March of Dimes

Hello. We are the March of Dimes, and for more than eighty years, our goal has been to help families have healthy babies. But our story began with a different mission, one born out of a time of great fear. We were established on January 3rd, 1938, with the name the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. Our founder was the President of the United States at the time, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had been diagnosed with a paralytic illness himself and understood the devastating impact of such conditions. Our purpose was clear and urgent: to unite the entire nation in a fight to defeat a disease called poliomyelitis, most commonly known as polio.

In those years, polio was a deeply feared virus. It spread through communities, and no one knew how to stop it. It was especially frightening because of its severe effect on children, sometimes causing paralysis, which meant they could lose the ability to move their muscles. Families everywhere worried that their children could be next. To fight back, we knew we needed to raise money for scientific research and to help patients who were already sick. We launched a fundraising campaign that was different from many others. Instead of asking for large sums from wealthy donors, we asked everyone in America to contribute whatever they could. A popular radio star named Eddie Cantor made a famous appeal, asking people to mail their dimes directly to the White House. Millions of people responded. This incredible flood of small donations became known as the “March of Dimes,” a name that was so popular it eventually became our official one.

Those dimes, collected from people all across the country, were put to powerful use. We used the funds to support the work of brilliant scientists who were searching for a way to stop polio for good. Our most significant contribution to this effort was funding the research of Dr. Jonas Salk and his dedicated team. After years of hard work, they developed a promising weapon against the virus: an injectable, inactivated polio vaccine. An inactivated vaccine uses a killed version of the virus to teach the body’s immune system how to fight it off without causing the disease. But before the vaccine could be given to the public, it had to be proven both safe and effective. This led to a historic undertaking that we organized in 1954.

To test the Salk vaccine, we launched one of the largest medical trials in history. The participants were 1.8 million schoolchildren who bravely volunteered with the permission of their parents. These children became known as the “Polio Pioneers.” The trial was a massive logistical challenge, but it was essential to gathering the scientific evidence needed to confirm the vaccine’s power. The world waited anxiously for the results. Then, on April 12th, 1955, the official announcement was made: the Salk vaccine worked. The news was a moment of incredible relief and celebration across the globe. It was a monumental turning point in the history of public health. Our work didn't stop there; we immediately began a national campaign to ensure the vaccine was distributed to everyone who needed it. As a result, the number of polio cases in the United States dropped dramatically, and a disease that had once caused widespread panic was finally brought under control.

With polio largely conquered in the U.S., we faced an important decision about our future. We had built a powerful and trusted organization with a vast network of volunteers and supporters. Should we simply close our doors, or could we use our strength to tackle another major health challenge? We chose to continue our work. In 1958, we officially changed our name to the March of Dimes Foundation and launched a brand-new mission. Our new focus would be on preventing birth defects and infant mortality. We turned our attention to the complex and often mysterious reasons that some babies are born with health problems or are born too early, which is known as premature birth. We began funding new kinds of research, looking into everything from genetics and family history to environmental factors that could affect a baby’s health. Our work expanded beyond the laboratory to include direct support for families and public education about having a healthy pregnancy.

Today, our fight for the health of all moms and babies continues. The challenges have evolved, but our commitment has not wavered. We fund vital research to understand the causes of premature birth, which is still the leading cause of infant death. We also support scientists looking for ways to prevent and treat birth defects. Beyond research, we provide critical support programs for families. We offer education and comfort to parents who have a baby in a neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, which can be an incredibly stressful experience. We also advocate for policies that improve healthcare for mothers and their infants, ensuring they have access to the care they need. From our first steps in the fight against polio to our modern work championing the health of the next generation, our purpose has always been to give every baby the best possible start in life.