Fourteen new leaders are joining Foster America’s Fiscal Leadership Circle (FLC) as momentum builds to offer prevention resources earlier.
Across child- and family-serving systems, we know what works. We know that stabilizing housing, providing cash support, and investing in upstream services are key conditions that keep children safe and families together. Despite what we know, less than 15 percent of child welfare funding is allocated to preventive services.
Outdated legacy structures present barriers that hold back public capacity to invest in upstream, concrete supports. Leaders navigate fragmented funding streams and complex rules, while fiscal authority often operates in isolation from program strategy and community partnership. Even values-driven leaders frequently dedicate a majority of their time to crisis-driven budgets instead of building durable pathways to sustain family stability.
The FLC exists to change that.
The fellowship addresses these challenges by supporting fiscal leaders in evolving from budget managers to system strategists, removing barriers to upstream investment and system collaboration. This 12-month fellowship brings together senior fiscal and systems leaders who seek a new approach to leadership. The FLC provides fellows with a community and practice space where leaders refine prevention-first strategies, advance real projects, and cultivate core habits that maximize prevention funding within complex public systems.
As Foster America celebrates 10 years of impact, the Fiscal Leadership Circle exemplifies our deep commitment to investing in leaders who are driving meaningful change. By equipping fiscal leaders with the skills, habits, and support to transform complex systems, FLC helps ensure that families receive the right support, at the right time, and in ways that are sustainable, equitable, and effective.
