Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2026 ACF ACYF CT 0042
The Foster Parents Network Analytics Hub (HUB) is a national, five-year cooperative agreement from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Children’s Bureau, designed to strengthen foster parent capacity and improve placement outcomes across the country. The core objective is tied to ACF’s “A Home for Every Child” initiative: by 2029, every state should reach a foster home-to-child ratio greater than 1:1. In practical terms, the HUB is meant to help states understand where foster home capacity is falling short, why families stop fostering, and how to better recruit, support, and retain foster parents so more children can be placed in appropriate, stable homes.
The project is structured as a national demonstration under Section 426 of the Social Security Act and focuses heavily on measurable results and evidence-based improvement. The HUB will build and operate a secure and accessible analytics platform that connects with state child welfare data systems, specifically SACWIS/CCWIS environments. By integrating with these existing statewide systems, the HUB is expected to help states turn administrative child welfare data into actionable insights, such as mapping foster home availability, identifying “pressure points” in placement demand, tracking licensing and re-licensing pipelines, and spotting trends related to disruptions, long travel distances, sibling placement challenges, or shortages for specific populations (for example teens, large sibling groups, or children with higher behavioral or medical needs).
Alongside the technology platform, the HUB will provide rapid, intensive technical assistance to states. This assistance is intended to be practical and operational, not just advisory. The HUB will support states in analyzing foster home network dynamics, diagnosing capacity gaps, and developing targeted strategies to improve retention and stability. That can include data-driven approaches to foster parent support, better matching processes between children’s needs and foster home characteristics, and continuous monitoring so states can see whether interventions are actually improving outcomes over time. A key theme in the opportunity description is performance monitoring and accountability: the HUB is expected to help ensure taxpayer dollars are used efficiently by building a system where progress is tracked through clear metrics and ongoing evaluation.
Funding is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement, meaning the federal agency anticipates substantial involvement in the project’s direction, oversight, and execution compared with a standard grant. The opportunity is capped at an award ceiling of $2,500,000, with a single award expected, which signals the government is looking for one lead organization (or a lead with partners) to build a national resource that can serve multiple states at once. The funding opportunity number is HHS 2026 ACF ACYF CT 0042, and it falls under CFDA 93.648 in the Income Security and Social Services category.
Eligible applicants include a wide range of domestic entities: state, county, and local governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding higher education institutions); and other eligible domestic entities as permitted. Individuals, including sole proprietorships, are not eligible and will be disqualified during review, and foreign entities are also ineligible. The application closing date listed is August 10, 2026, and the opportunity was created on July 10, 2026.
Overall, this opportunity is best understood as a national capacity-building and modernization effort: the federal government is funding one organization to create an integrated analytics and technical assistance “hub” that helps child welfare agencies make faster, smarter decisions about foster family recruitment, support, retention, and placement matching. The intended end result is not only more licensed foster homes relative to need, but also better placement stability and better alignment between children’s needs and available foster family resources, supported by consistent data infrastructure and ongoing, evidence-driven performance improvement.Apply for HHS 2026 ACF ACYF CT 0042
- The Administration for Children and Families - ACYF/CB in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Foster Parents Network Analytics Hub (HUB)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.648.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2026-07-10.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-08-10. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others.
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Foster Parents Network Analytics Hub (HUB) - FAQs
What is the Foster Parents Network Analytics Hub (HUB)?
The Foster Parents Network Analytics Hub (HUB) is a national, five-year cooperative agreement funded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Children’s Bureau. Its purpose is to strengthen foster parent capacity and improve placement outcomes across the United States by combining a national analytics platform with rapid, intensive technical assistance for states.
What is the main goal of this cooperative agreement?
The core objective aligns with ACF's "A Home for Every Child" initiative: by 2029, every state should reach a foster home-to-child ratio greater than 1:1. Practically, the HUB is intended to help states understand where foster home capacity is insufficient, why families stop fostering, and what strategies improve recruitment, support, retention, and placement stability.
How is the HUB expected to help states improve foster home capacity?
