Head Start/Early Head Start Recipient -- Communities in the state of Alabama | HHS 2023 ACF OHS CH R4 0177

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2023 ACF OHS CH R4 0177

This grant opportunity, titled "Head Start/Early Head Start Recipient -- Communities in the state of Alabama" (Funding Opportunity Number HHS 2023 ACF OHS CH R4 0177), is a discretionary grant offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Head Start (OHS). The purpose is to fund organizations that will operate Head Start and/or Early Head Start programs for eligible children and families in Alabama. In practical terms, the award is meant to support comprehensive early childhood services for infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children from low-income families, typically including early learning, health screenings and follow-up, family support services, and other required Head Start program components.

Funding under this announcement is tied to three distinct, pre-defined service areas within Alabama rather than being a single statewide award. Each service area has its own available funding level, and applicants are expected to review the official "Link to Additional Information" referenced in the notice to see exactly which communities are open for competition and what dollar amounts are associated with each area. This matters because applicants generally need to target their application to one or more specific service areas and demonstrate the local capacity, partnerships, and operational plan to deliver services in those communities.

A wide range of entities may apply. Eligible applicants include public agencies (state, county, and city or township governments), independent school districts, public and private institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (federally recognized), public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, and for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits). The announcement also explicitly welcomes community-based and faith-based organizations, reflecting OHS's interest in recruiting capable local operators with strong community ties, regardless of organizational type, as long as they can meet Head Start performance standards and grant requirements.

The funding instrument is a grant, and the activity category is listed as Income Security and Social Services under CFDA 93.600 (Head Start). The notice lists an award ceiling of $14,445,060 and anticipates approximately five awards, indicating that the competition may result in multiple grantees across the three Alabama service areas, potentially with more than one award depending on how the service areas and funding amounts are structured. Applicants should use these figures as upper-bound context for the competition overall while relying on the service-area-specific funding levels in the additional information link for the amounts they can realistically request.

Key timing and submission details are also included. The opportunity was created on November 10, 2022, with an original application deadline of January 24, 2023. Applications were required to be submitted electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the due date. While those dates reflect the specific cycle described in the notice, the operational takeaway is that Head Start competitions are deadline-driven and require fully completed electronic submissions, so applicants generally need to plan well in advance to assemble program narratives, budgets, governance materials, community assessments, and documentation showing readiness to operate a Head Start/Early Head Start program in the targeted communities.

The announcement also highlights a SAM.gov system alert about entity validation delays. Because SAM.gov can take longer than usual to validate an entity's legal business name and address, applicants are urged to start SAM registration or updates early to avoid last-minute submission problems. The notice points applicants to federal support resources for SAM-related issues (via the FSD knowledge base link provided). This is especially important because an incomplete or delayed SAM registration can prevent an organization from submitting through federal systems or receiving an award, even if the application content is strong.

For questions or clarifications beyond what is posted in the official materials, the notice directs applicants to contact the OHS Operations Center by email at OHSgrants@koniag-gs.com. This contact channel is intended for administrative and process questions, including how to interpret the service area listings and other competition logistics.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families - OHS in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Head Start/Early Head Start Recipient -- Communities in the state of Alabama" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.600.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 10, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 24, 2023 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 pm Eastern Standard Time 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 $14,445,060.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, 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.

Apply for HHS 2023 ACF OHS CH R4 0177

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