Executive Order: “Fostering the Future for American Children and Families”

Date: November 13, 2025
From: Office of the First Lady, Melania Trump

First Lady Melania Trump led the creation of a new Executive Order aimed at expanding opportunities for young people who have experienced foster care by aligning federal resources with public‑ and private‑sector partnerships. She joined President Trump at the signing ceremony and highlighted this as both an empathetic and strategic effort to modernize the child welfare system.

• Fostering the Future Pledge & Commitments

  • Launches a Fostering the Future program.
  • Invites government, private industry, nonprofits, and universities to commit to new educational and employment pathways for youth aging out of foster care.

• Online Resource and Planning Hub

  • Creates a Fostering the Future online platform.
  • Helps current and former foster youth build customized plans for self-sufficiency by connecting them to key resources.

• Increased Access to Federal Support

  • Expands access to Education and Training Vouchers and federal grants.
  • Supports short, credentialed programs focused on education, workforce advancement, and financial literacy.

• Expanded Educational Opportunities

  • Encourages states to use scholarship programs funded by tax-credited donations for children in foster care.

• HHS / Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

  • Will launch initiatives to keep children safely with their families, reduce unnecessary entries into foster care, and increase available foster homes.
  • Announces a pilot program to donate decommissioned federal laptops to foster youth to bridge the digital divide.

• Treasury & HUD

  • Will host roundtables nationwide to hear directly from youth transitioning out of foster care about financial literacy barriers.
  • Will develop policies and programs to ensure strong financial literacy in the transition process.
  • Plan to release initial findings in Spring 2026.

• Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

  • Creates a pathway for foster youth and former foster youth to obtain federal jobs through Pathways Programs.
  • Will build a dedicated applicant portal, plus a speaker series and professional development to build skills, networks, and readiness for public service.

Private organizations are invited to sign the Fostering the Future Pledge at WhiteHouse.Gov/FosteringTheFuture.

• Started by Melania Trump in 2021 as a Be Best initiative.
• Provides technology-based scholarships to foster youth for colleges and universities across America.
• Designed to help recipients gain knowledge for entry-level jobs and ultimately financial independence.
• Participating universities include Vanderbilt University, University of Miami, Villanova University, Florida International University, and Oral Roberts University, among others.

• She thanks cabinet secretaries, members of Congress, donors, and partner organizations, and gives special thanks to President Trump for prioritizing foster children.
• Emphasizes that too many individuals from the foster care community end up homeless and at risk.
• Explains her 2021 vision: create a platform that gives foster youth the ability to secure entry-level jobs and achieve financial independence.
• Describes Fostering the Future scholarships as providing not just degrees, but a “fundamental foundation of knowledge” that lasts a lifetime.
• Praises partner universities and predicts graduates will become leading executives who contribute to communities through job creation, healthcare access, food security, and other benefits.
• Says the Executive Order is designed to build a comprehensive network linking:
• Calls on leaders, especially in the private sector, to “rise above the ease of inaction” and join the effort.
• Concludes with a forward-looking vision:

Key Provisions of the Executive OrderNew Federal Partner CommitmentsBackground on “Fostering the Future” InitiativeHighlights from the First Lady’s Prepared Remarks