About the initiative
What is Fostering the Future?
A part of a national commitment to young people transitioning out of foster care
A plan for what’s next, built just for you, by you
FosteringTheFuture.gov helps you learn about your options, find and navigate curated resources and support in your local community, and build a personalized plan for what comes next.
- Browsing is free and confidential.
- Explore curated local resources and programs that you may qualify for, and get tips on how to access them.
- Want to save your plan? Create a profile with a username and password, then sign in any time to pick up where you left off.
What we heard from young people with foster care experience:
“[A website like this] would have allowed me to be able to have a voice in my own plan. It would have been a light at the end of the tunnel.”
“I felt like I had to go the extra mile to find out the resources [when I was aging out]. It would be very helpful to have just one place where you can go that has the information that you need.”
“[Being a part of this design process] really allowed me and others who came from foster care to have a voice and to be amplified.”
Why it matters
At 18, the system stops. Everything else doesn’t.
Helpful resources and programs are out there, but finding the ones in your community that fit your needs isn’t always easy.
The challenge
Young people currently in the foster care system (as of September 2025)
Young people aging out each year
of young people who have been in foster care experience homelessness between ages 19 and 21.
Young people leave foster care in every part of the country, but what's available to them changes from place to place. Housing help, college money, and health coverage can look very different by state and county.
That's why this tool starts with where you are. Tell us where you're looking for resources, and we'll show you what's available in your community.
About the initiative
A national commitment to young people leaving foster care
Fostering the Future is a multi-pronged commitment to enhance support for young people leaving foster care, strengthen families, and improve outcomes for children and youth across the United States.
Fostering the Future Accounts
Fostering the Future Accounts are federally-backed tax-advantaged investment accounts for children currently in foster care, opened through their state child welfare agency and funded with contributions of up to $5,000 a year. The program launched in July 2026 and is currently available in 23 states.
The Foster Youth to Independence Program
Over 1,400 housing vouchers have been distributed nationwide so far, with $30 million in funding from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026.
The Fostering the Future Fund
The FY 2027 budget proposes a Fostering the Future Fund. Unused federal adoption and guardianship incentive funds could support young people transitioning out of foster care.
In partnership with
