2026 TANF Block Grant Award Summary

The New York State Office of Temporary & Disability Assistance (OTDA) received a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant (CFDA 93.558) award of $2.8 billion from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. As the designated state intermediary, OTDA administers this federal block grant to provide cash assistance, employment services, child care support, and supportive services to low-income families with children across New York State. The program supports the core TANF objectives of enabling children to be cared for in their own homes or relatives' homes, promoting work and economic self-sufficiency, preventing out-of-wedlock pregnancies, and encouraging family formation and maintenance.

OTDA distributes TANF funding through 61 sub-awards to county social services departments and local government entities throughout New York State, including major urban counties such as Nassau, Erie, Westchester, and Monroe, as well as rural counties across all regions of the state. Sub-awardees utilize these funds to administer direct client benefits, employment and training programs, child care assistance, and program administration. In addition to direct cash assistance, the network of county recipients delivers services addressing food insecurity, energy assistance, child support enforcement, and refugee resettlement, collectively serving vulnerable populations across New York's diverse communities through an integrated federal-state-local partnership structure.