About Fund for Children, Youth, and Families

The Fund for Children, Youth, and Families (FFCYF) will invest in organizations providing services and programming addressing the FFCYF Outcomes, which fall across the following FFCYF Program Areas: Stable Homes Stable Families, Foster Care and Adoption, and Academic and Career Success. Please see below for a listing and definition of the FFCYF Program Areas and FFCYF Outcomes. To receive information regarding the Fund for Children, Youth, and Families please continue to visit www.fund4cyf.org and sign-up for the distribution list located here.

FFCYF Program Areas

Stable Homes Stable Families

Stabilizing families in crisis and moving them to self-sufficiency is critical to developing homes that can nurture and support children to their fullest potential. There are an overwhelming number of homeless families in the Washington Metropolitan Area alone that are in need of housing and services. Finding appropriate housing is a primary condition of gaining family stability. Due to the challenges these families face, a wide array of supportive services are necessary to help them achieve lasting stability. The Fund for Children, Youth, and Families investments will target families who are homeless and those who are participating in housing-based service programs.

Foster Care and Adoption

Unfortunately not all families are able to adequately care for their children for a variety of reasons. There are more than 500,000 children in the foster care system across the United States and over one fifth of these children will never return home. Over 5,000 children are in foster care systems in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The Fund for Children, Youth, and Families investments will support children in the foster care system in two critical areas: promoting permanency and helping youth leaving the system to achieve self-sufficiency.

Academic and Career Success

Currently exists an achievement gap between students from various racial and ethnic backgrounds, and between low-income and high-income families. The Fund for Children, Youth, and Families will support the closing of this gap by targeting its investments to: early childhood education, academic achievement for school-age children, and college preparation and career training. The expected goal is to support programming preparing young people to become self-sufficient, contribute to a changing world and work for the betterment of the larger community.

FFCYF Outcomes

  1. Homeless families achieve stability and transition to permanent housing with the assistance of support services. Programming placing homeless families in housing that lead to stabilization and producing positive outcomes.
  2. Vulnerable families who are living in permanent housing and participating in resident services improve their personal and financial stability. Programming helping low-income families achieve stability and overcome barriers to success, by providing housing based and resident services.
  3. Low-income low-income families experiencing personal and financial stress, to maintain rental housing and prevent homelessness. Programming enabling low-income families experiencing personal and financial stress, to maintain rental housing and prevent homelessness. Particularly programming also helping families to resolve the problems resulting in their financial crisis.
  4. Foster children grow up in permanent, stable, loving families. Programming working intensively to reunify families; recruit foster and adoptive parents; and place special needs children in adoptive homes. Programming providing training, support, and respite care services for foster and adoptive parents. Programming improving child welfare policy and practice via public awareness, education efforts, and training and development of child welfare professionals.
  5. Foster youth have the life skills required to live independently, have a connection to a caring adult and are living in stable housing. Programming helping youth leaving the foster care system to locate and sustain housing. Programming connecting youth leaving the foster care system to caring adults providing the supports necessary for a successful transition from foster care to independent living.
  6. Preschool children in low-income communities are prepared to be successful in school. Programming preparing children to enter school ready to learn. Specifically, programming inclusive of the following components: >High quality early childhood education. >A comprehensive approach. >A stimulating, age-appropriate learning environment and curriculum. >Documented growth and development of each child. >Demonstrated ability to identify and address developmental challenges. >Parental engagement and support.
  7. Children and youth in low-income communities demonstrate improved academic success. Out-of-school time programming committed to improving the academic performance. Out-of-school time programming offering: an engaging, research-based curriculum, monitoring student progress, including social and developmental activities, working in partnership with schools and parents, and are supported by caring adults committed children’s confidence in their capacity to excel academically will be successful in helping to improve academic performance. Programming increasing student achievement by creating a pipeline of highly effective teachers and principals.
  8. Young people from low-income communities enter college or career training programs. Programming helping youth see college as a goal. Programming providing guidance, and support through the admissions process to ensure youth are prepared and supported through the admissions process. Programming supporting students through college graduation. Programming training youth for careers that will enable them to become independent and productive adults.
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