California Department of Social Services — Chafee Education and Training Vouchers
CDSS verifies foster-care history and explains ETV rules, while CSAC handles financial-aid review and status. Students living outside California may apply if their foster-care case originated in California and they are not receiving ETV from another state.
About California Department of Social Services — Chafee Education and Training Vouchers
The California Department of Social Services coordinates Chafee Education and Training Vouchers (ETV) with CSAC. Its page is particularly useful for students checking whether their care history fits the rule: alongside age 16–18 and dependent or ward status, it lists adoption, non-relative guardianship, Kin-GAP, and tribal out-of-home placement situations.
CDSS currently lists up to $5,000 a year for postsecondary education and training. A student must demonstrate financial need, attend an eligible program of at least one academic year at least half time, and maintain satisfactory academic progress. The site sets a five-year use limit and an age test as of July 1 of the award year. An award is not automatically the student’s full cost, and CSAC still reviews the financial-aid file.
CDSS and CSAC publicly list different maximums: CDSS says $5,000, while CSAC’s student guide says up to $4,500. CSAC also warns that funding and budget conditions affect award amounts and waitlists. Students should wait for the official award notice rather than budget housing or tuition around a webpage maximum. CDSS is useful for eligibility and verification; WebGrants shows the individual result.
Foster-care history is usually checked against state records. If it cannot be verified automatically, CSAC may request a Foster Care Eligibility Certification. For applicants whose care history was in another state, CDSS says the ETV coordinator, social worker, or probation officer in the state of origin may need to complete certification. Someone may apply from outside California if the case originated here and they are not receiving a voucher from another state; ETV cannot be received from two states at once.
CDSS’s Transition Age Youth Policy Unit lists 916-651-7465 and CFSChafeeETV@dss.ca.gov for program questions. For application status, its page directs students to CSAC, which lists chafee@csac.ca.gov. Have the award year, WebGrants email, state of residence, and agency that opened the foster-care case ready. Do not send sensitive records to an address you have not confirmed.
Ask the campus to connect you with its Foster Youth Liaison, NextUp, or Guardian Scholars program; they can help with registration, books, transportation, and emergency support, but do not replace the state award decision. <a data-profile="chafee-cdss">The CDSS profile explains verification and interstate cases</a>; <a data-profile="chafee-csac">CSAC administers the form and status checks</a>. If a care-history record does not match, ask which specific certification is missing before resubmitting the entire application.
Who it serves and what it can cover: CDSS verifies foster-care history and explains ETV rules, while CSAC handles financial-aid review and status. Students living outside California may apply if their foster-care case originated in California and they are not receiving ETV from another state.
How to apply or get help: CDSS lists the Transition Age Youth Policy Unit phone and email but no public hours on the Chafee page; contact it before traveling to Sacramento. For case-specific questions, contact the program or financial-aid office named on its official page.
State agency administering Chafee education vouchers for foster youth