On October 11, 2022, four of the eight Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) for Designation Renewal System (DRS) grant opportunities expected this fall were forecasted on grants.gov. At the NHSA Fall Leadership Institute, the Office of Head Start (OHS) announced that DRS grant competitions will be for service areas in Puerto Rico and seven states including Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.
So far, forecasts for grant opportunities in four states have been posted to grants.gov. Specific service areas up for competition within each state can be found on the Office of Head Start (OHS) Funding Opportunities website and are listed below.
Alabama
- Head Start/Early Head Start Grantee in Walker County
- Head Start/Early Head Start Grantee in Choctaw, Dallas, Marengo, and Wilcox Counties
- Head Start/Early Head Start Grantee in Jefferson County
Colorado
- Head Start/Early Head Start Grantee in Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Huerfano, Las Animas, and Pueblo Counties
Louisiana
- Head Start/Early Head Start Grantee in St. Landry Parish
Wisconsin
- Head Start/Early Head Start Grantee in Burnett, Clark, Rusk, Sawyer, Taylor and Washburn Counties
- Early Head Start Expansion and Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership Grant in Burnett, Clark, Rusk, Sawyer, Taylor and Washburn Counties
The estimated posting date for NOFOs is November 1, 2022. Applications are estimated to be due on January 3, 2023. The timeline for DRS grant competitions is 9 weeks. This is a typical turnaround time for OHS grant applications, however this timeline extends across multiple holidays.
We recommend getting an early start on your application planning if your program is in DRS. Map out roles and responsibilities of your grant writing team. Build a timeline before the NOFO is released so that expectations are clear and be sure to note when team members may be unavailable due to time off during the holidays.
If your program is feeling stretched by the upcoming DRS timeline, we may be able to help with customized services at the beginning, middle, and end of your grant writing process.
Beginning: Foundations for Families offers services to help programs get ready for a competitive grant. Every competitive grant application has required criteria and having data at your fingertips will help your program respond to those criteria. We can help your program to gather data you will need – for example, estimated numbers of eligible children (income-eligible, children in foster care, children experiencing homelessness, children receiving public assistance) and children with disabilities.
Middle: Before submitting your application, Foundations for Families team members can conduct detailed technical and content reviews of your proposal and provide feedback aligned to the grant requirements and evaluation criteria. The purpose of this Quality Assurance Review is to strengthen your application’s compliance and competitiveness.
End: The importance of timely and accurate data entry and submission of application components in grants.gov cannot be underestimated. When submission through grants.gov is required, Foundations for Families is available to provide step by step support through this final stage in the application process. Grants.gov Submission Support will ensure your program’s application is submitted according to all grant requirements.
Leveraging the time between now and when DRS NOFOs are released will help to support a smooth and successful grant writing process. If your program needs assistance preparing for or submitting your grant proposal, please contact us.
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