Technology Enhanced Adoptive Family Recruiting and Matching

Key Facts

Status: Open

Posted date: April 20, 2026

Archive date: August 8, 2026

Opportunity ID: 361968

Opportunity number: HHS-2026-ACF-ACYF-CO-0040

Opportunity category: Discretionary

Agency name: Administration for Children and Families - ACYF/CB

Agency code: HHS-ACF-CB

Award floor: $1,500,000

Award ceiling: $2,674,000

Cost sharing required: No

Funding Instrument Types
  • Cooperative Agreement
Category of Funding Activity
  • Income Security and Social Services
Eligible Applicants
  • City or township governments
  • County governments
  • For-profit organizations other than small businesses
  • 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
  • Others
  • Private institutions of higher education
  • Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
  • State governments
Tools
Categories (use these for quoted searches)
  • agency_code:hhs_acf_cb
  • category_of_funding_activity:income_security_and_social_services
  • cost_sharing_or_matching_requirement:false
  • eligible_applicants:city_or_township_governments
  • eligible_applicants:county_governments
  • eligible_applicants:for_profit_organizations_other_than_small_businesses
  • eligible_applicants:native_american_tribal_governments_federally_recognized
  • eligible_applicants:native_american_tribal_organizations_other_than_federally_recognized_tribal_governments
  • eligible_applicants:nonprofits_having_a_501_c_3_status_with_the_irs_other_than_institutions_of_higher_education
  • eligible_applicants:others
  • eligible_applicants:private_institutions_of_higher_education
  • eligible_applicants:public_and_state_controlled_institutions_of_higher_education
  • eligible_applicants:state_governments
  • funding_instrument_type:cooperative_agreement
  • opportunity_category:discretionary
  • status:open
Description

This program will fund projects focused on technology-enabled strategies that improve adoptive matching, placement, and permanency for children in foster care awaiting adoption. The funds, awarded to four regional centers, will be used to design, implement and evaluate these strategies.These centers will focus on children with an adoption permanency goal or who are legally free for adoption due to child welfare involvement. Centers will partner with state, territorial, tribal, and local child welfare agencies and courts to develop secure, accessible technology solutions that improve how families are matched with children in need of permanent homes. Proposed solutions must be interoperable with existing systems and may include tools such as data-informed recruitment support, AI-assisted matching, and predictive analytics.Each center will strengthen data infrastructure, support continuous quality improvement, and develop scalable resources that jurisdictions nationwide can adopt. ACF will define four national service regions to ensure full U.S. coverage. Centers will provide regional innovation support, training, technical assistance, and dissemination of best practices while collaborating nationally on shared learning.Applicants will be expected to demonstrate measurable improvements in match timeliness, placement stability, and adoption finalization outcomes.

Technology Enhanced Adoptive Family Recruiting and Matching
This program will fund projects focused on technology-enabled strategies that improve adoptive matching, placement, and permanency for children in foster care awaiting adoption. The funds, awarded to four regional centers, will be used to design, implement and evaluate these strategies.These centers will focus on children with an adoption permanency goal or who are legally free for adoption due to child welfare involvement. Centers will partner with state, territorial, tribal, and local child welfare agencies and courts to develop secure, accessible technology solutions that improve how families are matched with children in need of permanent homes. Proposed solutions must be interoperable with existing systems and may include tools such as data-informed recruitment support, AI-assisted matching, and predictive analytics.Each center will strengthen data infrastructure, support continuous quality improvement, and develop scalable resources that jurisdictions nationwide can adopt. ACF will define four national service regions to ensure full U.S. coverage. Centers will provide regional innovation support, training, technical assistance, and dissemination of best practices while collaborating nationally on shared learning.Applicants will be expected to demonstrate measurable improvements in match timeliness, placement stability, and adoption finalization outcomes.
Technology Enhanced Adoptive Family Recruiting and Matching
Open
Administration for Children and Families - ACYF/CB
Income Security and Social Services
Cooperative Agreement
State governments
County governments
City or township governments
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
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
Private institutions of higher education
For-profit organizations other than small businesses
Others
2026-04-20