Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

 

To provide grants to States and the District of Columbia, Territories, and Indian Tribes to assist needy families with children so that children can be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives; end the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage; prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.

General information about this opportunity
Last Known Status
Active
Program Number
93.558
Federal Agency/Office
Administration For Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services
Type(s) of Assistance Offered
A - Formula Grants; L - Dissemination of Technical Information
Program Accomplishments
Fiscal Year 2016 In FY 2016, grants will be made to 50 States, the District of Columbia, three Territories, and 73 Tribes. In FY 2016, grants were made to 50 States, the District of Columbia, three Territories, and 73 Tribes.
Fiscal Year 2017 In FY 2017, grants were awarded to 50 States, the District of Columbia, three Territories, and 73 Tribes.
Fiscal Year 2018 In FY 2018, 50 States, the District of Columbia, three Territories, and 74 Tribes received grants.
Fiscal Year 2019 In FY 2019, grants were made to 50 states and the District of Columbia, three territories, and 74 Tribes.
Fiscal Year 2020 In FY 2020, grants were made to 50 states and the District of Columbia, three territories, and 75 Tribes.
Fiscal Year 2021 In FY 2021, grants were made to 50 states and the District of Columbia, three Territories, and 75 Tribes. Additionally, ACF disbursed Pandemic Emergency Assistance Funds to 49 states and the District of Columbia, five territories, and 75 Tribes.
Fiscal Year 2022 In FY 2022, grants were made to 50 states and the District of Columbia, three territories, and 75 Tribes.
Fiscal Year 2023 In FY 2023, grants were made to 50 states and the District of Columbia, three territories, and 75 Tribes.
Fiscal Year 2024 In FY 2024, it is projected that grants will be made to 50 states and the District of Columbia, three territories, and 75 Tribes.
Authorization
Social Security Act, Title IV, Part A, Section N/A, 42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.
Who is eligible to apply/benefit from this assistance?
Applicant Eligibility
Eligible entities include States and Indian Tribes. According to 45 C.F.R. 260.30, State refers to the 50 States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa, unless otherwise specified. Indian Tribe is defined under 25 U.S.C. 5304 per 42 U.S.C. ? 619(4)(A), and includes the 13 specified entities in Alaska, per 42 U.S.C. ? 619(4)(B). States and Indian Tribes that operate TANF programs must do so under plans determined to be complete (or for Tribes, approved) by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In accordance with 42 U.S.C. ? 603(b) for Contingency Funds, all States and the District of Columbia are eligible if they are determined to be a "needy State", as defined under 42 U.S.C. ? 603(b)(5), by satisfying criteria related to the state's unemployment rate or the average number of participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps). Tribes are not eligible for Contingency Funds. See 45 CFR 264.70(c). Per the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, eligible recipients for Pandemic Emergency Assistance Funds are: states, the District of Columbia, Tribes operating a Tribal TANF program, and all five U.S. territories.
Beneficiary Eligibility
Needy families with children, as determined eligible by the State, Territory, or Tribe in accordance with the State or Tribal plan submitted to HHS.
Credentials/Documentation
Federal funds go to the State and the District of Columbia, Territory, or Tribal agency certified by the Chief Executive Officer. Needy families must meet State or Tribal eligibility requirements. Except for 45 CFR 75.202, the guidance in Subpart C of 45 CFR Part 75 does not apply to this program. Also, per 45 CFR 75.101(f), 45 CFR 75.300(c) does not apply to this program.
What is the process for applying and being award this assistance?
Pre-Application Procedure
Preapplication coordination is not applicable.
Application Procedure
2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. In accordance with section 402 of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 602], each State must develop a State plan and include the certifications signed by the Executive Officer (Governor). Applicants must consult with local governments and private organizations and provide them 45 days to comment on the plan. The State plan and certifications must be submitted to the Secretary of HHS, and the State must make available to the public a summary of any plan or plan amendment section. Indian Tribes may apply to the Secretary to receive funds and to administer the TANF block grant, as well as submit a 3-year family assistance plan. The Secretary, in consultation with the Indian Tribe, would set program requirements and time-limits for receipt of welfare-related services, consistent with the purposes of the program and economic conditions/resources of each Tribe. Indian Tribes should contact the OFA Regional TANF Program Manager for further Tribal plan submittal procedures. For Contingency Funds, each State must request these funds monthly for each month they meet either the unemployment or SNAP triggers. For Pandemic Emergency Assistance Funds, each eligible state, territory, and tribe must request the funds by the statutory deadline.
