Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2009 ACF OHS SH 0089
Apply for HHS 2009 ACF OHS SH 0089
- The Administration for Children and Families in the recovery act sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Head Start Expansion" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.708 ARRA Head Start.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 8, 2009 and posted on Apr 2, 2009.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 23, 2009 See link to full announcement for details. IMPORTANT NOTE Applications submitted electronically via Grants.gov must be submitted no later than 430 p.m., eastern time, on the due date referenced above.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $102,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $5,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 200 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Eligible applicants are limited to current Federally funded Head Start agencies. Delegate agencies are not eligible to apply. Foreign entities are not eligible under this announcement.
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Opportunity Summary:
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Head Start Expansion grant (Funding Opportunity Number HHS-2009-ACF-OHS-SH-0089; CFDA 93.708) was a one-time Recovery Act funding opportunity offered by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Head Start (OHS), to quickly expand Head Start capacity for preschool-age children. The main purpose was to increase the number of children enrolled in Head Start and to support the hiring of additional staff, including new teaching and related program positions. In practical terms, the funding was meant to translate directly into more funded Head Start slots and the personnel and supports needed to serve those additional children and families.
Eligibility was limited and very specific: only existing federally funded Head Start agencies could apply. Delegate agencies were explicitly not eligible to apply under this announcement, and foreign entities were not eligible. The competition was therefore among current Head Start grantees that already held federal Head Start awards and had established systems capable of expanding services on an accelerated timeline consistent with Recovery Act goals.
A key feature of the program design was how expansion could occur geographically. Every Head Start grantee already had a federally approved service area, and the opportunity allowed agencies to apply to serve additional low-income children within that current, approved service area. The announcement also permitted proposals to serve certain nearby unserved areas, but only under conditions that demonstrated the applicant could legitimately function as the local Head Start provider in that community. The guidance emphasized the statutory concept of being a community-based provider: the agency should be recognizable to the community as a local organization, have some presence in that community, or serve an area contiguous to its current service area, and the community needed to show support for the applicant to operate Head Start there. This was meant to prevent “parachuting in” without local ties and to ensure the expansion strengthened local early childhood infrastructure.
The application rules also drew a clear administrative line between different types of expansion. If an applicant wanted to both (1) expand within its existing service area and (2) establish a new program in an unserved area, it could not combine those into a single submission. Separate applications were required for each proposal, reflecting that the scope, partnerships, startup demands, and review considerations for an in-area expansion versus launching services in an unserved community could be substantially different.
Funding was substantial and structured like a typical federal grant competition but tied to Recovery Act requirements. The estimated total funding available was $102,000,000, with an award ceiling of $5,000,000 and an award floor listed as $0. The opportunity anticipated about 200 awards. A cost sharing or matching requirement was indicated as “Yes,” meaning recipients would likely need to contribute non-federal resources consistent with the terms described in the full announcement and applicable Head Start rules.
Because the funds were provided under the Recovery Act (P.L. 111-5), recipients were subject to additional transparency and accountability requirements beyond standard Head Start compliance. Successful grantees would have to follow reporting requirements consistent with ARRA, alongside existing Head Start regulations. This typically implied more frequent and detailed reporting on how funds were spent, what outcomes were achieved (such as added enrollment slots and jobs created), and timely tracking of progress against the proposed expansion plan.
The timeline reflected a fast-moving Recovery Act solicitation. The opportunity was posted April 2, 2009, with a current closing date of June 23, 2009. Electronic submissions through Grants.gov had a firm cutoff of 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date, reinforcing that late submissions would not be accepted. The archive date was July 23, 2009, indicating when the announcement would be formally closed out in the listings.
Finally, OHS noted that this announcement focused on general Head Start expansion and that separate announcements were being issued for Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Expansion and for American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Head Start Expansion. That separation signaled distinct policy considerations, service models, and eligible applicant pools for those populations and programs, even though the overall Recovery Act objective of rapidly expanding early childhood services was consistent across the related announcements.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this grant opportunity?
This is the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) Head Start Expansion grant, offered as a one-time Recovery Act funding opportunity by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Head Start (OHS). It was designed to rapidly expand Head Start services for preschool-age children.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) and CFDA number?
The Funding Opportunity Number is HHS-2009-ACF-OHS-SH-0089, and the CFDA number is 93.708.
What is the main purpose of the funding?
