Resource Spotlight: The Foster Alliance

We talked about why children in foster care need more than just a safe place to stay. They need everyday essentials, consistency, and support that helps them feel stable and cared for.

The Foster Alliance has been providing exactly that for more than two decades.

Who They Are

The Foster Alliance is a nonprofit organization that has been serving the foster care community since 1998. They were originally known as Arizona Helping Hands and rebranded in 2024 to better reflect their focused mission around foster care specifically. Supporting children in foster care takes a whole community coming together to make it work.

They support the foster care community by providing essentials that benefit children in foster care. Their vision is just as clear, every child on the foster care path should thrive.

They have locations in Phoenix and Flagstaff, Arizona, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Across both states more than 14,000 children in foster care rely on the kind of support The Foster Alliance provides every day.

Who They Serve

The Foster Alliance serves children and young adults from birth through age 21. They also serve foster families and kinship families, caseworkers, group homes, licensing agencies, and Court Appointed Special Advocates.

Supporting everyone connected to a child's care is part of how they work. A caregiver who feels equipped and supported is in a much better position to provide the kind of stable and consistent home a young person needs to settle in.

What They Provide

Through their Safe Sleep program they provide new beds, cribs, and bedding so every child has a safe place to sleep. Through their Essential Services program they provide clothing, shoes, diapers, personal care items, and footlockers for personal belongings so families can come back for this program regularly as needs come up. Through their Back-to-School program they provide backpacks and school supplies year round so a child starting at a new school has everything they need from their very first day.

Programs Built for Real Moments

Safe Sleep ensures every child has a real bed rather than a couch or the floor. Essential Services meets ongoing needs rather than a one-time visit. Licensing and Safety kits go to new foster families during the state licensing process so their homes are ready before a child ever arrives.

Birthday Dreams delivers more than 400 personalized birthday gift packages every single month. Each one is built around the individual child receiving it. For a young person in foster care having their birthday acknowledged with something personal and thoughtful is not a small thing.

Holiday Toy Fest provides gifts for foster youth ages 0 through 21 each fall and winter. It is made possible by a network of community volunteers called Foster Allies who give their time to show up for children they may never meet.

Their 2025 Impact

In 2025 The Foster Alliance served 8,442 unique children, provided 2,058 safe sleep environments and delivered 2,426 back-to-school backpacks. They made 3,765 birthday dreams come true and supported 3,037 care providers. They’ve delivered 7,405 essential services, distributed 489 licensing and safety kits, and reached 3,881 children through Holiday Toy Fest.

Across the full year they distributed more than 5.5 million dollars worth of essential resources. Every number represents a real child who received something new and something chosen for them.

Why This Work Matters

The Foster Alliance is built around that same understanding. Every program they run meets a specific need in a way that respects the individual child receiving support.

A new bed helps a child rest. A filled backpack helps them start a new school on equal footing. A birthday gift tells them someone paid attention to who they actually are. These moments add up. They are the kind of consistent, practical support that helps a young person feel stable over time.

This work connects directly to Brickers Foundation's focus on Youth, Health and Wellness, and Social Justice.

How to Get Involved

You can donate funds directly to The Foster Alliance to help cover the cost of the brand-new essential items in their programs. You can volunteer your time at their Phoenix location sorting donations, packing backpacks, and building Birthday Dreams packages. Volunteers must be at least 14 years old and recurring volunteers complete a background check.

You can organize a donation drive at your school, workplace, or organization. High priority needs right now include clothing for children ages 18 months through 24, boys underwear in all sizes, shoes in all sizes, and pull-ups. You can also give directly through their Back-to-School drive which runs year round.

If you live in Arizona you may also qualify for the Arizona Foster Care Tax Credit when you donate. It is a dollar for dollar credit and does not require itemizing your taxes.

Every way of giving connects to a real child receiving something that helps them feel a little more stable, a little more seen, and a little more ready for what comes next.

Ready to support foster youth and the caregivers who welcome them?