Foster America
Foster America is a Boston-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that partners with state and county child welfare agencies to build prevention-first systems, delivering impact through fellowship programs (Fiscal, National, and Technology Leadership Circles), co-design methodologies, and scalable programs like Family Keys.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Foster America does
Foster America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2016 by Sherry Lachman and Marie Zemler Wu to transform the US child welfare system from a crisis-response model to a prevention-first approach. Headquartered in Boston with a small core staff of approximately 10-15 people, the organization works with state and county government child welfare agencies, community organizations, and philanthropic partners to reduce unnecessary family separation. It addresses a problem in which roughly 7 million children are reported to child protective services each year and about 600,000 are placed in foster care annually, often without upstream support to address root causes such as housing instability or poverty.
Foster America's core offerings are fellowship programs and methodologies rather than commercial products. The portfolio includes the Fiscal Leadership Circle (12-month fellowship for child welfare finance professionals), the National Leadership Circle (12-month fellowship for people with lived child welfare experience), and the Technology Leadership Circle (10-month fellowship co-designed with MIT Media Lab). Supporting programs include the annual Fostering Futures Forum, the Until Every Family Thrives Summit, the Fall into Learning Series, the Discovery Process participatory methodology, and the Family Keys housing-stability pilot now scaling nationally with Imagination Factory. Across six cohorts, alumni have supported 63 change projects in 17 states and territories, with documented outcomes such as 77% of Marathon County families maintaining stable housing and avoiding foster care, and $4.3 billion in funding supported by the inaugural Fiscal Leadership Circle cohort.
The business model is philanthropic: revenue comes from individual donations (processed via Classy.org), foundation grants (Annie E. Casey Foundation, Casey Family Programs, Doris Duke Foundation, Chapin Hall, and others), and what is effectively fellowship placement partnerships with host government agencies. Foster America became an independent 501(c)(3) in March 2020 after spinning off from fiscal sponsor Tides Center, and it has no commercial pricing model or venture/equity funding. The organization sells no products; its "distribution" channels are embedded fellowship placements, published case studies, frameworks (Discovery Process, SPATIAL analysis), and convenings such as the MIT co-hosted Fostering Futures Forum.
Foster America firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Foster America
- Legal name
- Foster America
- Website
- https://foster-america.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Foster America is a Boston-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that partners with state and county child welfare agencies to build prevention-first systems, delivering impact through fellowship programs (Fiscal, National, and Technology Leadership Circles), co-design methodologies, and scalable programs like Family Keys.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Foster America industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Child Welfare Services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Educational Support Services (6117), Temporary Shelters (624221)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI)
Keywords
Where Foster America is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Foster America business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Philanthropic Donations: Individual donors contribute one-time or recurring donations through the organization's website (Classy.org platform) to support prevention-first child welfare transformation work.
- Foundation Grants: Partnerships with philanthropic foundations including Annie E. Casey Foundation, Casey Family Programs, Doris Duke Foundation, and others to fund innovation projects and leadership development programs.
- Fellowship Program Fees: Year-long fellowship cohorts with government and nonprofit host agencies, where Foster America provides leadership development in exchange for placement partnerships that advance systems change.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels11 records
Foster America product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Foster America embeds skilled fellows inside state and county child welfare agencies to lead prevention-first transformation projects, while operating three structured fellowship cohorts (Fiscal Leadership Circle, National Leadership Circle, Technology Leadership Circle) that build leadership capacity among finance professionals, lived-experience leaders, and technologists to redesign funding, policy, and practice around family preservation rather than crisis-driven separation.
Product overview
Foster America is a nonprofit organization that does not offer a commercial software product. Instead, it provides a portfolio of fellowship programs and professional development offerings focused on child welfare transformation. The core programs include the Fiscal Leadership Circle (12-month fellowship for finance professionals), National Leadership Circle (12-month fellowship for lived experts), and Technology Leadership Circle (10-month fellowship with MIT). Additional offerings include annual events (Fostering Futures Forum, Annual Summit), learning series (Fall into Learning), the Discovery Process methodology, and initiatives like Family Keys. These programs collectively aim to build prevention-first child welfare systems through leadership development, community co-design, fiscal innovation, and cross-sector collaboration.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Fiscal Leadership Circle (FLC): A 12-month fellowship that equips finance professionals with tools and strategies to reshape how resources reach families, advancing prevention-first systems change in child welfare.
- National Leadership Circle (NLC)
- Technology Leadership Circle (TLC)
Products and services
- Fiscal Leadership Circle (FLC) A 12-month fellowship equipping finance professionals with tools and strategies to reshape how public resources reach families, focusing on prevention-first approaches and maximizing funding streams such as Family First, TANF, and Medicaid for child welfare agencies.
- National Leadership Circle (NLC) A 12-month fellowship that develops leadership capacity among individuals with lived experience of the child welfare system so they can drive systems change in jurisdictions they influence.
- Technology Leadership Circle (TLC) A 10-month fellowship pairing changemakers with lived foster care experience alongside MIT collaborators to co-design digital concepts that advance wellbeing and belonging for youth in foster care.
- Discovery Process A participatory consulting methodology that integrates insights from dozens of stakeholders and produces a Foster America Roadmap Report aligning policy, funding, and practice around prevention-first child welfare transformation in a partner jurisdiction.
- Family Keys A flexible-funding housing support program that gives communities resources to co-design housing supports directly with families, preventing foster care placements caused by housing instability. In Marathon County, 77% of participating families maintained stable housing and avoided foster care, saving $256,000 in a single year.
Quantifiable outcome
- In Marathon County, 77% of families completing Family Keys program maintained stable housing and avoided foster care—saving $256,000 in a single year
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Foster America
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Foster America technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Foster America partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and supporting.
