Fair Futures

The Fair Futures model provides comprehensive 1:1 coaching and support in social-emotional development, academics, career readiness, housing, and life skills to young people from 6th grade through age 26, and has been successfully implemented and scaled across all 25 NYC foster care agencies - serving nearly over 4,600 youth ages 11 - 26, with further expansion and implementation underway.

Interested participants can sign up for coaching by completing the Sign-up for Coaching form.

Initiative Launch and Development

Launched in 2019, and later expanded, the Fair Futures initiative is a citywide, comprehensive model for youth in foster care and those who have exited foster care. A partnership between ACS and The Center for Fair Futures, the program is operated in cooperation with 25ACS-contracted foster care agencies. The Fair Futures program envisions that through one-on-one targeted support provided by coaches, tutors, and specialists, youth in foster care will have a higher likelihood of reaching goals associated with a successful transition to adulthood, including by improving education, career development, and housing outcomes.

Fair Futures has grown into the largest cross-sector collaboration and most successful youth-led advocacy movement in the history of child welfare. The model has been fully implemented and scaled systemwide, with over 450+ Fair Futures staff supporting over 4600 young people ages 11 to 26. Through the Adams Administration, New York City became first in the nation to serve young people who exited foster care until age 26 with a long-term, comprehensive model. Fair Futures continues to grow; it is now being expanded to 9 organizations serving youth involved in the juvenile justice system, and a pilot was launched in Buffalo, New York.

The Center for State and Child Welfare at Chapin Hall's Evaluation Report

ACS commissioned the Center to conduct an implementation study and outcomes evaluation of Fair Futures. During phase one of the four-year project, the evaluation team conducted an implementation study of Fair Futures and developed the outcome evaluation design. Phase Three of the Chapin Hall report was released in 2022. The outcomes report, released in December 2025, found Fair Futures successful and implemented with model fidelity. According to the evaluation, youth involved in Fair Futures exhibited stronger persistence in school and higher graduation rates than other, comparable youth.

The report was prepared by researchers from the Center for State Child Welfare Data housed at Chapin Hall, with funding from ACS and Youth + Families Forward foundations, which include the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, New York Community Trust, Redlich Horwitz Foundation, Tiger Foundation, Ira W. DeCamp Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

Contact

For more information about Fair Futures please call 212-676-8609.

If you would like to learn more about replication opportunities, please visit the Fair Futures Replication webpage or contact Emil.Ramnarine@fairfuturesny.org.