The Tribal Child Care Data and Research Capacity Awards (Phase I) aim to support partnerships between Tribal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Lead Agencies and research organizations to enhance tribal data systems and build research capacity for tribal child care programs. These cooperative agreements will fund projects that focus on identifying, collecting, analyzing, and utilizing early childhood data to guide policy and program improvements. Projects will address questions of interest to both local tribal communities and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), including exploring data accessibility, linking tribal and local data sources, and identifying barriers and opportunities for effective data usage.

The program emphasizes the development of a comprehensive plan for identifying and linking tribal early childhood data to inform child care policy decisions. Activities funded under these awards will also include creating plans for data sharing and dissemination with partnering agencies and organizations. The planning phase will last 18 months, running from September 2025 to March 2027. Following this initial phase, a second competition (Phase II) under a separate Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) may support the execution of these developed plans.

Eligible applicants include Tribal CCDF Lead Agencies and their research partners, such as institutions of higher education, research organizations, and other organizations with expertise in policy and evaluation research in tribal communities. While agencies and research partners may participate in multiple applications, it is unlikely that any single entity will receive more than one award. Individuals, sole proprietorships, and foreign entities are ineligible.

The estimated total program funding is $2,400,000, with an anticipated 12 awards. The award ceiling is set at $200,000 per grant, with a minimum award floor of $150,000. No cost-sharing or matching funds are required. Applicants are encouraged to participate in a consortium with other grantees to share best practices, address challenges, and collaboratively develop expertise in tribal child care data and research methodologies.

The application process will involve electronic submissions via Grants.gov, with applications due by June 2, 2025. Notifications of awards are expected by August 29, 2025, and funded projects will begin on September 30, 2025. For additional inquiries, applicants can contact Ivelisse Martinez Beck at 202-690-7885 or via email at ivelisse.martinezbeck@acf.hhs.gov.