ACF Announces $7.5 Million Prevention Accelerator Grants to Support Implementation of Foster Care Prevention Services

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the Title IV-E Prevention Accelerator Grant , a new discretionary funding opportunity to help state and tribal child welfare agencies support implementation of evidence-based prevention services. This new investment supports ACF's " A Home for Every Child " initiative by better equipping states to strengthen families and prevent unnecessary entries into foster care, ultimately improving the ratio of foster homes to children in foster care.

Ten grants, ranging from $300,000 to $750,000, will provide seed funding for child welfare jurisdictions to build necessary infrastructure to successfully implement and sustain prevention programs. Effective prevention helps families safely address challenges before they become crises yet only 2% of federal child welfare spending currently goes to these programs. This new funding opportunity aims to support states' capacity building so their child welfare systems can better facilitate prevention efforts to help reduce unnecessary entries into foster care, improve outcomes for children, and ensure that foster homes are available for children who truly need them.

"As President Trump said, the best foster care system is one that is not needed in the first place," said Assistant Secretary Alex J. Adams. "Now that all 50 states have joined A Home for Every Child, we hope states across the nation will take advantage of this historic opportunity to invest in prevention and preserve families when appropriate to do so."

This announcement builds on ACF's previous actions to support prevention, including recent expansions of programs eligible for federal reimbursement in the Prevention Services Clearinghouse.

Applications will be accepted from any Title IV-E agency through August 17, 2026. Additional information about the Title IV-E Prevention Accelerator Grant is available on Grants.gov .

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