Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2023 ACF ACYF CO 0039
The National Center for Adoption Competent Mental Health Services grant opportunity (HHS 2023 ACF ACYF CO 0039) is a discretionary cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACYF/Children's Bureau), under CFDA 93.652 (Income Security and Social Services). It is designed to fund a single national entity that can help states improve how they connect children involved in child welfare with high-quality, adoption-competent mental health care. The award ceiling is $4,000,000, with one expected award, reflecting an intention to build one centralized national hub rather than multiple smaller projects.
At the core of this opportunity is the creation of a National Center with the capacity to work directly with state child welfare systems (and also tribes and territories) to strengthen partnerships with the broader mental health community. The Center is expected to focus on the specific clinical realities faced by children and youth in foster care and in adoptive or guardianship placements, including separation, loss, grief, and trauma. A major problem identified in the notice is that many states do not have enough mental health practitioners who are trained in these adoption- and foster care-related issues, even though those services are often essential for placement stability, child well-being, and family functioning. The grant is aimed at addressing that workforce and systems gap by improving both the training pipeline and the connections between child welfare agencies and state mental health systems.
The Center is expected to elevate the use of existing evidence-informed, state-of-the-art training approaches that build adoption competence and trauma-informed practice among mental health professionals. Rather than reinventing training from scratch, the emphasis is on increasing utilization and reach of proven training models and supporting their consistent application. Alongside training, the Center must help states develop practical strategies so trauma-based, adoption-competent mental health services become consistently and comprehensively available statewide, not just in certain regions or for certain families. In other words, the goal is systemic change: building durable bridges between agencies and professional communities so access to appropriate care is not dependent on local chance or isolated champions.
A defining feature of the work is that it must be carried out using a race equity lens. That means the Center is expected to incorporate equity considerations into technical assistance, partnership-building, training approaches, and strategies for expanding service availability, recognizing that experiences within the child welfare system and access to responsive mental health care can vary significantly across racial and ethnic groups. The intention is not only to improve overall service quality and availability, but also to ensure that improvements are equitable and responsive to communities that may face disproportionate barriers or impacts.
Eligibility for this opportunity is broad and includes state, county, and local governments; tribal governments and tribal organizations; public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and for-profit organizations (including small businesses). Applications were originally due May 30, 2023, submitted electronically by 11:59 pm Eastern Time. Overall, this funding opportunity supports a single national leadership and technical assistance center meant to help jurisdictions build a better-connected, better-trained mental health service ecosystem for children and families involved in foster care, adoption, and guardianship, with trauma competence and race equity as organizing principles.Apply for HHS 2023 ACF ACYF CO 0039
- The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families - ACYF/CB in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Center for Adoption Competent Mental Health Services" 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 Mar 29, 2023.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 30, 2023 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 pm Eastern Standard Time on the listed application due date.. (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 $4,000,000.00 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).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the National Center for Adoption Competent Mental Health Services grant opportunity?
This opportunity (HHS 2023 ACF ACYF CO 0039) is a discretionary cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), Children's Bureau. It supports the creation of a National Center focused on improving access to adoption-competent, trauma-informed mental health services for children and youth involved with child welfare, including those in foster care and in adoptive or guardianship placements.
What is the main goal of this funding?
The main goal is to fund a single national entity that can help states (and also tribes and territories) improve how they connect children involved in child welfare with high-quality, adoption-competent mental health care. The emphasis is on improving systems and workforce capacity so appropriate services are consistently available statewide, not limited to certain regions or dependent on isolated local efforts.
Which federal agency is sponsoring this grant?
The sponsor is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), specifically the ACYF/Children's Bureau.
What is the CFDA number and program area listed for this opportunity?
The opportunity is under CFDA 93.652 and is categorized under Income Security and Social Services.
What type of award is this?
It is a discretionary cooperative agreement.
How many awards are expected?
One award is expected. The notice indicates an intention to build one centralized national hub rather than multiple smaller projects.
What is the award ceiling?
The award ceiling is $4,000,000.
Who is this National Center expected to serve or support?
The Center is expected to work directly with state child welfare systems and also support tribes and territories. The focus is on improving connections to mental health care for children and youth involved in child welfare, including those in foster care and those in adoptive or guardianship placements.
What child and youth experiences are specifically highlighted in the scope of work?
The opportunity highlights clinical realities commonly faced by children and youth in foster care and in adoptive or guardianship placements, including separation, loss, grief, and trauma.
What problem is this grant trying to address?
A major problem identified is that many states do not have enough mental health practitioners trained in adoption- and foster care-related issues. This gap can limit access to essential services that support placement stability, child well-being, and family functioning.
How does the grant propose to address the workforce gap in adoption-competent mental health care?
The grant aims to address workforce and systems gaps by improving the training pipeline and strengthening connections between child welfare agencies and state mental health systems, helping increase the availability of trained, adoption-competent providers.
Is the Center expected to create new training programs from scratch?
No. The emphasis is on elevating and expanding the use of existing evidence-informed, state-of-the-art training approaches. Rather than reinventing training, the Center is expected to increase utilization, reach, and consistent application of proven training models.
What kinds of training approaches are emphasized?
The opportunity emphasizes evidence-informed, state-of-the-art training approaches that build adoption competence and trauma-informed practice among mental health professionals.
Beyond training, what systems-level outcomes are expected?
In addition to training, the Center must help states develop practical strategies so trauma-based, adoption-competent mental health services become consistently and comprehensively available statewide. The intent is systemic change and durable partnerships between agencies and professional communities so access does not depend on local chance or isolated champions.
What does it mean that the work must be done using a race equity lens?
Using a race equity lens means the Center is expected to incorporate equity considerations into technical assistance, partnership-building, training approaches, and strategies for expanding service availability. This reflects recognition that experiences within child welfare and access to responsive mental health care can differ significantly across racial and ethnic groups, and that improvements should be equitable and responsive to communities facing disproportionate barriers or impacts.
Which jurisdictions are specifically mentioned as participants in the Center's work?
The opportunity specifically mentions states, tribes, and territories as jurisdictions the Center should be able to work with and support.
Who is eligible to apply for this grant?
Eligibility is broad and includes: state, county, and local governments; tribal governments and tribal organizations; public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and for-profit organizations (including small businesses).
When were applications due?
Applications were originally due May 30, 2023.
How were applications required to be submitted?
Applications were required to be submitted electronically.
What was the submission deadline time zone and cutoff time?
The submission deadline was 11:59 pm Eastern Time.
What is the overall intended impact of funding a single national hub?
The intent is to establish a single national leadership and technical assistance center that can coordinate and scale proven training and systems-connection strategies across jurisdictions, strengthening the mental health service ecosystem for children and families involved in foster care, adoption, and guardianship, grounded in trauma competence and race equity.
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