Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2016 ACF ACYF CO 1122
Apply for HHS 2016 ACF ACYF CO 1122
- The HHS-ACF in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Foster/Adoptive Parent Preparation, Training and Development Initiative" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.652.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 29, 2016 and posted on Feb 29, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 29, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,200,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: 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 that do not have a 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, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification), Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Foster/Adoptive Parent Preparation, Training and Development Initiative is a federal discretionary funding opportunity from HHS-ACF (Administration for Children and Families) designed to create one high-quality, nationally usable foster and adoptive parent training program. The government’s goal is to fund a single cooperative agreement that results in a consistent, state-of-the-art curriculum that can be adopted across states, tribes, and U.S. territories, rather than a patchwork of different training approaches that vary widely by jurisdiction. The training program is meant to be intensive and practical, with preparation and ongoing development elements that reflect the real-world capacities successful foster and adoptive parents need in order to support children and youth and maintain stable placements over time.
A central piece of the work is research-driven design. The funded project is expected to study and synthesize what is already known about families and individuals who have achieved stability and well-being outcomes in fostering and adoption, then translate those findings into concrete training content. In particular, the initiative emphasizes identifying the common traits, skills, and supports associated with caregivers who successfully foster or adopt children and youth who are harder to place, and who remain committed even when challenges increase. Those characteristics are then supposed to be built directly into the curriculum so the program prepares caregivers not just for ideal situations, but for the complexity that is common in child welfare placements.
The curriculum is intended to serve both foster parenting and adoptive parenting pathways, including families who foster with the expectation that adoption may later be the permanency plan. Because of that overlap, many training concepts are meant to be shared across both groups, while still addressing the unique responsibilities and dynamics that differ between fostering and adoption. For foster parents, the program is expected to pay special attention to working toward reunification with birth parents and supporting the child through that process, which often requires strong collaboration skills, managing mixed emotions, and understanding the child welfare system’s goals. For adoptive parents, the curriculum is expected to address adoption-related issues that show up across multiple adoption contexts, including child welfare adoptions, private domestic adoptions, and international adoptions. The underlying message is that adoption stability improves when caregivers understand a child’s history and needs, are trained in appropriate intervention strategies, and are prepared to handle medical, mental health, emotional, and behavioral challenges with long-term commitment.
The project is structured as a multi-year build, test, and scale effort. The first year focuses on doing an extensive review of existing foster and adoptive parent training and preparation programs and identifying gaps, promising practices, and new intervention strategies that modern caregivers should be able to use. That first year also includes the initial development of the new intensive training modules. In the following years, the project moves into field testing and implementation support: the training is to be piloted in approximately 6 to 8 sites, refined based on what is learned in real-world settings, and then made broadly available to all states, tribes, and territories along with assistance to help jurisdictions integrate it into their systems. The announcement also makes clear that this is not just about producing a curriculum document; it is also about supporting adoption and implementation so the program can be applied consistently wherever it is used.
Evaluation is another required deliverable. The funded cooperative agreement is expected to produce an outcomes evaluation of the new intensive training curriculum, with the intent of demonstrating whether and how the training improves caregiver capacity and, ultimately, child and youth outcomes in foster and adoptive homes. The FOA frames the desired impact in practical terms: better prepared caregivers should be more capable of meeting children’s needs, sustaining stable placements, and supporting relational permanency, which refers to durable, committed caregiver-child relationships that last beyond formal placement milestones.
In terms of what the government expects to come out of the investment, the FOA highlights three main outcomes: first, a state-of-the-art training curriculum that can be used consistently nationwide to develop foster and adoptive parents who are equipped for the current needs of children and youth in foster care; second, a curriculum robust enough to serve as a model for private domestic and international adoptive families, not only those adopting through public child welfare systems; and third, improved outcomes for children and youth living in foster and adoptive homes because caregivers have stronger skills, better preparation, and more effective strategies for addressing challenges.
Administratively, this opportunity is listed as Funding Opportunity Number HHS-2016-ACF-ACYF-CO-1122 under CFDA 93.652, with the funding instrument being a Cooperative Agreement, meaning the federal agency anticipates substantial involvement during the project rather than a hands-off grant. The project period is five years, organized into five 12-month budget periods, and the FOA anticipates a single award (ExpectedAwards: 1). The listed award ceiling at posting is $1,200,000, and the announcement notes that in years 2 through 5, anticipated funding could be up to $2 million per year. Eligible applicants are broad and include various levels of government, tribes and tribal organizations, public and private higher education institutions, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations, and small businesses, reflecting an intent to attract a wide range of capable entities with research, curriculum development, child welfare, and evaluation expertise. The original and current closing date for the competition was April 29, 2016, and it was posted February 29, 2016.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Foster/Adoptive Parent Preparation, Training and Development Initiative?
It is a federal discretionary funding opportunity from HHS-ACF (Administration for Children and Families) to create one high-quality, nationally usable foster and adoptive parent training program. The goal is a consistent, state-of-the-art curriculum that can be adopted across states, tribes, and U.S. territories.
What problem is this funding opportunity trying to solve?
The initiative aims to reduce wide variation in foster and adoptive parent training across jurisdictions. Instead of a patchwork of different approaches, the government intends to support the creation of a single intensive and practical training program that can be used consistently nationwide.
What is the government planning to fund through this opportunity?
The government’s goal is to fund a single cooperative agreement that results in one nationally usable foster and adoptive parent training program, including curriculum development, field testing, implementation support, and an outcomes evaluation.
How many awards are expected?
