Life AfterFoster Care.

Foster the Future helps Arizona teens and young adults ages 16–24 prepare for adulthood with practical guidance, career mentorship, and financial support for education and skills-based training.

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A diverse group of young adults sharing a joyful moment outdoors

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Get SupportFind practical guidance and career opportunities to help you prepare for adulthood as you transition from foster care.

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Become a MentorShare your experience to help a young person explore a career or work through an unfamiliar responsibility.

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Help Fund a FutureHelp cover career training and required expenses so a young person can take the next step toward work.

Adulthood comes with a lot of things no one teaches you.

Young people aging out of foster care are often expected to take on major responsibilities without the family support or consistent guidance many of their peers can turn to.

Foster the Future helps fill that gap. That can mean having someone explain a lease before signing it, learning how credit works, figuring out which career path makes sense, or simply knowing who to call when something unfamiliar comes up.

Filing taxes

Learn which tax forms you need, when to file them, and where to turn for help with unfamiliar questions.

Choosing a career path

Explore career options and find training programs or apprenticeships that can help you prepare for steady work.

Renting a home

Understand rental applications and lease terms, know what to ask a landlord, and plan for the cost of moving in.

Money and credit

Learn how to manage a budget, use bank accounts, and build credit while preparing for the costs of living independently.

A group of young adults sharing something on a phone

“Our role is to connect young people with the guidance and resources that can help them take that next step.”

A young adult completing written coursework

Support built around real life.

Foster the Future provides transition support for Arizona foster youth and young adults preparing for life beyond the foster care system. Some people need help figuring out their next career move. Others need someone who can explain an unfamiliar responsibility, make an introduction, or help cover the cost standing between them and an opportunity.

Career guidance and training

Everyday responsibilities

Mentorship and connection

How We Help

Career training should be within reach.

A four-year university is one path into a career, but it is not the only one. Foster the Future provides scholarship support for young adults transitioning from foster care who want to pursue career training, certifications, short-term courses, apprenticeships, and other skills-based opportunities. Funding may also help cover required expenses that traditional scholarships do not always include.

Short-Term Courses

Help with focused courses that teach practical skills and prepare young people for work in a specific field.

Certifications and Licensing

Help covering the credentials, exams, and licenses a young person needs to qualify for work in their chosen field.

Trade and Career Training

Support for technical education and hands-on training that help young people prepare for work in a trade or career.

Required Career Expenses

Help paying for tools, uniforms, supplies, and other required expenses that can stand between a young person and work.

Get Involved

Support for the transition into adulthood.

Apply for Help

Preparing to transition from foster care

For teens ages 16 and older preparing for life after foster care and beginning to plan for work or education.

Building independence after foster care

For young adults through age 24 learning to manage responsibilities after foster care without consistent guidance to fall back on.

Pursuing a skills-based career

For young people exploring trades or technical programs and looking for a route into work outside a traditional four-year degree.

Facing a gap in career funding

For young people who have found an opportunity but need financial help to cover training or other required career expenses.

A cosmetology mentor working alongside a young adult

Young adults collaborating around a table

What mentorship can look like.

A young person interested in cosmetology may know they enjoy the work but have no idea how to turn that interest into a career. Foster the Future can connect them with an experienced professional who can help explain the industry, introduce practical skills, answer questions about training and licensing, and show what working in the field actually looks like. A hairstylist, for example, could provide one-on-one mentorship covering basic techniques, client experience, building a clientele, and the realities of working in or operating a salon.

That experience gives the young person direct access to someone who has already taken the path they are considering.

Hands-on: Focused Learning
One-on-One: Guidance
Explore: Career Exposure

What you know could help someone move forward.

Supporting Foster the Future does not only mean writing a check. Professionals, businesses, volunteers, and community members throughout Arizona can contribute money, experience, access, or opportunities that help young people prepare for adulthood.

Fund an Opportunity

Help cover training costs or required career expenses so a young person can pursue an opportunity they might otherwise miss.

Become a Mentor

Share your professional or life experience to help a young person explore a career or navigate a responsibility new to them.

Create Career Access

Invite a young person to see your workplace, shadow a professional, or gain experience through an internship or apprenticeship opportunity.

Find Your Way to Help

A young adult making a new space feel like home