Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2021 ACF ACYF CO 1911
The Quality Improvement Center (QIC): Engaging Youth in Finding Permanency grant opportunity is a federal cooperative agreement designed to fund a single, national 5-year project focused on improving how child welfare systems partner with young people to achieve permanency. At its core, the project is meant to help youth in foster care or other out-of-home care settings play an active, meaningful role in identifying and securing their own permanent family connections. The overarching goal is to reduce the number of young people who leave care without a stable, lasting, and supportive family relationship, and to address the systemic obstacles that slow down or prevent timely permanency.
The QIC is expected to pilot and test approaches in approximately 6 to 8 jurisdictions across the United States. These pilot sites would be used to develop, implement, and evaluate practical strategies that help agencies engage youth more effectively in permanency planning. The focus is not only on creating new tools or practices, but on building approaches that are comprehensive, consistent, and replicable across different child welfare environments. A major emphasis is identifying real-world barriers that interfere with permanency for youth, including barriers within policy, practice, organizational culture, and service delivery, and then working collaboratively with youth and stakeholders to design strategies that directly confront those barriers.
A central piece of the work is workforce capacity-building. The QIC is expected to help strengthen the child welfare workforce so that caseworkers, supervisors, and partner organizations have the skills, guidance, and usable frameworks needed to engage youth in an authentic way. That includes helping professionals learn how to support youth in exploring and strengthening lifelong connections, how to incorporate youth voice into decision-making, and how to recognize and address obstacles that youth encounter while navigating the permanency process. The intent is to move beyond one-time training and toward building durable agency capacity that can sustain improved permanency practice over time.
The project also emphasizes urgency and accountability around permanency outcomes. The QIC is expected to help advance strategies aimed at achieving permanency for every youth without undue delays, while ensuring youth do not exit care to adulthood without a stable, loving family. The opportunity frames this as a national challenge that requires child welfare systems to directly "attack the barriers" that lead to instability, prolonged time in care, or aging out without permanent relationships. In practice, that means the QIC should generate evidence-informed methods that jurisdictions can adopt to improve timeliness, stability, and long-term permanency for children and youth in care.
Administratively, the opportunity is offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), through the Administration on Children, Youth and Families/Children's Bureau (ACYF/CB). It is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates substantial federal involvement during the period of performance (for example, collaboration on direction, oversight, and evaluation expectations). The program is listed under CFDA 93.652 and falls within the broader category of Income Security and Social Services.
Eligibility is broad and includes state, county, and city/township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those categories); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. Despite wide eligibility, the announcement anticipates making only one award, meaning the competition is aimed at selecting a single lead organization (or lead with partners) capable of operating a national center with multiple pilot sites and a strong evaluation and dissemination function.
The anticipated maximum funding level is up to $4,000,000 (award ceiling), with one expected award total. The opportunity was created on May 7, 2021, with an original application deadline of July 6, 2021 (electronic submissions due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date). Overall, the grant is structured to produce tested, evaluated, and scalable approaches that improve youth engagement in permanency planning and strengthen system capacity nationwide so fewer young people remain in care unnecessarily or leave care without enduring family relationships.Apply for HHS 2021 ACF ACYF CO 1911
- The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families - ACYF/CB in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Quality Improvement Center: Engaging Youth in Finding Permanency" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.652.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 07, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 06, 2021 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (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 $4,000,000.00 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, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, 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 that do not have 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, Small businesses.
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FAQs: The Quality Improvement Center (QIC): Engaging Youth in Finding Permanency
What is this grant opportunity?
The Quality Improvement Center (QIC): Engaging Youth in Finding Permanency is a federal discretionary funding opportunity offered as a cooperative agreement to support one national, 5-year project. The project is focused on improving how child welfare systems partner with young people to achieve permanency.
What is the main purpose of the QIC project?
The main purpose is to help youth in foster care or other out-of-home care settings play an active and meaningful role in identifying and securing permanent family connections, and to reduce the number of young people who leave care without stable, lasting, and supportive family relationships.
What does "permanency" mean in the context of this opportunity?
In this opportunity, permanency refers to stable, lasting, and supportive family relationships for youth, with an emphasis on ensuring young people do not exit care to adulthood without a stable, loving family connection.
How long is the project period?
The opportunity is designed to fund a single national project for 5 years.
How many awards are expected to be made?
