Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2015 ACF OHS HC 0999
Apply for HHS 2015 ACF OHS HC 0999
- The Administration for Children and Families OHS in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Center on Parent, Family and Community Engagement" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.575 Child Care and Development Block Grant 93.600 Head Start.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 2, 2015 and posted on May 19, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 23, 2015 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 $6,500,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $6,500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility Public and State controlled institutions of higher education For profit organizations other than small businesses City or township governments Independent school districts Private institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) County 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 State governments Small businesses.
- Eligible applicants may apply on their own or as the lead applicant for a consortium. A consortium is a project carried out by a lead applicant and one or more other organizations that are separate legal entities. Under a consortium agreement, the lead applicant must perform a substantive role in the conduct of the planned project or program activity and will not merely serve as a conduit of funds to another party or parties. The relationship between the recipient and the collaborating organizations is considered a sub award relationship. Faith based and community organizations that meet the eligibility requirements are eligible to receive awards under this funding opportunity announcement. Faith based organizations are encouraged to review the ACF Policy on Grants to Faith Based Organizations at http //www.acf.hhs.gov/acf policy on grants to faith based organizations. Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this announcement.
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Opportunity Summary:
The National Center on Parent, Family and Community Engagement grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number HHS-2015-ACF-OHS-HC-0999) was released by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) through the Office of Head Start (OHS), in partnership with the Office of Child Care (OCC). It is a discretionary cooperative agreement designed to fund one national center that will strengthen how early childhood programs engage parents, families, and communities in ways that improve family well-being and support young children s development and school readiness. The announcement was updated primarily to extend the application deadline to Thursday, July 23, 2015, because of scheduled Grants.gov maintenance that could have interfered with on-time submissions. Applications were required to be submitted electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date, and the opportunity was later archived on August 22, 2015.
Funding for the award was estimated at $6,500,000 total, with an award floor and ceiling both set at $6,500,000, indicating ACF expected to make a single award at that level. The activity category is listed as Income Security and Social Services, and the program is associated with CFDA numbers 93.575 (Child Care and Development Block Grant) and 93.600 (Head Start). There was no cost sharing or matching requirement, which means applicants were not required to contribute non-federal funds as a condition of the award, although proposals could still describe leveraged resources or partnerships as part of a strong implementation approach.
The core purpose of the center is to disseminate high-quality, research-informed resources and deliver training and technical assistance (often abbreviated as T/TA) focused on three connected priorities: family well-being, effective family and community engagement, and children s school readiness. The center is intended to help programs serve pregnant women as well as families with children from birth through age five, reflecting the populations reached by Early Head Start, Head Start, and many child care systems. The work is meant to be both evidence-informed and practical, so that tools, guidance, and training can be used by frontline staff and program leaders in real-world early care and education environments.
In terms of content, ACF described a broad but specific set of topics the center would address. These include developing integrated and systemic approaches to family engagement (not one-off activities, but engagement that is embedded across program operations), strengthening relationship-based practices with families, supporting consumer education for families navigating early care and education options, building family leadership and meaningful roles for parents in program improvement, promoting family financial stability, and offering individualized supports for families facing adversity. That last category signals an expectation that the center s work would be responsive to families dealing with challenges such as housing instability, unemployment, health and behavioral health concerns, domestic violence, or other stressors that can affect family functioning and children s development.
The training and technical assistance component was expected to have wide reach. The center would serve Head Start and Early Head Start agencies, state child care agencies, and other early care and education settings across regions, states, tribes, and territories. In addition to creating or updating resources, the center was expected to maximize and build upon previously developed web-based materials that align with OHS and OCC national priorities, rather than reinventing tools that already exist and are working. Collaboration was a major requirement: the center would work closely with other national OHS and OCC T/TA centers and coordinate with ACF regional offices, reflecting the federal T/TA system s emphasis on alignment, consistency of messaging, and shared implementation strategies across multiple centers.
Because the scope of work is complex and national in scale, the funding announcement emphasized that applicants should assemble a strong partnership or consortium with deep expertise in parent, family, and community engagement. Applicants could apply as a single organization or as a lead organization heading a consortium of separate legal entities. Under the consortium model, the lead applicant had to play a substantive role and could not simply pass funds through to partners; collaborating organizations would be treated as subawards. This structure signals that ACF expected coordinated national capacity, combining research knowledge, practical implementation experience, and the ability to deliver training and technical assistance at scale.
Eligibility was broad and included state, local, and tribal governments; public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions when specified); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses are explicitly listed, and small businesses are also listed separately); independent school districts; and Native American tribal organizations, including federally recognized tribal governments. Faith-based and community organizations were eligible if they met standard eligibility requirements, with the announcement pointing applicants to ACF policy guidance for faith-based entities. Individuals, including sole proprietorships, and foreign entities were not eligible and would be disqualified from competitive review.
Overall, this opportunity was aimed at selecting one national entity (or lead consortium) capable of driving consistent, evidence-informed family engagement practice across early childhood systems, especially Head Start, Early Head Start, and child care. The center s expected value was to turn research and proven practices into usable tools, training, and technical assistance that help programs partner with families more effectively, strengthen family outcomes, and support children s readiness for school through coordinated parent, family, and community engagement strategies.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the National Center on Parent, Family and Community Engagement grant opportunity?
