The National Center on Fathers and Families (NCOFF) was established in 1994 at the Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania with core support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. An interdisciplinary policy research center, NCOFF is dedicated to research and practice that expands the knowledge base on father involvement and family development, and that informs policy designed to improve the well-being of children.

Developed in the spirit of the Philadelphia Children's Network's (PCN) motto, Help the children. Fix the system., NCOFF seeks to increase and enrich the possibilities for children, ensuring that they are helped and that the system allows for and encourages the positive participation of fathers in their children's lives.

NCOFF's primary goals are to:

• Expand the knowledge base on father involvement, family efficacy, and child well-being within multiple disciplines through research and development, integrated discussion, and information building
• Strengthen practice through practitioner-targeted conversations, information dissemination, and collaborative activities
• Contribute to critical policy discussions by creating a coherent agenda of work that is built around existing and emerging local, state, and federal efforts