ACF Reopens $706,600 in Child Abuse Prevention Grants for Tribal and Migrant Communities

The Administration for Children and Families is accepting applications for $706,600 in discretionary grants targeting tribal organizations and migrant-serving nonprofits working to prevent child abuse, with a July 6, 2026, deadline posted on Grants.gov.

HHS-2026-ACF-ACYF-CA-0018: What the NOFO Covers

The Children's Bureau, operating under ACF's Administration on Children, Youth and Families, has posted NOFO HHS-2026-ACF-ACYF-CA-0018 under Assistance Listing 93.590 — the Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) program authorized by Title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). The announcement, last updated April 16, 2026, anticipates three awards ranging from $100,000 to $235,500 each, with a total funding envelope of $706,600.

This is the first new competition in this category since the FY2021 cycle (HHS-2021-ACF-ACYF-CA-1913), which funded four grantees on five-year project periods set to expire in late 2026. The timing is not coincidental — ACF is replacing outgoing cohorts and resetting the program for a new cycle starting September 30, 2026.

No cost sharing or matching is required. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov by July 6, 2026, with awards estimated by September 29.

Eligibility Is Narrow — and That's the Opportunity

The NOFO targets a specific set of applicants:

• Federally recognized Native American tribal governments
• Tribal organizations as defined under federal law
• Migrant programs serving farmworker and seasonal labor families
• Nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status) operating programs that serve migrant or tribal populations

Collaborative applications are permitted, but one entity must serve as the primary applicant. Individuals, sole proprietorships, and foreign entities are ineligible.

The specificity matters here. This is one of the few federal child welfare NOFOs carved out exclusively for organizations serving these populations. State CBCAP grants — the larger funding stream under Title II — flow through state lead agencies and are not directly accessible to tribal or migrant-serving nonprofits in most cases. This discretionary program is the direct pipeline.

The 1% Set-Aside and a 15% Problem

CAPTA Title II currently reserves just one percent of community-based child abuse prevention funding for tribes, tribal organizations, and migrant programs. In FY2026, total CAPTA funding is $212 million, with $71 million allocated to community-based grants. One percent of $71 million is roughly $710,000 — which tracks almost exactly with this NOFO's $706,600 ceiling.

That number carries significant weight when set against the scale of need. American Indian and Alaska Native children represent approximately 15 percent of child abuse and neglect cases nationally, despite tribal communities comprising roughly two percent of the U.S. population. The disparity between the share of the problem and the share of the funding is stark: 15 percent of cases, one percent of prevention dollars.

This gap has drawn sustained bipartisan attention in Congress. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), along with Representative Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), reintroduced the American Indian and Alaska Native Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, which would increase the tribal set-aside from one percent to five percent and formally separate tribal allocations from migrant program funding. The House passed a version of the bill earlier this year that includes provisions for a GAO report on child abuse prevention in tribal communities.

In April, representatives from the Pascua Yaqui, Tohono O'odham, and Gila River tribes met with Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva to advocate for the amendment. As Pascua Yaqui Social Services Director Michael Pries told Tucson Spotlight: "Tribes haven't been viewed as nations or equals with states." His tribe's experience suggests the investment pays off — after implementing Title IV-E programs, the Pascua Yaqui saw a 50 percent reduction in child welfare cases.

Who Holds These Grants Today

Understanding the current cohort helps prospective applicants see where the program has been and where ACF may want it to go.

The four grantees funded under the FY2021 cycle were:

Cook Inlet Tribal Council (Anchorage, AK) — Runs the Parents' Journey – Community Strengths Enhancement program, pairing Alaska Native and American Indian families with cultural mentor peer supports to develop parenting skills.

Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma (Peoria, OK) — Operates Peoria Advantage, using the Brazelton Touchpoints curriculum to build parent support networks with a focus on preserving cultural knowledge and practices.

Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic (Toppenish, WA) — Delivers Spanish-language parenting education through the Los Niños Bien Educados curriculum to low-income migrant families across three Washington counties. This is the clearest example of a migrant-serving nonprofit — not a tribal government — successfully competing.

Helping Ourselves Prevent Emergencies (HOPE) (Prince of Wales Island, AK) — Provides home visitation and case plan support using Motherhood is Sacred and Positive Indian Parenting curricula in a remote Alaska Native community.

A few patterns emerge. Two of four grantees are in Alaska, reflecting acute need in Alaska Native communities. Every successful applicant used culturally specific curricula rather than generic prevention models. And Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic demonstrates that migrant-serving nonprofits can and do win these awards.

Building a Competitive Application

With only three anticipated awards and a relatively small funding pool, specificity wins. Based on the program's history and the NOFO's stated priorities, several elements are likely to strengthen an application:

Culturally grounded programming. Every current grantee uses a curriculum designed for or adapted to tribal or migrant populations. Applications proposing generic parenting education without cultural adaptation will face an uphill battle.

Measurable protective factors. The NOFO emphasizes "measurable progress toward increased access to family support services tailored to tribal/migrant families." Applicants should define protective factors using the CBCAP framework — parental resilience, social connections, knowledge of parenting and child development, concrete support in times of need, and children's social and emotional competence — and propose specific metrics for each.

Community collaboration. The CBCAP model emphasizes linkages between local programs and state-level systems. Applicants who demonstrate existing partnerships with state CBCAP lead agencies, tribal child welfare offices, or migrant-serving networks will stand out.

Geographic diversity. With three awards to distribute, ACF will likely aim for some spread. Organizations serving underrepresented areas — the Southeast, Great Plains, or Southwest border regions — may find less competition than those in Alaska, where the program has historically concentrated.

Federal Child Welfare Funding Under Pressure

This NOFO lands in a complicated moment. The current administration has frozen child care and family assistance grants in five states and proposed cuts to ACF's discretionary budget. Tribal child welfare advocates have expressed concern that programs like this one — small, discretionary, and serving politically marginalized populations — are particularly vulnerable.

At the same time, the bipartisan push to increase the tribal set-aside under CAPTA suggests Congress recognizes the underinvestment. If the AI/AN CAPTA amendment passes, future competitions could look very different — potentially $3.5 million rather than $700,000, with tribal nations funded through a separate mechanism from migrant programs.

For organizations weighing whether to apply now, the calculus is straightforward: the current program exists, the money is on the table, and the deadline is July 6. Legislative changes, if they happen, will create future opportunities. This NOFO is the one in front of you.

Granted's resource library includes guides on navigating federal grant applications, and organizations looking for this specific opportunity can search active ACF child abuse prevention grants on Granted to track this and related NOFOs as the application window opens.

Application Timeline and Registration

The NOFO was posted in forecast status on April 16 with an application window expected to open May 19. That gives prospective applicants roughly seven weeks from the full NOFO's expected publication to the July 6 deadline — a tight timeline for a federal grant application, but not unusual for Children's Bureau discretionary programs.

Organizations that have not previously applied should start by registering on SAM.gov and establishing a Grants.gov account now, as both processes can take several weeks. Those with existing registrations should verify their status immediately.

For questions about the NOFO, ACF has designated Emily Fisher as the program contact, reachable at cb@grantreview.org or (888) 203-6161.

Three awards. $706,600. A July deadline. For tribal organizations and migrant-serving nonprofits doing child abuse prevention work, this is one of the most targeted federal funding opportunities available — and the first new competition in five years.