Quality Improvement Center on Helplines and Hotlines | HHS 2024 ACF ACYF CA 0022

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2024 ACF ACYF CA 0022

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), through ACYF/Children's Bureau, is offering a discretionary cooperative agreement to establish a single national Quality Improvement Center on Helplines and Hotlines (QIC-H2). The central purpose is to strengthen community-based helplines so they can function as a practical, prevention-focused alternative to child welfare intervention, particularly by connecting families to concrete supports before situations escalate to child protective services (CPS) involvement. Alongside that system-building goal, the project is meant to sharpen the field's ability to distinguish poverty-related hardship from willful parental neglect when assessing and reporting child maltreatment, using clearer, evidence-based guidance to reduce biased decision-making.

The opportunity lays out four major objectives. First, the QIC-H2 is expected to build a national repository of models, best practices, and operational approaches for community-based helplines, with an emphasis on how helplines can link families to tangible resources such as food, housing support, utilities assistance, childcare, transportation, and other concrete supports that can prevent neglect allegations driven by economic strain. Second, the center must develop an evidence-informed curriculum or supplemental training materials for mandated reporters and hotline staff aimed at improving decision-making, addressing bias, and creating clearer, more consistent distinctions between poverty and neglect in child abuse reporting and hotline screening. Third, the QIC-H2 must identify and support a limited number of diverse pilot sites that already have the capacity to test selected strategies locally, meaning the work will include hands-on implementation and technical assistance rather than only producing guidance documents. Fourth, the center must evaluate the funded efforts to determine how well the QIC-H2 meets its goals, then widely disseminate findings, recommendations, and best practices so the work can influence policy and practice nationally.

Because this is a cooperative agreement, the federal government expects to be more actively involved than it would be in a typical grant, usually through ongoing collaboration, shared decision-making on key components, and regular performance monitoring. The project falls under CFDA 93.670 and is categorized under Income Security and Social Services, reflecting the emphasis on upstream family support and prevention rather than primarily investigative child welfare responses.

Eligibility is broad across public and private sectors, consistent with the authorizing statute (42 U.S.C. 5106(a)). Eligible applicants include state, county, and local 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; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those categories); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. Individuals, including sole proprietorships, and foreign entities are explicitly ineligible and would be disqualified. Faith-based and community organizations may apply on the same basis as other applicants, and ACF states it will not discriminate based on religious character or affiliation, consistent with applicable federal protections and regulations (including 45 CFR Part 87 and related statutory authorities).

This funding opportunity (HHS 2024 ACF ACYF CA 0022) was created on April 1, 2024, with an original application deadline of May 31, 2024. ACF expects to make one award, with an award ceiling of $2,500,000, indicating a single lead organization will be responsible for building and operating the national center, coordinating pilots, conducting evaluation, and distributing findings and tools to the field.

• The 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 on Helplines and Hotlines" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.670.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-31. (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, 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.

Apply for HHS 2024 ACF ACYF CA 0022

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