California: Chafee Grant Offers Education Funding for Foster Youth

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The Chafee Grant, a mixture of state and federal funds, offers financial assistance to current or former foster youth in California interesting in pursuing technical training or college within the state. Applicants must be younger than 22, still in or formally in a foster care program in the state of California and complete three forms to determine eligibility: the Chafee Grant Application, the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA), and Chafee Need Analysis Report (NAR). Grants range from $5,000 to the full cost of tuiton, depending on the students financial need assessment. Money can be used for support services such as child care, rent and transportation, as well as general education fees such as books and tuition. There is no deadline for applications.

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Help Foster Kids Build Lasting Relationships

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From the federal level, the Administration of Children, Youth and Families are offering funding opportunities to support effective strategies to help youth at risk of aging out of foster care develop skills to strengthen and manage their relationship with biological family members and other important individuals in their lives. The end goal is to promote a healthy transition into adulthood. Projects selected for funding will be expected to:

Increase reunification or other permanency for youth who are at risk of aging out of the foster care system;
Build protective mechanisms (i.e. self-regulation, coping, and self-efficacy) and factors with youth to promote relational competencies and the ability to successfully seek out environments and social settings that support their own positive development now and in the future;
Demonstrate effective strategies to promote connecting youth with adults in a long-lasting and meaningful way;
Develop models or strategies of youth relational competency, youth leadership, employment and educational achievement;
Evaluate the processes and outcomes of these strategies and models; and
Each project will serve as a "learning laboratory" producing knowledge about capacity-building and effective practices in the coordination and delivery of services to young people in foster care. The application deadline is July 7, 2012.