ACF Awards $5.1 Million to Expand Kinship Navigator Programs
The Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today announced $5.1 million in grants to 11 recipients to expand evidence-based Kinship Navigator Programs for grandparents, relatives and other kin caring for children. The awards will support states, tribes and their partners implementing programs that connect kin caregivers with services and resources to help strengthen their families.
“If a child enters foster care, they often do better when they can remain connected to family and get placed with kin caregivers ready to provide a safe and loving home,” said ACF Assistant Secretary Alex J. Adams. “These grants will help states and tribes put proven Kinship Navigator Programs to work so kin caregivers can more easily find the services and support they need.”
The funding supports two approaches: replicating a Kinship Navigator model already rated by the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse or adapting a rated model for a Tribal community. Tribal adaptations may align program materials with Tribal policies, practices and culture while maintaining the model’s core components.
Six grants totaling nearly $3 million were awarded to replicate evidence-based Kinship Navigator models. Recipients include the University of Kansas Center, Kids Matter, Inc., Community Based Connections, New Hampshire Department, University of Tennessee and Michigan State University.
Another five grants totaling more than $2 million will support Tribal adaptations. Recipients include the Regents of the University of Minnesota, Central Council Tlingit and Haida, Quapaw Nation, Cherokee Nation and Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Investing in these Kinship Navigator Programs advances ACF’s A Home for Every Child initiative by ensuring children who enter foster care can be placed in familiar, stable environments as quickly as possible and those kin caregivers are prepared to welcome children in need of care.
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