National Refugee Children and Youth Resilience Program | HHS 2024 ACF ORR RB 0137

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2024 ACF ORR RB 0137

The National Refugee Children and Youth Resilience Program is a new discretionary funding opportunity from the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). It is being offered as a cooperative agreement, meaning the awardee should expect an active partnership with the federal agency rather than a purely hands-off grant. The overall purpose is to strengthen how refugee-serving agencies support ORR-eligible children and youth, as well as the adults who care for them, by improving staff capacity and practice through a child welfare and child protection lens. The program is designed to reduce risk, strengthen protective factors, and improve coordination so that children and youth are safer and better supported while navigating resettlement and longer-term integration in the United States.

The opportunity has three main program goals. First, the selected recipient will deliver virtual Training and Technical Assistance (T and TA) that is specifically grounded in child protection principles. This virtual support is meant to reach both ORR-eligible children, youth, and families and the refugee-serving agencies that work with them, with an emphasis on safety, well-being, and appropriate responses to child welfare concerns during resettlement. Second, the program will provide in-person and group trainings for local agency staff. These trainings are intended to improve day-to-day communication and coordination between mainstream/local child welfare systems and refugee-serving organizations, and to build local capacity so communities can respond more effectively to the needs of refugee children, youth, and their caregivers. Third, the program will offer virtual case consultations and, when emergencies arise, deploy staff for in-person child welfare and protection consultations and interventions. This includes sending culturally competent social work, mental health, and behavioral health professionals to support on-the-ground problem solving, especially during crises involving refugee children, youth, and families.

A central expectation is that the recipient will build and actively engage a network of subject-matter experts with real child welfare experience and relevant background in refugee resettlement and social work. These experts will help deliver both remote and on-site training, technical assistance, and consultations. ORR highlights critical topic areas that are likely to be addressed, including family strengthening, family reunification, mental health supports, and integration challenges that can increase stress on children and caregivers. Rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach, the recipient is also expected to conduct regular needs assessments to determine what training and technical assistance focus areas are most urgent and useful over time, allowing the program to adapt to emerging issues and community feedback.

In addition to direct training and consultation, the awardee must develop an online resource hub focused on refugee child and youth resilience. This hub is intended to be a practical, accessible home for research, best practices, and tools that support ORR-eligible children, youth, and families through resettlement and integration. In practice, this implies curating and organizing guidance that refugee-serving providers can quickly use, such as evidence-informed approaches, culturally responsive materials, trauma-informed strategies, and coordination practices that align refugee services with child welfare and protection standards.

The population served is broad and reflects ORR eligibility categories for refugee benefits and services. It includes refugees, asylees, Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders, victims of human trafficking, Cuban and Haitian entrants, Amerasians, children in the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) program, and other groups Congress designates as eligible. The focus is not limited to children and youth alone; it also explicitly includes the adults caring for them, recognizing that caregiver stability, knowledge, and support systems are key drivers of child well-being and safety.

Eligibility is open to a wide range of domestic applicants, including various levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments, tribal organizations, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding those that are higher education institutions where specified). Public and private nonprofit organizations are explicitly encouraged to apply. Individuals, sole proprietorships, and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from merit review. Faith-based and community organizations may apply on the same basis as any other eligible organization, and ACF notes it will not discriminate based on religious character or affiliation, consistent with applicable federal rules (including 45 CFR Part 87 and relevant federal law).

Key administrative details include the funding opportunity number HHS 2024 ACF ORR RB 0137 and CFDA 93.576. The program has an award ceiling of $2,000,000 and ORR expects to make one award, indicating this will likely be a single national or large-scale initiative rather than multiple smaller local grants. The original closing date for applications was July 9, 2024, and the opportunity was created on May 9, 2024. The funding activity category is Income Security and Social Services, which aligns with ORR’s broader role supporting resettlement services and related community support systems.

• The Administration for Children and Families - ORR in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Refugee Children and Youth Resilience Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.576.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-05-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-09. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for HHS 2024 ACF ORR RB 0137

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