The Network Connection

VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 2 | NOVEMBER 2024

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This month, we’re recognizing National Adoption Month; National Family Caregivers Month; National Native American Heritage Month; National Veterans and Military Families Month; and National Youth Homelessness Outreach, Prevention, and Education (HOPE) Month. Please read on to learn about our next webinar, our latest resources, and other news from around the field. 

Register for Our Upcoming Webinar!

Making Connections with Kinship/Grandfamilies: Outreach Strategies That Work

3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET

We recently worked with two of our partners, ZERO TO THREE and the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging, to host a Learning Community for kinship programs on improving outreach strategies to families. This webinar will explore some of the key takeaways and strategies discussed during the learning community to help you connect with more kinship/grandfamilies, including building trust, partnering with schools, identifying local champions, and developing a social media presence. Learn ways to improve your program’s reach and visibility in your community and serve more families who need support. Our presenters are Kathy Kinsner, Senior Family Resources Manager, ZERO TO THREE, and Deborah Mathis, Communications Consultant, National Caucus and Center on Black Aging.

Since we launched our LinkedIn page in September 2023, we’ve shared dozens of resources, funding opportunities, and training events. We invite you to follow our page to keep up with our latest news between monthly issues of this newsletter.

Did you know that at least a third of all children who are adopted with public child welfare agency involvement are adopted by their relatives? Our LinkedIn post for National Adoption Month highlights this fact, along with the fact that many other people adopt their kin privately outside of child welfare. Join the conversation on LinkedIn!

The Network is responding free of charge to individual technical assistance (TA) requests from professionals who work in systems and organizations that serve kinship/grandfamilies. To request assistance on the array of issues impacting kinship/grandfamilies, please complete our request assistance form.

For one of our several peer-to-peer learning communities in 2024 we worked with the National Family Support Network to bring together kinship navigators and Family Resource Centers (FRCs) in three state FRC networks that had expressed an interest in augmenting their kinship services. Each state met three times individually and forged relationships and shared resources that previously had not been shared. One of those states is taking the next step and learning more about replicating one of the six kinship navigation models in the Title IV-E Clearinghouse, thanks to connections made through Network staff. All of the stakeholders have expressed interest in remaining connected, and we look forward to continuing to help support them. A written resource that documents learnings from these communities will be released in early 2025.  

Network Director Ana Beltran recorded a training as part of the Minnesota Grand-Families project produced by the Northland Diversity in Aging Series. Ana’s video is Part 5: Expert Lecture.

The Network’s TA specialists are available to present virtually and free of charge to stakeholders in your community. They can speak to Network offerings or a specific area of interest impacting kin. Since launching in October 2021, Network staff members and partners have presented to statewide kinship work groups and other kinship stakeholders in many states, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Contact us for a presentation any time!

This opportunity offers individualized technical assistance to help states reduce homelessness by addressing health-related social needs. This second cohort of the Accelerator will again bring together interdisciplinary teams to tackle common issues, such as navigating payment models and rates, data integration and sharing, and more. Each participating team will include representatives from the state’s Medicaid agency, as well as state and community organizations focused on homelessness and housing (including Continuums of Care and public housing authorities), disability and aging (including No Wrong Door systems, centers for independent living, and Area Agencies on Aging), mental health and substance use, public health, and more.

The Administration for Community Living and the Administration for Children and Families are interested in applications that include child welfare systems. To learn more about the first 2024 cohort of states, visit https://acl.gov/HousingAndServices/Accelerator-2024. 

Qualifying for Benefit Continuation After You Turn 18

U.S. Social Security Administration

This two-page fact sheet can be shared directly with families to help them understand what to expect with regard to a youth’s Supplemental Security Income after they turn 18. More information is available on the Youth Toolkit webpage. 

Spark Good Local Grants from Walmart U.S. Stores, Sam’s Clubs, and Distribution Centers award local cash grants ranging from $250 to $5,000. Organizations may have a combined total number of 25 submitted and/or approved applications at any given time in the calendar year. The next application deadline is Tuesday, December 31, 2024.

The notice of funding opportunity for grants for Head Start/Early Head Start Recipient – Multiple Communities in AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MT, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, PR, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI is now available. The Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start (OHS) is soliciting applications from public or private non-profit organizations, including community-based and faith-based organizations, and for-profit organizations that wish to compete for funds to provide Head Start and/or Early Head Start services to eligible children and families. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, January 6, 2025.

