U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families
Child Care and Development Block Grant
Key facts
- Open now
- None right now
- Type of help
- Formula grant (amounts set by a formula)
- Typical award
- For the States, including DC and Puerto Rico, the range of awards in FY 2025 is: $9,531,321 to $986,339,965; the average award is $155,563,370. For the 264 Tribal lead agencies, the range of awards in FY 2025 is:...
- Deadlines
- Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines
How this money reaches Tennessee: this is a formula program. The federal government sends it to the state (or to large cities and counties), and a Tennessee agency usually passes it on to local groups as pass-through grants. Ask the state agency that runs it, or your regional development district, when their next local round opens.
What it pays for
Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) is the Discretionary funding authorized by the CCDBG Act. The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is the primary federal funding source to help certain families with low incomes access child care and to improve the quality of child care for all children. The CCDF consists of both the CCDBG Discretionary funding and the Mandatory and Matching funding under the Social Security Act. CCDF is a block grant to states, territories, and tribes to provide child care subsidies primarily through vouchers or certificates to families with low income.
Who can apply
Eligibility for Discretionary CCDBG formula grants: All 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Federally recognized Tribal Governments and consortia.
Eligibility for Discretionary CCDBG non-formula awards for technical assistance, research, demonstration, and evaluation projects can be found in the NOFOs or contract solicitations. Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity.
How applications are judged
In each year's official notice
Match
Match: none required (federal program listing). Statutory Formula: Title 42, Part n/a, Subpart 9858m,Public Law n/a.Regulation: 45 CFR �98.61
Who in Tennessee has won this program
13 awards to Tennessee groups since 2022. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | $326.4M spent that year | 2025 |
| Chambliss Center for Children | Chattanooga, Hamilton County | $1.7M spent that year | 2025 |
| Hamilton County, Tennessee | Chattanooga, Hamilton County | $1.3M spent that year | 2025 |
| Jmc Gen Hosp Dist Dba West Tennessee Heathcare and Related Affiliates | Jackson, Madison County | $504K spent that year | 2023 |
| Martha O'bryan Center, Inc. | Nashville, Davidson County | $498K spent that year | 2024 |
| Signal Centers, Inc. | Chattanooga, Hamilton County | $408K spent that year | 2024 |
| Shelby County Government | Memphis, Shelby County | $217K spent that year | 2025 |
| Lee University | Cleveland | $73K spent that year | 2025 |
| Lawrence County, Tennessee | Lawrenceburg, Lawrence County | $68K spent that year | 2024 |
| Mid-Cumberland Community Action Agency | Gallatin, Sumner County | $48K spent that year | 2024 |
| City of Tullahoma | Tullahoma, Coffee County | $42K spent that year | 2023 |
| The University of the South | Sewanee, Franklin County | $3,880 spent that year | 2025 |
Source: Federal Audit Clearinghouse.
Tennessee groups that got this money through a state agency or another organization
This federal money also reaches local groups as pass-through grants. In Tennessee, Tennessee Department of Human Services and Tennessee Department of Education and Tennessee Department of Health pass it on: watch those agencies for applications, not the federal agency. 91 pass-through grants on file. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Through | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signal Centers, Inc. | Chattanooga, Hamilton County | Tennessee Department of Human Services | $67.5M spent that year | 2025 |
| Signal Centers, Inc. | Chattanooga, Hamilton County | Tennessee Department of Human Services | $54.6M | 2025 |
| Signal Centers, Inc. | Chattanooga, Hamilton County | State of Tennessee | $33.2M spent that year | 2024 |
| Signal Centers, Inc. | Chattanooga, Hamilton County | Tennessee Department of Human Services | $32M | 2026 |
| YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South | Cordova, Shelby County | Tennessee Department of Human Services | $20M | 2023 |
| Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, Inc. | Nashville, Davidson County | Tennessee Department of Human Services | $18.7M | 2025 |
| Boys & Girls Clubs in Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | Tennessee Department of Human Services | $17.9M | 2023 |
| Tennessee Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs, Inc. | Knoxville, Knox County | Tennessee Department of Human Services | $16.4M spent that year | 2024 |
| Tennessee Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs. Inc. | Knoxville, Knox County | Tennessee Department of Health | $16.4M spent that year | 2024 |
| Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, Inc. | Nashville, Davidson County | Tennessee Department of Human Services | $12.2M spent that year | 2025 |
| Signal Centers Inc | Chattanooga, Hamilton County | Tennessee Department of Human Services | $6.9M | 2023 |
| Young Men's Christian Association of Middle Tennessee | Nashville, Davidson County | Tennessee Department of Human Services | $6.8M spent that year | 2024 |
Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).