Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2020 ACF OPRE PH 1810
The Tribal Research Center on Early Childhood Development and Systems (TRECS) grant opportunity is a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), through the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE). The purpose is to fund a single Tribal Research Center that can serve as a national hub for leadership, coordination, and collaboration to strengthen community-based participatory research and evaluation focused on ACF early childhood initiatives in tribal communities. In practical terms, the awardee is expected to help ensure that research and evaluation tied to early childhood programs serving American Indian and Alaska Native communities is culturally grounded, methodologically strong, responsive to tribal priorities, and useful for improving services and systems over time.
The center is meant to support and study a range of early childhood settings and program types that ACF funds or oversees, including home visiting programs, early care and education in center-based settings, home-based and family child care providers, and Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Rather than focusing narrowly on one service model, TRECS is positioned to look across these settings to better understand what tribal communities need, what approaches are most effective in local contexts, and how early childhood systems can be better integrated. This reflects an emphasis not just on individual programs, but on the broader systems that shape early childhood development, service access, implementation quality, and long-term outcomes for children and families.
The opportunity lays out five core expectations for the TRECS awardee. First, the center will conduct research that helps identify needs in tribal communities and/or develop and test effective practices and integrated systems for ACF early childhood initiatives. This can include identifying service gaps, documenting promising practices emerging from tribal communities, and generating evidence about what supports strong implementation and positive child and family outcomes. Second, TRECS will work on measurement: identifying, validating, and/or developing measures that capture culturally meaningful program inputs, implementation processes, and both proximal and distal outcomes. This priority recognizes that standard measures do not always reflect tribal values, cultural strengths, language contexts, or community-defined definitions of success, and that better measures can improve both evaluation quality and program learning.
Third, the center is expected to establish peer-learning communities to connect tribal researchers and partners around shared priorities. These peer communities are intended to create sustained spaces for exchanging methods, findings, and lessons learned, and for building relationships that support longer-term research capacity and collaboration. Fourth, TRECS must provide training and professional development to increase interest in and competencies for research that is relevant to early childhood initiatives in tribal communities. This includes building skills in research design, evaluation, data collection, data governance, measurement development, and other capacities that support tribes and tribal-serving organizations in leading or co-leading research. Fifth, TRECS will convene forums that increase cultural competence and sensitivity to tribal voices in research and evaluation, helping ensure that non-tribal partners, evaluators, and stakeholders understand and apply culturally appropriate approaches and uphold respectful, mutually beneficial engagement.
The grant is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning the federal government anticipates substantial involvement with the recipient during the project. The project period is expected to last 60 months, organized into five 12-month budget periods. The maximum proposed budget is capped at 650,000 dollars per budget period, and ACF anticipates making one award. The funding opportunity number is HHS-2020-ACF-OPRE-PH-1810, and it is associated with CFDA numbers 93.575, 93.600, and 93.872 under the broader activity category of Income Security and Social Services.
Eligibility is broad and includes federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations, as well as state and local governments, public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and for-profit entities (including small businesses). While many organizations can apply, the substance of the work is explicitly centered on tribal communities and on research approaches that elevate tribal priorities and participation. The original closing date listed for applications was June 5, 2020, with electronic submissions due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date.
Overall, TRECS is designed to create a sustained, well-resourced center that advances tribally grounded early childhood research and evaluation, strengthens culturally meaningful measurement, builds networks for peer learning, develops research capacity through training, and promotes research practices that are culturally competent and accountable to tribal voices. The end goal is to improve the evidence base and the effectiveness of early childhood initiatives serving tribal communities, while also supporting tribal self-determination and leadership in the research and evaluation processes that shape programs and systems.Apply for HHS 2020 ACF OPRE PH 1810
- The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families - OPRE in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Tribal Research Center on Early Childhood Development and Systems" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.575, 93.600, 93.872.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 25, 2020.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 05, 2020 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $650,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Tribal Research Center on Early Childhood Development and Systems (TRECS)
What is the TRECS grant opportunity?
TRECS (Tribal Research Center on Early Childhood Development and Systems) is a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), through the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE). It is intended to fund a single Tribal Research Center that serves as a national hub for leadership, coordination, and collaboration around research and evaluation related to ACF early childhood initiatives in tribal communities.
What is the main purpose of TRECS?
The purpose is to strengthen community-based participatory research and evaluation focused on early childhood initiatives in tribal communities. The center is expected to help ensure that research and evaluation tied to early childhood programs serving American Indian and Alaska Native communities is culturally grounded, methodologically strong, responsive to tribal priorities, and useful for improving services and systems over time.
Who is the federal agency behind this opportunity?
