Funding foster youth success one grant at a time...

Foster Youth Rising

​Our Beginning...


In the mid-2000s, emancipating foster youth rarely had tangible resources as they left foster care. Often times, they did not have places to go or family to turn to. Additionally, there seemed to be very little funding for specific resources many youth needed to thrive. Our founders saw this gap in resources and decided to do something. With the initial seed funds of $10,000 and the support of the City and County of San Francisco, Friends of the Independent Living Skills Program was born. This entity formed to assist foster youth that were emancipating from care, specifically focusing on those interested in higher education and vocational training after high school that went through the Independent Living Skills Program (ILSP). In 2018, we broadened our scope of youth we could assist and changed our name to Foster Youth Rising.


Our Work To Date...


To date, Foster Youth Rising has supported foster youth with over $300,000. Our areas of focus include providing grants for stable housing, educational costs (including tuition assistance and technology equipment), food assistance, and medical costs. From 2008 until 2014, we additionally sponsored high seniors to go on college tours and throughout the years we have annually raised funds to purchase luggage for foster youth that may have experienced taking their clothing from placement-to-placement in trash bags. Our first 15 years in existence we were a completely volunteer-run organization. As we journey into the next phase of our service, we ask that you continue to help our organization remain a vital force in the lives of foster youth.          

Some Colleges FYR Grantees Have Graduated From


  • San Francisco State University
  • ​Morgan State University
  • Biola University
  • City College of San Francisco
  • Johnson C. Smith University
  • San José State University
  • Clark Atlanta University
  • ​Thomas Jefferson School of Law
  • ​Arizona State University
  • ​CSU - Chico State University
  • CSU - Monterey Bay
  • UC - Santa Cruz
  • ​UC - Davis

​​​​