Legislative Session updates (6/20) + MN Promise in Motion
Dear {{FirstName or 'Friend'}},
It has been a heavy week in Minnesota. Foster Advocates is mourning the loss of Rep. Hortman and her husband, and wishing Sen. Hoffman and his wife a smooth and full recovery. We hope the work of our Foster network carries on the legacy of Rep. Hortman and the ask from her children to “do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little bit better for someone else.”
Community becomes all the more important when moving through times of crisis and grief, and we are looking forward to gathering next Friday with members of our Foster community for our summer celebration. If you haven’t RSVP’d yet but would like to attend, reach out to Donté as soon as possible.
Read on below for:
FIG Updates
MN Promise in Motion
Fostering Independence Grant Updates!
As we mentioned in May, FIG was fully funded in the Higher Education Policy & Finance Omnibus Bill for future years. However, that bill was not voted on before the regular session deadline last month. The Governor called a special session on June 9th, and the Senate and House both voted the Higher Education Omnibus Bill through. On Saturday, Governor Walz signed the remaining Omnibus bills into law.
The final step has been crossed and the ink is dry:
FIG is fully funded for future years!
For Fosters looking to apply to college for the fall, the first step towards receiving FIG is filling out your 2025-2026 FAFSA/Dream Act. Check out these state resources for FAFSA or Dream Act support! Want to chat with someone about choosing the right college for you? Sign up for office hours with Sarah.
MN Promise in Motion
Thank you to everyone who has downloaded and started to read (and share!) the MN Promise report! In honor of Juneteenth and Pride month, we wanted to uplift visions from Black and LGBTQ2S+ Fosters below. Both populations are overrepresented in child welfare and deserve culturally-specific supports. Let’s be clear – affirming children’s race, culture, gender and sexuality is good parenting and every Foster deserves that affirming support in every placement they are in.
We are excited for future community conversations uplifting all the intersectional identities that Fosters hold, as well as diving into bold ideas in the report!
Who do YOU know who should be a part of those conversations? Help us build the Foster Movement by taking FIVE MINUTES to identify three individuals or organizations you want to invite to be a part of MN Promise.
We are excited for future community conversations uplifting all the intersectional identities that Fosters hold, as well as diving into bold ideas in the report!
Who do YOU know who should be a part of those conversations? Help us build the Foster Movement by taking FIVE MINUTES to identify three individuals or organizations you want to invite to be a part of MN Promise.
In Solidarity,
The Foster Advocates team
P.S. Make a gift today to support the first print run of the MN Promise report!
We are looking for individuals and organizations to support the power of Fosters and decision-makers holding this report in their hands. We're partway to our goal - can you help us get to 50% by the end of June?
