Organizations selected through the Thriving Youth Executive Leadership Council –– including the Governor’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative, Tennessee Department of Children’s Services and Belmont Innovation Labs –– will pilot innovative solutions for youth aging out of foster care.
FALLS CHURCH, VA – February 26, 2026 – Connect Our Kids is proud to announce that they are one of six organizations that have been selected to receive funding from Every Child TN’s Thriving Youth Executive Leadership Council through their Reconstruct Thriving Youth Challenge, a venture philanthropy initiative designed by Belmont Innovation Labs to address the gaps in stable housing, supportive relationships and mental health care for the more than 800 youth who transition out of Tennessee’s foster care system annually.
Connect Our Kids, TN Voices, Jonathan’s Path, Elmington Elevates, New Culture Project and Forward Steps will each receive $100,000 to pilot their solutions over the next 12 months. In addition to funding, each organization will receive technical assistance and support to pursue follow-on investment beyond the initial pilot period.
The challenge was developed through the Thriving Youth Executive Leadership Council which included leaders from Belmont Innovation Labs, Youth Villages, Monroe Harding, I Am Next, the Governor’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative (GFBCI), the Department of Children’s Services (DCS) and additional thought-partner and philanthropic community members.
With support from General Assembly appropriations, Belmont Innovation Labs conducted research in full partnership with GFBCI and DCS. The findings revealed that without targeted support, outcomes for youth aging out of care are often devastating. Yet with strategic, trauma-informed interventions — particularly consistent relationships with stable, caring adults — these outcomes can be transformed.
“I’m encouraged by the strong response to the Reconstruct Challenge and by the partners willing to test solutions that can deepen stability, connection and well-being for these young people,” said Tennessee Department of Children’s Services Commissioner Margie Quin.
Upon learning that Connect Our Kids was one of the six applicants selected–out of 58 applications from 11 states–Dr. Jennifer Jacobs, Connect Our Kids Co-Founder and CEO, stated, “We are honored to be recognized for our change agent role, and we eagerly look forward to working with these other amazing organizations to create solutions that keep kids connected to their people.”
Connect Our Kids is dedicated to helping child welfare professionals find extended family, build connections and create caring support networks for children and youth in the child welfare system. Their innovative tech tools are force multipliers for social workers, lawyers, family recruiters, and Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)/Guardian ad Litem (GAL) volunteers, and the tools dramatically increase the speed and scale of family search and engagement efforts, ensuring work is well-documented, organized, shareable, and secure.
Working in collaboration with America’s most forward-leaning child welfare thought leaders and guided by a team of advocates with lived experience in the foster care system, Connect Our Kids is revolutionizing the process of searching for and engaging with family and kinship connections. Connect Our Kids aims to give every child and youth in foster care the support and belonging needed to heal trauma and build a brighter future.
About the Governor’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative (GFBCI)
The Governor’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative (GFBCI) mobilizes Tennessee’s Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) to unite with the state government in serving vulnerable Tennesseans. Current GFBCI priorities are Every Child TN, the Volunteer Mentorship Initiative, and the Human Flourishing Initiative. Learn more at www.governorsinitiative.org.
About the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS)
The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services is the state’s child welfare agency. Through the Bright Futures program, DCS provides young adults transitioning from foster care with wraparound support up to age 23 so they can move into adulthood with stability and choice.
About Every Child TN
Every Child TN, an initiative led by the TN Department of Children’s Services and the Governor’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative, mobilizes all Tennesseans to care for children, youth, and families before, during, and after foster care. They do this with the support of agencies, advocates, faith communities, and advocates across the state focusing on four priorities: preservation, recruitment, retention and transition. Learn more at everychildtn.org.
About Belmont Innovation Labs
Belmont Innovation Labs is a cross-sector collaboration platform within Belmont University that convenes stakeholders and launches solutions to address complex social challenges. Learn more at www.belmont.edu/innovation-labs.
About Access Ventures
Access Ventures focuses on creating a more inclusive economy through a “blended finance” approach, investing in startups and organizations across different sectors. They aim to align financial returns with social and environmental impact by using “one-pocket” investing, where all assets are managed to reflect core values. Learn more at www.accessventures.org.
Media Contact:
Netta Dobbins-Cunningham
Email: [email protected]
Connect Our Kids Contact:
Heather Hughey, COO
Email: [email protected]
