Programs & Funding

With an annual budget of more than $7 billion, the Children's Bureau works with States, Tribes, and communities to develop programs to assist America's children and their families. The Children's Bureau awards funds to both States and Tribes on a formula basis and to individual organizations that successfully apply for discretionary funds. Current Children's Bureau discretionary grant opportunities may be found on Grants.gov.

Discretionary Grant Programs

The Children's Bureau awards discretionary grants for research and program development, through a competitive peer-review process, to State, Tribal and local agencies, faith-based and community-based organizations, and other nonprofit and for profit groups. Additional information is available on these discretionary grant programs as follows:

• 2008 Discretionary Grant and Cooperative Agreement Awards - Complete listing of awardees for Children's Bureau discretionary grants for FY 2008. Project description also available for the Supporting Evidence-Based Home Visitation Programs to Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect projects. (PDF - 204 KB)

• Children's Bureau Discretionary Grants Library - The Discretionary Grants Library is an online tool that allows you to search for and view CB closed program announcements and/or information related to specific CB grant projects.

View Children's Bureau Discretionary Grant Awards in two ways:

• Search by State Using the Database of all ACYF Grant Awards (information available starting with FY 2002) - Database includes abstracts and contact information for all ACYF grant awardees and may be searched by State and other key words. To search by State, use the Keyword Search function and type in the State name.

• View by Children's Bureau Discretionary Grant Type (information available starting with FY 2000) - Complete listing of awardees for Children's Bureau discretionary grants by year and by type of grant, including new FY 2008 awardees.

• Adoption Opportunities - Help eliminate barriers to adoption and find permanent families for children.

• Child Welfare Training - Upgrades the skills and qualifications of child welfare workers.

• Abandoned Infants Assistance - Provides funding for the development of comprehensive service programs for infants and their families.

• Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act Research and Demonstration Projects - Support research and demonstration and training programs for preventing child maltreatment.
• Community-Based Grants for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (CBCAP) - Support selected Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and migrant programs in developing linkages with statewide CBCAP program and/or providing services otherwise consistent with the purposes of CBCAP.
• Infant Adoption Awareness Training Program - Trains designated staff of eligible health centers in providing adoption information/referrals to pregnant women on an equal basis with all other courses of action.

State & Tribal Grant Programs

The Children's Bureau provides matching funds to States, Tribes, and communities to help them operate every aspect of their child welfare systems -- from prevention of child abuse and neglect to adoption -- and the information systems necessary to support these programs. The funds come from:

• Title IV-E Foster Care - Assistance with costs of foster care for eligible children and associated administrative and training costs.
• Title IV-E Adoption Assistance - Financial and medical assistance for adoption of children with special needs as well as associated administrative and training costs.
• John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program - Funds to help older youth in foster care and former foster care youth acquire training and independent living skills so they can become self-sufficient.
• Child Welfare Services: Title IV-B, Subpart 1 of the Social Security Act - Preventive intervention, alternative placements, and reunification efforts to keep families together.
• Promoting Safe and Stable Families: Title IV-B, Subpart 2 of the Social Security Act - Family support, family preservation and support, time-limited family reunification services, and services to support adoptions.
• Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) State Grants - Assistance to improve State child protective service systems.
• Community-Based Grants for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (CBCAP) - Support for community-based, prevention-focused programs and activities.
• Children's Justice Act - Funds for improving the investigation and prosecution of child abuse and neglect.
• Court Improvement Program - Funds for improvement of courts' handling of child abuse and neglect litigation.

FY 2004 State Grant Programs Awards:

• CAPTA Allotments
• Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP)
• Education and Training Vouchers Program ETV Allocation
• Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF)
• Child Welfare Services Title IVB, subpart 1 Allotments

Adoption Incentive Awards

• Adoption Incentive Awards History - Cumulative Adoption Incentive Earning History by State - FY1998-FY2007

Child Welfare Waiver Demonstration Projects

The Child Welfare Waiver Demonstration authority provides States with an opportunity to use Federal funds more flexibly in order to test innovative approaches to child welfare service delivery and financing. The States can design and demonstrate a wide range of approaches to reform child welfare and improve outcomes in the areas of safety, permanency, and well-being.

