You are Invited!

New Office Open House

Please join us for an unforgettable gathering on March 12th, 4:30-7 pm, at 1663 Mission St, Ste 700. Explore our new space, connect with the SFCASA community, learn about new opportunities from our program partners, and share the excitement!  Light refreshments will be served, and we can't wait to share the joy of our new home with you. Let's make memories together at SFCASA's Open House. If you are planning to attend by yourself and/or with a guest, please register HERE.

Special thank you to our volunteer CCN planners for co-hosting this event!



SFCASA Gala 2024

Our much-anticipated Annual Gala is just around the corner, and we're thrilled to invite each of you to join us for a night of celebration, joy, and making a positive impact. Your presence truly makes a difference. Stay tuned for more details and formal invitations coming your way. Our volunteers can enjoy an exclusive 50% discount on up to 2 tickets! 

Discount code: CASALOVE50

To register early click HERE.

Free Tax Filing for Current and Former

Foster and Probation Youth

Trained IRS-certified volunteers are ready to assist current/former foster youth with their tax preparation and filing needs for the 2023 tax year (and previous years)! SFCASA’s VITA site will offer virtual and in-person appointments from early February until the April 15, 2024 filing deadline. Many youth are eligible for the fully refundable CA Foster Youth Tax Credit worth up to $1,117 (and other tax credits)! We need the support of the awesome advocate community to reach our goal of supporting 100 youth to file their tax returns and maximize their tax refunds! Learn more here and please share our client registration link. Email [email protected] with any questions! 

2024 Summer Activities

SFCASA will fund summer camps and activity fees for the youth we serve regardless of their location! If the youth’s guardians or PSW are not able to pay for their summer camps in full, and/or funding is a barrier for summer camp attendance, SFCASA can fill the gap. If transportation to camp is a barrier, we will be able to support with safe transportation through a partnership with Hop, Skip, Drive for eligible youth.

MeWater Beach Day June 8

Let's have a great day at the beach! MeWater Foundation is a nonprofit organization run by surfers and mental health professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area. They provide day and overnight surf camps to youth, families, and groups, with a mental health approach to mindfulness, empowerment, and exposure to the ocean and the great outdoors.

San Francisco CASA has partnered with San Mateo CASA and MeWater on June 8th to offer a so CASAs and their youth can enjoy a fun beach day in Half Moon Bay. Youth will get the opportunity to try and learn and participate in their surfing activity. The MeWater volunteers also have non water activities for those who do not want to get in the water, so non-swimmers are most welcome! SFCASA will provide lunch. Join in the fun!

If you are interested please email [email protected]. More details to follow closer to the event.

SOAR for Youth Summer Academy

July 7 - 13

SOAR (Support, Opportunities, And Rapport) is an awesome summer residential program on the UC Berkeley campus with the aim of supporting foster youth to graduate from high school, attend college, and achieve their academic goals. Once youth successfully complete the first year academy, Prepare to SOAR, the graduates are then invited to attend the Learn to SOAR academy the following summer. Similarly, second and third year graduates are invited to attend Time to SOAR and SOAR to college in the following years. The program offers “stay connected” events throughout the year as well as individualized academic support through the first year in college. This individualized academic support includes weekly grade checks, tutoring, college and scholarship application assistance, and most importantly, interaction with school counselors to identify concerns before they become significant issues.

SOAR is a fantastic opportunity for youth who: 

•  currently are in 6-8 grade (7 – 9^th grade in fall 2024)
•  reside in Bay Area (Alameda, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, or Solano counties – though exceptions have been made for youth outside this area)
•  have a C or better grade average
•  are able to manage in group settings

Please connect with your assigned youth, their caregiver and PSW to discuss whether they can attend SOAR. You can start the application for SOAR HERE.

