About Inspiring Futures
Inspiring Futures
Right now, youth touched by the child welfare system are struggling to finish school. In NYC specifically, where the overall high school graduation rate is 86%, if a young person spends even one week in foster care, their chances of graduating high school drops to 21%. College graduation rates are even lower, sitting at 3%. The reality is that youth impacted by the child welfare system, often juggle their academics with unstable home environments, a heightened risk of mental health issues, and the looming threat of being kicked out on the streets.
Our programs are built on a foundation of evidence-based practice, lived experience, and deep community relationships. From academic support to mental health services, every offering is designed to address the real and complex challenges our youth face daily.
We believe every young person deserves a fair chance at education, stability, and a meaningful future. Inspiring Futures is committed to walking alongside youth, not just through a crisis, but throughout the full arc of their journey toward independence and opportunity.
Mission, Vision, Values
Our mission is to improve high school and college educational outcomes for youth with current or past involvement in the child welfare, homeless, and juvenile justice systems through comprehensive and flexible mental health and academic support.
Vision
A future where young person with system-involvement has equal access to education, opportunity, and the sustained support they need to thrive, free from systemic and other barriers.
Core Philosophy
We center the lived experience of youth in everything we do. Our approach is trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and grounded in genuine, lasting relationships with the young people we serve.
Integrity
Doing what is right, always.
Respect
Valuing every individual journey.
Culturally Inclusive
Embracing all backgrounds.
Advocacy
Working alongside and amplifying young voices
Youth-Centered
Youth voice and choice
The Need
Foster youth and justice-involved young people face disproportionate barriers to education, economic stability, and long-term wellbeing. The statistics are stark, but each number represents a life, a story, and a future worth fighting for.
📍 Based in NYCGraduation Rate
21%
High school graduation rate for youth in foster care in NYC.
Higher Education
3%
College graduation rate for youth in foster care, a statistic we are fighting to change.
Homelessness Risk
346%
More likely to experience homelessness without a diploma or GED.
The Reality of the Struggle
Many of the young people we serve arrive in our programs having faced years of instability, trauma, and interrupted schooling. They enter not lacking potential or drive, but lacking the consistent, specialized support that students with more stable circumstances take for granted.
Without timely intervention, the challenges compound quickly. Educational gaps widen. Mental health crises escalate. The path to a diploma, let alone a degree, begins to feel impossibly far away. But with the right support, delivered at the right moment, these young people exceed every expectation.
“Inspiring Futures seeks to change these statistics and outcomes by providing the consistent, specialized support these students deserve.”Support Our Mission