Every Child Deserves a Safe Childhood
When a child goes missing, every second matters. NCMEC is the nation’s leading child protection organization, working to find missing children and keep all children safe.
NCMEC operates in real time alongside law enforcement—coordinating urgent responses, analyzing critical reports, and providing expert guidance when it matters most. In the face of the unthinkable, families turn to NCMEC as a trusted partner—offering clarity, compassion, and steady support during the most overwhelming moments.
Story Behind the Leadership
Maria Cristina Fuentes
2026 NCMEC Board
"Whether your gift helps find one missing child, supports one grieving family, or prevents one child from becoming a victim, every contribution has the power to change a life."
Throughout her career, Maria has been driven by one purpose: protecting children. Whether working in child protection, victim services, human trafficking, or alongside law enforcement, children have always been her greatest motivation. She has dedicated her career to preventing crimes against children, supporting victims and their families, and strengthening the systems that help keep children safe.
That lifelong commitment is what led Maria to serve on the NCMEC Board, an organization she believes represents the very best of what is possible when compassion, innovation, and collaboration come together. Serving on the Board is one of the greatest honors of her career, and she is proud to support NCMEC's work.
Maria believes protecting children is a shared responsibility. She often says, "It takes a village," and to her, NCMEC is that village for missing and exploited children. By supporting NCMEC, you are doing far more than making a donation—you are helping bring children home, giving hope to families, and ensuring that when a child needs someone to fight for them, someone is there.
Every child deserves to be safe, supported, and found.
Your donation keeps critical resources in place so NCMEC can respond the moment a child goes missing. It strengthens prevention efforts that protect children before harm occurs. And it provides ongoing support for families and survivors on the path to recovery.
Our board members help lead this work alongside a dedicated team committed to protecting children every single day. We invite you to join them.
Make a gift today and stand with the families who need it most.
In 2025, NCMEC analyzed over
21 million
CyberTipline reports involving child sexual exploitation.
NCMEC responded to more than
32,167
missing children reports and achieved a 90% recovery rate.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
At NCMEC, our teams work around the clock—responding to urgent reports, supporting families in crisis, and helping bring children home safely. We partner with families, private industry, law enforcement, and communities to find missing children, stop child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization.
This work never stops. And neither can we.
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NCMEC holds a perfect 100% four star rating on Charity Navigator, a gold seal of excellence from America's Best Charities, and a top charity rating from the Better Business Bureau, among several other awards and recognitions. Over 92 cents of every dollar raised goes towards NCMEC's programs and services. When you give to NCMEC, you can rest assured that your donation helps to find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization.