ACF Jointly Issues Guidance to Help States Establish Fostering the Future Accounts for Youth in Foster Care

Through the leadership of First Lady Melania Trump and her Fostering the Future initiative, children and youth in foster care now have a pathway to benefit from Trump Accounts, also referred to as Fostering the Future Accounts . The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, alongside the U.S. Department of the Treasury, today released new guidance to support states, territories, and tribes in establishing these accounts for eligible youth in foster care. This action advances First Lady Melania Trump’s mission to provide opportunities and improve outcomes for children, youth, and families in the foster care system by giving states the tools necessary to support the financial independence of youth in care.

The three guidance documents released provide child welfare jurisdictions with a comprehensive framework for implementing Fostering the Future Accounts. The guidance covers eligibility requirements, operational procedures for account set up and management, and protocols for ensuring account continuity when custody arrangements change. The guidance documents include:

• ACF Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) on Fostering the Future Accounts for Youth in Foster Care: Applauds First Lady Melania Trump’s leadership establishing Fostering the Future Accounts, reiterates the Trump administration’s goal for all states to open these accounts for eligible foster youth by December 2027, and announces upcoming national office hours with ACF and the Treasury Department to convene child welfare jurisdiction leaders to discuss implementation considerations and answer outstanding questions.
• Joint ACF and Treasury Department Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Fostering the Future Powered by Trump Accounts: Provides practical guidance on how to establish these accounts, how to treat survivor benefits deposits, how to claim allowable Title IV-E administrative costs related to account administration, and more.
• ACF DCL on Leveraging Temporary Assistant for Needy Families (TANF) to Support Trump Accounts: Clarifies that states may deposit unobligated TANF funds into a Fostering the Future Account for children, including eligible foster youth. 

This comprehensive guidance provides a roadmap for child welfare jurisdictions to equip foster youth with access to new financial resources that will support their long-term success.