Deadline: 29-Jun-21
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Administration for Children and Families – ACYF/CB is pleased to announce a call for proposals for Improving Child Welfare Through Investing in Family.
Projects funded under this FOA will implement and evaluate a set of practices and interventions that focus on the following two goals that invest in the family: kinship preparation, development, and support services; and promoting shared parenting between all out-of-home caregivers and children’s parents to ensure parents and families remain actively involved in normal child-rearing activities and children have opportunities for normalcy.
To achieve this purpose, each project will:
- Develop, implement, and promote a comprehensive Kinship Caregiver Program (relatives/kin) that encourages, prepares, supports, and sustains these placements;
- Develop, implement, and promote a set of values, policies, practice expectations, and staff development strategies that holistically support shared parenting between families with children in foster care and the various types of resource families that temporarily care for these children;
- Create systemic change through intentional policy, practice, and culture shifts of child welfare agency staff, service providers, courts, and other stakeholders that promote comprehensively supporting kinship caregivers; and
- Evaluate the impact of the promising practices and interventions implemented on child and family outcomes, expecting improvements in appropriate permanency and wellbeing outcomes for families with children in foster care.
Focus Areas
Projects are expected to improve services and outcomes in the following focus areas leading to measurable improvements in placement stability, normalcy for children and youth, family wellbeing, and timely lasting permanency:
- Developing comprehensive kinship caregivers programs that encourage, prepare, support, and sustain these placements while supporting placement stability and maintaining children’s important connections;
- Developing trusting relationships between parents and out-of-home caregivers through shared parenting that ensures parents remain actively involved in normal child-rearing activities and that support timely, stable reunifications;
- Improving family engagement, family-centered practice, and increasing supports for parents working to reunify with children in foster care;
- Honoring, maintaining, and fostering family relationships and other important connections and relationships to the child/youth.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Funding: $2,500,000;
- Expected Number of Awards: 5;
- Award Ceiling: $500,000 Per Budget Period;
- Award Floor: $400,000 Per Budget Period;
- Average Projected Award Amount: $500,000 Per Budget Period;
- Anticipated Project Start Date: 09/30/2021;
- Length of Project Period: 60-month project period with five 12-month budget periods.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligibility is open to the following: state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (federally recognized), public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS (other than institutions of higher education), nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS (other than institutions of higher education), private institutions of higher education, for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses.
- CB will accept applications that represent partnerships among organizations with relevant experience. Applicants may subcontract with organizations specializing in their assigned tasks. Applications from collaborations must identify a primary applicant responsible for administering the cooperative agreement.
- Faith-based organizations may apply for this award on the same basis as any other organization, the Department will not, in the selection of recipients, discriminate against an organization on the basis of the organization’s religious character, affiliation, or exercise.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=328960