The Candie's Foundation

The Candie’s Foundation works to shape the way young people in America think about teen pregnancy and parenthood. In June 2001, Neil Cole, head of the Candie’s fashion brand, launched The Candie’s Foundation to educate America's youth about the devastating consequences of teenage pregnancy.

The foundation reaches millions of teens each year with high-profile media campaigns that encourage the delay of pregnancy and challenge America’s youth to make healthy decisions about sex. Our approach is unique: all of our ads use celebrities that teens can relate to, in a style that speaks to teens on their own terms. We go beyond raising awareness; our goal is to influence teen culture.

A key to the success of our campaigns is sharing our content with organizations around the country that are doing community-level teen pregnancy prevention programs. This way we reach teens simultaneously at the macro level – teen culture around teen pregnancy and parenting – and the micro level – individual skills and behaviors.

Our campaigns are making a difference. Teen girls who have been exposed to the foundation and its messages are more likely to view teen pregnancy and parenthood as stressful and negative, and they are more likely to be skeptical of the media’s portrayal of teen pregnancy and parenting. They also think teens should wait longer to have sex than girls who are not aware of the foundation and its messages.