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Child Care & Development Block Grant (CCDBG) is sponsored by Administration for Children and Families (ACF), HHS. This is the primary federal grant program that allows states to provide child care assistance to low-income working families with children under age 13. Funds also support recruiting and retaining a qualified workforce and continuous quality improvement in child care.
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The Office of Child Care (OCC) administers the Child Care and Development Fund program (CCDF), which is the primary federal funding source to help families with low incomes access child care and to improve the quality of child care for all children.
Access to affordable high-quality child care has numerous short- and long-term benefits for children, families, and society, supporting child and family well-being in a manner that fuels prosperity and strengthens communities and the economy. Child care is a necessity for most families with young children and reliable access leads to better parental earnings and employment and supports parents' educational attainment.
CCDF is the primary federal funding source for child care subsidies to help eligible low-income working families access child care and to improve the quality of child care for all children. ### **2014 Reauthorization** The passage of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014 reauthorized the law governing CCDF.
The law defines health and safety requirements for child care providers, outlines family-friendly eligibility policies, expands quality improvement efforts, and ensures that parents and the public have transparent information about the child care choices available to them.
Under the law, States continue to have flexibility within federal guidelines over key policy levers—including subsidy payment rates, co-payment amounts contributed by the family, income thresholds for determining eligibility, and quality improvement investments.
### **Child Care Services Funded by CCDF** Subsidized child care services are available to eligible families through certificates (vouchers), or grants and contracts with providers. Under the law, States must establish eligibility policies, including a period of at least 12 months before eligibility is re-determined, that promote continuity of care for children and families.
The program provides parents with the choice of a range of provider settings and types—including centers, family child care homes, relatives, and faith-based providers. Parents may select a participating child care provider that satisfies applicable state and local requirements, including health and safety requirements.
Under the law, States must: ensure that these health and safety requirements address key areas (such as first aid and CPR); require that providers receive training in these areas; complete comprehensive criminal background checks; and conduct monitoring that includes annual inspections. Approximately 1. 3 million children receive a child care subsidy from the CCDF program every month.
### **Quality Activities** A portion of CCDF funds must be used to improve the quality of child care and other additional services to parents, such as resource and referral counseling regarding the selection of child care providers. The 2014 law increases the minimum amount that States are required to spend for quality activities, and includes new funding for improving the quality of care for infants and toddlers.
To improve the health and safety of available child care, CCDF lead agencies provide training, grants and loans to providers; improved monitoring; compensation projects; and other innovative programs. Many lead agencies are making systemic investments, such as developing quality rating and improvement systems and professional development systems.
Tribes may use a portion of their funds to construct child care facilities provided there is no reduction in the current level of child care services. ### **Coordination of Resources** The CCDF allows states to serve families through a single, integrated child care subsidy program under the rules of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act. States coordinate CCDF with Head Start, pre-k, and other early childhood programs.
States can also transfer a portion of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families dollars to CCDF, or spend TANF directly for child care. ### **State and Tribal Child Care Plans** All states, territories and tribes must submit comprehensive plans every three years and conduct public hearings to invite public comment. A portion of CCDF is used for child care research, demonstration and evaluation activities.
These funds are increasing the capacity for child care research at the national, state and local levels while addressing critical questions with implications for children and families. Funds have been awarded to support individual project areas, including policy research, research partnerships, research scholars and a web-based archive called Child Care and Early Education Research Connections.
### **Technical Assistance** A small portion of the CCDF is used by the Office of Child Care to provide technical assistance to grantees. Its technical assistance network is designed to address the needs of states, territories and tribes administering CCDF. ## Brief History of Program CCDF is authorized under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (CCDBG) which was enacted under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990.
The CCDBG Act was amended and reauthorized by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996, and again by the CCDBG Act of 2014. CCDF made $9. 5 billion available to states, territories, and tribes in fiscal year 2021.
