The Home Study and Post-Release Services for Unaccompanied Alien Children, administered by the Administration for Children and Families – Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), provides funding to support safe home placements and ongoing services for children who arrive in the United States alone. These children are under 18, lack legal immigration status, and have no parent or legal guardian in the U.S. able to care for them. The program conducts home studies before placement to ensure safety and appropriateness, and offers post-release services to help children and their sponsors adjust, connect with communities, stay safe and healthy, and navigate immigration court proceedings.

Overview

The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) operates the Home Study and Post-Release Services Program to ensure that unaccompanied alien children are placed in safe homes and receive the support needed to thrive while their immigration cases move forward. The funding opportunity number is HHS-2026-ACF-ORR-ZU-0019, and it is a discretionary cooperative agreement under Assistance Listing 93.676 – Unaccompanied Children Program. The category of funding activity is income security and social services.

Funding and Benefits

• Total Program Funding: $258,000,000
• Expected Number of Awards: 15
• Minimum Award Amount: $1,000,000
• Maximum Award Amount: $50,000,000
• Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: No
• Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement
• Opportunity Category: Discretionary

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include the following types:

• Nonprofit: Nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, other Native American tribal organizations
• Education: Public and state institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, independent school districts
• Business: Small businesses, for-profit organizations other than small businesses
• Government: City or township governments, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, state governments, county governments, special district governments, public and Indian housing authorities
• Miscellaneous: Other

Additional eligibility information: Current recipients in the final year of their project period must check whether their project period end date aligns with this funding opportunity’s projected award date and, if so, must apply to continue providing services. Current recipients who are not in the final year of their project period and wish to apply must propose services in a new facility and location not currently funded. ACF does not fund multiple projects offering the same type of service in the same location. Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships), federal entities, and foreign entities are not eligible. Faith-based and community organizations that meet the eligibility requirements are eligible.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov. The application deadline is July 6, 2026, by 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time. Applicants may view the full opportunity and apply at Grants.gov.

Deadline and Timeline

• Closing Date: July 6, 2026
• Last Updated: June 5, 2026
• Application Due Time: 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time

Contact Information

Grantor: Rebecca Packer
Email: UCBgrants@acf.hhs.gov

Additional information is available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/grants/ucb.