Stephanie Lopez (she/her) is the Director of Development for Los Angeles at First Place for Youth, where she leads the organization’s regional fundraising strategy to support the expansion of its evidence-based model serving young people transitioning out of foster care. In this role, she partners with philanthropic leaders, foundations, and community stakeholders to grow investment in First Place’s work and strengthen the resources needed to scale housing, education, and employment supports for transition-age youth across Los Angeles.

Stephanie brings two decades of experience advancing opportunities for young people impacted by foster care. Throughout her career, she has worked at the intersection of youth development, cross-sector partnerships, and philanthropy to expand programs and drive greater community investment in services that help young adults achieve stability and long-term success.

Prior to joining First Place for Youth, Stephanie served as Director of Individual Giving and Events at the Alliance for Children’s Rights, where she led donor engagement and fundraising initiatives that strengthened support for youth-serving programs and expanded access to services at no cost to participants. Earlier in her career, she helped introduce one of the first comprehensive resource initiatives for young adults transitioning out of foster care and developed workforce and readiness programming designed to prepare youth for employment and independence.