Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2013 ACF ACYF CO 0593
Apply for HHS 2013 ACF ACYF CO 0593
- The Administration for Children and Families in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Diligent Recruitment of Families for Children in the Foster Care System" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.652 Adoption Opportunities.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 30, 2013 and posted on Apr 9, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 10, 2013 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $3,200,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $400,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: County governments Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) State governments.
- Collaborative efforts are strongly encouraged, but applicants must identify a primary applicant responsible for administering the cooperative agreement. Federally recognized Indian Tribal governments include Alaska Native villages and Tribal consortia consisting of two or more federally recognized Indian Tribes. Individuals, foreign entities, and sole proprietorship organizations are not eligible to compete for, or receive, awards made under this announcement.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Diligent Recruitment of Families for Children in the Foster Care System grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number HHS 2013 ACF ACYF CO 0593) is a discretionary funding announcement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), focused on strengthening how public child welfare agencies find, engage, and support resource families for children and youth in foster care. The funding is offered through cooperative agreements, which generally means awardees should expect an active partnership with the federal funder during planning, implementation, and learning activities, rather than operating in a fully hands-off grant structure. The core intent is to help agencies build stronger, more durable pathways to permanency and lifelong connections for children by improving recruitment approaches for kinship caregivers, foster parents, concurrent planning families, and adoptive families.
At the center of this opportunity is the expectation that applicants will design and implement comprehensive, multi-faceted diligent recruitment programs. These programs are meant to go beyond simple marketing or one-time outreach campaigns and instead create a coordinated set of strategies that can reliably identify prospective families, engage them effectively, and provide the supports needed to help them remain involved. The emphasis on multiple family types is important: the grant is not only about recruiting non-relative foster or adoptive parents, but also about strengthening kinship placements and supporting concurrent planning so that children have the best chance at timely permanency. The announcement frames this as a way to improve permanency outcomes and to build lasting connections for children in foster care, recognizing that permanency is both a legal outcome and a relational one.
A second major requirement is integration. Applicants are expected to embed diligent recruitment into the broader child welfare system rather than treating it as a stand-alone project. Specifically, the recruitment program should be aligned with the Child and Family Services Plan (CFSP) and coordinated with other agency functions, including foster care case planning and permanency planning. A key phrase in the announcement is facilitating active concurrent planning activities, which signals that recruitment should support the practice of working toward reunification while also preparing an alternative permanent plan early, so children do not linger in care when reunification is not possible. In practice, this means recruitment and family-finding efforts should connect directly to casework workflows and decision points, not sit on the sidelines.
The announcement also makes clear that the project is expected to act as a platform for system transformation. Applicants should show the capacity to use the grant to improve the overall system response to permanency and relationship-building, including changes at both policy and practice levels. The opportunity highlights a philosophy that permanency begins at entry into the child welfare system, meaning agencies should treat permanency and enduring connections as immediate priorities from the first day a child enters care, not as goals postponed until later stages of a case. This focus implies that successful proposals will likely describe how they will shift internal expectations, procedures, staff roles, cross-unit coordination, and possibly partnerships with courts and community providers to reinforce permanency-focused practice.
Evaluation is another required pillar. Applicants must evaluate implementation of the comprehensive diligent recruitment program in a way that documents processes and explores potential connections between specific recruitment strategies and improved outcomes. The emphasis is not only on whether outcomes improved, but also on how the program was carried out, which strategies were used, what barriers emerged, and what elements appear linked to better permanency results or stronger connections for children. This suggests the federal agency is seeking practice-based evidence and clearer understanding of which diligent recruitment approaches are most promising and under what conditions they work best.
Finally, the grant aims to create identifiable sites that other states or local jurisdictions can look to for guidance and possible replication. In other words, awardees are expected to function as learning and demonstration sites, showing how improved diligent recruitment can be designed, operationalized, and integrated into real child welfare systems. This replication goal implies that deliverables should be clear and transferable, such as documented tools, processes, implementation lessons, and practical guidance that peers in other jurisdictions could adapt.
In terms of funding structure and basic logistics, ACF anticipated making about 8 awards under this announcement, with an estimated total funding amount of $3.2 million. Individual awards were expected to range from $200,000 (floor) to $400,000 (ceiling). There is no cost sharing or matching requirement listed. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, and the activity category is Income Security and Social Services. The CFDA number associated with the program is 93.652 (Adoption Opportunities). The opportunity was posted on April 9, 2013, with a closing date of June 10, 2013, and electronic submissions were due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date. The archive date is July 10, 2013, indicating the solicitation is no longer open, but the description remains useful as a reference for the type of diligent recruitment initiatives ACF has funded.
Eligibility is limited to public entities at the state, county, and federally recognized tribal government levels. Collaborative efforts are strongly encouraged, but the application must name a primary applicant that will be responsible for administering the cooperative agreement. Federally recognized tribal governments include Alaska Native villages, and tribal consortia of two or more federally recognized tribes are eligible. Individuals, foreign entities, and sole proprietorship organizations are not eligible to apply or receive awards. For support accessing the full announcement, the listing provides an ACF Applications Help Desk contact (appsupport@acf.hhs.gov) and an online link to the funding announcement page.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the "Diligent Recruitment of Families for Children in the Foster Care System" grant?
