Bereavement Partners Helping families in times of grief is at the heart of our foundation’s mission.

Today, more than ever, children and families need support in navigating a world filled with grief and loss. Our purpose is to elevate the conversation and awareness about grief support by providing the acknowledgement and tools needed for a more grief-sensitive culture. We are proud to be one of the leading funders of childhood bereavement support in the country.

Father and daughter griefing

Loss is more common than you think.

One in twelve Americans will lose a parent or sibling before age 18 and the vast majority of children experience a significant loss by the time they complete high school.

Our partner, Judi's House developed the Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model (CBEM) to understand the magnitude of the issue. The CBEM approximates rates of U.S. children and youth who will experience the death of a parent or sibling by the time they reach adulthood.


Supporting grieving children and families

Recognizing the critical need to provide greater support to grieving children and their families, the New York Life Foundation established childhood bereavement as a funding focus area in 2008. As our commitment to the bereavement “field” has grown, we’ve been proud to serve not only as a funder but as an active partner to a wide range of nonprofits and initiatives, helping to raise public awareness about grief’s impact as well as build community of support for this field. The issue is at the heart of our company’s mission and day-to-day business, resulting in robust employee engagement across the country in support of grieving children.


How we're taking action