The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services received a $3.5 million Block Grant award from the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families for the period of October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2022. The funding supports the Guardianship Assistance Program (CFDA #93.090), which provides Federal financial participation to states that opt to provide guardianship assistance payments to relatives caring for children who exit the foster care system to live with a legal guardian. The objective of the program is to help ensure permanency and family connections for children in or at risk of entering foster care by supporting relative guardianship as an alternative to adoption or long-term foster care. The award will allow Louisiana to deliver guardianship assistance payments and services to eligible families and children under this program throughout the one-year project period.