The future of child welfare relies on smarter spending

With unprecedented shifts in federal funding policies impacting community safety nets for families, child welfare systems are at a crossroads. Will they continue relying on foster care as a primary intervention for families — or invest in keeping families together?

Foster America’s Fiscal Leadership Circle Fellowship — accepting applications now — is building a new generation of changemakers ready to lead that shift. Through this 12-month, hands-on program, fellows learn to maximize public funding streams — like Family First, TANF, Medicaid, and others — to expand upstream services that meet families’ needs and ultimately reduce the need for foster care.

This spring, the inaugural class of Foster America’s Fiscal Leadership Circle Fellowship wrapped up a year of groundbreaking work — advancing fiscal strategies that supported more than $4.3 billion in funding across their jurisdictions. The next chapter begins this fall. 

Foster America is now recruiting for the fellowship’s second cohort — a 12-month, hands-on experience for state, local, and nonprofit leaders ready to design smarter funding models, expand prevention services, and drive systems change.

Who should apply:

• Leaders with 3+ years’ experience shaping or managing budgets for child and family services
• Decision-makers or project leads on fiscal innovation efforts
• Public or private sector CFOs, budget/fiscal analysts, prevention services leaders
• Individuals committed to building prevention-first systems and reducing reliance on foster care

Apply by August 15 for the chance to join a dynamic learning community, receive leadership coaching, and develop real-world innovations that continue to influence practice and policy long after the fellowship ends.

Learn more at foster-america.org/careers.