Transforming Pediatrics for Early Childhood (TPEC) Program

The Transforming Pediatrics for Early Childhood (TPEC) Program is a federal funding opportunity administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The program is issued as a cooperative agreement under Assistance Listing 93.110, Special Projects of Regional and National Significance. The opportunity is designed to advance national priorities focused on improving early childhood development outcomes, preventing chronic disease early in life, and strengthening pediatric primary care systems that serve young children and their families. The program specifically aligns with the Department of Health and Human Services Make America Healthy Again priorities by encouraging early intervention and coordinated pediatric care models that address social, developmental, behavioral, and family support needs during early childhood. The purpose of the TPEC Program is to strengthen pediatric primary care systems through statewide or tribal implementation of team-based early childhood development services. Recipients are expected to place early childhood development experts within pediatric practices that primarily serve Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program populations. These embedded experts will support pediatric providers and care teams in conducting developmental screenings, connecting families with community-based services, identifying caregiver and child behavioral health concerns, and supporting healthy caregiver-child relationships. The funding opportunity emphasizes comprehensive pediatric care that addresses housing stability, nutrition, mental health, developmental milestones, and referral coordination. Recipients are also expected to improve statewide pediatric care infrastructure by building workforce capacity and supporting financing and administrative policies that sustain these integrated care models beyond the grant period. The program is expected to support approximately ten awards with an estimated total program funding amount of $9,500,000. The award ceiling is listed as $950,000. Although the award floor is shown as zero in the source material, the notice does not describe an actual minimum award amount, so applicants should interpret the program as supporting competitive awards up to the ceiling amount. The opportunity does not require cost sharing or matching contributions. Funding will support statewide implementation strategies, pediatric workforce training, quality improvement activities, embedded early childhood development expertise, referral coordination systems, and financing strategies that improve access to high-quality pediatric developmental services. The program also seeks measurable improvements in developmental outcomes and service delivery rates for children and families. Eligibility is broad and includes nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status, institutions of higher education, county governments, city or township governments, state governments, tribal governments, tribal organizations, school districts, special district governments, small businesses, and for-profit organizations other than small businesses. The opportunity defines domestic eligibility to include the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. Existing recipients funded under the FY 2022 TPEC opportunity are also eligible to apply. However, if those organizations receive funding under the new opportunity, their current award must be relinquished and replaced with the new project period. If they apply and are not selected, their existing funding continues through the originally approved project period. The opportunity is currently forecasted on Grants.gov. The estimated posting date is May 15, 2026, and the estimated application due date is June 15, 2026. Electronically submitted applications must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date. The estimated award date and project start date are both September 30, 2026. The forecast notice does not identify a required letter of intent, concept paper, pre-application phase, or mandatory preliminary submission requirement. The notice also does not provide detailed application forms, scoring criteria, or full application instructions because the opportunity has not yet been formally posted. Applicants should monitor the official opportunity page for release of the complete notice of funding opportunity and application package. The funding announcement identifies the Maternal and Child Health Bureau Division of Home Visiting and Early Childhood Systems as the program office contact. The listed phone number for the program is (301) 443-1440. The current forecast notice does not include a named individual contact person, program email address, or direct PDF notice link. The opportunity appears to be part of an ongoing federal pediatric and maternal-child health initiative, but the forecast notice does not explicitly confirm an annual recurring cycle. Organizations interested in applying should begin preparing statewide pediatric partnership strategies, early childhood development staffing models, Medicaid and CHIP service integration plans, and measurable outcome frameworks in advance of the formal release of the full funding announcement.

Emphasize statewide or tribal reach, measurable early childhood development outcomes, team-based pediatric care integration, and strong referral coordination systems serving Medicaid and CHIP populations.