• Summary of IV-E Child Welfare Waiver Demonstrations - A brief description of the common themes, research evaluation designs, and the status of individual projects. (PDF - 257 KB)
• Profiles of Child Welfare Waiver Demonstration Projects - Detailed information such as evaluation design and outcome findings for individual State demonstration projects. (PDF - 679 KB)
• Summary Table of the Child Welfare Waiver Demonstrations - As of May 2007. (PDF - 111 KB)
• Description Summaries for Child Welfare Waiver Demonstration Projects - Summaries of the interventions, target populations, and preliminary findings of State demonstration projects, organized within program areas.
• Synthesis of Findings from the State Assisted Guardianship Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration Projects (September 2005) - This report is based on evaluation reports submitted by States that received Title IV-E Waivers to implement assisted guardianship demonstration projects: Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Oregon.
• Synthesis of Findings from the Title IV-E Flexible Funding Waiver Demonstrations (September 2005) - This report is based on evaluation reports submitted by States that received Ttitle IV-E Waivers to implement flexible funding demonstration projects: Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, and Oregon.
• Synthesis of Findings from the State Substance Abuse Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration Projects (September 2005) - This report is based on evaluation reports submitted by States that received Title IV-E Waivers to implement substance abuse demonstration projects: Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, and New Hampshire.
• Information Memorandum: ACYF-CB-IM-03-06 — Child Welfare Demonstration Projects for Fiscal Year 2004.
• Information Memorandum: ACYF-CB-IM-02-06 — Title IV-E Child Welfare Demonstration Projects Requests for Extensions - Procedures and Criteria. (PDF - 81 KB)

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CFSP/APSR Toolkit

CFSP/APSR Toolkit - This toolkit contains all the information and forms needed to develop the State and Tribal Child and Family Service Plan (CFSP)/Annual Progress and Services Report (APSR). The toolkit provides a central location for all technical assistance documents and materials, as well as references to specific laws, policies, and checklists that relate to the development of the CFSP/APSR.

The CFSP is a 5-year plan that outlines initiatives and activities the State, Tribe, or Territory will carry out in administering programs and services to promote the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families. The APSR is a yearly report of the progress made in accomplishing the goals and objectives of the CFSP. The APSRs contain new and updated information about service needs and organizational capacities throughout the 5-year CFSP period.

The programs included in the CFSR/APSR include:

• Title IV of the Social Security Act-Part B Child and Family Services
• Title IV-B Subpart 1 Child Welfare Services
• Title IV-B Subpart 2 Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF)
• Chafee Foster Care Independence Act of 1999
• The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, as amended by the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003

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General Funding Information

Information about Children's Bureau funding:

• Children's Bureau Grant Programs - Information on both Discretionary and State Grant Programs.
• Apply to Be a Grant Reviewer - The Children's Bureau is currently recruiting grant reviewers and panel chairpersons. Both novice and experienced reviewers may apply using a five-step submission process.
• Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance - A government-wide compendium of all Federal programs that provide assistance or benefits to the American public.

How to apply for Children's Bureau funding:

• Information on the Children's Bureau Discretionary Grants - How to apply for grants.
• Grants.gov - The single access point for more than 900 grant programs offered by the 26 Federal grant-making agencies, including the Children's Bureau.
• Grant-Related Documents and Forms - Forms, certifications, and issuances commonly used in applying for Administration for Children and Families grants and reporting on the status of grant projects.

Previous awards:

• FY 2000 - FY 2008 Discretionary Grant Awards - Awards for Children's Bureau discretionary grants by year.
• Search by State Using the Database of all ACYF Grant Awards (information available starting with FY 2002) - Database includes abstracts and contact information for all ACYF grant awardees and may be searched by State and other key words. To search by State, use the Keyword Search function and type in the State name.
• View by Children's Bureau Discretionary Grant Type (information available starting with FY 2000) - Complete listing of awardees for Children's Bureau discretionary grants by year and by type of grant.

Other Related Links

• Child Welfare Monitoring - Information on the programs provided by the Children's Bureau that monitor State child welfare services, including the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs), Title IV-E Foster Care Eligibility Reviews, the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), and the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS) Assessment Reviews.