Foster America

Foster America Transforming the way our nation supports families. Foster America works towards a society in which all children, youth and families thrive.

Together with communities and local governments, we’re creating a just, equitable alternative to today’s child welfare system – so families stay together with access to the resources they need to thrive. We do this by bringing talent and building capacity to power innovations that strengthen families and transform our country’s approach to child welfare and child protection. Ultimately, we are bui

lding a national model for what the transition from our current child welfare system to child and family well-being systems can look like. Our work spans three pillars:

1. Changemakers: We seek out, support and build a network of talent - both in and beyond the child welfare field — with the determination and imagination to drive transformational change.

2. Knowledge: Working within and across communities, we actively listen and learn so we can share and scale knowledge – serving as a hub for ideas, relationship-building, technical know-how and alignment of efforts.

3. Innovation: Together, we’re generating and amplifying innovative ideas and equitable solutions that center community and cross-sector engagement, advance financial and policy reform, and build continuous learning — advancing well-being for all children and families.

Last week, our Changemaker Listening Session tour stopped in New York City, where we gathered with leaders from across t...
07/28/2026

Last week, our Changemaker Listening Session tour stopped in New York City, where we gathered with leaders from across the child and family well-being ecosystem—including people with lived expertise, Foster America alumni, funders, and community partners.

Together, we explored what's working, where barriers remain, and what it will take to create systems that better support children and families. Every conversation adds to a growing picture of the opportunities, challenges, and bold ideas emerging across the country.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and shared your perspective. Today, we're continuing the conversation in Washington, DC, and we're grateful to keep learning alongside changemakers committed to building a future where every family can thrive.

07/23/2026

As our work in Colorado continues to evolve, we’re delighted to spotlight Yumiko Dougherty, Cohort 3 Fellow, who is serving as Interim Director for our Colorado efforts.

Since joining the Foster America network in 2019, Yumiko has held leadership roles across Colorado’s human services ecosystem, including with the Colorado County Human Services Directors Association, the Colorado Department of Human Services, and the Colorado Behavioral Health Administration, and is the founder of Ignite the Change.

Deeply familiar with the Colorado landscape, Yumiko has partnered closely with Foster America and the Reimagining Committee, including consulting on racial equity efforts, positioning her to seamlessly continue and strengthen this work. In her interim role, she focuses on deepening partnerships with families and communities and expanding investments in prevention and family preservation resources.

We're incredibly grateful to have Yumiko on our team!

Our Changemaker Listening Session tour made its latest stop in Seattle!Yesterday, we gathered an incredible group of lea...
07/18/2026

Our Changemaker Listening Session tour made its latest stop in Seattle!

Yesterday, we gathered an incredible group of leaders and changemakers who are helping shape the future of child and family well-being.

The conversation brought together leaders with diverse perspectives and experiences—including people with lived experience, Foster America alumni, funders, thought leaders, and community partners—to share what's working, where barriers remain, and what it will take to create lasting systems change.

These listening sessions are about more than reflection. They're an opportunity to hear directly from the people closest to this work, elevate both shared experiences and local realities, and strengthen a national conversation about what children and families need to thrive.

We're grateful to everyone who joined us and shared their experiences, challenged our thinking, and imagined what's possible together. Meaningful change starts by listening, and we're honored to learn alongside so many thoughtful leaders committed to building a future where every child and family can thrive.

Next stop: New York City. We're looking forward to continuing these conversations, deepening connections, and carrying this momentum forward—one community, one conversation, and one shared vision at a time.

We’re thrilled to welcome Alia Stevenson as Foster America’s new Vice President of Programs!Alia is a systems change lea...
07/08/2026

We’re thrilled to welcome Alia Stevenson as Foster America’s new Vice President of Programs!

Alia is a systems change leader, coalition builder, and public health professional with deep experience advancing equity and strengthening communities. Throughout her career, she has brought people together across sectors to turn bold ideas into meaningful action and create the conditions for children and families to thrive.

From her leadership in statewide policy and systems change efforts at Kids Forward to her work as Co-Founder of nINA Collective, Alia brings a wealth of experience in community co-design, partnership-building, leadership development, and reimagining systems of support.

We’re excited to have Alia’s vision, expertise, and commitment to collective change as part of the Foster America community. Please join us in welcoming her!

As part of Foster America’s 10-year anniversary, we’re creating space across the country to listen, learn, and imagine w...
07/02/2026

As part of Foster America’s 10-year anniversary, we’re creating space across the country to listen, learn, and imagine what comes next for children and families.

On June 16th in San Francisco, we gathered a small group of changemakers from different roles, sectors, and lived experiences for a rich conversation about what families need and how we can build a future where more families thrive.

As JoAnne Scribner shared, “What made the conversation so meaningful was the richness of perspectives from so many different lenses. We learned from each other and left feeling inspired and hopeful about what we can build together.”

We continued the conversation over a reception, which was a meaningful reminder that people change systems—and relationships, trust, and connection matter.

Our Changemaker Listening Sessions are continuing across the country. We hope you’ll join us when we come to a city near you!

In May, Foster America joined the Ballmer Group, Washington DCYF, the Child Welfare Funders Collaborative, Pontifex Cons...
06/26/2026

In May, Foster America joined the Ballmer Group, Washington DCYF, the Child Welfare Funders Collaborative, Pontifex Consulting, and an extraordinary group of partners and thinkers for an in-person family & child well-being system modeling workshop at Ballmer Group’s offices in Bellevue.

