Melania Trump Launches Fostering the Future Investment Accounts

First Lady Melania Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the launch of Fostering the Future Accounts on June 11, 2026, at the U.S. Treasury Department. The initiative is a spinoff of the broader Trump Accounts program, which provides a $1,000 federal seed contribution to newborns. The new federal guidance allows state, territorial, and tribal child welfare agencies to act as legal guardians to open these accounts for children in foster care, ensuring they have the same opportunities for asset ownership and long-term wealth building as other children.

Eligible U.S. citizens born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, can receive the initial $1,000 investment starting July 4, 2026. The accounts, which primarily invest in low-cost U.S. stock index funds and ETFs, allow for additional annual contributions from families, employers, and donors up to $5,000. The program aims to combat high rates of unemployment and homelessness faced by youth who age out of the foster system.

Twenty-three Republican governors have pledged to enable state agencies to enroll children in the program. The initiative is further supported by significant private philanthropy, including a $6.25 billion donation from Michael and Susan Dell and a $75 million pledge from Ray and Barbara Dalio specifically for children in Connecticut. The program builds upon tax and spending legislation previously signed by President Donald Trump.