Laura Belyavski

Laura first started her journey as a CASA in September of 2021 when she was matched with a transitional aged youth new to the United States. Throughout this time, Laura has supported her youth with navigating the education system and in graduating high school as a young parent. Most recently, her youth expressed interest in attending City College of San Francisco to continue to work on learning English as well as to become a daycare teacher. Laura walked side by side with her youth during this transition by supporting her in meeting with a Spanish speaking academic counselor who provided a tour of the campus as well as showed her where her potential classes would be.

Most recently, the youth attended one of her English Language Learner classes and expressed to Laura how excited she was that she was able to understand the jokes shared in English. Laura was the first person the youth wanted to share this accomplishment with. They have an amazing relationship and the youth trusts Laura’s support when it comes to her and her baby. Laura truly meets her young person where she is at and grabs a hold of anything she expresses interest in so that the youth can make a decision on what she feels works best for her and her baby. Laura goes above and beyond her role as an advocate by supporting SFCASA as a participant on the Legislative Advocacy Team where she brings attention to the needs youth in foster care have to San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors and the California Senate. Laura is truly a force to be reckoned with and SFCASA is grateful for all her efforts! 

BlueWater Sailing Event

Please share this event with your assigned youth! CASAs and youth will enjoy a morning learning how to sail, and afterwards will be treated to a yummy lunch on the docks. BlueWater has one boat docked in Berkeley Marina which will hold 12 people. We ideally would want 6 pairs of CASAs and their youth. This activity will held on April 27th and will be a first come first serve opportunity. We sail for about 2 hours and lunch will be provided after.

If you are interested please email [email protected]. SFCASA can also provide transportation options.

Brady Riding

Horse Care and Riding Lessons

For Your Stuff

Love on the Leash:

Pet Therapy for Foster Youth

If you think your assigned youth might enjoy and benefit from pet therapy, check out Love on the Leash,a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing an avenue for volunteer pet therapy teams to engage in meaningful and productive animal assisted therapy. Love on the Leash has their own chapter here in San Francisco area. One of their volunteers Elise MacAndrew has partnered with SFCASA to help give our youth access to pet therapy. If you are interested in pet therapy for your youth please email [email protected]. Below is Elise's pet Sunny who volunteers with Love on the Leash.

Interact Project: Create @ Home

Interact Project presents "Create @ Home"- a free workshop

with a professional designer! The workshop is open for 6th-12th graders.

Mayor Breed:

Bridge to Excellence Scholarship

Applications are officially open for Mayor Breed’s Bridge to Excellence Scholarship. The purpose of the Bridge to Excellence scholarship is to enable San Francisco's highly-motivated, first-generation high school students from low-income and under-resourced communities to overcome financial barriers to attend four-year colleges, and fulfill their greatest potential. The Mayor’s Office requests that you encourag eligible high school seniors to apply! Applicants must:

1. Participate in programming through a DCYF-funded CBO (SFCASA)
2. Be a SFUSD or charter high school senior graduating in Spring 2024
3. Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.20 at the time of graduation
4. Demonstrate severe financial need
5. Be the first in their family to attend college
6. Demonstrate a strong commitment to college education
7. Demonstrate leadership skills
8. Be committed to a four-year university

You will be asked to submit a short paragraph about the student applicant.

Applications are due by March 15, 2024. Visit this link to access the application. 

Educational Advocacy Consultant

SFCASA is thrilled to welcome Dr. Laura Savage as Educational Advocacy Consultant! Dr. Savage will be available for Office Hours starting on Thursday, March 7, 11a-1p. Please reach out to your CS to set up an appointment. Future regular office hours will be shared on A.L. Forum, or just ask your CS. Dr. Savage will also offer Educational Advocacy CE trainings so stay tuned!

Financial Aid for College

If you serve a high school senior or college student, please be sure they are completing the FAFSA so they can receive financial aid for the next school year. Check out our website for more information about financial aid for college.  

Bayview Hunters Point:

Legacy Foundation

DreamSF Fellowship

We’re excited to announce that the DreamSF Fellowship is accepting applications for the 2024-2025 cohort!  