- Imagination Factory, Inc.corePartnership with Imagination Factory to expand Family Keys program nationally—a model that gives communities flexible funding to co-design housing supports with families, preventing foster care placements due to housing instability.
- MIT Media LabcoreCo-host of Fostering Futures Forum bringing together lived experts, technologists, and child welfare leaders to co-design technology solutions. Partnership continues with Technology Leadership Circle fellowship program.
- Doris Duke Foundation (OPT-In for Families)flagshipFounding partner of OPT-In for Families, a groundbreaking initiative to build voluntary alternatives to child abuse hotlines and divert families from investigatory responses toward community-based support.
- Wisconsin Department of Children and FamiliescoreState agency partner for Family Keys pilot program addressing housing instability. In Marathon County, 77% of families completing the program maintained stable housing and avoided foster care, saving $256,000 in a single year.
- Annie E. Casey FoundationcoreMajor philanthropic partner supporting child welfare transformation. Part of Thriving Families Safer Children national initiative alongside other leading foundations.
- Casey Family ProgramscoreKey national partner in child welfare systems improvement. Partnered on Family Keys expansion through county team collaborations. David Sanders, EVP of Casey Family Programs, serves on Foster America's board.
- Prevent Child Abuse AmericacorePartner in Thriving Families Safer Children national initiative. Their Senior Communications Director serves on Foster America's board.
- Chapin Hall at the University of ChicagosupportingResearch partner contributing evidence on economic supports (child tax credits, housing assistance) that decrease child abuse, neglect, and child welfare system encounters.
- New America's New Practice LabsupportingCollaborated on Child Welfare Playbook, developed with leading state agencies and Think of Us, providing practical guidance for transformation.
- Think of UssupportingPartner in Child Welfare Playbook development and shared commitment to prevention-first approaches in child welfare.
- Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP)coreKey national partner. Susan Notkin, Executive Vice President at CSSP, serves as Foster America's Board Chair. CSSP contributes expertise in community partnerships and child welfare reform.
- Harvard Kennedy SchoolsupportingAcademic partner contributing research and thought leadership to child welfare transformation field. Faculty participate in Fostering Futures Forum.
- MIT CorticosupportingPartnering on 10th anniversary culminating convening, with mission of 'bringing underheard voices to the center of stronger civic spaces.'
- Alia InnovationssupportingDustin Koury, creator of Family Keys, now Senior Director of Transformation at Alia Innovations, working to scale housing support model nationally.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Foster America competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Casey Family Programs: The nation's largest private foundation focused entirely on child welfare, with an operating foundation model that provides direct technical assistance to states. Casey Family Programs is both a partner and a potential competitor for Foster America's embedded-fellowship offering, with deeper resources and a longer track record.
- Annie E. Casey Foundation: Major national child welfare funder and field convener, leading the Thriving Families Safer Children initiative alongside Foster America. While primarily a grantmaker rather than a direct service provider, the foundation shapes the same field and has overlapping strategy and audience with Foster America.
- Doris Duke Foundation: Major national foundation whose Children & Families program funds the OPT-In for Families initiative that Foster America helped found. The foundation sets the strategic agenda for a portion of the field in which Foster America operates.
- JBS International: Large consulting firm that provides technical assistance and training to state and county child welfare agencies. As a broader incumbent, JBS competes for the same state child welfare transformation contracts that anchor Foster America's pipeline.
Direct peers
- Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP): CSSP is a national policy organization focused on child and family well-being and is deeply intertwined with Foster America — its EVP serves as Board Chair. The two organizations co-design policy and practice reforms with states, making CSSP the closest direct peer in mission and method.
- Think of Us: A child welfare transformation organization co-developing the Child Welfare Playbook with Foster America and New America. Both organizations center lived experience of youth in foster care and partner with state agencies to redesign systems from the inside out.
- Prevent Child Abuse America: National nonprofit working to prevent child abuse and neglect before it occurs, a core partner in Thriving Families Safer Children. Their mission overlaps directly with Foster America's prevention-first orientation and they share an audience of state/county child welfare leaders.
- Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago: Research and policy center producing evidence on economic supports (child tax credits, housing assistance) that reduce child welfare system encounters. As a research partner of Foster America, Chapin Hall provides the analytical backbone for the prevention-first argument.
- New America: Think tank whose New Practice Lab co-developed the Child Welfare Playbook with Foster America. New America brings policy research, federal-level advocacy, and program design capacity to overlapping child welfare reform work.
- ChildTrends: National research nonprofit focused on improving outcomes for children, with substantive work on child welfare, foster care, and prevention. ChildTrends and Foster America both translate research into practitioner-facing guidance for state agencies.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Foster America social profiles
Digital presenceFoster America financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Foster America leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Foster America funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors1 record
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Foster America M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Foster America
What does Foster America do?
Foster America embeds skilled fellows inside state and county child welfare agencies to lead prevention-first transformation projects, while operating three structured fellowship cohorts (Fiscal Leadership Circle, National Leadership Circle, Technology Leadership Circle) that build leadership capacity among finance professionals, lived-experience leaders, and technologists to redesign funding, policy, and practice around family preservation rather than crisis-driven separation.
Is Foster America a public or private company?
Foster America is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Foster America founded?
Foster America was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Foster America based?
Foster America is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Foster America make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Philanthropic Donations are the primary driver. The others are foundation Grants and fellowship Program Fees.
Who are Foster America's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Casey Family Programs, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Doris Duke Foundation and JBS International. Direct peers are Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP), Think of Us, Prevent Child Abuse America, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, New America and ChildTrends.
Does Foster America have an API?
No public API is recorded for Foster America.
What industry is Foster America in?
Foster America's product category is Child Welfare Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAEAE, Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services, with a secondary code of BPAGADAD, Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 8300.