Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs)

Electronic Delivery

ACF is participating in the Grants.gov initiative to provide the community with a single site to find and apply for funding opportunities. ACF applicants are required to submit their applications online through Grants.gov unless they have received an exemption from this requirement. Please refer to the ACF Policy for Requesting an Exemption from Required Electronic Application Submission (PDF) document for complete guidance. 

How to Register to Apply through Grants.gov

Read the instructions below about registering to apply for ACF funds. Applicants should read the registration instructions carefully and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process. Reviewing and assembling the required information before beginning the registration process will alleviate last-minute searches for required information. 

Organizations must have an active System for Award Management (SAM) registration which provides a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), and Grants.gov account to apply for awards.  

Creating a Grants.gov account can be completed online in minutes, but SAM registration may take several weeks. Therefore, an organization's registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not impact the entity's ability to meet required application submission deadlines.  For any SAM registration issues, please refer to the ACF Policy for Applicants Experiencing Federal Systems Issues  (PDF)for complete guidance. 

Organization registration instructions can be found on Grants.gov, Applicant Registration . 

Step 1. Register with System for Award Management (SAM)

All organizations (entities) applying online through Grants.gov must register with SAM in order to apply online. Failure to register with SAM will prevent your organization from applying through Grants.gov.  SAM registration must be renewed annually. For more detailed instructions for registering with SAM, refer to: Applicant Registration . 

Step 2.  Create a Grants.gov Account

The next step is to register an account with Grants.gov.  Follow the on-screen instructions provided on the registration page. 

Step 3.  Add a Profile to a Grants.gov Account:  

A profile in Grants.gov corresponds to a single applicant organization the user represents (i.e., an applicant) or an individual applicant submitting on their own behalf. If you work for or consult with multiple organizations, you can have a profile for each organization under one Grants.gov account. In such cases, you may log in to one Grants.gov account to access all your grant profiles. To add an organizational profile to your Grants.gov account, enter the UEI (Unique Entity Identifier) for the organization in the UEI field. For more detailed instructions about creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to: Add Profile .  

Step 4.  EBiz POC Authorized Profile Roles:

After you register with Grants.gov and create an Organization Applicant Profile, the applicant's request for Grants.gov roles and access is sent to the EBiz POC. The EBiz POC is then expected to log in to Grants.gov and authorize the appropriate roles, which may include the AOR role, thereby giving you permission to complete and submit applications on behalf of the organization. You will be able to submit your application online any time after you have been assigned the AOR role. For more detailed instructions about creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to: EBiz POC Authorizes Profile Roles .

Electronic Signature

When applications are submitted through Grants.gov, the name of the person with the AOR role that submitted the application is inserted into the signature line of the application, serving as the electronic signature. The EBiz POC of the organization must authorize people who are able to make legally binding commitments on behalf of the organization as a user with the AOR role; this step is often missed and it is crucial for valid and timely submissions. 

For more help with Grants.gov, please visit their support page . 

The content on this page is for informational purposes and should not be construed as instructions for submitting an application. Please refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity of interest for detailed instructions.

View upcoming forecasted funding opportunities at Grants.gov

A forecast is a planned funding opportunity that contains actual or estimated dates and funding levels for awards that an agency intends to make during the fiscal year. Forecast opportunities are subject to change based on enactment of congressional appropriations. 

Forecasts for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) can be found on Grants.gov, a centralized database of planned opportunities proposed by federal agencies. Each forecasted funding opportunity contains: 

• actual or estimated application and award dates 
• estimated funding levels 
• a list of eligible entities, and 
• a description of the purpose and goals of the planned award. 

When an agency is ready to accept applications, the agency will issue an official notice, known as a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), which will be available on Grants.gov. The NOFO provides guidance on the program, the application requirements, and the criteria by which the application will be reviewed.  

Find open Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) at Grants.gov

Synopses and all full competitive ACF NOFOs are posted at Grants.gov — the same place you will go to submit your application.  

You can search by funding opportunity number, category, agency, or other criteria. If searching by agency, you would select Department of Health and Human Services and select the relevant ACF Program Office.  If you are looking for a specific opportunity, searching by the funding opportunity number is the fastest way to find it.   

If you do not have a specific funding opportunity in mind, you may familiarize yourself with the various ACF programs. The Assistance Listings may also be of use in identifying relevant programs. Assistance Listings is available on SAM.gov under “Assistance Listings.” 

For more help with Grants.gov, please visit their support page .

The content on this page is for informational purposes and should not be construed as instructions for submitting an application. Please refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity of interest for detailed instructions.

ACF Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) provide details for the public to understand the program goals and objectives, the requirements for applying, and how applications will be reviewed.  For specific information on what is included in the NOFOs, please see the Crosswalk tab of Application Process | The Administration for Children and Families (hhs.gov) 

Section I: Program Description 

• Provides background information, the goals of the program, post-award requirements and expectations, and a citation of the statutory authority for the award. 

Section II: Federal Award Information 

• Includes information on the anticipated funding amount and number of awards, the length of the project periods, and for cooperative agreements, a description of ACF’s anticipated substantial involvement in the funded project. 

Section III: Eligibility Information 

• Describes what entities are eligible for awards, application disqualification factors, and any cost-sharing requirements. 

Section IV: Application and Submission Information 

• Outlines all application and submission requirements. This includes guidance on formatting; application submission instructions; required forms, assurances, and certifications; application requirements for the project description and budget; submission due dates and times; intergovernmental review requirements; funding restrictions; and an address to request an application package. 
• In response to the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) requirements, under Section IV.2.  Content and Form of Application Submission, Required Forms, Assurances and Certifications. There is a requirement regarding Mandatory Grant Disclosures, for applicants to report all information related to violations of federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, or gratuity violations potentially affecting the federal award.  See 45 CFR § 75.113 (effective on or after 10/1/2025: 2 CFR §200.113 ).   
• Please NOTE in Section IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission, under Application Upload Requirements, ACF applicants submitting their applications electronically are generally required to upload ONLY two electronic files, excluding Standard Forms (SFs). No more than two files will be accepted for the review and additional files will be removed. Standard Forms will not be considered as additional files. 

Section V: Application Review Information 

• Includes the criteria reviewers will use to evaluate and score applications, information on the merit review and award selection process, as well as anticipated announcement and award dates. 

Section VI: Federal Award Administration Information 

• Provides information on award notices, administrative and national policy requirements, and post-award reporting requirements. 

Section VII: HHS Awarding Agency Contact(s) 

• Provides a program office contact and a grants management contact. 

Section VIII: Other Information 

• Includes additional information such as references to helpful websites and an application checklist. 

Appendices 

The content on this page is for informational purposes and should not be construed as instructions for submitting an application. Please refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity of interest for detailed instructions.