Exciting News About FIG!

We have some exciting news to share! This last month has been a whirlwind of emotions and quick calls to action from our Village, staff, and partners. Because of the swift and intentional mobilization, it is with great joy we share that the gap in funding for the Fostering Independence Grants will be met!

Read Star Tribune coverage here

We hope, after reading that sentence, there are some cheers and deep breaths. This is a win! A win for Fosters, a win for their futures, and a win for our broader MN community–the whole state benefits when we meet our collective promise to Fosters. This is what happens when Fosters have the support and resources to advocate for themselves and their community. This is what happens when Foster voices and expertise are centered.

This would not have been possible without our incredible testifiers and partners. We extend deep gratitude to Sen. Fateh, Rep. Pelowski, Sen. Rarick, senate committee staff, and all the other legislators who we know care deeply about this issue. We know there were many Foster champions advocating behind the scenes to keep this promise to Fosters in our state–too many to name here. And a final thank you to our partners at the Office of Higher Education for their deep and ongoing collaboration. 

This win would also not have been possible without you, our broader Foster Advocates Village! Thank you to those who joined us at the Capitol, contacted your legislators, and have given generously to support this issue. Our advocacy work is primarily funded by our community, and it takes $100,000 to show up with Fosters at the Capitol. Help us celebrate this win by contributing to our advocacy efforts! Your gift of any size adds to the power of our Foster Rights movement.

As many of you know, the legislative session is fluid and there are many moving parts. We are committed to keeping the community updated over the final month of session as this agreement gets over the finish line. For now, let’s soak in this moment.