Only one award is anticipated, meaning a single lead organization (or lead with partners) would be selected to operate the national center and carry out the work.
What is the maximum funding amount available?
The anticipated award ceiling is up to $4,000,000.
What type of funding mechanism is this?
This is a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates substantial federal involvement during the period of performance, such as collaboration on direction, oversight, and evaluation expectations.
Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?
The opportunity is offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), through the Administration on Children, Youth and Families/Children's Bureau (ACYF/CB).
What is the CFDA number for this program?
The program is listed under CFDA 93.652.
What category does this program fall under?
The opportunity falls within the broader category of Income Security and Social Services.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes state, county, and city/township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those categories); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses.
Does broad eligibility mean multiple organizations will be funded?
No. Even though many entity types are eligible to apply, the announcement anticipates making only one award.
What kind of project is expected to be funded?
A single, national Quality Improvement Center project that pilots, tests, evaluates, and disseminates approaches that improve youth engagement in permanency planning and strengthen child welfare system capacity.
How many pilot sites are expected, and where?
The QIC is expected to pilot and test approaches in approximately 6 to 8 jurisdictions across the United States.
What is meant by "jurisdictions" in this opportunity?
The opportunity describes pilot sites as jurisdictions across the United States where approaches can be developed, implemented, and evaluated. (No additional definition is provided in the description.)
What will the pilot sites be used for?
Pilot sites are intended to help develop, implement, and evaluate practical strategies for engaging youth more effectively in permanency planning, and to test approaches that can be replicable across child welfare environments.
Is the focus only on creating new tools?
No. The focus includes creating or refining tools and practices, but it emphasizes comprehensive, consistent, and replicable approaches that can work across different child welfare settings.
What types of barriers is the QIC expected to address?
The project is expected to identify and confront real-world barriers that interfere with permanency for youth, including barriers within policy, practice, organizational culture, and service delivery.
How is youth voice expected to be incorporated?
The core intent is that youth play an active, meaningful role in identifying and securing permanency, including having their voices incorporated into decision-making and permanency planning processes.
What role do stakeholders play in this project?
The project is expected to work collaboratively with youth and stakeholders to design strategies that directly confront barriers to permanency.
What does workforce capacity-building involve?
Workforce capacity-building is a central part of the work and includes strengthening the child welfare workforce (caseworkers, supervisors, and partner organizations) with skills, guidance, and usable frameworks for authentic youth engagement, supporting lifelong connections, incorporating youth voice, and recognizing and addressing obstacles youth face in the permanency process.
Is the workforce component limited to training sessions?
No. The intent is to move beyond one-time training and toward building durable agency capacity that sustains improved permanency practice over time.
What outcomes is the QIC trying to improve?
The opportunity emphasizes improving timeliness, stability, and long-term permanency outcomes, reducing prolonged time in care, and reducing the likelihood of youth aging out without permanent family relationships.
How does the opportunity frame the need for urgency and accountability?
It stresses achieving permanency for every youth without undue delays and directly "attacking the barriers" that contribute to instability, extended time in care, or aging out without permanent relationships.
Is evaluation part of the expected work?
Yes. The QIC is expected to pilot, test, and evaluate approaches and generate evidence-informed methods that jurisdictions can adopt.
Is dissemination or scaling part of the goal?
Yes. The project is described as aiming to produce tested, evaluated, and scalable approaches, with an emphasis on replicability across different child welfare environments and nationwide system capacity-building.
What is meant by "substantial federal involvement" here?
Because this is a cooperative agreement, it generally indicates the federal government will be involved during the project period, such as through collaboration on direction, oversight, and evaluation expectations.
When was this opportunity created?
The opportunity was created on May 7, 2021.
What was the original application deadline?
The original application deadline was July 6, 2021, with electronic submissions due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date.
Is this a national project or a local program?
It is designed as a single national project (a national center) with piloting and testing occurring in multiple jurisdictions (approximately 6 to 8) across the country.
What population is the project primarily intended to benefit?
The project centers on young people in foster care or other out-of-home care settings, specifically youth who need support and partnership from child welfare systems to secure permanent family connections.
What is the overall end goal?
The overall goal is to improve youth engagement in permanency planning, strengthen system capacity nationwide, and ensure fewer young people remain in care unnecessarily or leave care without enduring family relationships.
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