New Yorkers for Children

Our Mission & History

New Yorkers for Children (NYFC) improves the well-being of youth and families in the child welfare system with an emphasis on older youth aging out of the system. NYFC provides direct educational, financial and emotional support and develops programs to fill gaps in the system in partnership with foster care agencies, community organizations, and the NYC Administration for Children’s Services.

Our Founder

NYFC was founded by Nicholas Scoppetta, the former Commissioner of the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). Having gone through the New York City foster care system himself, Nick devoted much of his life to ensuring that youth in foster care have the opportunity to lead lives of value, dignity, and joy.

Putting Education First

We work to enroll older foster youth in college, support them through graduation, and help them gain the skills needed to enter the workforce by providing:

Direct academic scholarship programs
Innovative pilot programs
Youth development events
Wraparound supports, including one-on-one academic coaching and mental health support
Technology for schoolwork
Emergency funding coupled with financial coaching

Providing A Safety Net

NYFC is a safety net for our city’s most vulnerable and resilient young people. For this reason, our focus is on youth who are aging out of the system and are at the greatest risk of depression, poverty, homelessness, and interactions with the criminal justice system.

Each and every youth that we serve has touched the New York City child welfare system in some way. We’re here to support them as they move forward.

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Our Unique Approach

NYFC provides direct services and scholarship support to about 1,000 youth annually, in addition to overseeing about 21 unique programs, including 47 private grants from foundations and corporations to support education programs and pilot initiatives in partnership with agencies and organizations in the child welfare landscape.

The overarching goal of NYFC’s direct services and grant management strategy is to increase the educational attainment, life skills, and career readiness of older youth in care and those aging out, and to support the New York City child welfare landscape by launching informative pilot programs.