This work is bringing together leaders across family-serving systems, policy, philanthropy, research, advocacy, and community to build a system model—a shared learning tool to help us better understand how decisions, policies, funding, practice, incentives, and feedback loops shape what children and families experience over time.

At last month’s convening, we began mapping the dynamics driving the current system and asking where there may be higher-leverage opportunities to support families earlier, strengthen community-based pathways, and reduce unnecessary involvement with the child welfare system.

What made the day powerful was not just the model. It was the conversation. People brought different forms of expertise, challenged assumptions, surfaced what is often invisible, and helped build a more nuanced picture of how systems behave over time.

That work is continuing through ongoing virtual conversations this summer, as the growing group keeps refining the model, sharpening the shared vision, and identifying the questions, data, examples, and assumptions that will be most useful.

Grateful to Chris Soderquist of Pontifex Consulting for leading us and to all of the partners who are bringing such curiosity, rigor, and care to this work.

This is what it looks like to slow down enough to understand a system—so we can move differently within it.

For 10 years, Foster America has been bringing people together to build a better future for children and families. Throu...
06/12/2026

For 10 years, Foster America has been bringing people together to build a better future for children and families. Throughout every chapter of our journey, one thing has remained constant: connection. The relationships we've built—with families, communities, public servants, lived experts, partners, supporters, and one another—have expanded what's possible and helped drive lasting change.

That's why we're gathering the people who have shaped this work for Roots & Routes, our official 10-year celebration from November 18-20 in Washington, D.C.

Together, we'll honor the relationships, leadership, lived wisdom, and collective efforts that have brought us to this moment, while looking ahead to what we can build together in the decade to come.

Whether you've been with us from the beginning or joined more recently, you're part of this story. We can't wait to celebrate with you.

More details and registration information coming soon!

On May 20, 2026, we gathered in Washington, D.C. for the Foster America Fiscal Leadership Circle (FLC) 2.0 Convening—bri...
06/12/2026

On May 20, 2026, we gathered in Washington, D.C. for the Foster America Fiscal Leadership Circle (FLC) 2.0 Convening—bringing together fellows, faculty, and partners committed to building stronger systems of support for children and families.

The Fiscal Leadership Circle is a leadership and learning community that equips public system leaders to advance prevention-focused solutions through fiscal strategy, systems analysis, and cross-sector collaboration. Together, fellows are working to redesign systems so families can access the support they need before crisis occurs.

This convening, titled “Moving from Diagnosis to Design,” marked an important stage in the FLC learning journey. Through applied learning, policy immersion, systems analysis, and deep peer exchange, fellows worked to translate shared understanding into actionable solutions that help keep families together and supported.

Across the week, fellows engaged with policymakers, philanthropic partners, advocates, and system leaders, while also participating in the Foster Youth Housing Summit focused on housing as a cornerstone of youth independence.

More than anything, the convening created space to strengthen relationships across cohorts, deepen shared learning, and continue building momentum toward a future where every family has the opportunity to thrive.

Thank you to our FLC fellows and faculty for spending this time with us. We’re grateful to everyone who joined us in D.C. and inspired by what’s possible when leaders come together with a shared commitment to prevention, partnership, and systems change.

Foster America was grateful to be part of Housing as the Cornerstone of Foster Youth Independence, in Washington, D.C.—a...
06/12/2026

Foster America was grateful to be part of Housing as the Cornerstone of Foster Youth Independence, in Washington, D.C.—a national summit organized by Good River Partners and co-hosted alongside partners across the field who are committed to ending the foster care-to-homelessness pipeline, advancing prevention, and strengthening pathways to stability for transition-aged youth.

The summit brings together leaders across systems to share bold, practical approaches rooted in collaboration, innovation, and a shared belief that every young person deserves the support, connection, and opportunity to thrive.

As Marie Zemler Wu shared during the opening reception remarks, “Stable housing is one of the conditions young people need to thrive. Through Foster America’s Fiscal Leadership Circle, state, county, and community leaders are learning how to use today’s policy and financing opportunities to move resources toward stability, connection, and long-term well-being for young people and families.”

We were especially excited to see D.L. Moffitt, Foster America’s Fiscal Innovation Specialist, presenting today, and to celebrate FLC 1.0 alum Kevin Clark, who invited us into this important space. Kevin moderated today’s panel, Looking to the Future: Policy and Practice Innovations in Foster Youth Housing, highlighting promising cross-system strategies, lessons from implementation, and new ideas for ensuring housing serves as a foundation for long-term well-being for young people.

We’re continually inspired by the momentum in this space and encouraged by what’s possible as partners work together to build systems that center stability, dignity, and opportunity for young people. We'd like to thank our fellow co-hosts—CCA Institute, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Table Sense, Think of Us, Fostering Promise, Journey to Success, and NCHCW—for contributing to such a monumental event.

Moments from the 2026 CO4Kids Resource Fair!We were excited to see some familiar faces—especially the dedicated leaders ...
06/12/2026

Moments from the 2026 CO4Kids Resource Fair!

We were excited to see some familiar faces—especially the dedicated leaders of Colorado’s Reimagining Child Welfare Committee, whose work we’re proud to support at Foster America.

The committee brings together leaders with lived experience, community members, and public system partners to reimagine what support for families can look like when trust, collaboration, and co-design are at the center. Their work continues to push important conversations forward across Colorado—from reducing unnecessary foster care involvement to strengthening community-based supports that help families stay safely together.

It’s inspiring to see this vision reflected in spaces like the CO4Kids Resource Fair, where communities come together to connect families with resources, relationships, and support.

Thank you to everyone helping build a future where every family has the opportunity to thrive.

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