The HUB is designed to turn state administrative child welfare data into actionable insights and operational improvements. It will help states identify capacity gaps, understand foster home network dynamics, and implement targeted strategies to recruit and retain foster parents, improve matching, and monitor whether interventions lead to measurable improvement over time.
What kind of technology will the HUB build and operate?
The HUB will build and operate a secure and accessible analytics platform that connects with state child welfare data systems, specifically SACWIS/CCWIS environments. The platform is expected to integrate with existing statewide systems to support analytics and performance monitoring tied to foster home capacity and placement outcomes.
What types of insights or analyses is the HUB expected to produce?
Based on the opportunity description, expected analytics and insights include mapping foster home availability, identifying placement demand "pressure points," tracking licensing and re-licensing pipelines, and spotting trends related to placement disruptions, long travel distances, sibling placement challenges, and shortages for specific populations (such as teens, large sibling groups, or children with higher behavioral or medical needs).
Does the HUB only provide technology, or does it also provide services?
It provides both. In addition to the analytics platform, the HUB will deliver rapid, intensive technical assistance to states. The technical assistance is described as practical and operational, supporting states in diagnosing capacity gaps, developing strategies, improving matching processes, and monitoring performance using clear metrics and ongoing evaluation.
What does "rapid, intensive technical assistance" mean in this opportunity?
Within the context provided, it refers to hands-on support that helps states actively analyze data, diagnose foster home capacity problems, and implement targeted improvements. The description emphasizes that the assistance is operational rather than purely advisory, and that it supports continuous monitoring to confirm whether strategies are improving outcomes.
What performance and accountability expectations are mentioned?
A central theme is performance monitoring and accountability. The HUB is expected to support progress tracking through clear metrics and ongoing evaluation, with an emphasis on ensuring taxpayer dollars are used efficiently and that improvement efforts demonstrate measurable results.
What is the funding mechanism for this opportunity?
Funding is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement. This means the federal agency anticipates substantial involvement in the project’s direction, oversight, and execution, compared with a standard grant.
What is the maximum funding amount available?
The award ceiling is $2,500,000.
How many awards does the government expect to make?
A single award is expected, which indicates the government is seeking one lead organization (or a lead organization with partners) to build and operate a national resource that can serve multiple states.
How long is the project period?
The HUB is described as a national, five-year cooperative agreement.
What is the legal or program structure behind the project?
The project is structured as a national demonstration under Section 426 of the Social Security Act and emphasizes measurable results and evidence-based improvement.
Who is the federal sponsor for this opportunity?
The opportunity is from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Children’s Bureau.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number?
The Funding Opportunity Number is HHS 2026 ACF ACYF CT 0042.
What is the CFDA/Assistance Listing number and category?
The CFDA (Assistance Listing) number is 93.648, and it is listed under the Income Security and Social Services category.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants include domestic entities such as state, county, and local governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding higher education institutions); and other eligible domestic entities as permitted.
Are individuals allowed to apply?
No. Individuals, including sole proprietorships, are not eligible and will be disqualified during review.
Are foreign entities eligible to apply?
No. Foreign entities are ineligible.
When is the application deadline?
The application closing date listed is August 10, 2026.
When was the opportunity created?
The opportunity was created on July 10, 2026.
What does success look like for this project by 2029?
The stated target tied to "A Home for Every Child" is that every state reaches a foster home-to-child ratio greater than 1:1 by 2029, supported by better data infrastructure, improved recruitment and retention strategies, and stronger placement stability and matching.
What child welfare data systems are specifically referenced for integration?
The HUB is expected to connect with state child welfare data systems in SACWIS/CCWIS environments.
What placement challenges is the HUB expected to help analyze?
The description highlights challenges such as disruptions, long travel distances, sibling placement constraints, and shortages for specific groups (including teens, large sibling groups, and children with higher behavioral or medical needs).
Is the HUB intended to serve a single state or multiple states?
It is intended to be a national resource that can serve multiple states at once.
What is the overall purpose of this opportunity in plain terms?
This is a national capacity-building and modernization effort: one funded organization will create an integrated analytics and technical assistance hub to help child welfare agencies make faster, smarter decisions about foster family recruitment, support, retention, and placement matching, with an emphasis on measurable outcomes and accountability.
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