Tribal Early Childhood and Family Economic Well-being Research Center (TRC)

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), through its Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), has released the funding opportunity HHS-2025-ACF-OPRE-PH-0017 to establish the Tribal Early Childhood and Family Economic Well-Being Research Center (TRC). This initiative builds on more than a decade of federal support for tribal research centers, beginning in 2011 and evolving through multiple iterations to expand focus areas. The program is rooted in the legislative authority of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act, the Head Start Act, and the Social Security Act. Its intent is to conduct actionable, community-grounded research, evaluation, and measurement that improves understanding of programs serving Native American children and families, particularly those funded by ACF, including Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), Head Start/Early Head Start, and Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The TRC aims to serve as a collaborative hub connecting tribal leaders, administrators, providers, and researchers. Applicants are expected to demonstrate capacity to engage communities in research that respects tribal data sovereignty while addressing real-world program needs. The center will generate research products, promote peer exchange, and disseminate findings ethically. Key goals include advancing measures relevant to tribal contexts, conducting secondary analyses of existing datasets, summarizing promising practices, and developing research-backed frameworks that support curricula, assessments, and workforce qualifications. Successful applicants must also provide forums to share Native American research methodologies and honor sovereignty in data use. The award will take the form of a cooperative agreement, with significant involvement by federal staff. OPRE will participate through biweekly calls, review of project deliverables, and collaboration across program offices, including the Office of Child Care, Office of Head Start, Office of Early Childhood Development, and Office of Family Assistance. The TRC’s research team must include a qualified Project Director with doctoral-level expertise, research leads in each program area, and a Dissemination Lead responsible for ensuring accessibility of outputs. A Steering Committee representing diverse Native American communities will guide research priorities. Applicants should plan for semi-annual progress reporting and active participation in national and tribal-specific conferences. Funding for this program is expected to total $1,000,000 for the first budget period, with a minimum award floor of $750,000 and a maximum of $1,000,000. The cooperative agreement will cover a five-year project period with one-year budget increments. Each of the three program areas—CCDF, Head Start, and TANF—must account for 33.33 percent of the center’s costs. Award funds cannot be used for construction, major renovation, purchase of real property, or pre-award costs. ACF also restricts the use of funds for activities related to diversity, equity, inclusion, or accessibility initiatives that conflict with federal nondiscrimination laws. Indirect costs are allowable either through an approved federal rate or a de minimis rate of 15 percent of modified total direct costs. Eligibility for this award is broad but excludes individuals, sole proprietorships, and foreign entities. Eligible applicants include nonprofits, for-profits, tribal organizations, higher education institutions, and state or local governments, provided they meet the NOFO’s requirements. Faith-based and community organizations may also apply. There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement. Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov, with exemptions available only by prior approval. Registrations in SAM.gov and Grants.gov are mandatory. Required components include a project narrative, detailed budget, organizational capacity information, letters of support, and human subjects protections certification. Applications are due by December 1, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. An optional notice of intent to apply is due by October 23, 2025. The expected project start date is January 26, 2026. Applications will undergo initial responsiveness review followed by merit review based on criteria totaling 100 points, distributed across background and significance (20 points), research plan (25 points), information sharing plan (25 points), organizational capacity (20 points), and budget (10 points). Risk review and programmatic considerations will also influence final award decisions. Notices of Award will be issued electronically to successful applicants. For program-related questions, the point of contact is Nicole Denmark, reachable at 202-205-4653 or via email at TRC@icf.com. Grants management inquiries should be directed to David Lee at 202-401-5461 or David.Lee@acf.hhs.gov. Additional resources are available through the ACF website and Grants.gov, where the application package can be accessed under the opportunity number. Post-award, recipients must comply with reporting and oversight requirements, including submission of semi-annual performance and financial reports. The program represents a critical investment in strengthening tribal early childhood and family economic well-being research that aligns with community priorities and federal program improvement needs.

Ensure SAM.gov and Grants.gov registrations are active, provide detailed project timeline, include Steering Committee plan, follow formatting rules, address all responsiveness criteria.