Applications for our scholarship program are open now through May16, 2025.

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The Data Behind Our Commitment to Post-Secondary Success for Youth in Foster Care

Foster Angels of Central Texas (FACT) provides individualized, holistic wrap-around support for students formerly in foster care. Of the 271 older youth we served in 2024 across Central Texas through the Thrive General Support Program in 2024, 97 young people, or 36%, were enrolled in postsecondary programs. This support included covering the cost of books, emergency help with rent or utility bills, or assistance with transportation issues. Our FACT Scholars program goes even further to provide ongoing support for the post secondary success of these young people. 

In addition to the annual financial award provided directly to the Scholars in the form of monthly stipends, we take time to get to know each student and identify specific needs, such as securing stable housing, obtaining a driver’s license, pursuing job and internship opportunities, identifying resources for tutoring, assisting young parents and more. Our mentors help former foster youth navigate confusing and cumbersome systems as well as provide support and guidance. The goal is to ensure these young people have the resources they need to prosper in college and beyond.  

This has proven to be a winning formula, and the FACT Scholars program has grown over the years as a result. Here are a few milestones made possible by your support: 

• FACT launched the program in 2018 with three scholars; and since then we’ve awarded 54 scholarships; had 17 graduates; and we have 30 active Scholars for the current 2025-2025 academic year. 
• We have a 60% completion rate in comparison with the state’s 3% rate, 
• 4 students who have graduated with one degree/certificate continued on and used their scholarship funds to pursue an additional Associate, Bachelors or Masters program. 
• Demand for scholarships is growing and outpacing FACT’s current capacity: we’ve grown from 40 applications in 2022 to 60 applications in 2023. In 2024, we received 80 applications!
• We had budgeted for 6 new Scholars in 2024, but thanks to additional philanthropic support, FACT was able to accept 12 new Scholars for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Current scholars:

• Our largest concentration of Scholars attends Texas State University; we currently have 8 studying there.
• We have 4 Scholars attending UTSA; 3 Scholars at UT-Austin; 3 at St. Philip’s College; 2 attend Texas A & M San Antonio and 2 Scholars at Austin Community College.
• We currently have 8 Scholars pursuing Associates degrees, 19 Scholars pursuing Undergraduate degrees, and 3 Scholars pursuing Graduate degrees.
• The majority (24) of our Scholars live between Austin and San Antonio.
• Since 2022, we have seen a 90% semester to semester persistence rate among our Scholars.

Recent graduates:

Nick V. graduated from UTSA with a bachelors in Business Administration, with a focus on Sports Business. He spent 2024 in an internship position with the University of Oregon’s football team where he worked under the head coach assisting with many different aspects of team management. He has since accepted a temporary position to stay on with the team and hopes that it will become permanent in the summer between seasons.

Ruby R. graduated from Texas State University with a bachelors in Studio Art, concentration in drawing. Ruby shared some of her final showcase pieces for her senior portfolio, which we helped her frame for her show, and she is extremely talented! She hopes to be able to work as a commissioned artist, but in the meantime she’s pursuing work as an art teacher.

Miguel graduated from Texas State University with a bachelors in Education. We were also able to help him with his cap and gown, as well as some graduation photos to commemorate this huge accomplishment! Miguel was excited to begin teaching after graduation. 

Destiny and Desiray are twin sisters who received the scholarship beginning in 2019. They had some personal setbacks, so at the end of their time in the scholarship program they had not yet graduated. They were determined to acquire their degrees, and FACT was able to provide continued financial assistance for them through our general support program. Thanks to their persistence, Destiny and Desiray graduated from Blinn College in spring 2024, both with associate degrees in nursing. They are now working together in an assisted living facility. 

With this success and demand, FACT aims to begin growing the Scholars program in 2025 to benefit more young people who have experienced foster care and are seeking a postsecondary degree or credential.

In 2017, the Texas Legislature mandated that all public college campuses designate a foster care liaison to better serve former foster youth. However, as an unfunded mandate, the implementation of this and other programs vary from campus to campus. FACT’s Director of Programs has established excellent working relationships with the foster care liaisons at University of Texas – Austin, Austin Community College, Texas State, and others. These liaisons attest to the difference the FACT scholarships make for participating students. However there is still more work to do to raise awareness for available opportunities for aid among former foster youth. 40% of students who are eligible are not utilizing the state’s tuition and fee waiver to attend a post secondary institution. We’ll work to increase awareness for the state’s programs as well as the FACT Scholarships by providing consistent information to caseworkers and high school counselors. 

Foster Angels currently has a program team of three employees, including our Director of Programs who is managing the Scholars, in addition to overseeing all other FACT services supporting younger children in foster care. FACT aims to hire a full-time employee focused solely on the Scholars program, allowing us to meet the increasing need. We plan to expand the number of scholarships awarded each year, growing from 12 new scholars in 2024 to 16 – 20 new admits in 2025. Our goal is to incrementally increase the number of scholars admitted into the program annually, aiming for a goal of 25 new scholars by 2027.  

While growing our Scholarships, we will endeavor to maintain the high standard of excellence and results we’ve established, continuing and improving on these metrics: 

• 60% of FACT Scholars graduate as compared to 3% of foster care alumni who are not part of the program
• FACT Scholars report that they can pay their expenses and focus on their studies 
• FACT Scholars feel capable of succeeding in school
• FACT Scholars feel connected to their mentor and see them as a trustworthy adult

Our goal is to ensure that youth formerly in foster care have the resources they need to prosper in their postsecondary pursuits and beyond!