The FOA anticipates a single award (ExpectedAwards: 1).
What federal agency is offering this opportunity?
The opportunity is offered by HHS-ACF (Administration for Children and Families).
What is the Funding Opportunity Number and CFDA number?
The Funding Opportunity Number is HHS-2016-ACF-ACYF-CO-1122 and the CFDA number is 93.652.
What type of funding instrument is used?
The instrument is a Cooperative Agreement, meaning the federal agency anticipates substantial involvement during the project rather than a hands-off grant.
How long is the project period?
The project period is five years, organized into five 12-month budget periods.
What is the maximum award amount?
The listed award ceiling at posting is $1,200,000. The announcement also notes that in years 2 through 5, anticipated funding could be up to $2 million per year.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants include various levels of government, tribes and tribal organizations, public and private higher education institutions, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations, and small businesses.
Why are eligibility categories so broad?
The FOA reflects an intent to attract a wide range of capable entities with research, curriculum development, child welfare, and evaluation expertise.
What is the overall purpose of the training program to be developed?
The program is intended to be intensive and practical, combining preparation and ongoing development. It is designed to reflect the real-world capacities successful foster and adoptive parents need to support children and youth and to maintain stable placements over time.
What does "nationally usable" mean in the context of this FOA?
It means the curriculum is intended to be adopted across states, tribes, and U.S. territories, enabling consistent training content and approaches across jurisdictions.
Is the project mainly about writing a curriculum document?
No. The announcement emphasizes that this is not just about producing a curriculum document; it also includes implementation support so the program can be applied consistently wherever it is used.
What role does research play in the curriculum design?
Research-driven design is central. The funded project is expected to study and synthesize what is known about families and individuals who achieve stability and well-being outcomes in fostering and adoption, and then translate those findings into concrete training content.
What caregiver characteristics is the initiative especially focused on?
The initiative emphasizes identifying common traits, skills, and supports associated with caregivers who successfully foster or adopt children and youth who are harder to place and who remain committed even when challenges increase. Those characteristics are meant to be built directly into the curriculum.
Does the training cover both foster and adoptive parenting?
Yes. The curriculum is intended to serve both foster parenting and adoptive parenting pathways, including families who foster with the expectation that adoption may later be the permanency plan.
How does the curriculum handle overlap between fostering and adoption?
Many training concepts are meant to be shared across both groups, while still addressing responsibilities and dynamics that differ between fostering and adoption.
What foster-parent-specific topics are expected to be addressed?
For foster parents, the program is expected to pay special attention to working toward reunification with birth parents and supporting the child through that process, including collaboration skills, managing mixed emotions, and understanding the child welfare system’s goals.
What adoptive-parent-specific topics are expected to be addressed?
For adoptive parents, the curriculum is expected to address adoption-related issues across multiple adoption contexts, including child welfare adoptions, private domestic adoptions, and international adoptions.
Does the FOA connect training to adoption stability?
Yes. It emphasizes that adoption stability improves when caregivers understand a child’s history and needs, are trained in appropriate intervention strategies, and are prepared to handle medical, mental health, emotional, and behavioral challenges with long-term commitment.
What is the planned approach and timeline for developing the program?
The project is structured as a multi-year build, test, and scale effort.
What happens in Year 1?
Year 1 focuses on an extensive review of existing foster and adoptive parent training and preparation programs to identify gaps, promising practices, and new intervention strategies. It also includes initial development of the new intensive training modules.
What happens after Year 1?
In the following years, the project moves into field testing and implementation support: the training is to be piloted in approximately 6 to 8 sites, refined based on real-world learning, and then made broadly available to all states, tribes, and territories along with assistance for integration into their systems.
How many pilot sites are expected for field testing?
The FOA indicates the training is to be piloted in approximately 6 to 8 sites.
Is evaluation required as part of this cooperative agreement?
Yes. The project is expected to produce an outcomes evaluation of the new intensive training curriculum.
What is the purpose of the outcomes evaluation?
The intent is to demonstrate whether and how the training improves caregiver capacity and, ultimately, child and youth outcomes in foster and adoptive homes.
What types of impacts does the FOA describe?
The FOA frames impact in practical terms: better prepared caregivers should be more capable of meeting children’s needs, sustaining stable placements, and supporting relational permanency.
What does "relational permanency" mean in this FOA?
It refers to durable, committed caregiver-child relationships that last beyond formal placement milestones.
What are the three main outcomes highlighted by the FOA?
The FOA highlights: (1) a state-of-the-art training curriculum usable consistently nationwide to develop foster and adoptive parents equipped for current needs; (2) a curriculum robust enough to serve as a model for private domestic and international adoptive families, not only public child welfare adoptions; and (3) improved outcomes for children and youth in foster and adoptive homes because caregivers have stronger skills, better preparation, and more effective strategies for addressing challenges.
Does the curriculum aim to be relevant beyond public child welfare adoption?
Yes. The FOA specifically indicates the curriculum should be robust enough to serve as a model for private domestic and international adoptive families as well.
What is meant by "intensive and practical" training in this initiative?
The FOA describes training that emphasizes real-world capacities needed for stable caregiving over time, combining preparation and ongoing development and preparing caregivers for complex situations that are common in child welfare placements.
What is the application timeline provided in the announcement?
The opportunity was posted on February 29, 2016, and the original and current closing date for the competition was April 29, 2016.
Is the federal role expected to be hands-on?
Yes. Because the instrument is a cooperative agreement, the federal agency anticipates substantial involvement during the project.
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