While the foster parent stipend is intended to meet most of the child’s needs, it can be difficult to e.g. buy an entire wardrobe for a newly arrived kid, or pay for an entire summer camp you weren’t expecting – especially for kinship caregivers who may not receive any stipend at first. Many organizations exist that will provide either goods or donations to help give your foster child the best resources you can.
The Child Welfare Advocacy Coalition Reduced Cost Services Guide highlights a variety of products and services available in or near Washington state that are offered at reduced cost for people meeting certain income levels – foster children often qualify for these income-limited programs, such as food stamps, because they can be considered a household of one.
click a location to see regional resources
Blue Skies For Children, Whatcom County: offering financial and practical support to foster and low-income youth age 6-18 including drivers education, musical instruments, winter clothing, etc.
The Treasure Chest, a foster closet in Monroe (Snohomish County)
Kids First Island County is dedicated to meeting the unfulfilled educational, vocational and recreational needs of children who are in foster care by building partnerships that link children with opportunities in Island County.
Fostering Family is an initiative to support kids in foster care throughout the Puget Sound region by increasing community-wide support for kids and families
Hand in Hand in Everett offers a resource closet for families in Snohomish County, based in Everett
Foster Hearts supports kids in Whatcom, Skagit, Island, and Snohomish counties with Care Kits, financial support for educational and fun Programs, The Foster Closet and other activities.
The Aaron Project in Bellingham connects volunteers from local churches with foster and adoptive families around Whatcom County to support them in individual ways.
Clothes for Kids, a foster closet in Lynnwood
Treehouse For Kids: a Seattle-based non-profit that run a large foster closet, fund driver’s education and car insurance for older foster youth around the state, and offer Christmas and Little Wishes grants program in King County.
Foster Champs of Washington, South King County-ish: Foster Champs is a body of individuals who believe in the importance of nurturing and advocating for foster, adoptive, and kinship families. They run a foster closet in the area.
Foster Champs of Maple Valley: provides emergency bags and clothes for children entering care, annual picnics and other events for families, and a monthly support group
Fostering Family is an initiative to support kids in foster care throughout the Puget Sound region by increasing community-wide support for kids and families
The Works (a Shoreline Public Schools closet – closed until September 2021)
Women United, Seattle: Services, programs and activities for kinship caregivers hosted by Angel of Hope Play Place & Engagement Center. Grandma's Hands manufacturing of pajamas, pajama boxes & bags for kinship kids, Pepper Pot kinship support Group, Hopes Closet, Threads of Change Kinship Sewing Classes, The Love Train Play Street Community Block Party, and Women United Backyard Socials
Kitsap Foster Care Association supports children in care in our community in a number of ways not covered by state funding such as: maintaining a ‘clothing closet’, free training; and free or very low cost fun, family activities each year for kids in care and their caregiver families
The Wishing Well, Pierce County: Our mission is to provide the clothing, supplies, and experiences unavailable to most foster kids and to retain quality foster homes in Pierce County by addressing financial barriers to accepting foster placements.
Fostering Family is an initiative to support kids in foster care throughout the Puget Sound region by increasing community-wide support for kids and families
Capital Kids Connection (Thurston, Mason & Lewis Counties) grants wishes for foster kids through several programs it operates, including Christmas Connection (a gift program)
Bridge The Gap, SW Washington: organization that provides funds to cover activities, summer camps, clothing etc for children in DCYF care, by social worker request.
Fostering Family is an initiative to support kids in foster care throughout the Puget Sound region by increasing community-wide support for kids and families
Foster Closets: God’s Closet (Vancouver/Clark County), Youth to Teen Essentials (Mason County), South Sound Foster/Adopt Closet (Olympia)
Beautifully Inspired, Tri-Cities: founded in 2015 to provide support to all those involved in the foster care community through a foster closet, back-to-school assistance, social events, volunteer assistance and more.
Voices for Children, Yakima: funding for activities and equipment for foster children through a Little Wishes program, free luggage, a foster closet and training and recruitment for CASA volunteers.
Mo’s Place, Tri-Cities/Walla Walla: provides emergency bags for DCYF/law enforcement to help children newly entering care, emergency and after-hours support, training and networking for foster parents
Foster closets: Sewing Seeds (Kennewick/Benton County), Compassion Closet (Ellensburg/Kittitas County), God’s Closet (Yakima)
National Angels: Spokane Chapter offers individual mentorship for foster youth age 11-22, and ongoing volunteer support for foster families.
Homes of Hope provide free and low-cost training courses to foster and adoptive families to parent successfully, as well as material resources for children in foster care. They serve 8 counties across WA and ID, beginning in the Lewiston – Clarkston Valley and including Asotin, Garfield, and Whitman Counties in Washington.
