Welcome to the Reconstruct Thriving Youth Challenge, a venture philanthropy initiative designed to uncover, fund, and support innovative solutions that help young people in Tennessee successfully transition from foster care to adulthood.
This Challenge focuses on three key opportunity areas identified through statewide research and collaboration with Every Child TN and the Belmont Innovation Labs:
- Consistent and Supportive Adult Relationships
- Safe and Affordable Housing
- Accessible Mental Health Services
The Reconstruct Thriving Youth Challenge invites bold, community-grounded innovators to develop and deploy solutions that address these root causes of the foster care age-out crisis—solutions that can be tested, measured, and scaled to create lasting change.
About the Challenge
The Reconstruct Thriving Youth Challenge follows the proven Reconstruct model developed by Access Ventures—a two-phase, reverse-pitch competition that combines venture philanthropy and community innovation.
Selected innovators will receive funding to pilot their solutions in Tennessee during Phase I (2026–2027). Projects demonstrating measurable success and scalability will be eligible for additional funding during Phase II.
This initiative is led by Belmont Innovation Labs in partnership with Every Child TN and a network of statewide partners committed to reimagining outcomes for youth aging out of care.
Eligibility
Applicants may include nonprofit organizations, social enterprises, early-stage ventures, or collaborative initiatives.
Proposals must:
- Address at least one of the three focus areas (relationships, housing, or mental health).
- Demonstrate potential for measurable and scalable impact in Tennessee.
- Be led by a team capable of implementation and committed to active collaboration within the Reconstruct Thriving Youth ecosystem.
- Be able to begin implementation in either Chattanooga or Nashville as early as March 2026.