ACF Awards $118 Million to Promote Marriage, Fatherhood
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announced $118,644,219 in grant awards to 225 grantees to promote healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood.
The programs seek to help couples form and sustain healthy marriages, and equip men to be involved, committed, and responsible fathers in the lives of their children.
While ACF has many grants that support responsible fatherhood and healthy marriage, these grants are newly authorized by Congress under the recently reauthorized Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The new grants, overseen by ACF’s Office of Family Assistance, must have procedures in place to address issues of domestic violence and ensure that program participation is voluntary.
Grant funds may be used for the following purposes:
–Competitive research and demonstration projects to test promising approaches to encourage healthy marriages and promote involved, committed, and responsible fatherhood;
–Technical assistance to states and tribes;
–Marriage education, marriage skills training, public advertising campaigns, high school education on the value of marriage, and marriage mentoring programs; and
–Promoting responsible fatherhood through counseling, mentoring, marriage education, enhancing relationship skills, parenting, and activities to foster economic stability.