Foster Youth
Every year, over 800 young people in Tennessee “age out” of foster care, often without the supportive relationships, stable housing, or mental health resources they need to thrive. Within three years, 70–80% experience homelessness, addiction, incarceration, or trafficking.
The barriers these young adults face are preventable, but closing the gaps requires strong partnerships and a willingness to test new models across three critical areas: consistent and supportive adult relationships, safe and stable housing, and accessible mental health care. Solutions must be scalable, enduring, and community-driven, co-developed with youth voice and aligned to the real conditions young people face as they navigate the transition out of care.
Without stable relationships, safe housing, or access to mental health care, young people leaving Tennessee's foster care system face nearly impossible odds and barriers that bold, community-driven innovation has the power to close.
Young people aging out of foster care in Tennessee often exit the system without the resources or relationships they need to succeed. Many face housing instability, limited access to employment, fragmented support networks, and mental health challenges that compound over time.
The Reconstruct Challenge: Thriving Youth applies a venture philanthropy model to identify, fund, and support bold innovations that help youth successfully transition into adulthood in Nashville and Chattanooga.
Supported by
February 25, 2026
From 58 applicants across 11 states, six winners were selected to each receive $100,000 to pilot their solutions in Nashville and Chattanooga beginning in March 2026.
