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| 93.652 ADOPTION OPPORTUNITIES |
| FEDERAL AGENCY |
| ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES |
| AUTHORIZATION |
| Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and Adoption Reform Act of 1978, Title II, as amended by Public Law 95-266; Public Law 100-294; Public Law 102-295; Public Law 104-235 and Public Law 108-36 (42 U.S.C. 5111 et seq.) |
| OBJECTIVES |
| To facilitate the elimination of barriers to adoption and to provide permanent,loving home environments for children who would benefit from adoption, particularly children with special needs. |
| TYPES OF ASSISTANCE |
| Project Grants (Contracts). |
| USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS |
| Grants and contracts are for (1) education, training and technical assistance programs on adoption, (2) ongoing and extensive recruitment on the national level, (3) supporting and studying the placement of children in kinship care arrangements, pre-adoptive, or adoptive homes, (4) maintain a nation resource center for special needs adoption, (5) minority recruitment, (6) provision of post legal adoption services, (7) improving the permanent placement rate of children, especially older children, in foster care, and (8) developing and implementing a national adoption and foster care data gathering and analysis system and a national adoption information exchange system. |
| Applicant Eligibility |
| Grants or Contracts: State, local government entities, public or private licensed child welfare or adoption agencies or community based other organizations, or adoptive family groups, minority groups, sectarian institutions. |
| Beneficiary Eligibility |
| Children who are in foster care and with the goal of adoption. |
| Credentials/Documentation |
| Nonprofit organizations which have not previously had Office of Management Services or ACF support must submit proof of nonprofit status. Applicable costs and administrative procedures will be determined by 45 CFR 74 and 92. |
| Preapplication Coordination |
| Limited consultation available at Headquarters Office. The standard application forms as furnished by DHHS must be used for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372. |
| Application Procedure |
| Applications must be submitted to The Administration on Children, Youth and Families Headquarters Office listed below. |
| Award Procedure |
| After review and recommendation by a nonfederal panel, the Commissioner, ACYF, makes final decision. |
| Deadlines |
| Determined annually and specified in the annual program announcement which appears in the Federal Register. |
| Range of Approval/Disapproval Time |
| From 90 to 180 days. |
| Appeals |
| Appeals are processed in accordance with HHS regulations in 45 CFR Part 16. |
| Renewals |
| Renewals are available for multi-year grants through formal submission of progress reports and continuation applications. Funding for multi-year grants is provided on an annual basis. |
| Formula and Matching Requirements |
| This program has no statutory formula or matching requirements; however, administratively-required matching is described in the annual program announcement. |
| Length and Time Phasing of Assistance |
| Grants may extend from 3 to 5 years. Average duration is expected to be 5 years. |
| Reports |
| Financial reports, semi-annual financial reports and progress reports. Final progress report, financial report due 90 days after completion of grant. |
| Audits |
| Audits are conducted in accordance with the requirements in 45 CFR 74 and 92. |
| Records |
| Grantees are required to keep financial and other grant records for 3 years after the completion of the grant or completion of audit whichever occurs first. |
| Account Identification |
| 75-1536-0-1-506. |
| Obligations |
| (Grants and Contracts) FY 07 $26,848,000; FY 08 $26,379,000; and FY 09 est $26,379,000. (Note: The funds in this program are also available for program contracts. The amounts that can be used for contracts cannot be predetermined.) |
| Range and Average of Financial Assistance |
| $200,000 to $1,000,000; $300,000. |
| PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS |
| In fiscal year 2007, 56 grantees were awarded funds. It is anticipated that approximately 48 grants will be awarded in fiscal year 2008 and approximately 48 grants in FY 09. |
| REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE |
| Priority statements, application information and submission deadline available at no charge. |
| Regional or Local Office |
| None. |
| Headquarters Office |
| Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, 1250 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20024. Contact: Jan Shafer, Telephone: (202) 205-8172. |
| Web Site Address |
| http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb |
| RELATED PROGRAMS |
| 93.645, Child Welfare Services_State Grants; 93.648, Child Welfare Services Training Grants. |
| EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS |
| Developing services and support for youth who wish to retain contact with family members in order to improve permanency outcomes; and Field Initiated Services Demonstration projects in the adoption field. The Healthy Marriage Initiative, which began in 2002, is designed to help couples who have chosen marriage for themselves gain access to services that will help them acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to form and sustain a healthy marriage. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) began awarding the initial grants in 2003. |
| CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS |
| An assessment is made of: (1) The degree to which proposal shows promise of meeting specific objectives defined in a program announcement; (2) innovation and advancement of the field, (3) reasonableness of cost; and (4) qualification of staff. |
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General Services Administration Office of Chief Acquisition Officer Regulatory and Federal Assistance Division (VIR) |
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