The Foster Network awarded a $5,000 South Dakota Fund Grant to Assist the Closet Expansion Project

South Dakota Community Foundation (SDCF) recently awarded a $5,000 South Dakota Fund grant to The Foster Network (TFN). Funding will assist with the expansion of The Closet project significantly enhancing The Foster’s Networks most utilized program.

“This grant marks a significant investment into our Closet Expansion project, which aims to increase our ability to fulfill our core mission: ensuring families of foster children have most, if not all, of their practical needs met when taking placements,” said David Moody, TFN Executive Director. “The empowerment this provides foster families is a direct result of investments, such as this, and we are extraordinarily grateful for the consideration and effort of the South Dakota Community Foundation.”

Founded in 2011 by a coalition of foster parents, The Foster Network provides comprehensive, immediate, and ongoing support to foster, kinship, guardianship, and adoptive families across the state. The Closet program provides children entering foster care with a week’s worth of new and gently used clothing, shoes, and essential hygiene items. Once complete, The Closet Expansion project will upgrade intake and inventory management systems, develop a statewide outreach strategy to rural and underserved regions of the state and hiring additional staff allowing TFN to meet the increased demand for this program. 

“By expanding The Closet, The Foster Network is helping to remove the burden of families who often have little or no notice of placements in their home,” said Ginger Niemann, SDCF Senior Program Officer. “We are proud to support The Foster Network.”

To learn more about funding opportunities offered by SDCF, please visit our website at SDCommunityFoundation.org.