Family Violence Prevention and Services Discretionary Grants: Capacity Building Center on Safe and Supportive Housing for Domestic Violence Survivors in Tribal Communities (Tribal Safe Housing Center) | HHS 2021 ACF ACYF EV 1945

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2021 ACF ACYF EV 1945

The Family Violence Prevention and Services Discretionary Grants opportunity for a Capacity Building Center on Safe and Supportive Housing for Domestic Violence Survivors in Tribal Communities, often referred to as the Tribal Safe Housing Center, is a federal funding announcement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), specifically the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) and its Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) Program. The central goal is to fund one organization to operate a national capacity building center that strengthens safe, stable, and supportive housing options for domestic violence survivors living in tribal communities, with a strong emphasis on cultural relevance for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) survivors. Rather than directly funding housing units or shelter operations, the grant is designed to build field-wide skills and infrastructure through training, technical assistance, research, and coordinated partnerships that help tribal communities and service providers better meet survivor housing needs.

This opportunity uses a cooperative agreement, which typically means the federal program office expects to have substantial involvement in shaping project direction, deliverables, and ongoing coordination. ACF expects to make a single award, with an annual award ceiling of up to $600,000, indicating a focused national investment in one lead entity that can act as a hub for expertise, tools, and training. The funding falls under the Income Security and Social Services activity category and is listed under CFDA number 93.592. The original notice was posted June 11, 2021, with an application deadline of July 26, 2021 (with electronic submissions due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date).

The work of the Tribal Safe Housing Center is framed around comprehensive training and technical assistance (T/TA) that improves how tribal communities and allied organizations respond to survivor housing challenges. That includes helping programs develop strategies that keep survivors safe while also supporting longer-term stability, such as approaches to emergency shelter, transitional housing, rapid rehousing, relocation support, landlord engagement, housing advocacy, and policies that reduce barriers survivors face when trying to access housing. A key feature of the center is that its support must be culturally sensitive and relevant, meaning the training and assistance should align with tribal values, sovereignty considerations, local community context, and the realities of service delivery in tribal settings, including rural and remote areas where resources can be limited and safety risks can be heightened.

A major responsibility described in the announcement is conducting research and needs assessments focused on safe housing needs in tribal communities. This implies the center is expected to gather and synthesize information about gaps, promising practices, and barriers that AI/AN survivors experience, and then translate those findings into practical guidance and tools for programs and systems. The description explicitly mentions including homeless youth survivors in that needs assessment work, signaling that the center should not treat survivor housing needs as one-size-fits-all and should consider youth-specific vulnerabilities and service pathways. The intent is to ground training and technical assistance in documented needs and evidence-informed approaches rather than assumptions, and to keep the work responsive as conditions change.

Another core purpose is strengthening collaboration across a wide set of partners. The center is expected to support the development of coordination between service organizations, technical assistance providers, and tribal, federal, state, and local governmental entities. In practice, this kind of collaboration can involve improving how domestic violence programs connect with housing authorities, Continuums of Care, victim service networks, legal services, child welfare systems, and behavioral health partners, while also navigating jurisdictional complexity that can exist in tribal communities. The emphasis on collaboration suggests the project is meant to reduce fragmentation so survivors do not have to navigate disconnected systems alone, and so communities can align policies and resources in ways that reduce risk and expand safe options.

The Tribal Safe Housing Center is also positioned as part of a larger FVPSA-supported network of resource centers, including National, Special Issue, Culturally Specific, and Capacity Building Resource Centers. Being part of that network means the awardee would be expected to coordinate and share expertise with peer centers, avoid duplication, and help ensure that housing-related resources for domestic violence services are aligned with broader FVPSA priorities. In practical terms, the center would likely serve as a specialized national resource on the intersection of domestic violence, tribal community contexts, and housing stability, while also contributing to the overall field infrastructure that supports programs serving victims of domestic violence and their children.

Eligible applicants are broad and include federally recognized Native American tribal governments, Native American tribal organizations, nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and other applicants as further clarified in the full eligibility text. That wide eligibility range indicates the agency is prioritizing capacity and expertise to run a national center, while still making space for tribal leadership and culturally grounded organizations to compete. Overall, the opportunity is aimed at creating a single, well-resourced national center that can assess needs, build practical tools and training, provide tailored technical assistance, and strengthen cross-system collaboration so that AI/AN domestic violence survivors in tribal communities have better access to housing that is both safe and supportive.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children Families - ACYF/FYSB in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Family Violence Prevention and Services Discretionary Grants: Capacity Building Center on Safe and Supportive Housing for Domestic Violence Survivors in Tribal Communities (Tribal Safe Housing Center)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.592.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 11, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 26, 2021 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $600,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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