The California Chafee Grant for Foster Youth (Chafee Grant) awards up to $5,000 a year to eligible foster youth. In an effort to pay more eligible students and reduce the program waitlist, the California Department of Social Services has authorized $4,500 annual award amounts for the 2025-26 academic year. The Chafee Grant may be used at any eligible California college or university, or career or technical school. Students attending schools in other states may also qualify. A student's receipt of a Chafee Grant award shall not exceed five years (whether or not consecutive). Payment on an eligible California Chafee Grant Award is not guaranteed. Funding is limited. Payments are made on a first-come first-served basis.

Students must :

• Be a current or former foster youth who was a ward of the court, living in foster care, between the ages of 16 and 18.
• Not have reached their 26th birthday as of July 1st of the award year.
• Be enrolled in an eligible vocational school or college courses at least half-time.
• Be making satisfactory academic progress.

The 2025-2026 Chafee Grant Application is now open. High school seniors and students attending classes in the fall of 2025 should fill out this application.You will be asked to confirm that you will fill out a 2025-26 FAFSA or CA Dream Act Application (CADAA) when the applications become available in December of 2024.

The 2026-27 Chafee Grant Application opens October 1, 2025. High school seniors and students attending classes in the fall of 2026 should fill out this application.

You only need to fill out the Chafee application once. Submitting multiple applications will delay the awarding process.

Additional information for students can be found on the Overview for Students webpage.

If you meet the Chafee Grant eligibility requirements, please begin the application by clicking "Start" below.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the Chafee team at chafee@csac.ca.gov