The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has published these four Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) to support fathers, strengthen families, and empower youth across the nation.

• Family, Opportunity, Resilience, Grit, Engagement – Fatherhood (FORGE Fatherhood): ACF announced its plan to solicit applications for the competitive award of grants that support "activities to promote responsible fatherhood" under each of the three broad categories of promoting or sustaining marriage, responsible parenting, and economic stability activities authorized under Section 403(a)(2) of the Social Security Act. This funding will be targeted exclusively at projects designed for adult fathers, defined as fathers that are age 18 and older. Eligible fathers (or father figures) must have children who are age 24 or younger. Fathers will include those in the general population (or "community fathers"), as well as fathers who are returning, or have returned, to their families and communities, following incarceration. 

   

• Helping Every Area of Relationships Thrive - Adults (HEART): ACF announced its plan to solicit applications for the competitive award of grants that support "healthy marriage promotion" activities as authorized under Section 403(a)(2) of the Social Security Act. This funding will be targeted exclusively to projects designed for adult individuals or adult couples, defined as persons who are age 18 and older. Applicants will be asked to submit proposals that are designed to implement programs that include a broad array of service provision strategies. These include curriculum-based skills development and services designed to support family strengthening activities through one or more of seven activities specified under the authorizing legislation: marriage and relationship education/skills (MRES); pre-marital education; marriage enhancement; divorce reduction activities; marriage mentoring; public advertising campaigns; and activities to reduce the disincentives to marriage. 

   

• Relationships, Education, Advancement, and Development for Youth for Life (READY4Life): ACF announced its plan to solicit applications for the competitive award of grants that support healthy marriage and relationship education activities including parenting, and job and career advancement activities as authorized under Section 403(a)(2) of the Social Security Act. The Relationships, Education, Advancement, and Development for Youth for Life (READY4Life) grants will be targeted exclusively to projects designed to provide healthy marriage and relationship education skills, parenting (for young fathers and mothers as applicable), financial management, job and career advancement, and other activities, to youth that are high-school aged (grades 9-12) or in late adolescence and early adulthood (ages 14 to 24), including parenting and/or pregnant youth. Grants awarded will support family formation and healthy marriage promotion activities under the authorizing legislation, through marriage and relationship education/skills (MRES). Applicants must provide evidence of organizational capacity to implement their proposed project for the specified community.

   

• Grants for Coordination of Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child Welfare Services to Tribal Families at Risk of Child Abuse or Neglect: ACF announced the availability of funds under the Grants for Coordination of Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child Welfare Services to Tribal Families at Risk of Child Abuse or Neglect. The purpose of this program, as prescribed by the statute (section 403(a)(2) of the Social Security Act, as amended), is "to fund demonstration projects designed to test the effectiveness of tribal governments or tribal consortia in coordinating the provision to tribal families at risk of child abuse and neglect of child welfare services and services under tribal programs funded under this part." 42 U.S.C. 603(a)(2)(B)(i). The award must be utilized for one or more purposes that are specifically outlined by statutorily-prescribed uses: (1) To improve case management for families eligible for assistance from a Tribal TANF program; (2) For supportive services and assistance to tribal children in out-of-home placements and the tribal families caring for such children, including families who adopt such children; (3) For prevention services and assistance to tribal families at risk of child abuse and neglect. In recent cohorts, recipients have engaged in activities such as revising intake and assessment procedures, developing informed consent documents that will allow staff to share information across program lines, providing cross-training for TANF and child welfare staff, developing joint case management procedures, and developing information technology systems to enhance coordination. Successful awardees will be required to articulate the methodology employed, as well as the anticipated deliverables and impacts. As this constitutes a pilot award, recipients are expected to disseminate key insights to the wider Tribal TANF and child welfare community.

   

All applications must be submitted electronically by Tuesday, July 29, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET. 

The “Success Sequence” is a proven formula to help young adults succeed in America. The three steps are

1. get at least a high school degree; then
2. get a full-time job; and lastly,
3. get married before having children.

