Change 1 Mind Change 1 Life
UnclaimedIs this your nonprofit? Claim it, edit it, and get free access to our grant matches, donor leads, and fundraising tools.
About Change 1 Mind Change 1 Life
For young people leaving foster care, adulthood can mean figuring out housing, work, education, and everyday life skills at once. Change 1 helps youth and young adults ages 15–26 find those supports, while also advocating for stronger child welfare systems and better support for families. In Austin, your gift helps connect foster care alumni with resources, mentorship, employment guidance, community, and pathways toward self-sufficiency.
Change 1 supports young people directly while also working to improve the child welfare system around them. Its approach is shaped by Cortney Jones’s lived experience in foster care and her work as a social worker, CPS worker, adoptive parent, and foster mother.
Programs
The concrete work this nonprofit runs. Each program may later become a fundable project.
Support for youth transitioning out of foster care
Provides guidance, advocacy, mentorship, life skills development, community connection, and access to resources for youth and young adults ages 15–26 transitioning into adulthood.
Systems improvement and child welfare advocacy
Advocates for and implements changes intended to improve the child welfare system and its support for children, youth, and families.
Find Support Now resource navigation
Connects foster care alumni with housing, education, job training, employment, and other community resources, along with support and guidance.
Workforce Development
Supports youth ages 14–24 impacted by foster care through job readiness training, career exploration, interview practice, application support, and healing-centered support.
Empower Youth Austin
A collaboration with Travis County and the City of Austin’s Summer Youth Employment Program that provides a seven-week summer employment experience for eligible youth, including hands-on activities, workshops, mentorship, life skills, and career pathway exploration.
Homeless Diversion Program
Provides immediate housing alternatives and support for youth aging out of foster care, including assistance with rent, utilities, transportation, employment, education, and other essential needs.
Restorative Practices training
Provides trauma-informed, child-centered guidance for professionals working with abused and neglected children, emphasizing the child’s needs, safety, and voice.
Ethnic hair care workshop
Offers education for foster parents, professionals, and advocates on caring for ethnic hair and supporting cultural identity, self-confidence, and inclusion for children of color.
Summer camp for foster care alumni
Provides camp experiences with outdoor activities, team building, creative workshops, personal growth, healing, and community building for foster care alumni.
Thanksgiving Celebration
Creates a family atmosphere and joyful holiday memories for children in foster care and young adults formerly in care through meals, music, awards, and community activities.
Youth Summer Internship Program
Provides research, employment, interpersonal, data evaluation, and leadership skills training for youth.
About this work
Mission
Change 1’s mission is to improve the lives of children, youth, and families that experience the child welfare system and other health and human services systems in order to ensure successful outcomes. The organization engages and nurtures youth so they can reach their full potential.
Who they serve
Children, youth, and families involved with the child welfare system, with a specific focus on youth and young adults ages 15–26 transitioning out of foster care. Programs also serve foster care alumni, foster parents, caregivers, child welfare professionals, and eligible youth with disabilities.
Their impact
- In 2019, Change 1’s Thanksgiving event grew to serve an average of 60 youths per year.
- A 2021 Youth Summer Internship Program trained 10 youths in research and employment skills.
- In 2021, Change 1 received $10,000 from Glimmer Austin toward staff capacity building and programs for youth leaders and community partners.
How your donation helps
- Food, groceries, and meals for young people aging out of foster care
- Temporary hotel stays and other safe housing alternatives
- Rent, utilities, move-in costs, moving costs, and apartment application fees
- Bus passes, gas cards, and transportation to school, work, or job interviews
- Phone and internet connectivity
- Clothing and shoes for school, work, or job interviews
- Household essentials such as bedding, towels, and dishes
- Employment supports including work boots, uniforms, certifications, and license fees
- Costs for identifying documents, including birth certificates, government-issued identification cards, and background checks
Need help?
How someone in need can access Change 1 Mind Change 1 Life’s services.
Youth and young adults transitioning from foster care can contact Change 1 to request support and resource navigation. Change 1 connects foster care alumni with housing, education, job training, employment, and other community resources, and provides guidance while they identify services. The organization does not provide direct financial assistance or case management through its Find Support Now program.
In their words
When we change one mind, we change one life.
All foster youth can become self-sufficient.
Success is not measured by going to college, or starting your own nonprofit. When you achieve something you didn’t think you could by dispelling the myths in your head, that is true success.
Grant support
$50,609 from 2 funders · through 2023 (IRS 990 records).
- AUSTIN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC — $20,000 (2023)FOR US BY US - REDESIGNING CHILD WELFARE IN TRAVIS COUNTY TO PRESERVE FAMILIES
- AUSTIN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC — $30,000 (2022)GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
- A GLIMMER OF HOPE FOUNDATION AUSTIN — $491 (2022)THANKSGIVING FOOD
- A GLIMMER OF HOPE FOUNDATION AUSTIN — $118 (2021)2021 HOLIDAY GIFTING
Ways to help
Concrete needs and volunteer roles Change 1 Mind Change 1 Life has shared.
Current needs
- Gas cards
- Bus passes
- Temporary hotel stays
- Grocery gift cards
- Rent and utility assistance
- Move-in and moving costs
- Apartment application fees
- Employment supports such as work boots, uniforms, certification fees, and license fees
- Bus tickets for youth with confirmed housing at their destination
- Money orders for birth certificates, government-issued identification cards, and criminal background checks
- Clothing, shoes, bedding, towels, dishes, and other household essentials
Volunteer opportunities
- Mentoring youth
- Providing educational guidance
- Supporting board development and governance
- Supporting programs and policy work
- Fundraising
- Communications and publicity, including social media
- Setting up, serving at, and cleaning up events
- Supporting summer camp activities and meals
- Helping with guest check-in, vendors, attendee guidance, and event operations at the Fueling Futures gala
- Serving meals, hosting, providing live entertainment, and helping with setup and cleanup at the Thanksgiving Celebration
Recognition & press
Awards & recognition
- Glimmer Austin recognition for community work in 2021
In the media
- KVUE ABC News, coverage of Change 1’s contribution to the Austin foster care to homelessness pipeline effort and the connection between foster care and youth homelessness.
Press & mentions
Partners & funders
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this nonprofit and how its work happens.
What kinds of support does Find Support Now provide?
Find Support Now helps foster care alumni identify and access housing, education, job training, employment, and other community resources. It offers resource navigation, support, and guidance along the way.
Does Change 1 provide direct financial assistance or case management through Find Support Now?
No. Find Support Now does not provide direct financial assistance or case management. It helps young adults identify appropriate services and connect with them.
What does the Workforce Development program include?
Workforce Development offers job readiness training alongside healing-centered support. Participants can explore careers, practice interviews, complete applications, build confidence, and connect with caring adults.
Who can participate in Empower Youth Austin?
Empower Youth Austin welcomes youth ages 14–17 who are currently in foster care and live in or attend school in Travis County. It also offers inclusive participation opportunities for young people with disabilities up to age 22.
What does the summer camp for foster care alumni offer?
The camp offers outdoor activities, campfire stories, personal growth, and time to build community with other foster care alumni. It is open to foster care alumni ages 18 and older.
Similar nonprofits
Other centers to support the independence of specific populations nonprofits in TX.