WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THE BEYOND THE SAFETY NET (BTSN) FAFSA CHALLENGE? To increase the number of current and former foster youth and homeless youth who are supported in college by ensuring that they are accessing financial aid.

HOW DOES THE CHALLENGE WORK? The 36 housing programs participating in Beyond the Safety Net are invited and encouraged to participate in the Challenge. Over the course of the 2018-19 FAFSA cycle, programs assist as many youth in their programs as possible with completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA). JBAY provides technical assistance, promotional materials, support for tracking FAFSA completion, and other resources to participating programs to support them in this effort. Two to four programs – one “large” program and one “small” program for each deadline – with the highest FAFSA/CADAA completion rate win the Challenge.

WHAT DO THE WINNING PROGRAMS RECEIVE? The two to four programs that win the BTSN FAFSA Challenge will each receive an unrestricted program grant. Winning programs will also be publicly recognized for their outstanding efforts to connect their youth to financial aid for post-secondary education. Amounts and award timelines are outlined below:

• March 2, 2019: The two programs with the highest FAFSA/CADAA completion rate as of the March 2^nd priority deadline will be awarded $250 each.
• June 30, 2019: The two programs with the highest FAFSA/CADAA completion rate as of June 30^th will be awarded $750 each.

It is possible for a program to win both the March 2^nd and June 30^th awards, totaling $1,000. In the event of a tie, there will be a random drawing to break the tie.