Stephanie’s Closet (Colville/Stevens County)
God’s Closet (Spokane)
Teen & Kid Closet (serves all of Eastern WA)
Mattress Firm foster home discount program – Available by ordering individually through the corporate manager of the program. Mattress Firm also partners with many of the organizations listed below, as listed at mattressfirmfosterkids.com
iFoster is a national organization that coordinates donations and discounts for member foster families from national grocery stores to orthodontics, provides laptops and phones to foster students and runs employment assistance programs for current and former foster youth.
Is your organization missing? Let us know! Email [email protected] with your information and we’ll get it added
Angels: offers individual mentorship for foster youth age 11-22, and ongoing volunteer support for foster families. Currently has chapters in Seattle, Spokane, and the Olympic Peninsula.
Beautifully Inspired, Tri-Cities: founded in 2015 to provide support to all those involved in the foster care community through a variety of different projects with a child first, trauma-informed approach. This involves working with everyone who is in the child’s life not just the foster family.
Bridge The Gap, SW Washington: organization that provides funds to cover activities, summer camps, clothing etc for children in DCYF care, by social worker request.
Blue Skies For Children, Whatcom County: offering financial and practical support to foster and low-income youth age 6-18 including drivers education, musical instruments, winter clothing, etc.
Capital Kids Connection (Thurston, Mason & Lewis Counties) grants wishes for foster kids through several programs it operates, including Christmas Connection: Foster youth fill out forms telling us 2 items they would like to have for Christmas, and we try to pair members of the community to these Christmas wishes to give the foster kids the specific items they would like to have for the holidays.
Celebrate You Foundation: inspiring vulnerable youth through birthday cakes and celebrations provided by local bakeries and businesses
Clothes for Kids: A foster closet in Lynnwood/Snohomish County
Compassion Closet: A foster closet in Ellensburg/Kittitas County
Embrace Washington, Spokane: we strive to eliminate any roadblocks that foster parents face to provide a normal happy life for a child in foster care. These roadblocks could be a variety of things such as: providing a foster child a new bed, educational support, paying for summer camp, music or sports and educational support
Foster Champs of Maple Valley: Foster Champs is a body of individuals who believe in the importance of nurturing and advocating for foster, adoptive, and kinship families. They provide emergency bags and clothes for children entering care, annual picnics and other events for families, and a monthly support group
Fostering Family is an initiative to support kids in foster care throughout the Puget Sound region by increasing community-wide support for kids and families
Foster Hearts supports kids in Whatcom, Skagit, Island, and Snohomish counties with Care Kits, financial support for educational and fun Programs, The Foster Closet and other activities.
God’s Closet (Spokane), God’s Closet (Vancouver), God’s Closet (Yakima),
Hand in Hand in Everett offers a resource closet for families in Snohomish County, based in Everett
Homes of Hope provide free and low-cost training courses to foster and adoptive families to parent successfully, as well as material resources for children in foster care. They serve 8 counties across WA and ID, beginning in the Lewiston – Clarkston Valley and including Asotin, Garfield, and Whitman Counties in Washington.
Kitsap Foster Care Association supports children in care in our community in a number of ways not covered by state funding such as: maintaining a ‘clothing closet’ and providing diapers and formula for up to three days; hosting low cost dinners with daycare, often with free training; free or very low cost fun, family activities each year for kids in care and their caregiver families; FREE trip to a Mariner’s game; celebrating high school graduation; offering the DREAM Project grant, up to $75 towards the purchase of enrichment activities
Kids First Island County is dedicated to meeting the unfulfilled educational, vocational and recreational needs of children who are in foster care by building partnerships that link children with opportunities in Island County.
The Lamb’s Wool: a foster closet for Stevens/Ferry County
Mo’s Place, Tri-Cities/Walla Walla: provides emergency bags for DCYF/law enforcement to help children newly entering care, emergency and after-hours support, training and networking for foster parents
North Olympic Foster Parent Association, Clallam County
One Simple Wish: a national organization that accepts funding requests from caseworkers or nonprofits for anything a foster child wants.
South Sound Foster Closet, Olympia
Stephanie’s Closet A foster closet in Colville/Stevens County
Sewing Seeds: A foster closet in Kennewick/Benton County:
South Sound Foster/Adopt Closet (Olympia)
Teen & Kid Closet (serves all of Eastern WA)
The Treasure Chest, a foster closet in Monroe (Snohomish County)
Treehouse For Kids: a Seattle-based non-profit that run a large foster closet, fund driver’s education and car insurance for older foster youth around the state, and offer Christmas and Little Wishes grants program in King County.
Voices for Children, Yakima: funding for activities and equipment for foster children through a Little Wishes program, free luggage, a foster closet (God’s Closet) and training and recruitment for CASA volunteers.
The Wishing Well, Pierce County: Our mission is to provide the clothing, supplies, and experiences unavailable to most foster kids and to retain quality foster homes in Pierce County by addressing financial barriers to accepting foster placements.
Women United: South Seattle kinship caregivers support group, foster closet, etc
The Works (a Shoreline Public Schools closet – closed until September 2021)
Youth to Teen Essentials: A foster closet for Mason County
All Family Time related inquiries
april, 2024