Research shows that 97% of young people who follow all three steps are not poor as adults. This Institute for Family Studies webpage explores the three steps of the “Success Sequence” and explains how it alleviates poverty among young adults.

In 2023, the National Marriage Project conducted research and found that couples who went on frequent date nights had happier marriages, lower likelihood of divorce, and more stable relationships. This phone application, LoveTrack, was developed in partnership by the National Alliance for Relationship & Marriage Foundation. The app is designed to be a tool that can strengthen relationships by making date nights fun and keeping couples connected. LoveTrack is research-backed and designed to support lasting relationships. 

The app features:

• Date Night Planner
• Daily Couples Questions
• Anniversary Reminders
• Relationship Counter
• Things to Remember
• Milestone Tracker
• Random Acts of Romance

Married-couple households are more affluent, less likely to be poor, and experience fewer hardships than other types of households, such as single-parent families or people living on their own. This Institute for Family Studies research brief explores why, focusing on differences across household types in income, non-income resources such as wealth, and demographic and socioeconomic characteristics such as age and education.

This HeadStart.gov webpage discusses the benefits of support groups and activities for fathers to build parenting skills and connect with other fathers. It provides tips for organizing support groups and offers a practice scenario.

The National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) publishes and sends a newsletter to their listserv monthly. For those who would like to review a particular topic, this NRFC webpage lists each newsletter distributed in 2025.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released the new request for applications for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) pilot. The pilot will select up to five states to test innovative approaches aimed at promoting work and reducing government dependency.

The pilot is authorized under the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 and reflects the Administration’s commitment to reshaping welfare programs to encourage employment, personal responsibility, and strong, stable two-parent families. States are encouraged to propose alternative performance measures to the work participation rate that prioritize rapid employment outcomes, earnings progression, and reduced dependency on TANF, Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, and other welfare. 

ACF encourages all states and territories to apply. The application period will close at 11:59 PM ET on August 15, 2025. The pilot program for the selected states will begin on October 1, 2025.

Further information on the TANF pilot program can be found on the Office of Family Assistance Fiscal Responsibility Act implementation page. If questions remain, please contact TANFquestions@acf.hhs.gov. 

Through a partnership with Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) initiatives, the Office of Family Assistance is excited to offer the opportunity to receive compliance support and technical assistance on strengthening employment outcomes for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) participants by integrating new and effective approaches for meeting various needs of families within the TANF system. This TANF HMRF learning community is a great opportunity to listen and engage with peers and learn new and innovative ways of integrating employment and relational skills into TANF programs. 

The Family Routes Initiative seeks to engage with TANF programs interested in integrating evidence-based HMRF practices. Participants will have access to tools and information for integrating these strategies throughout programs, especially ways to integrate soft skills, goal setting, self-regulation, accountability, and personal responsibility into programs to improve employment outcomes and promote stable families. 

The initiative promotes the dissemination and application of HMRF program research conducted by ACF to other programs that serve fathers, families, and children. By participating in this initiative, participants will learn how to adapt HMRF practices to their unique program context.

 What’s involved?

• Learn, connect, and try out new ideas without funding or reporting requirements
• Apply practical, low- or no-cost adaptations in your program
• Contribute your experiences to guide the development of effective HMRF practices for TANF recipients

Why participate?

• Peer collaboration: join a network of TANF programs to share experiences, challenges, and approaches
• Tailored support: receive guidance and support that fit unique needs (no one-size-fits-all approach)
• Flexible time commitment: participate in monthly virtual group sessions from July to October 2025, with optional additional office hours and one-on-one support

Interested in learning more? Attend an informational webinar on June 26, 2025 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET to learn more about the Family Routes Initiative – no preparation or prior commitment is required.

Questions? Contact familyroutes@deloitte.com.

This Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network primer was developed to offer service providers basic information about federal programs that can be used to finance kinship services and programs. Information for each source includes which federal agency administers the funding source, services the funding source can finance, and basic eligibility information. This funding primer is not intended to be an in-depth explanation of each source but, rather, a high-level overview that can be used to aid further research.