Federal Grant Award Summary

The Missouri Department of Social Services received a $165,462 Formula Grant award from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Children and Families under the Grants to States for Access and Visitation Programs (CFDA 93.597), effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027. This award funds Missouri's establishment and administration of programs that support and facilitate non-custodial parents' access to and visitation with their children.

Under this grant, Missouri will provide services including mediation (both voluntary and mandatory), counseling, education, development of parenting plans, visitation enforcement (including monitoring, supervision, and neutral dropoff and pickup services), and development of guidelines for visitation and alternative custody arrangements. The formula-based allocation, calculated using the number of children living with one biological parent in Missouri relative to the national total, ensures consistent funding to support meaningful parent-child connections and promote shared parenting approaches across the state. The funding must supplement rather than supplant existing state expenditures for similar activities.