The Enay Foundation Awarded $50,000 in Inaugural Innovation Challenge to Strengthen Family Preservation and Foster Care Systems

Big news for The Enay Foundation and the young people we serve:

We are grateful to share that The Enay Foundation has been awarded $50,000 through the inaugural National Foster Care Innovation Challenge, led by Flourish Fund in collaboration with Eagle Venture Fund and with support from Google.org and the Aviv Foundation. Special thanks to our friend Kevin King for sharing this opportunity with us, and to our friends at YouScience for their transformative work in assessing opportunity potential. Here's the full press release:

The Enay Foundation Awarded $50,000 in Inaugural Innovation Challenge to Strengthen Family Preservation and Foster Care Systems

Washington, D.C. (May 18, 2026) – The Flourish Fund, in collaboration with Eagle Venture Fund and with support from Google.org and the Aviv Foundation, announced The

Enay Foundation as an award recipient of its National Foster Care Innovation Challenge, which is aimed at accelerating human-centered, innovative solutions in family preservation and foster care. 

"Vulnerable children and families matter deeply to God — and across this country, remarkable people are acting like it. Local leaders are harnessing new technology and approaches to connect resources with needs more effectively, so that more children can be surrounded by the human care they deserve. But too many of these efforts remain small and disconnected, hemmed in by systems that were never designed to love anyone,” said Dan Vogel, Founder and CEO of Flourish Fund. “What actually changes a child's life is a community of care – neighbors, churches, families acting together. Through this innovation challenge, Flourish Fund is grateful to walk with these community innovators as they build a more human, connected system where every child experiences belonging in a safe, loving family."

“Too many youth aging out of foster care face disproportionate risks, homelessness, unemployment, and mental health challenges, not because they lack potential, but because the systems around them were never built to help them thrive,” said Wes Lyons, General Partner of Eagle Venture Fund.  “We believe foster care is investable, and that the right technology, mentorship, and support systems can completely change a young person’s trajectory. That’s why we launched this innovation challenge with The Flourish Fund: to identify and support founders and nonprofit leaders building real solutions that help young people transition from survival to opportunity.  They deserve better, so we have to do better.” 

“The Enay Foundation is honored to receive Flourish Fund’s investment in our Foster Youth Workforce Pathway Pilot, expanding a scalable model rooted in 11 years of service and ministry with foster care group homes in South Georgia. In partnership with our friends at YouScience and the local caregivers who know our youth best, this pilot will help young people in care move from career discovery to tailored education, training, and employment pathways. Most importantly, it offers many teens their first clear view of themselves through the lens of capability, alignment, and future potential in high-demand careers that can help break the foster care cycle,” said Elton Dixon, co-founder of The Enay Foundation.

Elton & Adrienne Dixon, Co-Founders, The Enay Foundation

Following a highly competitive review of 110 applicants, nine organizations were selected as award winners that together form an innovation portfolio spanning across the foster care continuum. The Enay Foundation was chosen as a recipient for its model providing career pathway tools directly to foster youth, which are portable across placements and integrated into school systems through individualized assessments. Each recipient was selected not only for their individual strength, but for the role they play within the broader collaborative strategy to support vulnerable families and strengthen communities in the United States.

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About Flourish Fund

Flourish Fund is a collaborative philanthropy fund solving problems that matter to the heart of God and to our neighbors, that all may flourish. We believe that when generous families give more together, we can do more together and see greater impact collectively than anyone can do on their own. By assembling givers, social entrepreneurs, practitioners, and the Church around bold strategies designed to shift the conditions holding a problem in place, we will see broken systems restored and lives renewed.

About Eagle Venture Fund

Eagle Venture Fund is a global impact venture capital firm consisting of several funds investing in early-stage technology companies that align profit with purpose. With offices in Dallas, Zurich, and Singapore, Eagle targets B2B SaaS, AI-enabled software, fintech, and tech-enabled services that fight human trafficking, poverty, and economic injustice around the world.