§ Federal grant opportunity · HHS-2026-ACF-ACYF-CO-0040
Technology Enhanced Adoptive Family Recruiting and Matching
Administration for Children and Families - ACYF/CB is accepting applications for Technology Enhanced Adoptive Family Recruiting and Matching. The deadline is August 21, 2026 and the published award range is $1.5M – $2.7M.
Key facts
- Funder
- Administration for Children and Families - ACYF/CB
- Application deadline
- August 21, 2026
- Award range
- $1.5M – $2.7M
- Eligibility
- This program requires applicants to demonstrate BOTH technology expertise AND child welfare practice expertise at the organizational level. Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from the merit review and funding under this funding opportunity.
- Geography
- United States
- Focus areas
- Human Services
- Opportunity number
- HHS-2026-ACF-ACYF-CO-0040
Program overview
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.
How to apply
- Confirm your organization meets the eligibility criteria above.
- Read the full funding opportunity announcement from Administration for Children and Families - ACYF/CB.
- Draft your narrative against the funder's stated priorities and review criteria.
- Submit before August 21, 2026, allowing time for registration and validation.
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