Category: Fatherhood

Fatherhood program staff leaning over a table, writing down project ideas, editing documentation at brainstorming in an office.

Walking in Dads’ Shoes: How Journey Mapping Helps Programs Truly Serve Fathers

In plain terms, the “Adapting to Fathers’ Needs: Creating Change Using Insights from Customer Journey Mapping” brief asks programs to walk through each step as a dad experiences it. It invites fatherhood program teams to review every touchpoint — from outreach to intake to workshops to follow-up — and name what feels welcoming, what trips fathers up, and what would keep them coming back. The brief translates empathy into operations, and it works.

a crying child sitting at the table with a bowl

When the System Shuts Down, Hunger Doesn’t Pause

If the shutdown continues, SNAP benefits – the the very foundation of food security for millions of families across the country – may not be available as of November 1. For many, that means facing an impossible question: How do I feed my children without help?

Happy family mom dad and little cute daughter having fun at home giving high fives and laughing

Parenting Is a Team Sport: Why Fathers Incorporated Is Strengthening the Co-Parenting Circle

As we’ve evolved in fatherhood work — listening to the voices of fathers, mothers, partners, and families — we’ve learned that supporting dads alone is only part of the equation.

The next chapter of our journey demands that we strengthen the team surrounding the father, as well. That’s why we are introducing Dad & Company: Building an Effective Co-Parenting Team — a new initiative grounded in the principles of responsible fatherhood but expanded to include everyone who plays a role in raising healthy, resilient children.

black and white photo of a man holding his head in his hands

What Fatherhood Programs Must Say About Domestic Violence

As an organization that works daily with fathers — men who are often healing, learning, and rebuilding their relationships — FI sees firsthand that domestic violence is not just a women’s issue or just a criminal justice issue. It’s a family issue. A public health issue. A community issue. 

When fatherhood programs give men the language, space, and opportunity to confront domestic violence, they often become some of the strongest advocates for ending it.

A man in a suit standing alone, smiling. A small group of people stand and talk in the background.

It Is Your Demise People Want to See, More Than Your Success

Sometimes, people are more comfortable with your potential than your progress. Success is strange that way. It exposes people. It has a quiet way of shaking loose the truth about who’s really for you and who’s only for the version of you that made them feel comfortable.

a small group of people around a conference table where a computer screen shows additional people in the virtual component of the meeting

NRFC Highlights for 2025, a Year That Put Tools in Dads’ Hands

This year, the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) kept its promise to meet dads where they are, give them what they can use, and keep the lights on — day and night — so help is there when it’s needed. On behalf of the Office of Family Assistance, our team at Fathers Incorporated focused NRFC activities on developing clear guidance, stronger platforms, and real pathways for dads and the people who serve them.

young girl looking sad and hugging a teddy bear

There Is No Such Thing as a Fatherless Child.

One hundred percent of biological children have a father. The question is not if he exists — it’s where. And when we fail to ask “where,” we teach children to believe he doesn’t exist.

Father and son in a field of tall grass, walking toward the horizon where the sun is setting and casting golden light on the land

Why Rural Fathers Matter: Stories from Appalachia and Beyond

I keep replaying a moment from filming our PSAs with rural dads. The cameras were down, and one of the dads looked over the ridge and said, “I didn’t know I had it in me to be this kind of father.” I know that feeling. 

Parents and two children sitting on a couch looking at the camera and smiling

Gentle Warriors Academy Receives $6.5M Grant to Strengthen Fathers, Families, and Communities in Georgia

The grant award expands GWA’s ability to equip fathers, couples, and co-parents with the skills, coaching, and support that build resilient families — improving child well-being, enhancing relationship health, and advancing long-term household stability.

A father and son walking outside; the son has his arm over the father's shoulder

National Forgiveness Day: A Father Reflects on Healing, Redemption, and Second Chances

Forgiveness doesn’t erase pain; it transforms it. For fathers, it is not just a personal act. Forgiveness teaches our children that mistakes are not the end of love and that relationships are not defined by their worst moments, but by the courage to move beyond them.

wooden cut-outs that represent three figures - father, mother, and child - posed next to a gavel on the bench in a courtroom

A Fair Fatherhood, Not a Paper Fatherhood

Fathers Incorporated advocated for legitimation reform at a hearing held by the House Study Committee on Legitimation in Augusta, Georgia. Our role throughout this series of hearings has been two-fold: to bring forward fathers’ lived experience and offer workable solutions.

interior of a courtroom viewed from the gallery looking toward the judge's bend

Child Support Without a Villain: Rebuilding the Narrative and the System (Part II)

Reforming the child support system, which affects millions of families across all 50 states and costs billions of dollars annually to administer, is not a matter of political preference. It’s a matter of social responsibility.

small group of people sitting in a circle with one person placing a hand on the shoulder of another

What Kept Me Here: My Story of Suicide, Hope, and Worth

You are not your worst day, your red numbers, your divorce decree, your diagnosis, your court date, or your secret. You are not the sum of your disappointments. You are a father, a mother, a child, a friend, a builder, a teacher, a maker of ordinary miracles. Your name is needed in rooms you haven’t walked into yet.

a close-up of the hands of two individuals discussing charts on a clipboard and a screen of a tablet

The Hard Truth About Federal Funding and Philanthropic Giving

Nonprofit leaders must build organizations strong enough, deep enough, and clear enough in purpose to ensure that no funding source — federal, philanthropic, or private — ever becomes the author of their mission.

child hugging her father while the mother looks on from the background

7 Critical Co-Parenting Tips: Essential Strategies for Fathers

Every father has the potential to be a positive and impactful presence in their child’s life, regardless of the family structure. These seven tips can help you navigate your co-parenting journey with confidence and compassion.