Resources

This guide walks young adults through important steps after filing their taxes, including checking their refund status, setting up payment plans if needed, troubleshooting issues such as identity theft, or someone incorrectly claiming them on their tax return.

Between 2021 and 2024, California’s capacity to serve former foster youth through supportive transitional housing and federal housing vouchers has increased by 70%, reaching more than 3,700 youth at a moment in time. This report discusses this increase in capacity, related findings and recommendations.

Between 2021 and 2024, California’s capacity to provide former foster youth with transitional housing and housing vouchers increased by 70%, reaching more than 3,700 youth at a point in time as of 2024. This report analyzes this expansion, making findings and offering recommendations for counties and the state.

This webinar provided county child welfare agencies and their community partners with information and resources to assist non-minor dependents and former foster youth with filing their taxes and claiming the California Foster Youth Tax Credit, worth up to $1,154 in 2025.

This virtual training provided college campus personnel with information to assist students with experience in foster care with filing their taxes and claiming the California Foster Youth Tax Credit (FYTC). Presenters provided background of the FYTC, and an overview of outreach materials, strategies to educate students about tax filing and how to prepare, and resources to file for free with support.

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.