The main purpose is to quickly increase Head Start capacity by increasing the number of children enrolled and supporting the hiring of additional staff, including new teaching and related program positions. In practical terms, the funds were intended to translate directly into more funded Head Start slots and the personnel and supports needed to serve additional children and families.
Who is eligible to apply?
Only existing federally funded Head Start agencies (current Head Start grantees with federal Head Start awards) are eligible to apply under this announcement.
Are delegate agencies eligible to apply?
No. Delegate agencies are explicitly not eligible to apply under this announcement.
Are foreign entities eligible to apply?
No. Foreign entities are not eligible.
Is this competition open to organizations that are not already Head Start grantees?
No. The competition is limited to current federally funded Head Start agencies and is among existing Head Start grantees.
What age group was this expansion intended to serve?
The expansion was aimed at preschool-age children.
What kinds of costs or activities were the funds intended to support?
The funding was intended to support expanded enrollment (more Head Start slots) and the associated needs to serve additional children and families, including hiring additional staff such as new teaching and related program positions.
Where could a grantee expand services geographically?
Grantees could apply to serve additional low-income children within their current, federally approved service area. The announcement also allowed proposals to serve certain nearby unserved areas, but only under specific conditions.
Could an applicant propose to serve an unserved area?
Yes, but only under conditions showing the applicant could legitimately function as the local Head Start provider in that community and meet the guidance related to being community-based.
What does it mean to be a "community-based provider" for purposes of serving an unserved area?
The guidance emphasized that the agency should be recognizable to the community as a local organization, have some presence in that community, or serve an area contiguous to its current service area. The community also needed to show support for the applicant to operate Head Start there.
Why did the announcement emphasize local ties and community support?
The intent was to prevent applicants from "parachuting in" without local ties and to ensure the expansion strengthened local early childhood infrastructure.
Can a grantee expand within its service area and also start a new program in an unserved area under one application?
No. If an applicant wanted to both expand within its existing service area and establish a new program in an unserved area, it could not combine those proposals into a single submission.
What is required if an applicant wants to pursue both an in-area expansion and an unserved-area proposal?
Separate applications are required for each proposal, because the scope, partnerships, startup demands, and review considerations can differ between expanding within an existing service area and launching services in an unserved community.
How much funding was available in total?
The estimated total funding available was $102,000,000.
What was the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling was $5,000,000.
What was the minimum award amount (award floor)?
The award floor was listed as $0.
How many awards were anticipated?
The opportunity anticipated about 200 awards.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
Yes. A cost sharing or matching requirement was indicated as "Yes," meaning recipients would likely need to contribute non-federal resources consistent with the terms described in the full announcement and applicable Head Start rules.
What made this funding opportunity different because it was funded under the Recovery Act?
Because the funds were provided under ARRA (P.L. 111-5), recipients were subject to additional transparency and accountability requirements beyond standard Head Start compliance. This included ARRA-consistent reporting requirements alongside existing Head Start regulations.
What kinds of reporting expectations were implied under ARRA?
The announcement indicated that reporting would likely be more frequent and more detailed, including reporting on how funds were spent, what outcomes were achieved (such as added enrollment slots and jobs created), and timely tracking of progress against the proposed expansion plan.
When was the opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted on April 2, 2009.
What was the application closing date?
The closing date was June 23, 2009.
How were applications submitted?
Electronic submissions were made through Grants.gov.
What was the Grants.gov submission deadline time?
The electronic submission cutoff was 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date.
Were late submissions accepted?
No. The announcement emphasized a firm cutoff time, indicating that late submissions would not be accepted.
What is the archive date and what does it indicate?
The archive date was July 23, 2009, indicating when the announcement would be formally closed out in the listings.
Was this announcement the only ARRA Head Start expansion opportunity?
No. OHS noted that separate announcements were being issued for Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Expansion and for American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Head Start Expansion.
Why were separate expansion announcements issued for Migrant and Seasonal Head Start and AIAN Head Start?
The separation signaled distinct policy considerations, service models, and eligible applicant pools for those populations and programs, even though the overall Recovery Act objective of rapidly expanding early childhood services was consistent across related announcements.
What was the overall policy goal behind this ARRA-funded expansion?
The goal was rapid expansion of early childhood services by increasing Head Start enrollment capacity and supporting staffing growth on an accelerated timeline consistent with Recovery Act priorities.
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