Better Futures for Foster Youth
Support throughout a young person’s life is critical on the journey to adulthood, especially at key milestones—graduating high school, applying for college, trying to land that first job, or living on their own for the first time. And yet, for foster youth, government support and resources decrease at these very moments. The critical services that do exist to support them are spread out across a number of different agencies and service providers, each with their own requirements and eligibility, making it challenging for youth to receive the full range of resources available.
With tailored, targeted, and holistic guidance during these crucial life transitions, we can equip current and former foster youth with the tools they need to navigate the steep climb out of the foster care system and support them on their path to achieving brighter outcomes.
About the Initiative
Better Futures for Foster Youth is a five-year, $15 million Tipping Point initiative to improve support and services for the estimated 4,000 transition-aged foster youth (aged 14 to 24) in the Bay Area.
Launched in 2019, Better Futures for Foster Youth aims to change policy and systems to make it easier for foster youth to secure stable housing, pursue and complete in higher education, and get better access to the safety nets that will help them succeed. It will also establish a first-ever statewide platform to collect and share outcomes data and research to inform policy and practice changes at all levels.
Why Foster Youth?
SOURCE: 2011 Chapin Hall Midwest Study of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth
Better Futures Grantees
Bay Area TAY Workforce Initiative
$400,000 over 2 years
California Youth Connection
$525,000 over 2 years
Foster America
$1,600,000 over 2 years
John Burton Advocates for Youth
$2,000,000 over 3 years
National Center for Youth Law
$1,200,000 over 3 years
On the Move
$1,500,000 over 3 years
Pivotal
$1,200,000 over 3 years
Santa Clara County
$40,000 over 12 months
University of Chicago
$75,000 over 18 months
WestCoast Children’s Clinic
$1,750,000 over 3 years
Youth Law Center
$1,000,000 over 3 years
Non-Profit Funding
What We Fund
- In the final year of this initiative (2021), we will invite 2 to 3 new organizations to join the Better Futures for Foster Youth portfolio.
- We fund organizations supporting transition-aged youth (aged 14-24) who are currently involved and/or transitioning out of the foster care system.
- We fund organizations that are creating systemic change by leading policy and advocacy efforts at the state and county level to create more opportunities and resources for foster youth.
- We fund efforts to increase transparency, data sharing and collaboration between nonprofit organizations and government agencies.
- We fund direct service organizations that have proven program models that are ready to scale and or replicate.
- We also prioritize organizations led by people of color, recognizing that Black, Latinx, AAPI, and indigenous-led organizations have historically been underinvested in by philanthropy.
What We Don’t Fund
- We do not fund organizations that work outside of our focus area of transition-aged youth.
- We do not fund ongoing direct-service programs.