This is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF). It focuses on strengthening how public child welfare agencies find, engage, and support resource families for children and youth in foster care, with the goal of improving permanency outcomes and lifelong connections.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this grant?
The Funding Opportunity Number is HHS 2013 ACF ACYF CO 0593.
What type of funding instrument is used?
The award type is a cooperative agreement. This generally means recipients should expect active involvement from the federal funder during planning, implementation, and learning activities, rather than operating under a hands-off grant structure.
What is the main purpose of the grant?
The core intent is to help child welfare agencies build stronger, more durable pathways to permanency and lifelong connections for children and youth in foster care by improving diligent recruitment approaches for multiple types of resource families.
What kinds of families does the grant focus on recruiting and supporting?
The opportunity emphasizes recruitment and support for kinship caregivers, foster parents, concurrent planning families, and adoptive families. It is not limited to recruiting non-relative foster or adoptive parents.
Does this grant focus only on marketing or outreach campaigns?
No. The expectation is for a comprehensive, multi-faceted diligent recruitment program that goes beyond simple marketing or one-time outreach. The program should include coordinated strategies to identify prospective families, engage them effectively, and provide supports that help families remain involved.
What does "diligent recruitment" mean in the context of this opportunity?
Based on the announcement description, diligent recruitment refers to an intentional, coordinated set of strategies to reliably identify prospective families, engage them, and provide the supports needed to sustain their involvement, ultimately improving permanency outcomes and enduring connections for children in foster care.
What does it mean to "integrate" diligent recruitment into the broader child welfare system?
Applicants are expected to embed diligent recruitment into existing child welfare operations rather than running it as a stand-alone project. The recruitment program should be aligned with the Child and Family Services Plan (CFSP) and coordinated with other agency functions, including foster care case planning and permanency planning.
How does the grant relate to concurrent planning?
The announcement specifically highlights facilitating active concurrent planning activities. This signals that recruitment and family-finding efforts should support the practice of working toward reunification while also preparing an alternative permanent plan early, so children do not remain in care when reunification is not possible.
Does the opportunity emphasize permanency from the beginning of a case?
Yes. The announcement highlights a philosophy that permanency begins at entry into the child welfare system, meaning agencies should treat permanency and enduring connections as priorities from the first day a child enters care, not as goals postponed until later stages.
Is the project expected to drive broader system change?
Yes. The project is described as a platform for system transformation. Applicants are expected to show the capacity to use the grant to improve the overall system response to permanency and relationship-building, including changes at both policy and practice levels.
What kinds of internal changes might this grant expect agencies to address?
The description implies proposals may address shifts in internal expectations, procedures, staff roles, cross-unit coordination, and potentially partnerships with courts and community providers, to reinforce permanency-focused practice and stronger pathways to enduring connections.
Is evaluation required under this grant?
Yes. Applicants must evaluate the implementation of the comprehensive diligent recruitment program. The evaluation should document processes and explore potential connections between recruitment strategies and improved outcomes.
Is the evaluation only about whether outcomes improved?
No. The announcement emphasizes learning how the program was carried out, which strategies were used, what barriers emerged, and what elements appear linked to better permanency results or stronger connections for children.
What is meant by being a "learning" or "demonstration" site?
The grant aims to create identifiable sites that other states or jurisdictions can look to for guidance and possible replication. Awardees are expected to generate clear, transferable lessons and practical guidance on how to design, operationalize, and integrate diligent recruitment into real child welfare systems.
How many awards were anticipated and what was the total estimated funding?
ACF anticipated about 8 awards, with an estimated total funding amount of $3.2 million.
What was the expected award size?
Individual awards were expected to range from $200,000 (floor) to $400,000 (ceiling).
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity listing indicates there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
What is the CFDA number associated with this program?
The CFDA number is 93.652 (Adoption Opportunities).
What is the activity category for this opportunity?
The activity category is Income Security and Social Services.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted on April 9, 2013, and the closing date was June 10, 2013.
What was the electronic submission deadline time?
Electronic submissions were due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date.
Is this opportunity still open?
No. The archive date is July 10, 2013, indicating the solicitation is no longer open. The description can still be useful as a reference for the types of diligent recruitment initiatives ACF has funded.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is limited to public entities at the state, county, and federally recognized tribal government levels.
Are federally recognized tribal governments eligible, including Alaska Native villages?
Yes. Federally recognized tribal governments are eligible, including Alaska Native villages. Tribal consortia of two or more federally recognized tribes are also eligible.
Can organizations apply collaboratively?
Collaborative efforts are strongly encouraged. However, the application must name a primary applicant responsible for administering the cooperative agreement.
Who is not eligible to apply?
Individuals, foreign entities, and sole proprietorship organizations are not eligible to apply or receive awards.
