1,000+ Opportunities
Find the right grant
Search federal, foundation, and corporate grants with AI — or browse by agency, topic, and state.
Head Start and Early Head Start is sponsored by Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Head Start and Early Head Start programs provide comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to economically disadvantaged families with children from birth to age 5. Nonprofits are eligible to apply directly.
Get a weekly digest of new grants like this
A free weekly digest of new foundation and federal funding opportunities as they're added to Granted. Unsubscribe anytime.
Or search similar grants →Extracted from the funder's website rather than a specific solicitation. Confirm program details with the funder.
Head Start programs support children's growth from birth to age 5 through services centered around early learning and development, health, and family well-being. Head Start staff actively engage parents, recognizing family participation throughout the program as key to strong child outcomes.
* IN THE NEWS September 30, 2026 ### HHS Awards Over$225 Million to Improve Head Start The supplemental investments build on broader efforts to strengthen Head Start by putting nutrition, healthy development, and program flexibility back at the center of how ACF serves children and families.
* ARTICLE August 17, 2026 ### HHS Unveils Proposed Head Start Reforms to Expand Access and Empower Parents Proposed Rule Could Create Up to 236,000 New Slots While Strengthening Focus on Health and Nutrition. Learn more about the rule to reduce federal burden for Head Start programs here.
* ARTICLE August 17, 2026 ### Enrollment Reductions (ACF-OHS-IM-26-01) This Information Memorandum (IM) is intended to support timely and consistent decision-making while preserving the availability of Head Start Preschool (HSP) and Early Head Start (EHS) enrollment slots. The Head Start Act allows programs to propose a reduction of their funded enrollment to maintain quality services (Section 640(g)(3)).
* ARTICLE September 23, 2025 ### HHS Expands MAHA to Head Start Adding $61. 9 Million to Nutrition Services for Children and Families Landmark federal funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services aims to transform healthy eating habits for the next generation of children.
### One-time Supplemental Funds for Nutrition and Healthy Eating for Head Start Children and Families This Program Instruction outlines the process for Head Start grant recipients to request supplemental funds to promote nutrition services and healthy eating for enrolled children and families.
### Federal Funding Restrictions for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives The Office of Head Start will not approve the use of federal funding for any training and technical assistance or other program expenditures that promote or relate to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
* ### Apply for Head Start Services Contact the Head Start and Early Head Start programs serving your community for information on eligibility requirements and how to apply. * ### Find a Job with Head Start Search for Head Start and other early care and education jobs anywhere in the U.S. by selecting a state or region below.
Explore the Head Start website to find resources for getting young children and their families ready for school and life.
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Nonprofits, school districts, public agencies, and tribal organizations providing child development services for low-income children ages birth to 5. Confirm the full requirements on the funder's own website before applying.
The current listing shows varies (estimated $824 million for 255 awards in FY2026). Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs on the funder's own website.
Applications for Head Start and Early Head Start are due December 15, 2026. Build your timeline backwards from this date to cover registrations, approvals, and final submission checks.
Head Start and Early Head Start is funded by Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Verify program details on the funder's own website before applying.
Start from the funder's website linked on this page and look for its grants or funding section — the link goes to the funder's site rather than a specific solicitation.
Past winners and funding trends for this program
Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) SMART Grant: Strategic Measurement, Analytics, and Results using Technology is sponsored by Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This grant supports states and territories in making targeted, one-year investments in statewide early care and education (ECE) technology and analytic data infrastructure. It aims to strengthen coordination across the mixed-delivery system, improve program quality and access, support informed family choice, and use data to better address the developmental care needs of children from birth through age 5.
Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) SMART Grants is sponsored by Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This program provides competitive grants to states and territories to strengthen early childhood systems, focusing on using technology and data to address early childhood priorities. Funding can support efforts to increase the supply of services, build capacity, improve efficiency, strengthen linkages among programs and systems, and address access to quality programs in a mixed-delivery system. While directly awarded to states, nonprofits often partner with state agencies to implement funded activities.
HHS-2027-ACF-OHS-CH-0112 posted October 14, 2026: approximately $824 million across 255 expected awards in 36 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, applications due December 15. Awards range from $1,005,287 to $79,657,340, cost sharing is required, and the Head Start Program Performance Standards that govern the five-year project period are themselves under proposed revision.
Read articleHHS-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 HHS Grants Policy Statement that took effect October 1, 2025 raised the micro-purchase threshold to $50,000, the single audit threshold to $1 million, and the de minimis indirect cost rate to 15 percent — quietly rewriting the operational rules for tens of billions of dollars in annual awards. Combined with full 2 CFR Parts 200 and 300 adoption and new MAHA-aligned program priorities, it is the biggest compliance shift for health grantees since Uniform Guidance arrived in 2013.
Read article