It is a federal funding opportunity released by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) through the Office of Head Start (OHS), in partnership with the Office of Child Care (OCC), to fund one national center focused on improving how early childhood programs engage parents, families, and communities.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) for this announcement?
The Funding Opportunity Number is HHS-2015-ACF-OHS-HC-0999.
What type of award is this?
This opportunity is a discretionary cooperative agreement.
What is the overall purpose of the funded national center?
The purpose is to strengthen parent, family, and community engagement in early childhood programs in ways that improve family well-being and support young children’s development and school readiness. The center is expected to disseminate high-quality, research-informed resources and deliver training and technical assistance (T/TA).
How many awards was ACF expecting to make?
ACF expected to make a single award. The award floor and ceiling were both set at $6,500,000, indicating one award at that level.
How much funding was available under this opportunity?
The estimated total funding was $6,500,000, with both the minimum (floor) and maximum (ceiling) award amount set at $6,500,000.
What is the activity category for this funding opportunity?
The activity category is listed as Income Security and Social Services.
Which CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is associated with CFDA 93.575 (Child Care and Development Block Grant) and CFDA 93.600 (Head Start).
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement, meaning applicants were not required to provide non-federal funds as a condition of the award.
Could applicants still include leveraged resources or partnerships?
Yes. Even though matching was not required, proposals could still describe leveraged resources or partnerships as part of a strong approach to implementation.
What are the main priority areas the center was expected to address?
The center was expected to focus on three connected priorities: family well-being, effective family and community engagement, and children’s school readiness.
Who was the center intended to serve?
The work was intended to support programs serving pregnant women and families with children from birth through age five, reflecting the populations served by Early Head Start, Head Start, and many child care systems.
What kinds of services and products were expected from the center?
The center was expected to disseminate research-informed resources and deliver training and technical assistance (T/TA) that is evidence-informed and practical for real-world early care and education settings.
What does “evidence-informed and practical†mean in this context?
It means the tools, guidance, and training should be grounded in research and proven practices, while also being usable by frontline staff and program leaders in day-to-day early childhood program operations.
What topic areas did ACF describe for the center’s work?
ACF identified topic areas including integrated and systemic approaches to family engagement, relationship-based practices with families, consumer education to help families navigate early care and education options, family leadership and meaningful parent roles in program improvement, family financial stability, and individualized supports for families facing adversity.
What is meant by “integrated and systemic approaches†to family engagement?
It refers to family engagement that is embedded across program operations rather than limited to one-off events or isolated activities.
What does “relationship-based practices†refer to?
It refers to practices that strengthen relationships with families as a central approach to engagement and support.
What is “consumer education†in the context of this opportunity?
Consumer education refers to helping families understand and navigate early care and education options.
What did ACF mean by building family leadership?
It includes creating meaningful roles for parents and families in program improvement efforts and leadership activities.
What kinds of family adversity was the center expected to be responsive to?
The announcement indicated responsiveness to families facing challenges such as housing instability, unemployment, health and behavioral health concerns, domestic violence, and other stressors that can affect family functioning and children’s development.
Who would receive training and technical assistance from the center?
The center was expected to serve Head Start and Early Head Start agencies, state child care agencies, and other early care and education settings across regions, states, tribes, and territories.
Was the center expected to create entirely new materials?
Not necessarily. The center was expected to maximize and build upon previously developed web-based materials aligned with OHS and OCC national priorities, rather than reinventing tools that already exist and are working.
How important was collaboration in this grant?
Collaboration was a major requirement. The center was expected to work closely with other national OHS and OCC T/TA centers and coordinate with ACF regional offices to support alignment and consistent messaging.
Could an applicant apply as a consortium?
Yes. Applicants could apply as a single organization or as a lead organization heading a consortium of separate legal entities.
If applying as a consortium, what role did the lead applicant need to play?
The lead applicant had to play a substantive role and could not simply pass funds through to partners.
How were collaborating organizations treated under the consortium model?
Collaborating organizations would be treated as subawards under the lead applicant.
What kind of expertise was ACF looking for in applicants?
Because the scope is complex and national, the announcement emphasized assembling a strong partnership or consortium with deep expertise in parent, family, and community engagement, and the capacity to deliver training and technical assistance at scale.
Which organizations were eligible to apply?
Eligibility included state, local, and tribal governments; public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions when specified); for-profit organizations (including small businesses, which were also listed separately); independent school districts; and Native American tribal organizations, including federally recognized tribal governments.
Were faith-based organizations eligible to apply?
Yes. Faith-based and community organizations were eligible if they met standard eligibility requirements, with the announcement referencing ACF policy guidance for faith-based entities.
Who was not eligible to apply?
Individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities were not eligible and would be disqualified from competitive review.
Why was the announcement updated?
The announcement was updated primarily to extend the application deadline due to scheduled Grants.gov maintenance that could have interfered with on-time submissions.
What was the application deadline?
The deadline was extended to Thursday, July 23, 2015.
How were applications required to be submitted?
Applications were required to be submitted electronically through Grants.gov.
What time were applications due on the deadline date?
Applications were due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date.
When was this funding opportunity archived?
The opportunity was archived on August 22, 2015.
What is the intended impact of funding this national center?
The intended impact is to strengthen consistent, evidence-informed family engagement practice across early childhood systems, helping programs partner with families more effectively, improve family outcomes, and support children’s readiness for school.
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