Cambodian Children's Fund
Cambodian Children's Fund is a Cambodian nonprofit organization providing education, family support, healthcare, child protection, housing, and community-development programs for children and families living in severe poverty.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Cambodian Children's Fund (CCF) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2004 by Scott Neeson to support children and families in Steung Meanchey, one of the poorest areas of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The organization emerged after Neeson visited Phnom Penh in 2003 and encountered children living and working around the city's municipal dump. He subsequently left a senior international film-marketing career and moved permanently to Cambodia in December 2004 to run the organization. CCF initially supported approximately 45 children. Its work later expanded into a broad community-development model serving more than 2,000 children and approximately 12,000 people in the communities where it operates, according to the organization's reference material. Rather than concentrating only on school sponsorship, CCF combines education with health services, childcare, maternal support, child protection, vocational training, family assistance, and housing. Its stated approach is to address the conditions that prevent children from attending school and progressing safely, including extreme poverty, poor housing, limited access to healthcare, family instability, and exposure to abuse or exploitative work. Education is central to the organization’s model. CCF provides schooling and related support intended to help children progress academically and develop leadership skills. Family and community programs are designed to make education sustainable by improving household stability and reducing the pressures that can push children into labor or unsafe environments. Vocational training and community outreach extend the organization’s work beyond children of school age. Healthcare activities include physical examinations, immunizations, dental care, treatment for existing medical conditions, and access to a medical center serving the wider community. A maternal-care program supports expectant mothers and has been associated, in the cited material, with a substantial reduction in reported maternal mortality among program participants. CCF also works in child protection through the Child Protection Unit, a joint initiative with the Cambodian National Police that investigates serious child abuse, rape, and homicide cases and supports victims. Housing is another component of the model. Through a partnership with the Canadian social venture World Housing, CCF has helped provide small, raised, insulated, solar-powered homes for eligible families in Steung Meanchey. Eligibility is tied to commitments such as prioritizing children’s education, maintaining a safe household, and keeping children away from the workforce. The organization has received recognition for its educational and humanitarian work, including the WISE Award in 2012 and several awards associated with founder Scott Neeson. It has also received favorable assessments from charity-rating and nonprofit-review organizations, including Charity Navigator and GreatNonProfits, based on the historical reference material. CCF’s public identity is therefore centered on integrated child welfare and community transformation rather than on a commercial product line. Its principal audiences are the children and families it serves, institutional partners, individual donors, volunteers, and international supporters.
History
Cambodian Children's Fund was created in 2004 by Scott Neeson, a Scottish-born Australian-raised film executive who had worked in international marketing and distribution for 20th Century Fox. During a five-week visit to Phnom Penh in 2003, Neeson visited the city's municipal dump and met children living in highly deprived conditions. The encounter led him to establish CCF the following year. In December 2004, he relocated permanently to Phnom Penh and took responsibility for developing the organization. The organization began by helping approximately 45 children in Steung Meanchey, an area associated with severe poverty and inadequate housing. Its activities expanded over time from direct assistance for children into a more comprehensive system of education, health, protection, housing, and community support. CCF's stated mission is to help transform children from Cambodia's poorest communities into future leaders through education, family support, and community development. CCF's education work is supported by programs intended to remove practical barriers to school attendance and achievement. These include family assistance, childcare, community outreach, and vocational preparation. The organization also operates or supports healthcare services. Children receive health examinations, immunizations, dental checks, and treatment for identified conditions, while the medical center provides free access to community members. The maternal-care program assists pregnant women and, according to the cited material, had supported the birth of 1,000 children by the middle of 2016 while reporting a decline in maternal mortality among participants from 8% to 0%. In July 2013, CCF and the Cambodian National Police launched the Child Protection Unit. The unit investigates serious cases involving child abuse, child rape, and homicide, and works to protect victims and pursue legal action. By the figures cited in the reference material, it had investigated 780 serious cases and contributed to 590 arrests, with almost all of those cases resulting in convictions. The unit gained public attention in 2014 through its reported involvement in the arrest of a school director accused of facilitating access to children by alleged pedophiles. Housing became another major element of CCF's community strategy through its partnership with World Housing, a Canadian social venture. By November 2016, more than 350 homes had reportedly been built for CCF families in the Steung Meanchey area. The homes were described as compact, raised structures incorporating insulation and solar power, with eligibility linked to household safety, children's education, and keeping children out of labor. CCF and its founder received recognition during the 2000s and 2010s. In 2007, Quincy Jones presented Neeson with the inaugural Harvard School of Public Health Q Prize for leadership in advocacy for children, while CCF received the Rex Foundation Bill Graham Award. Neeson received the Ahimsa Award in 2012, and CCF received a WISE Award the same year for its educational and social impact. Later recognition included charity-rating assessments, a 2016 GreatNonProfits listing, and a Variety International Children's Fund humanitarian award for Neeson. The available reference material does not establish a commercial parent company, public listing, or separate product brand architecture. CCF remains an active nonprofit whose identity is tied to direct services and long-term community transformation in Cambodia.
