NFYI Member Spotlight: Award Winner Ella Bat-Ami
Ella Bat-Ami becomes Children’s Rights first-ever Alan C. Myers Fostering the Future honoree Congratulations to Congressional Leadership Academy delegate Ella Bat-Ami, who recently accepted the first-ever Alan C. Myers Fostering the Future award from Children’s Rights. You can watch Ella’s moving acceptance speech on who motivates her advocacy and how we must all answer the […]
NFYI Member Spotlight: Outstanding Young Leader Skylar Thompson
NFYI Member Spotlight: Outstanding Young Leader Skylar Thompson “Skylar Thompson of Bowling Green has been named a recipient of FosterClub’s 2026 Outstanding Young Leader Award, one of 50 young advocates recognized nationally this year. “After seven years in foster care herself, Thompson now works as a licensing specialist at a foster care agency, where she […]
NFYI Member Spotlight: Sierra Burns on Child Welfare Wonk Podcast
NFYI Member Spotlight: Foster Youth Advocate Sierra Burns on Child Welfare Wonk Podcast 2026 Congressional Leadership Academy participant Sierra Burns was interviewed for the Child Welfare Wonk podcast on why policy change is just the start and her “high-velocity advocacy trajectory”. Listen here: WonkCast #42: Sierra Burns on Why Policy Change is Just the Start […]
Advisory: Foster Youth Shadow Day | June 10, 2026, D.C.
MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mariah Craven | [email protected] | 404-975-7084 43 Foster Youth Advocates from Across the Country to Shadow Members of Congress on Capitol Hill Annual Congressional Foster Youth Shadow Day Gives Young Leaders with Lived Experience a Seat at the Table WASHINGTON, D.C. — June 10, 2026 — Forty-three young adults […]
Statement on Designated Placements Final Rule
This week, the Children’s Bureau issued a memo informing state and tribal title IV-B/IV-E agencies that the Designated Placements Final Rule is vacated in its entirety. The National Foster Youth Institute is deeply concerned that there is no longer a federal commitment to a policy intended to help ensure that LGBTQ+ children in foster care are […]
Report: California Mental Health Listening Sessions
In the spring and summer of 2025, the National Foster Youth Institute held a series of listening sessions about mental health care with current and former foster youth from across California. Their opinions, experiences, and suggestions were captured in this report, which identifies recommendations for holistic mental health support for foster youth and young adults […]
NFYI Supports Lawsuit to Force State and County to Fulfill Obligation to Foster Youth—Calls for Parties to Meet Immediately
NFYI Supports Lawsuit to Force State and County to Fulfill Obligation to Foster Youth—Calls for Parties to Meet Immediately Statement by Rebecca Louve Yao, Executive Director, National Foster Youth Institute WASHINGTON, D.C. — The class action lawsuit filed by public-interest law firms Public Counsel, the Alliance for Children’s Rights, Children’s Rights, and Munger, Tolles & […]
National Foster Youth Institute Statement on Supreme Court Indian Child Welfare Act Ruling
National Foster Youth Institute Statement on Supreme Court Indian Child Welfare Act Ruling WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Foster Youth Institute celebrates the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and maintain tribal sovereignty to ensure that tribal youth remain connected and placed within their own communities. NFYI, an organization that […]
Apply For Congressional Leadership Academy Today
Apply For Congressional Leadership Academy Today Hello, current foster youth, and alums of foster care! We invite you to apply to be a Foster Youth Shadow Day Delegate for the 2023 Congressional Leadership Academy Program in Washington, D.C. Click here to apply. To learn more, keep reading. The Congressional Leadership Academy Program is an opportunity […]
Student Debt Relief for 3-10% of Former Foster Youth Who Graduate
National Foster Youth Institute Reminds Communities to Support Former Foster Youth in Filling Out Student Debt Relief Application With just 3-10% of former foster youth obtaining a college degree with little to no support system, student debt is one of very few options available in pursuit of higher education, family-supporting jobs. WASHINGTON, DC — With […]