What We Do

Provide Technical Assistance

The Initiative provides access to the ideas, people, skills, tools, effective examples, and learning opportunities that sites need in order to expand opportunities for young people. The Initiative provides customized technical assistance based on site needs and available resources and brings sites together for convenings, workshops, and training sessions that are specifically focused on improving implementa¬tion of the site-level strategies.

Advocate for Improved Policies and Practices

The Initiative advocates for improved policies and practices that impact youth leaving foster care. As a national leader, the Initiative raises awareness of the issue of young people leaving foster care by building coalitions, making presentations, and sponsoring events. The Initiative also informs policy makers and practitioners about relevant issues by publishing and widely distributing topical briefs and other materials, creating national press attention, conducting communications and public relations events that influence public will and create a climate conducive to systems improvement, and building partnerships with key stakeholders from state and local en¬tities to support advocacy efforts that affect federal policies.

Make Grants

The Initiative may make limited grant dollars available to sites for planning purposes and may solicit grant proposals from sites for specific and discrete pieces of work that contribute to the local effort. The Initiative also makes grants to national organizations that seek to impact the transitioning youth foster care population. Through these grants, the Initiative creates national partnerships that work to improve policies and practices at the state and federal levels and to provide youth advocacy and technical assistance that are critical to communities.