March of Dimes Foundation is a health agency that supports research, education, and medical and social services for children and pregnant women. It is a leading authority on such issues as birth defects, low birth weight, infant mortality, and maternal drug and alcohol abuse.
The agency was established in 1938 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to combat epidemic poliomyelitis, or polio. It was then called the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. It funded the development of the Salk and Sabin vaccines that help prevent polio. In 1958, the agency began working to prevent birth defects and also changed its name to National Foundation. In 1967, the agency changed its name to National Foundation—March of Dimes. March of Dimes referred to the dimes sent to the White House during Roosevelt’s presidency for the agency’s annual fund-raising drive. In 1979, the agency changed its named to the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation. The agency adopted its present name in 2006.
The March of Dimes is supported by donations and assisted by volunteers. Headquarters are in White Plains, New York.
