Congress·In Committee·H.R. 4769

Foster Youth Mentoring Act of 2025

Foster Care: Mentoring Program Grants

8 months ago·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

The Foster Youth Mentoring Act of 2025 is currently in the early stages of the legislative process. It was recently introduced and sent to the House Committee on Ways and Means for review. There are no upcoming votes scheduled at this time.

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Key Points

This bill creates a new federal grant program to help local groups start or grow mentoring programs for children in foster care and young adults up to age 26 who used to be in the system.
Schools, nonprofits, and tribal groups can use the money to find and train mentors who will commit to meeting with a young person for at least one year to help with school and life skills.
The plan requires mentors to pass background checks and receive special training on childhood trauma, family dynamics, and the specific legal rights foster children have in school.
The program allows for peer mentoring, meaning young adults who were once in foster care themselves can be paid to guide younger children currently going through the same experience.
Congress would provide $50 million each year for the first two years to fund these efforts, aiming to improve graduation rates and mental health for the hundreds of thousands of kids in care.