Indiana Prevention Resource Center (IPRC)

• State governments

• County governments
• City or township governments
• Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
• 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 without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

Section 427(a) of the Social Security Act identifies eligible applicants as "State, local, or tribal child welfare agencies, and private nonprofit organizations that have experience in working with foster children or children in kinship care arrangements."  If the applicant is a private organization, documentation of support from the relevant local or State child welfare agency and a description of how the organization plans to coordinate its services and activities with those offered by the relevant local or State child welfare agency are required.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to solicit applications for Combination Family-finding/Family Group Decision-making (FGDM) Projects that help children and youth who are in, or are at-risk of entering into, foster care reconnect with family members.  Combination Projects may initiate the use of Family-finding and/or FGDM with this target population or may expand, bring to scale or integrate existing Family-finding and FGDM programs which serve this population.  Combination Project activities will support and sustain:

• Placement of these children and youth in safe, permanent living arrangements with family members, where their well-being needs are met; and

• Ongoing family relationships as permanency resources to support the child and youth in ways other than placement.

Projects will employ rigorous local evaluations to demonstrate how this approach will improve outcomes related to safety, permanency and well-being for the target population of children and youth.  As demonstration projects, grantee programs will serve as identifiable sites that other States and locales, seeking to implement family connection services for this population, can look to for guidance, insight, and possible replication.

Grantees are required to meet a non-Federal share of the total approved project costs, in accordance with Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008.  Grantees must provide at least 25 percent of the total approved cost of the project for the first two years of the project period, and 50 percent of the total approved cost of the project in the third year of the project period. The total approved cost of the project is the sum of the ACF Federal share and the non-Federal share. The non-Federal share may be met by cash or in-kind contributions.  No more than 50 percent of the non-Federal share may be made up of in-kind contributions.

NOTE:  This is one of three separate 2012 HHS Forecast announcements under the Family Connection Discretionary Grants Program, CFDA Number: 93.605: 

• Child Welfare/TANF Collaboration in Kinship Navigation Programs;

• Combination Family-finding/Family Group Decision-making Programs;

• Comprehensive Residential Family Treatment Programs.