As the end of the year draws near, the Michigan Department of Treasury is encouraging Michiganders to consider giving the gift of education through a tax-deductible donation to help youth who have experienced foster care.

“A growing number of our youth are reaching adult age and leaving the foster care system with inadequate resources to attend college,” says Robin Lott, executive director of Treasury’s Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning. “We know that Michiganders have big hearts that will grow even bigger as we raise funds for Michigan’s foster youth.”

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The program, called Fostering Futures Scholarship Trust Fund, provides meaningful gifts of education that will last a lifetime for recipients. Funds raised through the trust fund provide scholarships to young adults who have experienced foster care on or after age 13 and are enrolled at a Michigan degree-granting college or university. Students who receive this scholarship can use the money for tuition, housing, books and other college expenses. Students must also demonstrate financial need to qualify.

According to a Casey National Alumni Study, nationally, 70% of teens who emancipate from foster care report that they want to attend college, but fewer than 10% who graduate from high school enroll in college, and of those less than 1% graduate from college.

In Michigan, there are approximately 10,000 children in the Michigan Dept. of Health and Human Services’s foster care system at any given time. As they reach adult age, having adequate resources to attain their dream of a college education is critical to having a successful future.

Since 2012, fundraising efforts for Fostering Futures has totaled approximately $1.3 million, all of which has been awarded as scholarships in the year they were raised. This was accomplished through individual donations, group donations, sponsorships, ticket sales, auctions and many volunteer-based fundraising events. Contributing online is quick, easy and secure and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can help support the program with an online donation.

The Fostering Futures Scholarship Trust Fund is housed in the Michigan Department of Treasury, and is a Sec. 170 (c) nonprofit organization.