Block Grant 2602WAGARD

The Administration on Children, Youth and Families awarded Washington State's Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) $6.4 million in Block Grant funding under the Title IV-E Guardianship Assistance Program (CFDA 93.090) for Fiscal Year 2026, effective 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. The funding removes financial barriers to permanency by ensuring children can establish secure, legally recognized family arrangements with qualified relatives rather than remaining in the foster care system.

DCYF administers the Guardianship Assistance Program throughout Washington State and distributes sub-awards to local governments, nonprofit organizations, and tribal entities to deliver direct services. The program encompasses financial assistance payments to relative guardians, eligibility determinations, and related administrative and training costs necessary for proper program operation. Recipients must maintain comprehensive financial and programmatic records and submit quarterly expenditure estimates to support payment draw-downs from established accounts. Awards are adjusted based on actual allowable claimed expenditures, with final determinations made by the federal headquarters office.