Residential Services for Unaccompanied Alien Children
🏛 Administration for Children and Families - ORR
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Oct 20, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for organizations providing residential care to unaccompanied immigrant children in federal custody. Applicants must be licensed by their state to provide group home, shelter, or transitional foster care services for children. Providers must offer 24/7 care with capacity to accept children at any time when safe and consistent with state licensing. ORR prioritizes proposals for beds and transitional foster care in states and localities near the U.S.-Mexico southern border.
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Key dates
- Sep 2, 2026 Applications open
- Dec 8, 2026 Application deadline in 48 days
- Apr 1, 2027 Award announced
- Apr 1, 2027 Project start
Program description
The Residential Services for Unaccompanied Alien Children funding opportunity is intended to support organizations that can provide high-quality, child-centered care that promotes children’s safety and well-being. Funded providers must offer services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have the capacity to accept children at any time, when it is safe to do so and consistent with state licensing requirements. Although children in ORR care are in the federal government’s legal custody due to their immigration status, care providers are responsible for their day-to-day physical care. At the time of application, providers must be licensed, in accordance with state requirements, to provide group home, shelter, or transitional foster care services for children, including any required child placement or related licenses.
ORR is particularly interested in projects that provide residential facility beds and transitional foster care in states and localities near the U.S. southern border with Mexico.
Standard ORR care providers must be licensed by an appropriate State agency, or meet the State’s licensing requirements if located in a State that does not allow State licensing of programs providing or proposing to provide care and services to unaccompanied children. See 45 C.F.R. 410.1302(a).
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
- 501(c)(3) Public Charity
- City / Municipal Government
- County Government
- Nonprofits
- Private University
- Public Authority
- Public K-12 School
- Public University
- Small Business (SBA-defined)
- Special District
- State Government
- Tribal Nation
- Tribal Organization
Demographic focus
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- State licensing documentation or proof of compliance with state licensing requirements
- Project narrative describing residential care model and 24/7 service delivery capacity
- Budget and budget narrative with staffing details
- Organizational capacity documentation (staff qualifications, experience with unaccompanied children)
- Letters of support or partnerships with state child welfare agencies
- Compliance certifications and regulatory documentation
Program contact
- 👤 Yolanda Barnes
- 📧 UCBgrants@acf.hhs.gov
- 📞 UCBgrants@acf.hhs.gov
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.676 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
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$468,239,668
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$438,286,807
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$404,574,848
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$395,047,857
-
$384,336,873
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$365,937,343
-
$365,034,274
-
$328,361,665
-
$314,506,870
-
$291,227,302
Top States by Funding
- TX 40 awards $7,800.2M
- NY 12 awards $1,100.4M
- MD 8 awards $594.3M
- VA 6 awards $398.4M
- OH 4 awards $371.0M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 93.676). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $3,535,163,483 | |
| 2025 | $3,183,622,121 | |
| 2026 est. | $2,872,989,528 |
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
Licensed residential care providers offering group home, shelter, or transitional foster care services. Applicants must meet their state's licensing requirements for child placement.
What services must be provided?
Providers must deliver high-quality, child-centered care 24 hours daily, 7 days per week with capacity to accept children at any time when safe and consistent with state licensing.
Does this grant require cost-sharing?
No cost-sharing is required. Organizations can request full funding for eligible activities.
What is the typical funding range?
Awards typically range from $2,000,000 to $5,600,000 per project.
Does the grant preference certain locations?
Yes. ORR prioritizes projects providing residential beds and transitional foster care near the U.S.-Mexico southern border.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Emphasize your organization's state licensing status and child placement certifications upfront in your proposal.
- Demonstrate capacity to provide continuous, high-quality care for vulnerable unaccompanied children with trauma-informed approaches.
- If located near the southern border, highlight geographic advantage and existing partnerships with local immigration/child welfare systems.
- Include detailed staffing plans showing 24/7 coverage with trained, qualified personnel for residential care delivery.
- Address safety protocols, state compliance documentation, and quality assurance mechanisms in your operational narrative.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applications fail when organizations lack current state licensing or cannot document compliance with child placement requirements. Weak proposals lack detailed 24/7 staffing plans or fail to address trauma-informed, child-centered care models. Non-border applications without strong justification for serving unaccompanied children in their specific geographic region score lower competitively.
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