State & Tribal Funding

Current as of:

The Children's Bureau provides funds to states, tribes, and communities to help them operate every aspect of their child welfare systems—from the prevention of child abuse and neglect to the support of permanent placements through adoption and subsidized guardianship.

Assistance Listings - A government-wide compendium of all federal programs that provide assistance or benefits to the American public.

Title IV-B Programs

Funds are available to States and Tribes to strengthen child welfare service programs and promote the development and expansion of coordinated child and family services programs offering community-based family support services, family preservation services, family reunification services, and adoption promotion and support services.  The programs seek to ensure all children are raised in safe, loving families. Funds are available under title IV-B for the following:

  • Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services Program: Title IV-B, Subpart 1, of the Social Security Act — Funding to help States and Tribes improve child welfare services and support the child welfare workforce with the goal of keeping families together
  • MaryLee Allen Promoting Safe and Stable Families: Title IV-B, Subpart 2 of the Social Security Act - Funding to help States and Tribes operate a coordinated program of community-based family support, family preservation, family reunification, and adoption promotion and support services
  • Monthly Caseworker Visit Formula Grants: Funding to assist States in improving the quality of caseworker visits with children in foster care, with an emphasis on improving caseworker decision-making on the safety, permanency, and well-being of children in foster care, as well as caseworker recruitment, retention and training
  • Court Improvement Program: Funding to improve courts' handling of child abuse and neglect cases

Title IV-E Programs

Title IV-E of the Social Security Act provides funds for States and Tribes to provide foster care, foster care prevention services, transitional independent living programs for youth and young adults, guardianship assistance, adoption assistance for children with special needs, and kinship navigator programs. Funds are available under title IV-E for the following:

  • Title IV-E Adoption Assistance: Financial and medical assistance for the adoption of children with special needs and associated administrative and training costs
  • Title IV-E Foster Care: Assistance with costs of foster care for eligible children and associated administrative and training costs
  • Title IV-E Guardianship Assistance: Financial and medical assistance for guardianship of eligible children and associated administrative and training costs
  • Title IV-E Kinship Navigator Program: Funding for kinship navigator programs to help relative and kin caregivers learn about and access programs and services to meet their own needs and the needs of the children they are raising
  • Title IV-E Prevention Program: Funding for time-limited prevention services for mental health, substance abuse, and in-home parent skill-based programs for children or youth who are candidates for foster care, pregnant or parenting youth in foster care, and the parents or kin caregivers of those children and youth
  • John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood: Funding to help States and Tribes support youth/ young adults in or formerly in foster care in their transition to adulthood

Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) Programs