Summary
The Education and Training Voucher (ETV) program is a federally funded program administered by the Colorado Department of Higher Education. The program provides Colorado residents who are currently or have previously been in foster care and are between the ages of 17 to 25 with financial support for post-secondary education at a college, university, vocational, technical, or trade school. Funding is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible students.
*Please note: Funds for the 2024-2025 have been fully dispersed and depleted as of 12/10/24. The application will remain open for those who need to complete an ETV application to satisfy FosterEd requirements.
- Eligibility Criteria
The student must be a current or former foster student who meet these criteria:
- Has been accepted into/enrolled in a degree, certificate, or other accredited program at a college, university, technical, or vocational school,
- To remain eligible for ETV funding, youth must show progress toward a certificate of completion, associate, bachelor’s, or postgraduate degree,
- Is at least 17 years old and has not yet reached 26 years old,
- Is a U.S. citizen or qualified non-citizen,
- Has completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the applicable school year.
In addition, youth must meet one of the following criteria:
- Was in foster care on or after their 14th birthday,
- Had a finalized adoption with adoption assistance on or after their 16th birthday,
- Had a guardianship assistance established on or after their 16th birthday, or
- Was in Division of Youth Services community placement on or after their 14th birthday.
- Amount of Funding
ETV Grant recipients can receive a maximum amount of $5,000 per year.
The maximum number of years a student can receive ETV funding is five (5) years, (consecutive or intermittent).
Funding is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible students.
Please note that since the ETV program is federally funded our department does not receive funding until October 2024 and the disbursement of this money can take several weeks after we receive it to be sent over to your institution.
- Resources
- To Apply
Students will need to fill out an ETV application each school year they intend to enroll. Please submit only one application per school year. Should you need to make any changes to your application, contact our Foster Care Student Navigator team at fcnavigator@dhe.state.co.us.
NOW OPEN - 2024-2025 School Year - Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Application
Please note: Funds for the 2024-2025 have been fully dispersed and depleted as of 12/10/24. The application will remain open for those who need to complete an ETV application to satisfy FosterEd requirements.
Students must provide proof of foster care eligibility on a court affidavit or the Confirmation of Foster Care Experience form from the child welfare database. If a student does not have one of those forms, they should contact the County in which they experienced foster care. This may include their caseworker, Chafee worker, or contacting the county’s Department of Human Services (DHS) to request this documentation.
You can find your Colorado county’s DHS contact information here.
The 2025-2026 ETV Application will open on March 1st, 2025. Please check back to this webpage for the application link.
- Questions
Please reach out to your foster care navigator for guidance on filing out the application.
For questions, students, please contact fcnavigator@dhe.state.co.us to get connected to your foster care navigator.
For questions, IHE financial aid directors, please contact fosterfinaid@dhe.state.co.us.