The Office of Refugee Resettlement/Division of Unaccompanied Children Operations (ORR/DUCO), within the Administration for Children and Families, is announcing the availability of funds for Home Study (HS) and Post-Release Services (PRS) for unaccompanied children.
Donor Name: Administration for Children and Families
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/16/2023
Size of the Grant: $50,000,000
Grant Duration: 36 months
Details:
HSA of 2002 uses the term “unaccompanied alien children,” but ORR uses the term “unaccompanied children” or “unaccompanied child.” An unaccompanied child is defined by 6 U.S.C. §. The process includes background checks of the sponsor and adult household members, a home visit(s), a face-to-face sponsor interview and possibly interviews with other household members, and post-release services. A home study is conducted for any case in which the safety and well-being of the unaccompanied child is in question and on any case that meets the mandatory Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 home study categories.
PRS are designed to facilitate a continuum of care and provide support for children transitioning into their communities upon release to the custody of their sponsors. ORR facilitates the provision of PRS through its network of PRS providers. PRS providers coordinate supportive services in the community where the unaccompanied child resides.
ORR seeks HS/PRS providers who can provide services for a diverse population of unaccompanied children of all ages and genders, as well as pregnant and parenting teens, subject to timeframes established in ORR policies (e.g., PRS end when the unaccompanied child turns 18). Unaccompanied children come from all over the world, with the majority from El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. Unless otherwise specified, successful applicants are expected to provide culturally competent, linguistically appropriate services for unaccompanied children from any country (using interpretation services as appropriate/necessary).
Under the TVPRA, ORR is required to perform a HS when:
- The child is a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons;
- The child is a special needs child with a disability as defined by section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102);
- The child has been a victim of physical or sexual abuse under circumstances that indicate that the child’s health or welfare has been significantly harmed or threatened; or
- The child’s sponsor clearly presents a risk of abuse, maltreatment, exploitation, or trafficking to the child, based on all available objective evidence.
Additionally, ORR policy mandates that HS be completed for unaccompanied children who meet the following criteria:
- The child is being released to a non-relative sponsor who is seeking to sponsor multiple children or has previously sponsored or sought to sponsor a child and is seeking to sponsor additional children;
- The child is 12 years of age or under and is being released to a non-relative sponsor; and/or
- Other circumstances, as recommended by ORR through the release of new policy or initiatives.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $300,000,000
- Award Ceiling: $50,000,000
- Award Floor: $1,000,000
Length of Project Periods
36-month project period with three 12-month budget periods.
Eligible Applicants
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- For profit organizations other than small businesses
- Independent school districts
- Special district governments
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- State governments
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
- Small businesses
Additional Information on Eligibility:
Please note that ACF does not fund concurrent projects. If an applicant is successful under this SNOFO, any subsequent applications in response to other HS/PRS SNOFOs from the same applicant for the same service delivery area will not be funded. Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity. Faith-based and community organizations that meet the eligibility requirements are eligible to receive awards under this funding opportunity. Faith-based organizations may apply for this award on the same basis as any other organization, as set forth at and, subject to the protections and requirements of 45 CFR Part 87 and 42 U.S.C. 2000bb et seq., ACF will not, in the selection of recipients, discriminate against an organization on the basis of the organization’s religious character, affiliation, or exercise.
Fort more information, visit Grants.gov.
