DRS Grant Competitions Delayed Until Spring 2026

For programs awaiting a DRS competition, little information has been shared in recent months about the timeline for the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to be released. Usually, by late summer, a forecast for the NOFO is on Grants.gov and DRS competitions typically open in the fall or early winter. This time, those months came and went without any Head Start updates on Grants.gov. Earlier this week, the Office of Head Start (OHS) shared a communication with some programs about the timeline for DRS and what to expect next.Programs that had already been informed that they are in DRS received a communication from OHS that confirmed their agency was designated for competition. The communication also stated that DRS competitions are delayed due to “unforeseen circumstances” and that the NOFO for DRS grant competitions will be released in Spring 2026.This communication is helpful for programs who have been wondering and waiting, and also creates some questions about what comes next. The communication from OHS shared that they will be working with programs to “avoid any disruption in program services.” This likely means that programs will receive additional communication about submitting a continuation application to bridge any funding gaps. This is not uncommon when funding timelines do not align and will help to ensure that children and families receive continuous services.We understand that there are some programs in the final year of their 5-year grant who anticipate having to compete in DRS but have not yet received notification. In these cases, it seems possible that notifications may still go out alerting grantees to their DRS designation. This could happen at the time when a program would typically receive their funding guidance letter.We expect that programs will have at least a month, and likely more, to use this additional time to prepare for a DRS competition. Check out some of our early blog posts for tips and strategies: Waiting for a DRS NOFO? How to Use Your Time and How to Leverage Efficiencies in DRS Planning. And, as a reminder, signing up for updates on Grants.gov. is one of the best ways to stay in the loop about funding opportunities. We will also continue to post updates about DRS announcements as they arise.Foundations for Families offers a variety of Consulting Services to support programs in DRS. If your program has the capacity to write its own grant application but needs help with the timeline, template, and process, consider Foundations for Families’ DRS Toolkit. Contact us to learn more. We would be glad to talk with you about your programs needs and how to ensure a high-quality and on-time application.Thank you.Thank you for reading our blog. We encourage you to use our blog posts for thought, integration, and sharing. When using or sharing content from blog posts, please attribute the original content to Foundations for Families.