Award Procedure
Once a plan is determined complete, or in the case of an Indian Tribe, the plan is approved, by ACF, Family Assistance Grants are awarded in quarterly payments. Supplemental Grants are also awarded in quarterly payments. Contingency Fund awards will be made monthly. Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund awards were made in a one-time lump sum FY 2021 payment to recipients who requested their initial allotment by the statutory deadline. Post award, the Division of Payment Management will establish an account from which a recipient may draw down award funds.
Deadlines
Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines
Approval/Disapproval Decision Time
Not applicable.
Appeals
For existing recipients, appeals regarding disputes may take place in accordance with 45 CFR 204.4 and 45 CFR 286.240.
Renewals
More than 180 days. In accordance with section 402 of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. ? 602] states must periodically renew their funding status by submitting their TANF plan. A state must submit a new plan for a fiscal year if the state has not submitted to the Secretary a plan that ACF has found to be complete during the 27-month period ending with the close of the 1st quarter of the fiscal year. This means that a plan is due every two or three years. The regulations outline the process for tribes to submit renewal plans every three years at 45 CFR 286.65. For Contingency Funds, requests for additional funding must be made monthly.
How are proposals selected?
Not applicable.
How may assistance be used?
TANF funds monthly cash assistance payments to low-income families with children, as well as a wide range of services that are “reasonably calculated” to address the program’s four broad purposes. States, Territories, the District of Columbia, and Federally-recognized Indian Tribes operating their own TANF programs have flexibility to use the awarded funds in any manner that meets the purposes of the program and in ways that States and Territories were authorized to use funds received under the predecessor Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS), and Emergency Assistance (EA) programs. States and Territories may also transfer a limited portion of their assistance award funds to the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) Programs. Not more than 15 percent of any State award may be spent on administrative costs, exclusive of certain computerization and information technology expenses. Cash awards, work opportunities, and other services are made directly to needy families with children. For Tribal programs, ACF will negotiate a limitation on administrative costs for the first year of the program's operation not to exceed 35 percent, for the second year of the program's operation not to exceed 30 percent, and then for the third and subsequent years of the program's operation not to exceed 25 percent. Recipients may use PEAF funds only to provide certain non-recurrent, short term (NRST) benefits. For the purposes of PEAF, NRST benefits mean cash payments or other benefits that meet the regulatory definition (45 CFR 260.31(b)(1)), but are limited to those that fall into the specific expenditure reporting category mentioned in the legislation (line 15 of the ACF-196R, the state financial reporting form for the TANF program).
What are the requirements after being awarded this opportunity?
Reporting
Not applicable.
Auditing
Audits shall be conducted by the Inspector General under Chapter 75 of Title 31, United States Code. If a State or Territory is found to have used funds from the State Family Assistance Grant in violation of the statute, the Secretary shall reduce the award payable to them for the immediately succeeding fiscal year by that same amount. For Tribes, the Secretary will have the ability to maintain program funding accountability consistent with generally accepted accounting principles and the requirements of the Single Audit Act of 1984 and 45 CFR Part 75. Subpart F applies to this program.
Records
States, Territories, the District of Columbia, and Tribes must maintain records containing information the Secretary requires as described in 45 CFR 205.60. All records are to be maintained in accordance with 45 CFR 75.361-365.
Other Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
Statutory Formula: Title IV Chapter n/a Part A Subpart 403 Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 603

Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

This program has MOE requirements, see funding agency for further details. Additional Information:
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
States and Indian Tribes are awarded their assistance grants in quarterly payments. They may reserve award monies, without fiscal year limitation, to provide any allowable benefits and services that are consistent with the purposes of the TANF program. With certain exceptions, per 42 U.S.C. § 608(a)(7), most families are limited to no more than 5 years of assistance under the Federal grant. Tribes have the flexibility to establish time limits on receipt of assistance. For Contingency Funds, awards are issued monthly to States meeting the eligibility criteria stipulated under 45 C.F.R 264.70. For the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund (PEAF), a recipient has from April 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022, to expend its initial allotment of funds. If a recipient has not expended all PEAF funds by that date, HHS will reallot any unused funds, to other states, territories, and tribes, which must expend them within 12 months of receipt, as specified in the legislation. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: Quarterly.
Who do I contact about this opportunity?
Regional or Local Office
Region I (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT): Shantel Mickens, Acting Regional Program Manager, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, Boston Regional Office, JFK Building, Rm. 2000, Boston, MA 02203. Telephone: (212) 264 2890 x128. Region II (NJ, NY, PR, VI): Shantel Mickens, Regional Program Manager, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, New York Regional Office, 26 Federal Plaza, Room 4114, New York, NY 10278. Telephone: (212) 264 2890 x128. Region III (DC, DE, MD, PA, VA, WV): Eileen Friedman, Regional Program Manager, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, Philadelphia Regional Office, 150 S. Independence Mall West, Suite 864, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106-3499. Telephone: (215) 861-4058. Region IV (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN): LaMonica Shelton, Regional Program Manager, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, Atlanta Regional Office, 61 Forsyth Street, Suite 4M60, Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8909. Telephone: (404) 562-2938. Region V (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI): Eileen Friedman, Acting Regional Program Manager, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, Chicago Regional Office, 233 N. Michigan Ave. - Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60601. Telephone: (215) 861-4058. Region VI (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX): Kisha Russell, Regional Program Manager, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, Dallas Regional Office, 1301 Young Street, Room 945, Dallas, TX 75202. Telephone: (303) 844-1483. Region VII (IA, KS, MO, NE): LaMonica Shelton, Acting Regional Program Manager, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, Kansas City Regional Office, Rm. 349, 601 E 12 St., Kansas City, MO 64106. Telephone: (404) 562-2938. Region VIII (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY) Kisha Russell, Regional Program Manager, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, Denver Regional Office, Byron G. Rogers Federal Office Building, 1961 Stout Street, Ninth Floor, Denver, CO 80294. Telephone: (303) 844-1483. Region IX (AZ, CA, GU, HI, NV): Julie Fong, Regional Program Manager, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, San Francisco Regional Office, 90 7th Street, Ninth Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103. Telephone: (415) 437-7579. Region X (AK, ID, OR, WA): Frank Shields, Regional Program Manager, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, Seattle Regional Office, 701 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1500, M/S 71, Seattle, WA 98104. Telephone (206) 615-2569.
Headquarters Office
Deborah List
Office of Family Assistance, Administration for Children and Families
Washington, DC 20024 US
Deborah.List@acf.hhs.gov
Phone: 2024015488
Fax: 2022055887
Website Address
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofa/
Financial Information
Account Identification
75-1552-0-1-609
Obligations
(Formula Grants) FY 22$608,000,000.00; FY 23 est $608,000,000.00; FY 24 est $608,000,000.00; FY 21$608,000,000.00; FY 20$608,000,000.00; FY 19$608,000,000.00; FY 18$608,000,000.00; FY 17$608,000,000.00; FY 16$583,000,000.00; - TANF Contingency Fund(Formula Grants) FY 22$77,617,558.00; FY 23 est $77,617,557.00; FY 24 est $77,617,557.00; FY 21$77,617,557.00; FY 20$77,617,558.00; FY 19$77,617,558.00; FY 18$77,617,557.00; FY 17$77,617,558.00; FY 16$77,875,000.00; - (Territory Assistance Grants)(Formula Grants) FY 22$16,434,219,317.00; FY 23 est $16,434,254,854.00; FY 24 est $16,434,254,854.00; FY 21$16,434,254,633.00; FY 20$16,433,375,140.00; FY 19$16,434,254,853.00; FY 18$16,434,137,017.00; FY 17$16,434,254,853.00; FY 16$16,488,667,000.00; - (State and Tribal Family Assistance Grants)(Formula Grants) FY 22$0.00; FY 23 est $0.00; FY 24 est $0.00; FY 21$994,577,293.00; FY 20$0.00; - Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund established in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
State and Tribal Family Assistance grants are estimated from $77,195 to $3,634,266,664 with an approximate average of $154,631,330.
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Final Rule was originally published in the Federal Register on April 12, 1999 (Vol. 64. No. 69). Publication of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 was published in the Federal Register on February 5, 2008 (Vol. 73, No. 24) to incorporate changes resulting from reauthorization of the TANF program. Program rules for State programs can be found at 45 CFR Parts 260 through 265. The Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Final Rule was published in the Federal Register on February 18, 2000 (Vol. 65, No. 34). Tribal rules can be found at 45 CFR Part 286.
Examples of Funded Projects
Not applicable.