Resources

These toolkits are designed to support high school counselors working with students with experience in foster care or homelessness in completing their FAFSA/CADAA applications. The toolkits provide a step-by-step checklist, resources, and key definitions to support counselors in connecting students to critical financial aid. [Updated November 2024.]

This “how-to” webinar is to assist those working with California’s foster youth and unaccompanied homeless youth to successfully complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA). The webinar will review the FAFSA and CADAA, page by page, including detailed instructions on how eligible students can qualify as independent students for the purposes of maximizing financial aid. Presenters will also provide information on key steps to take after the FAFSA or CADAA is completed, such as creating a WebGrants account.

This webinar highlights new findings from a report from the Urban Institute, Paying for College as a Student with Foster Care History, which analyzed the usage of this expanded aid across the 2023-24 academic year and shed light on the impact that has been realized as a result of this expansion. In addition, this webinar reveals new insights from thirteen focus groups with students who were eligible to receive Middle Class Scholarship funding to better understand the impact of financial aid in their postsecondary educational journey, from their decision to enroll and their perceptions of affordability to the impact it makes on their current college experience.

This report, conducted by the Urban Institute, analyzes the usage of the Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) for current and former foster youth across the 2023-24 academic year and sheds light on the impact that has been realized as a result of additional funding. In addition, this report highlights findings from thirteen focus groups with students who were eligible to receive MCS funding to better understand the impact of financial aid in their postsecondary educational journey, from their decision to enroll and their perceptions of affordability to the impact it makes on their current college experience

This webinar highlights findings from JBAY’s recent groundbreaking report, College Costs Uncovered: An Examination of the Accuracy of College Cost of Attendance Budgets and Implications for Student Success. JBAY compared COA budgets to regional living expenses and made startling discoveries regarding the accuracy of these budgets. Students, institutional representatives and the report authors share the findings and provide actionable recommendations on institutional practices and state policies that can ensure COA budgets accurately reflect students’ true college costs and allow them to access critical financial aid that supports their academic success.

It is without question that college is unaffordable for many students, particularly those with the least resources. While crucial work is being done to expand the availability of financial aid, a less understood issue is how higher education institutions approach setting cost of attendance (COA) budgets, which impact how much financial aid students can receive. This report explores how COA budgets compare to students’ true college costs and includes recommendations to support access to critical financial aid that supports student academic success.

In its first year of implementation, more than 4,700 youth received the California Foster Youth Tax Credit, collectively receiving nearly $5 million. This webinar shares findings and implications from JBAY’s report summarizing the progress achieved in the first year of implementation of the new credit, which provided up to $1,083 to youth ages 18-26 who filed their 2022 state taxes, and were in foster care on or after their 13th birthday.

In its first year of implementation, more than 4,700 youth received the California Foster Youth Tax Credit, collectively receiving nearly $5 million. This report summarizes the progress achieved in the first year of implementation of the new credit, which provided up to $1,083 to youth ages 18-26 who filed their 2022 state taxes, and were in foster care on or after their 13th birthday.

This webinar marked the release of publication providing providing county child welfare agencies and Public Housing Authorities with recommended best practices for local administration of special purpose Housing Choice Vouchers for former foster youth. These vouchers are available through the Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) Initiative and the Family Unification Program (FUP).

This resource provides county child welfare agencies and Public Housing Authorities with recommended best practices for local administration of special purpose Housing Choice Vouchers for former foster youth. These vouchers are available through the Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) Initiative and the Family Unification Program (FUP).