Simpler Grants.gov #HHS-2026-ACF-ACYF-CO-0055

Collaborative Research Funding for Adoption of Children with Complex Needs

This opportunity from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Children's Bureau, seeks proposals for collaborative research projects to improve adoption outcomes for children with complex needs. - Government Buyer: - Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Children's Bureau - Scope of Work: - Implementation and evaluation of system-level approaches to recruit, train, support, and retain families for children and youth with complex or high-acuity needs - Focus on rigorous research designs, implementation studies, effectiveness evaluations, and dissemination of findings - Eligible Applicants: - State, tribal, or county public child welfare agencies - Private child welfare agencies under contract with public agencies - Research organizations partnered with child welfare agencies - Notable Requirements: - Projects must be led by researchers in partnership with child welfare agencies - Active partnerships required for non-public agencies - Collaborations with Medicaid Section 1115 Research and Demonstration Projects, private adoption agencies, and community/faith-based organizations are encouraged - Mandatory annual in-person and monthly virtual meetings - Individuals and foreign entities are not eligible - Funding Details: - Total program funding: $6,450,000 - Expected awards: 3 - Award range: $1,500,000 to $2,150,000 per project - Three-year project period - No specific OEMs or commercial vendors are named, as this is a research and service-oriented funding opportunity.

Description

This funding opportunity supports innovations to build evidence on helping children and youth with complex or high-acuity needs achieve permanency through adoption. Projects focus on collaborative, system-level efforts to recruit, train, support, and retain families capable of meeting these children's needs. Research must be led by researchers within or in close partnership with child welfare agencies, evaluating promising collaborative approaches. Collaborations involving Medicaid Section 1115 Research and Demonstration Projects, private adoption agencies, or community- or faith-based organizations are particularly encouraged. Projects are expected to study implementation, evaluate effectiveness, and use rigorous research methods to contribute generalized knowledge.

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