the same age and a different size or same size and a different age, please follow the size as listed in the match.)

All clothing donations and coat donations are given to children ages 0–12. We accept sizes 0–3 months to youth 18/20 (adult medium). If donating adult sizes extra small, small, or medium, please make sure the clothing is appropriate for a child to wear.

Our network of Service Partners place orders for the families they work with—and we match donors to those orders! When a Giving Factory Direct package is delivered to the Service Partner who placed the order, they make arrangements to deliver it to the child within days.

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.

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. If you have multiple coats you would like to donate, please note that 1 child matched = 1 coat = 1 box.  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.

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 DONATIONS OFF AT THE LOCATION.

If you are unable to ship your donation within ten days of being matched, please email support@givingfactorydirect.org and we can give you a shipping extension.

You are welcomed to buy new clothing as long as you are able to pack and ship your clothing donation 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.

Not yet! Please only donate the clothing requested as specified by the information on the match. Many children and families receiving a clothing donation must transport their items on public transportation and the predetermined donation 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.

Right now, we cannot accept items that do not meet the criteria of a complete donation. However, you can help us grow the Giving Factory Direct program by making a financial gift here.

When making a coat donation, please keep in mind it may be the only coat the child has, so it is important that the coat can be worn outside in all winter weather conditions. Winter coats are heavy/puffy, contain waterproof material, and extend to the hip or longer. 

In addition, coats should be new or like new. That includes no holes/tears, no stains, no names/initials on labels from previous owner, and zippers that are fully functional.

*Coat donations are seasonal and will only be a donation option during the winter season.*

No. Each coat donation includes one coat for one child in need. If you have multiple coats you would like to donate, please note that 1 child matched = 1 coat = 1 box. 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.

*Coat donations are seasonal and will only be a donation option during the winter season.* 

No, please only include a coat and no additional items. We do NOT take hats, gloves, or scarves. When in doubt, refer to what was requested as specified by the information on the match.

*Coat donations are seasonal and will only be a donation option during the winter season.* 

All coat donations are given to children ages 0–12. We accept sizes 0–3 months to youth 18/20 (adult medium). If donating adult sizes extra small, small, or medium, please make sure the coat is appropriate for a child to wear.

*Coat donations are seasonal and will only be a donation option during the winter season.* 

*Coat donations are seasonal and will only be a donation option during the winter season.*

Yes! In fact, we encourage our donors to clean out their closets as the seasons change and as children grow out of their coats. Before donating a gently used coat, please make sure of the following: 

• Coat is appropriate for winter weather  
• No holes, tears, or stains. 
• Zippers should be intact and fully functional. 
• No names or initials on labels. If there is a name on the label of the coat you would like to donate, please remove before donating.