The DreamSF Fellowship is a program of the City & County of San Francisco’s Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA). The DreamSF Fellowship is back for the 11th year connecting immigrant students and aspiring professionals with social justice change-makers in the San Francisco Area! With the DreamSF Fellowship, fellows gain hands-on experience in direct services, content creation, immigration law, program management, creative expression, community advocacy, and much more.

The DreamSF Fellowship welcomes applications from anyone who meets the eligibility requirements. Candidates can apply regardless of immigration status. We prioritize submissions from applicants with an undocumented experience. 

APPLICATIONS ARE DUE APRIL 1ST, 2024. 

• DreamSF Outreach Toolkit
• Informational Sessions HERE

City Youth Now: 2024 Scholarship Program

City Youth Now has diligently partnered with the San Francisco Juvenile Court System to address the unique needs of the youth under its jurisdiction, in particular, those with experience in the foster care and juvenile justice systems. Each year, City Youth Now provides scholarships to youth in San Francisco who are either currently or previously system-involved, or local, community youth who can demonstrate financial need. To apply click HERE.

SFCASA's Peer to Peer Grant Program

SFCASA’s Peer to Peer Grant is now OPEN through the 15th of the month. Young people can apply for a grant between $500-$1500 to address needs such as education, transportation, housing, and more! Those who identify as Black or Black/multi-ethnic are encouraged to apply.

Some general reminders:

1. Young people must apply on their own (advocates, PSWs, etc. are welcome to support but can NOT apply on the young person’s behalf)

2. Two paragraphs at minimum are required in the short response section or it will be denied.

3. All submitted applications must have an invoice or cost estimate from a business to support the amount being requested as youth will not be receiving the grant money directly. SFCASA will only be paying vendors directly. This means that we will not accept grant applications for smaller requests such as toiletries or ongoing needs as the funding is a ONE time support.

4. If a youth applied last year and was awarded, the youth is not eligible to apply this cycle until May 2024.

You can access the application here or via the attached flier.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Program Manager Esperanza Jacuinde at [email protected]. SFCASA YOUth Empowerment Board Members are also available for questions via email at [email protected].

Universal Basic Income:

Foundations for the Future Pilot Program

All young adults who will age out of care before April 30^th, 2024 are eligible for Universal Basic Income!

This is a pilot program called Foundations for the Future where youth receive $1200 a month for 18 months to support them as they transition out of the foster care system. Through this pilot program the San Francisco Human Services Agency will provide this support to 150 youth. It is up to the youth to use these funds how they see fit, but as part of the program, a financial literacy aspect will be provided by Bay Area Legal Aid and First Place for Youth. Not all youth exiting care are eligible and there is a criteria being followed so please make sure to reference that when looking into whether or not the youth you are supporting is able to access this resource. The youth will have to apply to access this resource, an application link will be sent directly to the young person from the San Francisco Human Services Agency once their case is dismissed. During this process the youth will be able to identify if they would like the funds to be directly deposited or have the option of a reloadable debit card.

The criteria is: .

• At least 21 years old and aged out of San Francisco extended foster care through Family & Children's Services or Juvenile Probation on or after January 1, 2022.
• Have an annual household income of $60,000 or less for a single adult (no children) or $171,000 or less for households with two adults and two children (infants) in San Francisco County.

For any question regarding eligibility or how to support your youth with this process please feel free to reach out to you Case Supervisor.  

CASA Traveling Cost Update

SFCASA recognizes that for some Advocates the cost of travel to and from visits with your assigned youth can be a financial burden. If this is your situation, please request a gas card from your Case Supervisor. Also, you may request one Uber voucher (2 way ride) per month if desired. For tax purposes we are no longer able to reimburse for the cost of gas.

Please feel empowered to be in conversation with your Case Supervisor about any financial barriers you face as an Advocate. We are committed to ensuring that cost is not a barrier to serving as a CASA. Thank you!