Residential (Group Home, Shelter, Transitional Foster Care) Services for Unaccompanied Alien Children

The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children & Families (ACF), has announced a forecasted discretionary grant opportunity to support the care of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) in the United States. The initiative falls under the Unaccompanied Children Program, catalog number 93.676. ORR oversees the safe placement and well-being of children referred by agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security. The goal is to ensure that services are guided by child welfare best practices, with an emphasis on safety, mental and physical health, legal protections, and the long-term best interests of each child. This funding opportunity, titled “Residential (Group Home, Shelter, Transitional Foster Care) Services for Unaccompanied Alien Children,” seeks applicants who can deliver high-quality, child-centered, and trauma-informed residential care services. Eligible care provider organizations must be able to offer 24/7 care, including the capacity to receive children at any time, in accordance with applicable state licensing requirements. Care providers must be fully licensed before any placements are made but do not need to be licensed at the time of application. The services covered under this program include group homes, shelters, and transitional foster care options. The estimated total funding available under this opportunity is $1.5 billion, with a maximum award ceiling of $500 million and a minimum floor of $15 million. ORR anticipates issuing approximately 100 awards. These cooperative agreements will fund a range of expenses aligned with the care of UAC, including staffing, housing, educational support, health and mental health services, and other wraparound supports. Costs should be reasonable, allocable, and directly tied to program activities. Applicants must also ensure that budget proposals reflect adequate staffing with appropriate qualifications and detailed job descriptions. Eligible applicants include a wide array of public and private entities: county and city governments, state governments, special district governments, public and private institutions of higher education, public housing authorities, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, small businesses, for-profit organizations (excluding small businesses), Native American tribal governments (both federally and non-federally recognized), and independent school districts. Applications from individuals or foreign entities are not eligible. Faith-based and community organizations that meet eligibility standards are encouraged to apply and will be considered on an equal basis. The forecasted application opening date is June 16, 2025, with a submission deadline of September 8, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EST. Awards are anticipated to be made by November 1, 2025, with projects expected to begin on the same day. This opportunity is not offered on a rolling basis but is expected to recur, based on language from ORR. All applicants are encouraged to register in advance with the System for Award Management (SAM) and obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), as these are prerequisites for applying through Grants.gov. Supporting documents such as licenses and a full budget narrative must be submitted with the application. ORR offers several resources to support applicants, including a pre-application toolkit and access to technical assistance webinars. Prospective applicants can subscribe to funding alerts on Grants.gov using keywords like “unaccompanied alien children” or the CFDA number 93.676. Questions about this funding opportunity should be directed to Joseph Clark at UCBgrants@acf.hhs.gov. As this is a competitive funding opportunity, ORR will not offer tailored feedback on individual eligibility or application materials.

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