Foster Care to Success offers scholarships to help fund foster youths' post-secondary education so they can achieve brighter futures. Applicants for the general scholarship must have been in public or private foster care for the 12 consecutive months leading up to and including their 18th birthday; or have been adopted or placed into legal guardianship after their 16th birthday; or have been orphaned for at least one year at the time of their 18th birthday and not subsequently adopted. Applicants must be under the age of 25 by the deadline for the scholarship, have been in foster care or orphaned while living in the US, and have been accepted into or expect to be accepted into an accredited, Pell-eligible college or postsecondary school. Applications run from January 1-March 31 annually.
Studies show young adults rely on their families for emotional support and some financial assistance until they are 26 years old. Annually, approximately 5,000 turn to Foster Care to Success (FC2S) for the support they cannot get from a parent or guardian – like financial backing for college in the form of scholarships and grants, care packages and family-like encouragement, academic and personal mentoring, and help with internships and employment readiness skills.