Youth Forward

A nonprofit organization

$2,050 raised by 8 donors

21% complete

$10,000 Goal

Youth Forward is a catalyst organization that creates initiatives to improve the health and well-being of low-income children, youth and families at the local and state levels. Currently, Youth Forward is working to reduce homelessness among foster youth and vulnerable young adults and to prepare young people for college and careers through three major initiatives. First, we work with the Sac Fire Department to help prepare young people, including foster youth, to enter careers as emergency medical technicians, firefighters and health workers. In 2024, we helped Sac Fire secure state funding to launch this effort. Since then, this program has graduated over 40 young people.

Secondly, we are preparing to recruit foster youth who are aging out of the system to sign up for the new basic income program funded by the Sacramento Children's Fund. This program will provide youth with a monthly stipend and with wraparound supports until age 25. Close to half of foster youth who age out of the system become homeless. In 2022, we led the campaign that created the Sacramento Children's Fund, a $9 million annual funding stream within the city budget that supports services for children and youth in Sacramento's highest poverty neighborhoods.

Finally, our Tribal Department provides youth leadership training and college readiness supports to indigenous youth and their families in the Del Paso Heights/North Sacramento community. This dynamic group has built and maintained a community garden to support food sovereignty and wellness.

At the state level, we have been the leading voice in developing youth substance abuse prevention grant programs funded by state cannabis tax revenues. Through our work, nonprofits working in high poverty communities throughout the state have received over $370 million to date in youth development grants; nonprofits in Sacramento have received over $50 million from these sources. We have served as the lead adovcate in support of these programs since 2018.

Because Youth Forward works at the policy level, our organization is primarily privately funded. We rely on charitable donations. Every donation helps us continue to advocate for long-term investments that improve the health and wellbeing of our most vulnerable kids.

Mission

Youth Forward's mission is to create smart solutions to improve the health, education, and well-being of our most vulnerable children and youth in the Sacramento region and in California. We accomplish this through policy advocacy, research, education, and community action.

Our primary goals are to:

- Increase investments in children and youth and in prevention

- Promote youth voice and leadership in the policy-making process

- Reduce the criminalization and marginalization of youth

- Improve the school and community environments in which children and young people grow up, with a focus on public health and health equity

Needs

Youth Forward relies primarily on private donations to sustain and grow our change-making work. Contributions to Youth Forward will enable us to continue to develop program strategies that serve aging-out foster youth, youth impacted by the criminal justice system and youth who have experienced homelessness. Your donation will help us continue to develop youth and young adult leaders and to sustain our influential advocacy work. Thank you for your support!

Equity Statement

Youth Forward aims to improve the life trajectories of vulnerable children and youth and of youth of color through systems change. We are committed to maintaining a culture of diversity and equity in the workplace and within our community. Our strength is in our promise to be inclusive and center the voices and lived experiences of individuals from historically marginalized identities so that we may better advocate for policies and practices that disrupt injustices.