In addition, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act (or CRRSA Act) provided $10 billion in supplemental CCDF monies to address the impacts of the coronavirus. Anne-Marie Twohie serves as the deputy director of the Office of Child Care.
Prior to joining OCC Anne-Marie served as the director of the Fairfax County, Virginia Office for Children, working to advance the care, education, and healthy development of children from birth through age 13.
During her 23-year tenure with the County, Anne-Marie worked with dedicated colleagues to administer the County’s CCDF program and provide Child Care Resource and Referral services; administer Early Head Start and Head Start grants; permit family child care homes; operate a county-wide School Age Child Care program; provide early intervention services for babies and toddlers; provide professional development for educators; and implement a number of state Pre-K and school readiness programs.
Anne-Marie has led cross-systems work to strengthen and expand equitable early childhood systems, and she is also a proud former child care center director. ### **Deputy Director of the Office of Child Care** U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families ### **Main Phone Number** https://www. acf.
hhs. gov/occ
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: States, territories, and tribal entities receive grant awards. Families can use vouchers to help cover the cost of care if a provider/program agrees to accept them. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows $159,772,415 (CCDBG and Mandatory Funds for Missouri in a previous fiscal year). Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
Child Care & Development Block Grant (CCDBG) is funded by Administration for Children and Families (ACF), HHS. Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
Head Start and/or Early Head Start Grantee is a grant from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), HHS that funds early childhood education and family support services for low-income children from birth through age five. The program supports comprehensive child development services including education, health, nutrition, and family engagement. ACF's Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) also funds research evaluations in areas such as child welfare, home visiting, and tribal early childhood programs. Eligible applicants include nonprofits, faith-based organizations, public agencies, and tribal entities. Awards typically range from $500,000 to $10,000,000 depending on program scope and number of children served.
Family Violence Prevention and Services/Improvements to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) Service Accessibility is sponsored by Administration for Children and Families (ACF), HHS. This program aims to expand the capacity of both “mainstream” domestic violence organizations and LGBTQ-specific organizations to more effectively identify and address the unique needs of LGBTQ intimate partner violence victims.
Stanley 1913 Creators Fund 2027 is sponsored by Stanley 1913. The Stanley 1913 Creators Fund provides $50,000 in unrestricted support to early-stage nonprofit organizations and emerging leaders who are developing innovative solutions to community challenges across various sectors, including youth development, water access, food security, environmental initiatives, and economic empowerment. The program is designed for organizations with a clear idea, meaningful community connection, and potential for positive impact.
Stanley 1913 Creators Fund is sponsored by Stanley 1913. The Stanley 1913 Creators Fund provides grants to early-stage nonprofit organizations and social entrepreneurs who are developing innovative solutions to important social and environmental challenges. The fund supports community-led leaders working on issues such as climate change, food security, housing security, equity, justice, sustainability, and inclusion. The program is not limited to a single sector, allowing organizations working across different social and community issues to apply. While the prompt specifies women entrepreneurs, this fund is for early-stage nonprofits, so if the women entrepreneurs have a non-profit, they would be eligible.
HHS-2026-ACF-ECD-TP-0039 offers 25 awards from $500,000 to $15,000,000, closing November 20, 2026. It is the largest per-state annual tranche in PDG B-5 history, restricted to technology and analytics, with a 12-month period of performance — and the 10 states plus DC finishing 2024 Renewal Grants cannot apply.
Read articleThe Administration for Native Americans finalized the elimination of SEDS on July 28, 2026, posted its replacement the same day, and closed applications August 27 — a 30-day window for a $24 million program with 31 expected awards. What changed is not the money. It is who decides what the money is for.
Read articleHHS published 'Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs' on August 7, 2026, proposing to strip federal staff-child ratios, health screening timelines, and credential requirements from the Program Performance Standards — and to force roughly $754 million out of administrative budgets across 1,700 grant recipients. Here is what is actually in the NPRM, what the Head Start Act still requires regardless, and how to write a comment that changes the final rule.
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