In August 2026, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Department of the Treasury jointly released a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document to help states, territories, and Tribes establish and administer Fostering the Future Accounts. 

New FAQ highlights include:  

• Establishing and administering Fostering the Future Accounts; 
• Available funding sources, including federal funds and private contributions; and 
• Fostering the Future Accounts eligibility, management, transfer, and withdrawal considerations. 

To further support implementation, ACF launched the National Fostering the Future Accounts Advancement Center to provide technical assistance tailored to the needs of states, territories, and Tribes. 

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is seeking input on the use of research from a range of audiences working in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or related family self-sufficiency programs. TANF and other human services providers, technical assistance providers, researchers, research funders, and others that use or may use ACF-sponsored research are invited to participate in a survey. This survey is part of a project that aims to understand how ACF-sponsored research can better support your work and improve outcomes for people and families with low incomes. 

ACF invites you to take the 15-minute survey to share your insights about:  

• What type of research is helpful or important to you; 
• How you use research findings or information; or 
• What would make ACF research more useful for your work. 

The survey will be open until Tuesday, August 25, 2026.  

In June 2026, the Office of Family Assistance launched the Programming to Build Strong Families and Promote Economic Independence series, designed to provide flexible, practice-informed technical assistance and compliance support to Tribal TANF programs.

During the second session, participants heard from Subject Matter Experts and participated in discussions on strengthening two-parent families and father engagement through partnerships with Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education (HMRE) and Responsible Fatherhood (RF) programs. 

In June 2026, the Office of Family Assistance launched the Programming to Build Strong Families and Promote Economic Independence series, designed to provide flexible, practice-informed technical assistance and compliance support to Tribal TANF programs.

During the first session, participants heard from Tribal TANF practitioners and engaged in discussion about how to support economic and family stability and resilience. Presenters were invited to share practical knowledge of how Tribal TANF programs can provide holistic services to strengthen and stabilize families.

The Administration for Children and Families announced a new Technical Assistance Center to help states, Tribes, and territories implement Fostering the Future Accounts, a program designed to help eligible young people build financial security as they transition into adulthood. Once launched, the center will offer training, tools, and individualized support to help jurisdictions successfully establish and manage these accounts. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners who work with youth and young adults can access this resource to learn about new opportunities that promote financial well-being and strengthen pathways to long-term economic independence.

This vignette features a Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program that participated in the Family Routes Initiative Learning Community and expanded their Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) services. This resource highlights steps the program took to achieve their goals and concludes with a brief exercise for other TANF programs to bring to their programs.

This toolkit contains a collection of four one-page resources designed to facilitate strong, collaborative relationships with families. The toolkit includes flyers that can navigate Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) practitioners through discussions with participants by modeling co-regulation and self-regulation skills. It also includes handouts TANF participants that highlight healthy communication skills to support daily interactions at work and at home.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) supports families as they work toward financial independence, but misconceptions about who receives assistance and how they participate in work activities continue to shape public discussions. This issue brief, co-written by Office of Family Assistance Director David Swegle and Assistant Secretary of Administration for Children and Families Alex Adams, explores the gap between public perception and how TANF's work requirements operate in practice. As the first in a series on TANF work requirements, it explains the purpose of the federal work participation rate, why measuring state performance is more complex than it appears, and how federal rules influence program reporting and accountability. TANF leaders, administrators, and frontline staff can use this resource to better understand the policies behind work participation requirements and support informed conversations with partners and stakeholders.

As of July 15, 2026, 30 states have either ended or substantially reformed the practice of diverting Social Security survivor benefits from foster youth. The action marks a major milestone in protecting earned benefits for some of the nation’s most vulnerable children.

In addition, states can now preserve foster youth’s Social Security survivor benefits in Fostering the Future Accounts — the newly announced investment vehicle designed to empower foster youth and support long-term wealth building. Since the accounts were announced in June, 25 governors have pledged to open Fostering the Future Accounts in their respective states. States both ending the orphan tax and pledging to open Fostering the Future Accounts advance President Donald J. Trump and the First Lady’s Executive Order on Fostering the Future for American Children and Families designed to improve the nation's child welfare system and protect the financial future of children in foster care.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has announced the Title IV-E Prevention Accelerator Grant, a new funding opportunity to help eligible Title IV-E agencies implement and sustain evidence-based prevention services that strengthen families and help children safely remain at home. Grants ranging from $300,000 to $750,000 will support states and Tribes in building the infrastructure needed to move prevention programs from planning to long-term implementation.

For Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, this opportunity highlights the value of partnering with child welfare agencies to better coordinate services for families with complex needs. State and Tribal TANF agencies may wish to explore collaboration with eligible Title IV-E agencies to align supportive services, strengthen prevention efforts, and improve outcomes for families. Applications are due August 17, 2026.