The notice of funding opportunity for Early Head Start Expansion and Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership Grants – Multiple Communities in GA, LA, MD, MI, NJ, NY, OH, VA, WI is now available. The Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start (OHS) is soliciting applications from public or private non-profit organizations, including community-based and faith-based organizations, and for-profit organizations that wish to compete for funds to provide high-quality, comprehensive services to low-income infants and toddlers and their families through Early Head Start-Child Care (EHS-CC) Partnerships, or through the expansion of Early Head Start services. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, January 6, 2025. 

Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) Planning, Implementation, and Resident Grants are available from the American Academy of Pediatrics. To be considered for funding, an initiative must: be led by a pediatrician, fellowship trainee, pediatric resident, or pediatric advance practice provider; focus on building strong community partnerships; serve those who are underserved/experience health disparities; provide access to services that lead to optimal child health and well-being; have measurable outcomes; and plan for sustainability. Applications are due by Tuesday, January 21, 2025.

New Federal Rule Supports Kinship Families in Foster Care

Fall 2024 edition of “The Guardian,” the quarterly law journal published by the National Association of Counsel for Children

This article, written by Network Director Ana Beltran, provides background information and guidance regarding last year’s new federal rule allowing title IV-E agencies to adopt kin-specific licensing/approval standards. The rule requires agencies to provide the same foster care maintenance payments to kin who meet kin-specific licensing/approval standards that they provide to non-kin. 

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Participants Can Use Uber Eats and Door Dash to Order Eligible Items for Delivery

Both Uber Eats and Door Dash allow people to buy eligible items using their SNAP/EBT card. People who sign up with Uber Eats can get free delivery for three months.

USDA Announces Approval of D-SNAP for Virginia Disaster Areas 

November 15, 2024

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that residents in parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia may be eligible to participate in the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP). In total, D-SNAP is available in 152 eligible counties and two Tribes across the states impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

U.S. Department of Education Announces Final Beta Testing Period for the 2025-26 FAFSA Form

November 14, 2024

The final testing period for the 2025–26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) has two phases: Beta 4 and Expanded Beta 4. In Expanded Beta 4, any interested student or family will be able to access the online form. The form will exit beta testing and be officially released by December 1. The Network submitted a public comment to make the FAFSA more inclusive of kinship families; our suggested edits are noted in redline. The Network’s Kinship/Grandfamilies & the FAFSA: College Financial Aid provides detailed instructions for those helping kinship/grandfamilies complete the form. We will update it as needed once the new FAFSA form is in use.

Biden-Harris Administration to End Online Junk Fees for Low-Income Families Paying for School Meals

November 1, 2024

Students eligible for free and reduced-price school meals must not be charged junk fees along with the cost of a meal served through the School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program. This policy will go into effect for school year 2027-2028, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) encourages schools to implement the requirement as soon as possible. After this first step, the USDA plans to eliminate online junk fees for all families regardless of income level to further remove barriers to healthy meals.

FHFA Simplifies Process for Nonprofits, Other Project Applicants to Receive FHLBank Funding for Affordable Housing  

October 31, 2024

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) issued an Advisory Bulletin (AB) that simplifies the process for project sponsors to receive Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLBank) funds for affordable housing projects.

Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Will Now Cover Traditional Health Care Practices Provided by Indian Health Service (IHS) Facilities, Tribal Facilities, and Urban Indian Organizations

October 16, 2024

For the first time ever, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved section 1115 demonstration amendments that allow for this coverage. The action is expected to improve access to culturally appropriate health care and improve the quality of care and health outcomes for tribal communities in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Oregon, and will support IHS, Tribal, and urban Indian organization facilities in serving their patients. 

Medicare Open Enrollment is Happening Now 

Many resources are available to help you assist the people you serve during this open enrollment season. The National Council on Aging has a webpage of Medicare resources for professionals. The National Training Program from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has resources and recordings of a two-day Medicare Open Enrollment Period Bootcamp. The recording and slides from the October 17, 2024 Title VI Afternoon Chat include information on Medicare open enrollment. Additionally, Justice in Aging has prepared a fact sheet, “Important Changes in 2025 to Special Enrollment Periods for Low-Income Medicare Enrollees." 

The Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network is the first-ever national technical assistance center for those who serve grandfamilies and kinship families. It was created to help guide lasting, systemic reforms. The Network is a new way to collaborate, to work across jurisdictional and systemic boundaries, to eliminate silos, and to help one another and be helped in return. Thank you for being part of it.

We'd love to hear from you! Please send any feedback on this newsletter to mweiss@gu.org.



The Network is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $9,950,000 with 95 percentage funded by ACL/HHS and $523,684 and 5 percentage funded by non-government sources. The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government.