Educational Resources through the Department of Children & Families

The Massachusetts Department of Children & Families (DCF) offers a variety of support to help foster youth finance their post-secondary education.  If you are current and/or have been in foster care you may be eligible for scholarship and grant programs that are available to foster youth.

For more information on each of these programs, students, social workers and college administrators can contact:

For more information on DCF Adolescent & Young Adult Services, please review Massachusetts Health and Human Services' Adolescent Services Website.

Mentorship & Support Resources

Massachusetts Network of Foster Care Alumni

If you are a current/former foster young adult, please visit the Massachusetts Network of Foster Care Alumni page. MassNFCA is an organization geared towards providing access to resources (housing, educational, and community) to young adult with foster care experience.

Rise Above Foundation

Rise Above Foundation is a non-profit that provides funding to young adults in foster care.  Rise Above can provide dorm items, first time apartment essentials, or funding for activities such as gym memberships, graduation clothes, theme park tickets, etc...to young adults in foster care.  You can request any of those through a brief 5-minute application.  Rise Above will also deliver care packages to young adults pursuing higher education each fall and spring.  Fall 2024 Care Package sign-up can be found here.  You may contact info@weriseabove.org with any questions!  

Helpful points of contact for DCF affiliated Foster Youth at UMass Lowell are:

  • Rich Doria, Assistant Director of Family & Student Support Resources, email: Richard_Doria@uml.edu.
  • Ann Ciaraldi, Associate Dean of Student Affairs for Violence Prevention & Compliance, email: Ann_Ciaraldi@uml.edu, phone at 978-934-2100