HARRISBURG — May is National Foster Care Month and the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) reminds foster care youth that there are financial aid opportunities available specifically for them.

The White House Proclamation on National Foster Care Month 2025 states that there are more than 360,000 children in need of foster care in the U.S. right now.

“Students living in foster care situations don’t always have the support and guidance they need,” said Sen. Wayne Fontana, chairman of the PHEAA Board of Directors. “This is especially true regarding higher education, with many foster care children assuming that they won’t be able to continue to postsecondary education. There are several financial aid programs created specifically for them, but we need to make sure students are aware of the programs and believe they can afford and achieve their goals.”

The PA Fostering Independence Tuition Waiver Program (FosterEd) serves undergraduate students who are or were in foster care at age 16 or older. It requires most postsecondary institutions in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania to provide eligible students with a waiver for tuition and mandatory fees after other gift aid, such as federal aid, state aid, scholarships and grants, have been applied to the student’s tuition bill.

The Chafee Education and Training Grant Program (Chafee ETG) is a federally funded program that serves the same population of students by offering grants to Pennsylvania undergraduate students attending eligible postsecondary institutions.

PHEAA administers both Chafee ETG and FosterEd for the commonwealth. PHEAA recently obtained federal funding to do more for foster care youth, launching an education and outreach campaign to increase the public awareness of the state’s foster care-to-college funding opportunities, educate individuals working with foster care youth about the programs, and reach foster care youth who may be unaware these programs are available to them.

“At PHEAA, we’re pleased to be able to do even more to aid foster care youth,” said James Steeley, PHEAA president and CEO. “We’ve administered the FosterEd and Chafee ETG Programs at no cost to taxpayers since program inception. Now, we’re taking our role even further. PHEAA’s outreach campaign intends to broaden awareness to Chafee and FosterEd youth and increase application and awards for future years. We want these children to feel seen and valued, and understand that there is a path to higher education open to them.”

Foster care students who are interested in pursuing postsecondary education can learn more about these programs, including eligibility requirements and program application, at pheaa.org/FosterEd and pheaa.org/Chafee.