- 2016
CCF receives further nonprofit recognition
[1]The organization was listed by GreatNonProfits among its top-rated nonprofits, while its Charity Navigator accountability and transparency rating reached 100% according to the cited source.
- 2013
Child Protection Unit launches
[1]CCF and the Cambodian National Police began the joint Child Protection Unit.
- 2012
CCF receives a WISE Award
[1]The organization was recognized for its educational and social impact through a WISE Award.
- 2007
CCF and its founder receive major humanitarian recognition
[1]Scott Neeson received the inaugural Harvard School of Public Health Q Prize, and CCF received the Rex Foundation Bill Graham Award.
- 2004
Cambodian Children's Fund is founded
[1]Neeson founded CCF to support children in Steung Meanchey, initially assisting approximately 45 children.
- 2004
Neeson relocates permanently to Phnom Penh
[1]In December, the founder moved permanently to Cambodia to manage the organization.
- 2003
Scott Neeson visits Phnom Penh's municipal dump
[1]During a five-week visit to Cambodia, Neeson encountered children living around the Phnom Penh municipal dump, an experience that prompted the creation of CCF.
Products and positioning
An integrated child-welfare and community-development organization focused on helping children and families move from extreme poverty toward education, safety, health, and economic opportunity.
Education · 2004
Education and leadership programs
CCF's central service is education for children from impoverished communities. The model combines schooling with family support, childcare, community outreach, and leadership development so that children can remain in education despite household poverty and unsafe living conditions.
Healthcare
Healthcare and maternal-care program
Healthcare services include physical examinations, immunizations, dental checks, treatment for existing medical conditions, and free community access to a medical center. Maternal-care services support expectant mothers and are intended to improve outcomes for mothers and newborns.
Child protection · 2013
Child Protection Unit
The Child Protection Unit is a joint CCF and Cambodian National Police initiative focused on investigating serious child abuse, rape, and homicide cases, supporting victims, and helping bring perpetrators to justice.
Housing assistance
World Housing homes
Through its partnership with World Housing, CCF helps eligible families obtain small, raised homes designed to provide greater safety and stability. The houses described in the reference material include insulation, solar power, and a concrete base, with eligibility tied to children's education and household safety.
Community development
Vocational training and community development
CCF extends its services beyond direct child education through vocational training, family assistance, childcare, and community outreach intended to improve household resilience and reduce the conditions associated with child labor and extreme poverty.
Brand decisions
2013
Establish the Child Protection Unit with Cambodian policeStrategyBackground
Children in vulnerable communities faced serious risks of abuse and exploitation.
Action taken
CCF partnered with the Cambodian National Police to create a dedicated unit investigating serious crimes against children.
Aftermath
The unit was credited in the cited material with investigating hundreds of serious cases and contributing to hundreds of arrests.
2004
Adopt an integrated community-development modelStrategyBackground
CCF began as a response to children living in extreme poverty around Phnom Penh's municipal dump.
Action taken
The organization expanded beyond direct child assistance to combine education with healthcare, family support, housing, child protection, and vocational programs.
Aftermath
The integrated model grew from an initial group of approximately 45 children to programs serving thousands of children and many more community residents.
Recent events
- 2016
CCF receives a 100% accountability and transparency rating[1]
Other
CCF's overall Charity Navigator rating rose to 100% for accountability and transparency, according to the cited reference.
- 2016
CCF included among GreatNonProfits' top-rated nonprofits[1]
Other
GreatNonProfits included Cambodian Children's Fund in its 2016 list of top-rated nonprofits.
- 2014
Child Protection Unit involved in arrest of school director[1]
Other
The Child Protection Unit was reported to have participated in the arrest of a school director accused of giving alleged child abusers access to children in his care.
- 2014
Charity Navigator recognizes CCF's financial performance and transparency[1]
Other
Charity Navigator awarded CCF a four-star rating for financial performance and transparency, according to the cited organizational history.
- 2013
Child Protection Unit begins operations[1]
Other
CCF and the Cambodian National Police began operating the Child Protection Unit to investigate serious child-abuse, rape, and homicide cases and help protect victims.
- 2004
Cambodian Children's Fund is established in Phnom Penh[1]
Other
Scott Neeson established Cambodian Children's Fund after visiting children living around Phnom Penh's municipal dump and later moved permanently to Cambodia to manage the organization.
Sources2 sources
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