The Economic Well-Being Work Group seeks to improve education and employment outcomes for opportunity youth by providing a platform for information sharing, professional development, and coordinated investments among local, regional, and national funders. Current work is focused on identifying and advocating for effective programming and policies to provide pathways for vulnerable youth to achieve high school graduation and postsecondary success.


From the Field

On the Power and Vulnerability of Sharing Stories

Our very own YTFG Fellow Amanada Shabowich recently penned a blog post about topics covered in Advancing Youth Voice and Changing the Narrative About Opportunity Youth – a report recently released by the Aspen Forum for Community Solutions. “Remember that phrase, “sharing is caring”? We used to use this expression to encourage children to maybeRead More

The Arc of Disaster Recovery & How Philanthropy Can Help: An Interview with Dr. Samantha Montano

Disasterologist Dr. Samantha Montano talked with the YTFG team to share her expertise about disaster lifecycles, what makes this pandemic different from other disasters, and the important role of nonprofits and philanthropic organizations in America’s emergency management system.  What makes the current pandemic different from other disasters?  There are a couple of key differences thatRead More

The Impossible Heroism of Young Single Parents Who Are Raising Kids, Studying and Working in a COVID World

Blog Post Authored By Stephanie Krauss The other day I was laughing at the dinner table with my husband and mother as we read through the highly relatable anecdotes of other working parents in the New York Times opinion piece, “I Have Given Up: Parenting in Quarantine.” It’s a funny sampler of the everyday strugglesRead More

Point Source Youth Weekly Webinars

Point Source Youth is producing 15 free weekly COVID-19 webinars in 90 days to ensure that the National Youth Homelessness Community has direct access to leading experts across relevant fields amidst the Coronavirus Pandemic. Sign up to be the first to hear about new updates, free toolkits, videos with thought-leaders, shareable assets and more! LearnRead More

COVID-19 Well-Being Toolkit

The Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has shared a well-being toolkit which identifies resources which can serve as a support to us all during this challenging time for our world.  The toolkit includes well-being tips, suggestions on how to talk to children and youth, meditations and resources for educators.  

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Member News

YTFG COVID-19 Resource Center

To support our members and the field as we navigate the challenges of the pandemic together, the YTFG Team is pleased to announce the launch of our new COVID-19 Resource Center. This new resource center: is created with the unique information needs of funders who invest in improving outcomes for youth and young adult. provides highly curatedRead More

Housing Challenges for Vulnerable Young People: EWB Virtual Learning Session Summary

Thank you to our wonderful presenters, panelists, and participants for an enlightening conversation on February 25th that focused on access to stable and affordable housing, an important determinant of economic well-being for young people. This was the first of a series of virtual learning sessions that will be led by YTFG EWB Fellows, and thatRead More

New Resource Guide from California Homeless Youth Project

The California Homeless Youth Project (CHYP) published a new resource guide for students experiencing basic needs insecurity at California’s public colleges and universities, entitled Emergency Housing, Food, & Financial Resources for Undergraduates at California’s Public Colleges and Universities. Funded by the Walter S. Johnson Foundation and California Wellness Foundation, the resource guide builds on CHYP’s recentRead More

Raikes Foundation Helps Bring Geelong Project to King County, WA

The Geelong Project is an early intervention model developed in Australia that has demonstrated success in keeping students in school and off of the streets when they are found to be at risk for homelessness. The Tukwila School District plans to launch a pilot later this year and it is hoped that other King CountyRead More

Casey Seeks Applicants for 2019–21 Juvenile Justice Youth Advisory Council

The Annie E. Casey Foundation is seeking the next cohort of Juvenile Justice Youth Advisory Council members. They are inviting youth to apply if they are 18-25, have current or former involvement with the juvenile justice system, and want to grow their advocacy and leadership skills. See details at this link.

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Policy Updates

New Report Released on the Value of Investing in Opportunity Youth​

The Aspen Institute for Community Solutions released a landmark report on the return on investment associated with reengaging opportunity youth. This report, authored by John Bridgeland and colleagues, documents the economic and societal costs associated with young people’s disconnection from school and work, and the potential savings of reengagement. This report also provides a federal funding roadmap and setRead More

AYPF Blog Post Explores Ways ESSA Promotes Diversity in Pursuit of Educational Equity

As part of AYPF’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) blog series, Jenna Tomaselio explores how ESSA promotes, or falls short in promoting, school diversity in pursuit of education equity:  “When President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) last December, it was viewed as a substantial victory in education policy. My colleagues have pointedRead More

Federal Funding Advisory: Summer Jobs and Beyond Program to Link Youth Employment, Schools, Reengagement Centers, Employers and Other Partners to Align Resources

The U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration recently announced Sumer Jobs and Beyond: Career Pathways for Youth (CPY), a program intended to provide employment‐related services to eligible youth who are new entrants to the workforce, including those with limited current or past work experience. The program will provide youth with work experience opportunities,Read More

White House Announces New Summer Opportunity Project

Today the White House announced the new Summer Opportunity Project to connect more young people, especially those who are out of school and work, to their first jobs. This announcement builds on the President’s call for a national investment of $6 billion in new funding to help more than 1 million young people gain theRead More

ESSA Timelines and Implementation

In December President Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), bipartisan legislation that rewrites the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and replaces the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Now that ESSA is law, when does it go into effect? And what will happen with NCLB and NCLB waivers? Watch the AllianceRead More

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YTFG Publications

Supporting Young Parents and their Children

On October 20th,  YTFG Fellows Angel Jackson, Carmen Noyola, Lucero Noyola and Kera Pingree, shared ways in which systems did and did not support them as parents, how systems and institutions can be more responsive to their needs and the needs of their children, and their ideas for how foundations and communities can partner toRead More

Investing in the Well-Being and Well-Becoming of America’s Young People: Recommendations for Philanthropy, Policy, and Practice

The Youth Transition Funder’s Group (YTFG) is a national network of foundations whose mission is to help all youth make a successful transition to adulthood by age 25. This well-being investment framework was developed by our members in partnership with leading researchers, policy leaders, and young adults. Building upon work underway in the fields ofRead More

YTFG COVID-19 Resource Center

To support our members and the field as we navigate the challenges of the pandemic together, the YTFG Team is pleased to announce the launch of our new COVID-19 Resource Center. This new resource center: is created with the unique information needs of funders who invest in improving outcomes for youth and young adult. provides highly curatedRead More

Economic Well-Being Work Group Releases New Publication

The Economic Well-Being Work Group of the Youth Transition Funders Group has released a framework for investment and set of public policy recommendations that offers influencers a roadmap for how they might fund and fuel communities, systems and programs in ways that make economic well-being a reality for all vulnerable young people in America.

Investing to Improve the Well-Being of Vulnerable Youth and Young Adults: Recommendations for Policy and Practice

This publication explores the important role and responsibility of each youth-serving system in supporting well-being for youth and young adults and presents a new framework for well-being for young people, highlighting the various domains of well-being and the role of families, communities, and public systems in supporting well-being. It also includes a series of concrete and actionableRead More

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