Education

California College Pathways provides an educational planning guide for foster youth and their caregivers.

Scholarships & Grants

Federal Student Aid: Foster Youth Education/Financial Aid: CalGrants/FAFSA For California Foster Youth. Deadlines are critical when applying for grant funding! Many states and colleges set priority deadlines by which you must submit the FAFSA form to be considered for the aid programs they administer. There is also a federal deadline each academic year.

Ventura County Community Foundation (VCCF) Scholarship Program

California Chafee Grants – The California Chafee Grant gives money to current or former foster youth to use for college or technical career training.

California Student Aid Commission (CSAC)

America’s College Fund for Foster Youth

Careers & College 

Hispanic Scholarship Fund

Fastweb – Scholarships, Financial Aid, Student Loans, and Colleges

FindTuition – Your Resource for College Scholarships and foster rights advocacy

FinAid – Financial Aid, College Scholarships, & Student Loans: This is one of the most comprehensive free resources for information about student financial aid, scholarships, and education loans.

Free College Scholarship Search

SchoolSoup – Ingredients for College & University Success

I Can Afford College – California Community Colleges

Federal Student Aid

College Prep Scholarship – for low-income High School Juniors

Other Education Resources & Additional Details

Ventura County Community College District

The College Navigator is the U.S. Department of Education’s website to help guide you through the process of finding the right college. It includes tools to help estimate expenses, find financial aid, and identify programs and majors that are right for you.

Federal Student Aid (or FAFSA) is an office of the U.S. Department of Education intended to ensure that all eligible individuals can benefit from federally funded or federally-guaranteed financial assistance for education beyond high school.
Note: Extended foster care payments made directly to foster youth are excluded from income when calculating a student’s Expected Family Contribution and therefore should not be reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Upward Bound – The purpose of Upward Bound is to increase the rate at which high school graduates pursue post secondary education, as well encourage more students to pursue programs that lead to careers in math and science. To be eligible for the Upward Bound Program at California Lutheran University, students must attend either Channel Islands, Hueneme, Oxnard, Pacifica, or Rio Mesa High School. The program is geared toward low-income and first-generation college bound students. Participants must demonstrate a need for academic support in order to successfully pursue a program of education beyond high school.