The opportunity is offered by HHS through ACF, specifically via OPRE (Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation).
What type of award is TRECS?
TRECS is structured as a cooperative agreement. This means the federal government anticipates substantial involvement with the recipient during the project rather than operating strictly as a hands-off grant.
How many awards does ACF anticipate making?
ACF anticipates making one award.
How long is the project period?
The expected project period is 60 months, organized into five 12-month budget periods.
What is the maximum budget allowed?
The maximum proposed budget is capped at $650,000 per budget period.
What early childhood settings and programs are included in TRECS?
The center is meant to support and study a range of early childhood settings and program types that ACF funds or oversees, including home visiting programs; early care and education in center-based settings; home-based and family child care providers; and Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
Is TRECS limited to one specific program model (for example, only Head Start or only home visiting)?
No. TRECS is positioned to look across multiple early childhood settings and program types, with an emphasis on understanding needs and effective approaches in local contexts and improving integration across early childhood systems.
What does it mean that TRECS focuses on early childhood "systems" and not only individual programs?
Beyond studying specific services, TRECS is intended to look at the broader systems that shape early childhood development, access to services, implementation quality, and long-term outcomes for children and families, including how different programs and settings can be better integrated.
What are the core expectations or major activities for the TRECS awardee?
The opportunity describes five core expectations for the awardee: (1) conduct research to identify needs and/or develop and test effective practices and integrated systems for ACF early childhood initiatives in tribal communities; (2) work on measurement by identifying, validating, and/or developing culturally meaningful measures of inputs, processes, and outcomes; (3) establish peer-learning communities that connect tribal researchers and partners; (4) provide training and professional development to increase interest in and competencies for relevant research; and (5) convene forums that increase cultural competence and sensitivity to tribal voices in research and evaluation.
What kinds of research is the center expected to conduct?
The center is expected to conduct research that helps identify needs in tribal communities and/or develop and test effective practices and integrated systems for ACF early childhood initiatives. Examples described in the opportunity include identifying service gaps, documenting promising practices emerging from tribal communities, and generating evidence about what supports strong implementation and positive child and family outcomes.
What does TRECS mean by "measurement" work?
Measurement work includes identifying, validating, and/or developing measures that capture culturally meaningful program inputs, implementation processes, and both proximal and distal outcomes. The opportunity notes that standard measures may not reflect tribal values, cultural strengths, language contexts, or community-defined definitions of success.
Why is culturally meaningful measurement emphasized?
Because standard measures do not always reflect tribal values, cultural strengths, language contexts, or community-defined definitions of success. The opportunity highlights that better measures can improve evaluation quality and program learning in tribal early childhood initiatives.
What are peer-learning communities in the context of TRECS?
Peer-learning communities are intended to connect tribal researchers and partners around shared priorities. They are described as sustained spaces for exchanging methods, findings, and lessons learned, and for building relationships that support longer-term research capacity and collaboration.
What types of training and professional development are expected under TRECS?
The center is expected to provide training and professional development to increase interest in and competencies for research relevant to early childhood initiatives in tribal communities. The opportunity specifically mentions skills such as research design, evaluation, data collection, data governance, and measurement development.
What is the purpose of convening forums under TRECS?
The center is expected to convene forums that increase cultural competence and sensitivity to tribal voices in research and evaluation, helping ensure non-tribal partners, evaluators, and stakeholders understand and apply culturally appropriate approaches and uphold respectful, mutually beneficial engagement.
Who is eligible to apply for the TRECS cooperative agreement?
Eligibility includes federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations, as well as state and local governments, public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and for-profit entities (including small businesses).
If eligibility is broad, does the work still need to be centered on tribal communities?
Yes. While many organization types can apply, the opportunity states that the substance of the work is explicitly centered on tribal communities and on research approaches that elevate tribal priorities and participation.
What is the funding opportunity number for TRECS?
The funding opportunity number is HHS-2020-ACF-OPRE-PH-1810.
Which CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is associated with CFDA numbers 93.575, 93.600, and 93.872, under the broader activity category of Income Security and Social Services.
What was the original application closing date and time?
The original closing date listed was June 5, 2020, with electronic submissions due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date.
What is the overall end goal of TRECS?
TRECS is designed to create a sustained, well-resourced center that advances tribally grounded early childhood research and evaluation, strengthens culturally meaningful measurement, builds networks for peer learning, develops research capacity through training, and promotes culturally competent research practices accountable to tribal voices. The stated end goal is to improve the evidence base and effectiveness of early childhood initiatives serving tribal communities while supporting tribal self-determination and leadership in research and evaluation processes.
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