Foster Care

Research indicates that children and youth in foster care are far more likely than other children to experience traumatic stress, putting them at risk for negative health, behavioral, educational, and social outcomes. High-quality, evidence-based services that focus on building protective factors can help children face and overcome trauma or adversity, increase resilience, and contribute to improved well-being and positive long-term outcomes.

PCL’s goal in the foster care program area is to support the well-being and development of children and youth in foster care. Drawing on community recommendations, local data and research, PCL adopted the following programmatic strategies to work toward this goal:

Priorities for 2024-25 funding round

1. Support for older foster youth to enter college and/or the workforce, find housing, and live on their own.
2. Support for foster youth to understand their cultural and racial identity.
3. Support and create opportunities for connection and/or reunification between foster youth and birth families, including but not limited to mental health services.
4. Support for foster parents to create a welcoming home and provide supportive care for youth who identify as LGBTQ2SIA+.
5. Help for foster youth and their foster families and birth parents to navigate multiple systems, especially to access mental and behavioral health services.
6. Provide services that support and improve youth mental health, especially for youth who identify as LGBTQ2SIA+.
7. Mentoring for foster youth and/or for birth parents of youth in foster care, especially by mentors who share similar experiences with the foster care system.

Priorities for current grants

1. Enhance support and training for foster parents to promote healthy child development.
2. Individualized support to promote child and youth well-being.

View the list of current grants.

PCL publishes annual performance reports on funded programs each year.