Where can applicants get help accessing the full announcement or troubleshooting applications?
The listing provides the ACF Applications Help Desk contact: appsupport@acf.hhs.gov, and references an online link to the funding announcement page.
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| Child Welfare Training The National Center for Child Welfare Curriculum Development on Evidence Based Treatment Services Apply for HHS 2013 ACF ACYF CT 0595 Funding Number: HHS 2013 ACF ACYF CT 0595 Agency: Administration for Children and Families Category: Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Model Approaches to Statewide Legal Assistance Systems Phase II Apply for HHS 2013 ACL AOA LE 0044 Funding Number: HHS 2013 ACL AOA LE 0044 Agency: Administration for Community Living Category: Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $178,500 |
| Health Care Fraud Prevention Program Expansion and SMP Capacity Building Grants Apply for HHS 2013 ACL AOA SP 0049 Funding Number: HHS 2013 ACL AOA SP 0049 Agency: Administration for Community Living Category: Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $372,000 |
| Projects to Establish Individual Development Account (IDA) Programs for Refugees Apply for HHS 2013 ACF ORR ZI 0572 Funding Number: HHS 2013 ACF ORR ZI 0572 Agency: Administration for Children and Families ORR Category: Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $245,000 |
| National Information Referral Support Center Apply for HHS 2013 ACL AOA IR 0052 Funding Number: HHS 2013 ACL AOA IR 0052 Agency: Administration for Community Living Category: Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $284,100 |
| Native Hawaiian and American Indian Non profit Organization Child Care Grants Apply for HHS 2013 ACF OCC YN 0594 Funding Number: HHS 2013 ACF OCC YN 0594 Agency: Administration for Children and Families OCC Category: Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Street Outreach Program Apply for HHS 2013 ACF ACYF YO 0574 Funding Number: HHS 2013 ACF ACYF YO 0574 Agency: Administration for Children Families ACYF/FYSB Category: Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Early Care and Education Research Scholars Head Start Graduate Student Research Grants Apply for HHS 2013 ACF OPRE YR 0573 Funding Number: HHS 2013 ACF OPRE YR 0573 Agency: Administration for Children and Families OPRE Category: Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $25,000 |
| National Resource Center on Women and Retirement Planning Apply for HHS 2013 ACL AOA PN 0058 Funding Number: HHS 2013 ACL AOA PN 0058 Agency: Administration for Community Living Category: Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $244,314 |
| Refugee Agricultural Partnership Program Apply for HHS 2013 ACF ORR ZR 0571 Funding Number: HHS 2013 ACF ORR ZR 0571 Agency: Administration for Children and Families ORR Category: Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $85,000 |
| Community Economic Development Healthy Food Financing Initiative Projects Apply for HHS 2013 ACF OCS EE 0584 Funding Number: HHS 2013 ACF OCS EE 0584 Agency: Administration for Children and Families OCS Category: Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $800,000 |
| Community Economic Development Projects Apply for HHS 2013 ACF OCS EE 0583 Funding Number: HHS 2013 ACF OCS EE 0583 Agency: Administration for Children and Families OCS Category: Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $800,000 |
| Senior Medicare Patrol Integration Projects Apply for HHS 2013 ACL AOA SM 0057 Funding Number: HHS 2013 ACL AOA SM 0057 Agency: Administration for Community Living Category: Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| Child Welfare Training The National Child Welfare Workforce Institute Apply for HHS 2013 ACF ACYF CT 0596 Funding Number: HHS 2013 ACF ACYF CT 0596 Agency: Administration for Children and Families ACYF/CB Category: Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $4,100,000 |
| Research Connections Apply for HHS 2013 ACF OPRE YE 0601 Funding Number: HHS 2013 ACF OPRE YE 0601 Agency: Administration for Children and Families OPRE Category: Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $1,500,000 |
| Child Care Administrative Data Analysis Grants Apply for HHS 2013 ACF OPRE YE 0604 Funding Number: HHS 2013 ACF OPRE YE 0604 Agency: Administration for Children and Families OPRE Category: Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $100,000 |
| National Resource Center on Chronic Disease Self Management Education Programs financed by 2013 Prevention and Public Health Funds (PPHF 2013) Apply for HHS 2013 ACL AOA CR 0042 Funding Number: HHS 2013 ACL AOA CR 0042 Agency: Administration for Community Living Category: Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Basic Center Program Apply for HHS 2013 ACF ACYF CY 0575 Funding Number: HHS 2013 ACF ACYF CY 0575 Agency: Administration for Children Families ACYF/FYSB Category: Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Measuring the Value of Prevention within the SMP Program Apply for HHS 2013 ACL AOA SH0 0059 Funding Number: HHS 2013 ACL AOA SH0 0059 Agency: Administration for Community Living Category: Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $225,000 |
| Center for Research on Hispanic Children Families Apply for HHS 2013 ACF OPRE PH 0576 Funding Number: HHS 2013 ACF OPRE PH 0576 Agency: Administration for Children and Families OPRE Category: Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $1,050,000 |
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