Basic Center Program | HHS 2025 ACF ACYF CY 0006

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2025 ACF ACYF CY 0006

The Basic Center Program (BCP) is a discretionary federal grant opportunity offered by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), within the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) and the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB). Its core goal is to make sure young people under age 18 who have run away, are experiencing homelessness, or are facing housing instability can quickly access safe, temporary emergency shelter along with counseling and related supportive services. The program is designed for youth who are not already being served through the child welfare system or juvenile justice system, filling an important gap for young people who may otherwise have nowhere safe to stay and limited access to stabilization supports.

BCP funds community-based organizations to operate short-term shelter options, which can include traditional shelter or group home-style care as well as host family home models. Alongside the shelter component, grantees are expected to provide counseling services aimed at immediate crisis support and stabilization. In practice, this typically means a program must be prepared to respond quickly when a young person needs a safe place to stay, and also deliver supportive interventions that help address the circumstances that led to the runaway episode or housing instability, with an emphasis on safety, short-term care, and connection to appropriate longer-term resources.

Eligible applicants are limited to public agencies and non-profit private agencies, including coordinated networks of those entities. The eligible applicant list includes a wide range of government and quasi-government bodies (such as state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities), as well as federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations. Nonprofit organizations may apply whether or not they have 501(c)(3) status, and institutions of higher education may apply if they are public/state-controlled or if they are private but structured as non-profit entities. For-profit organizations are not eligible. Individuals, including sole proprietorships, are not eligible, and neither are foreign entities; applications from these ineligible categories will be disqualified from merit review and will not be considered for funding.

The funding announcement also makes clear that faith-based organizations are eligible as long as they meet the same eligibility requirements that apply to all applicants. Faith-based applicants are to be considered on the same basis as any other organization, and ACF states it will not discriminate in selecting recipients based on an organization’s religious character, affiliation, or exercise, consistent with applicable federal protections and requirements (including 45 CFR Part 87 and relevant federal statutes).

In terms of selection preferences, the program places priority on public and non-profit private agencies that can demonstrate experience providing services to runaway, homeless, and street youth. This signals that reviewers will likely look closely at an applicant’s track record, partnerships, service model readiness, and practical capacity to deliver both shelter operations and counseling services in a way that meets the needs of youth in crisis and aligns with the program’s target population.

Key funding details from the announcement include an opportunity number of HHS 2025 ACF ACYF CY 0006 and a CFDA/Assistance Listing number of 93.623, with the funding activity area categorized under Income Security and Social Services (OZ). The award ceiling is listed at $350,000, and ACF anticipates making about 67 awards. The original closing date for applications is July 28, 2025, and the opportunity was created on July 9, 2025.

• The Administration for Children Families - ACYF/FYSB in the income security and social services, oz sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Basic Center Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.623.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-07-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-07-28. (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 $350,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 67 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, Others.

Apply for HHS 2025 ACF ACYF CY 0006

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: