2026 tanf

The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families awarded the Department of Social Services California $9.085 billion in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant funding on October 1, 2025, for the federal fiscal year ending September 30, 2026. The TANF program (Assistance Listing 93.558) provides block grant funding to states to assist needy families with children, enable children to be cared for in their own homes or relatives' homes, promote job preparation and work to reduce dependence on government benefits, prevent out-of-wedlock pregnancies, and encourage two-parent family formation and maintenance.

The Department of Social Services California, through its Finance and Accounting Division, administers TANF allocations across California's 58 counties and distributes funds to county-level social services agencies operating county-administered, state-supervised programs. Work is performed statewide throughout California. The funding obligated totals $9.085 billion.

Sub-recipients include 58 California counties and state entities administering assistance, employment services, childcare support, and family preservation programs aligned with the four TANF program goals. County recipients—including Alameda, Amador, Alpine, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Plumas, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo, and Yuba—administer TANF cash assistance, employment and training services, childcare subsidies, and family support programs. State-level sub-recipients include the California Department of Education, California Student Aid Commission, California Department of Developmental Services, and California Community Colleges Chancellors Office, which coordinate employment services, training, and support programs aligned with TANF self-sufficiency goals.