FY 2026 Guardianship Assistance Program Block Grant Summary

The New York Office of Children & Family Services (OCFS) received a $19.6 million block grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (ACF) under the Title IV-E Guardianship Assistance Program (GAP, CFDA 93.090) for the period October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. This program provides Federal Financial Participation to support guardianship assistance payments to relatives who have assumed legal guardianship of eligible children transitioning from foster care, thereby removing financial barriers to permanency and enabling stable, legally recognized family placements. The award was made on October 1, 2025, and represents flexible block grant funding that OCFS may allocate across the state to support eligible guardianship cases.

OCFS distributed the FY 2026 guardianship assistance funding to 26 New York counties and New York City as sub-awardees on February 3, 2026, enabling these local jurisdictions to administer guardianship assistance payments within their respective regions. Sub-awardee counties—including Albany, Broome, Chautauqua, Dutchess, Erie, Monroe, Nassau, Oneida, Westchester, and Suffolk, among others—use the sub-granted funds to provide ongoing financial assistance to relative guardians caring for children who cannot be reunited with their parents, supporting child welfare permanency objectives across urban, suburban, and rural communities throughout New York State. The program operates on a quarterly reimbursement basis based on estimated and actual allowable expenditures, with recipients required to maintain detailed financial and programmatic records in accordance with 45 CFR Part 75 (or 2 CFR Part 200 effective October 1, 2025).