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FOSTERING GREATNESS INC

Buffalo, NY · EIN 842636478 · Form 990EZ · FY2024 · NTEE L99 · Housing & Shelter · Micro (<$100K) · fosteringgreatnessinc.org
revenue
$94K
expenses
$21K
net assets
$124K
employees
mission · from form 990

underserved underemployed unemployed

profile · synthesized from sources

Fostering Greatness Inc. is a grassroots nonprofit in Western New York that supports foster care alumni, particularly youth and young adults of color, in transitioning to independent adulthood. The organization provides services in housing stability, education and career development, leadership training, and health management. Founded by a former foster youth, it uses a culturally responsive, strengths-based approach to help participants move from surviving to thriving.

named programs · 6 · from sources

What they call their work

Cataract City Fostering Greatness Collaborative
Partnership with ICG to integrate foster care alumni into advanced manufacturing through apprenticeships and wraparound supports including childcare and housing
Education and Career Development
Offers vocational training, workforce development, and educational support to help foster care alumni build sustainable careers
Emerging Leaders Fellowship
One-year fellowship funded by the Redlich Horwitz Foundation offering professional development, coaching, and networking for foster care alumni
Leadership Development
Programs designed to cultivate leadership skills among foster care alumni so they can become community and peer resources
Optimal Health Care
Connects transitioning foster youth with behavioral and physical health services using a wellness-centered approach
Transitional Housing
Provides access to safe, stable, and affordable housing for foster care alumni in Western New York through partnerships with HUD and local municipalities
activities · 5 groups

What they do

  • Foster Youth Transition Support 2 activities
    • Comprehensive support services for foster care youth and alumni
      Provides life skills, housing stability, education and career advancement, personal and professional development, leadership development, and health management support to foster care youth, young adults, and alumni of color in Western New York, including assistance accessing mental and physical healthcare through partnerships with behavioral health agencies.
    • Fellowship program for young adults with foster care experience
      Offers a one-year fellowship program for young adults with foster care experience focused on professional development, career coaching, and peer support, including bi-weekly workshops on goal setting, time management, and communication; monthly one-on-one career and empowerment coaching; and monthly peer-led Coaching Circles for problem-solving and community building.
  • Affordable Housing Development and Management 1 activity
    • Housing stability support for foster care alumni
      Secures access to safe, stable, and affordable housing for foster care alumni in Western New York through partnerships with HUD and local municipalities.
  • Published Narrative Projects 1 activity
    • Publication of foster care memoir and educational resource
      Authored and published the book "I Shall Not Be Moved," a memoir chronicling the author's adolescence and experiences in the foster care system in Buffalo, New York, to raise awareness and inform practice.
  • Financial Aid and Scholarship Access Programs 1 activity
    • Scholarship program for individuals impacted by foster care
      Provides scholarship awards to support individuals with foster care experience in pursuing higher education.
  • Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Training 1 activity
    • Workforce development initiative for foster care alumni
      Pilots the Cataract City Fostering Greatness Collaborative to support at least 150 foster care young adults and alumni in entering the advanced manufacturing workforce through targeted vocational training and career advancement services.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$94K
Contributions & grants$94K100%
Program service revenue
Investment income
Other revenue
expenses
Total expenses$21K
Program expenses
Admin / overhead
Fundraising
Salaries & benefits
Grants paid out
balance sheet
Total assets$124K
Cash
Investments
Liabilities
Net assets$124K
3 years on record · 2022–2024 · YoY revenue +2269.2%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

board members · 1
  • DR LEAH A DANIEL — EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
relationships · 6

Who they work with

  • HUD Partner — Collaborates with HUD to secure safe, stable, and affordable housing for foster care alumni in Western New York.
  • Independent Contractors Guild of WNY Partner — Partnered to pilot the Cataract City Fostering Greatness Collaborative, combining apprenticeship training with supportive services for foster care youth and alumni.
  • One Simple Wish Partner — Collaborates on the administration and granting of scholarship awards for individuals impacted by foster care.
  • Redlich Horwitz Foundation Funder — Provides support for the Emerging Leaders Fellowship program.
  • behavioral health agencies Partner — Connects transitioning foster care alumni with behavioral health agencies to support their mental and physical healthcare needs.
  • local child welfare and foster care agencies Partner — Works with local child welfare and foster care agencies to provide high-quality resources to foster care alumni in Western New York.
strategies · 2

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Culturally Responsive and Strengths-Based Empowerment
    methodology: culturally_responsive_and_strengths-based
    By affirming participants’ cultural identities and treating lived experience as a foundation for growth, the organization increases engagement and personal agency, because this approach builds trust, resilience, and self-efficacy in youth navigating post-foster care transitions.
  • Village Model with Wraparound Services
    methodology: village_model
    By providing integrated housing, career coaching, and childcare within a “village” model, the organization reduces systemic barriers to employment for foster care youth and alumni, because holistic, coordinated support addresses the interconnected challenges they face.