Children in foster care have been found to have poorer mental health than children in the general population. Early detection and intervention can potentially ameliorate the negative impact of the stressors in the lives of children in foster care. The objective of this project was to design a program and to search for a grant that would subsidize a mental health screening program for foster children ages 18 months to 5 years old in Los Angeles County. A literature review explored the current knowledge about the prevalence of child abuse, its etiologies and issues, its consequences, and the correlation between child abuse and trauma. A search for potential funding sources was completed at two Foundation Centers, the Flintridge Foundation Library in Pasadena and the Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research in Los Angeles. This resulted in the selection of The California Wellness Foundation as the best funding source for this project. A grant was written to potentially fund a mental health screening program to be piloted at the Violence Intervention Program's Community Mental Health Center (VIPCMHC) for 1 year. Actual submission and/or funding of this grant was not a requirement for the successful completion of this project.