The U.S. The Department of Health and Human Services has announced new tribal home-visiting grant awards.
The Peoria Tribe of Indians in Oklahoma; Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma; Owens Valley Career Development Center in California; Tule River Indian Health Center in California; Native American Community Services of Erie & Niagara in New York; and Kodiak Area Native Association in Alaska will divide the funds for new or existing home-visiting programs.
The government now funds 53 grants supporting rural and urban tribal organizations to establish “evidence-based” home-visiting departments across 110 tribal communities, according to an Aug. 11 Health and Human Services press release.
“Make American Healthy Again means improving outcomes for vulnerable women and their young children,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison in a press statement. “We know when evidence-based home visiting models are faithfully implemented, we can accurately predict the positive outcomes pregnant women, children, and families will achieve. ACF is proud to expand home visiting to tribal communities to deliver on better health, well-being, and school readiness outcomes.”
This most recent award is part of an ongoing expansion of tribal home-visiting program funding. The U.S. Administration for Children and Families last year provided a similar amount of funds to six other tribes that are part of the Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program. The federal initiative provides assistance to strengthen tribal government’s ability to promote the well-being of pregnant women and families with birth-to-kindergarten aged children.
Tribal home-visiting program funding doubled after the Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act of 2022. This means funding has increased from $12 million in 2022 to $36 million in 2025 and will increase to $48 million by 2027.
The HHS press release stated tribes have a high percentage of completed wellness visits for children enrolled in home-visiting programs. These tribal programs also “consistently deliver on high rates of adult caregiver screenings” for domestic violence, economic strain, depression and substance abuse disorders.
In 2024, those who received tribal home-visiting grants served over 3,700 parents and children across nearly 2,000 homes — and 94% of families who participated received all of their recommended home visits.
“Home visiting provides families with the support they need to help their children thrive,” said Laurie Todd-Smith, deputy assistant secretary for Early Childhood Development, in a press statement. “By meeting families where they are with evidence-based services, we invest in stronger families, healthier children, and the power of parents to shape their children’s future.”
There are various steps tribes must take to remain in compliance with the grants. The first year of funding requires tribes to complete a “comprehensive community needs assessment,” the press release states, and must develop strategies to ensure their home-visiting services are evidence-based. Once the plan is approved, tribes must collect and report the program’s data and outcomes to the government for the next three years.
While many federally funded child welfare programs must be based on scientific evidence, tribal home-visiting services can operate intervention programs that are “either evidence-based or considered a promising approach,” according to ACF’s Office of Early Childhood Development.
One example of such a program is Family Spirit, which aligns with the federal government’s criteria. The program serves Indigenous mothers from birth through the child’s third birthday. It focuses on intergenerational behavioral health and was created in 1995.
Parents and caregivers of children under age 5, pregnant women and expectant fathers are among those eligible for the new services bolstered by the recent ACF grant awards.
Funding to implement tribal home-visiting programs expanded under Joe Biden’s former presidency. Last year, that administration invested over $30.8 million in the Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program.