Federal Funding Sources

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is the Cabinet-level Federal department that directly supports demonstration, research, training, and service delivery activities for a range of children's issues. The Children's Bureau, a branch of the Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, is the main Federal funding source for child welfare activities. Other agencies that fund programs on children and family issues include the Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, Department of Education, and more.

Child Welfare: An Overview of Federal Programs and Their Current Funding 
EveryCRSReport (2018)
Offers an overview of Federal funding for child welfare and provides a detailed look at a funding breakdown. The information includes a look at how Federal funding is determined each year, funding estimates for programs, descriptions of Federal programs, and more. 

Child Welfare Funding in FY2018 (PDF - 995 KB) 
Stoltzfus (2018) 
Congressional Research Service 
Outlines an overview of Federal child welfare funding in fiscal year 2018 and describes distributions and purposes for discretionary funding. 

Child Welfare: Purposes, Federal Programs, and Funding (PDF - 342 KB)
Congressional Research Service (2019) 
Describes the work of child welfare agencies and discusses Federal child welfare programs and spending. The resource includes a graphic that analyzes spending in fiscal year 2019. 

A Complete Guide to the Family First Prevention Services Act
Kelly (2018)
The Imprint
Provides guidance on the new funding structure emphasizing preventative child welfare measures over out-of-home care services as enacted through the Families First Act.

How Federal Legislation Impacts Child Welfare Service Delivery
Series Title Factsheets
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability View
Download (PDF - 244KB)
Order (Free)
Year Published 2015
This factsheet provides an overview of the process by which legislative actions and policy changes at the Federal level impact State and Tribal child welfare systems and service delivery. Links to pertinent resources are provided for each step of the process; however, the steps described do not always occur in the sequence in which they are listed below. (See the flow chart on the last page of this document.)

State Variation in Child Welfare Agency Use of Federal Funding Sources
Connelly & Rosinsky (2018)
Child Trends
Examines differences in how States use Federal child welfare funds. This resource can be used to better understand child welfare agencies' reliance on Federal funding and can inform discussions around how changes to funding streams can impact States. 

Title IV-E Program Funding
National Child Welfare Resource Center for Tribes 
Describes how Title IV-E of the Social Security Act provides funding for States and Tribes to provide foster care, transitional independent living programs, guardianship assistance, and adoption assistance. The resource also discusses Tribal-State agreements. 

Tribal Child Welfare Funding Findings
National Child Welfare Resource Center for Tribes 
Offers a visual overview of Federal funding for Tribal child welfare, details on Federal funding programs, and background about Tribal communities.

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