How Social Worker/CASA Grants Change Lives

Posted June 18, 2026

In grantmaking, philanthropy, PVF Donors, PVF News, PVF news, Social Worker Grant Program

By Cayman Bentley, PVF Social Media Manager

At Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, we believe the most meaningful change often happens in quiet moments — a child sleeping soundly under a new blanket, a teenager holding a bike of their own for the first time, or even a teen getting their learner’s permit. Our Social Worker/CASA Resource Grants Program is built around those moments. Through $250 grants to Social Workers and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs), we support the dedicated people who show up every day for children and teens in foster care — and the young people who deserve so much more than the world has yet given them.

This year, the advocates in our network shared stories that moved us deeply. We’re honored to pass a few of them along.

When a CASA volunteer with Child Advocates of Silicon Valley, used her grant to support her foster youth’s saxophone lessons, she couldn’t have imagined watching that same little girl lead her 6th grade band in concert. But that’s exactly what happened. “Playing the saxophone has been one of the few consistent activities she has had,” the CASA shared, “and she derives a great deal of pride — and discipline — from it.“ For children in foster care, consistency is a gift. A weekly lesson, a familiar instrument, a song she’s been working on — these things matter enormously.

A San Francisco CASA volunteer has been walking alongside a remarkable young woman in the city for three years. This year, that young woman graduated high school and enrolled at City College of San Francisco — a milestone the CASA describes with unmistakable pride. With her grant, they put together something beautifully practical: cozy new bedding for her transitional housing, kitchen essentials, bathroom storage, laundry detergent, and dental supplies for her braces. The kind of list that makes a place feel like home. “I cannot wait to see where life takes her,“ the CASA wrote to us. “I really appreciate you being a part of her success.“
For one young man supported by CASA volunteer, a single missing item had been standing between him and his future: a computer. Without one, community college felt out of reach — and his passion for music production had nowhere to grow. By combining a PVF grant with a supplemental CASA grant, his CASA volunteer helped him get his first personal computer. In one thoughtful purchase, two doors opened at once: a creative outlet that’s entirely his own, and a real path back to college.
A Contra Costa County Social Worker works with a boy in Antioch who loves sports and video games — and he has been doing what great social workers do: nudging toward the basketball court. With the grant, they covered his registration for a Junior Warriors Basketball League, a basketball, and a sweatshirt to wear with pride. “Since this time we have been going to the gym and practicing basketball every Tuesday,” the social worker told us, “which is a great outlet.“ Every Tuesday. A standing date, a shared routine, something to look forward to.
Sometimes the most important thing a grant can do is get a child where they need to go. Another CASA volunteer, also with Child Advocates of Silicon Valley, helped her youth use the grant — combined with additional funds — to purchase a secondhand bicycle so he could travel safely to school each day. For a young person in foster care, a reliable way to get to school isn’t a small thing. It’s freedom, dignity, and one less barrier between him and the education he deserves.

What strikes us most in these stories isn’t the items purchased — it’s the care behind every decision. A CASA who knows exactly which bedding will make a young woman feel at home. A social worker who knows Tuesday at the gym will be the highlight of his kid’s week. These advocates see the children they serve as full, wonderful people — and they use these grants accordingly. This is why these grants matter.

We’re deeply grateful to each of them, and to the donors who make this program possible. Together, we get to be part of something real: young people who feel seen, supported, and set up to thrive.

Click the button below to apply for a Social Worker/CASA Resource Grant or to learn more about the grant program.

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