State-Tribal Partnerships to Implement Best Practices in Indian Child Welfare

For programmatic or technical questions:
Carlette Randall
888.203.6161
cb@grantreview.org

For grants management or budget questions:
Telina Bennett-Reed
888.203.6161
cb@grantreview.org

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) will provide grants for jointly developed projects by state and tribal governments and, where applicable, nongovernmental partners, to develop and operate a plan to effectively implement best practices in Indian child welfare services. The program's overall goals are to preserve families of federally recognized American Indian and Alaska native tribes; protect children; and ensure that children remain connected to their families, communities, and culture.

Activities include:

• Convene or designate a state and tribal partnership team to plan and oversee project work
• Hire project staff
• Create relationship building opportunities between state and tribal government partners
• Conduct practice and needs assessments of state and tribal child welfare and/or court practice relating to children
• Develop plans to build or enhance state and tribal government capacities, including through technology
• Provide/engage in capacity building work
• Develop policies, procedures, and protocols for all aspects of project work
• Train and cross-train implementing partners
• Build infrastructure and processes for project maintenance such as data collection and sharing systems and other efforts to facilitate automation and interoperability
• Pilot or test direct civil legal services models that may assist with best practices implementation
• Evaluate all stages of project work (assessment, planning, implementation)
• Design and implement systems to continuously monitor and improve Indian child welfare best practice work
• Ensure changes that demonstrate success are institutionalized and sustainable

Eligible applicants include public or other nonprofit institutions of higher learning, and public or other nonprofit agencies and organizations engaged in research or child-welfare activities.

Award ceiling: $500,000 per year
Award floor: $450,000 per year
Project period: 4 years
Estimated number of awards: 6
Estimated total program funding: $3,000,000

Links to the full announcement and online application process are available through grants.gov. The application instructions will be found on the related documents tab.

While not required, potential applicants are encouraged to email a letter of intent to cb@grantreview.org by May 7, 2024.