Choose Life Fund Grant

The Choose Life Fund Grant is administered by the Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY), a state agency responsible for programs that support the well-being of children, youth, and families across Ohio. This funding opportunity is authorized under Ohio Revised Code 5180.72 and Ohio Administrative Code 5180-74-01, establishing a statutory framework for distributing funds to eligible nonprofit organizations that provide services to pregnant women and infants in adoption-related circumstances. The program is structured as a state fiscal year grant covering the period from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, and is designed to formalize funding agreements through a completed and executed application that serves as the binding grant contract. The primary purpose of the Choose Life Fund is to support nonprofit organizations that provide material assistance and direct services to pregnant women who are planning to place their children for adoption, as well as infants awaiting placement with adoptive families. Funding is intended to address essential needs such as clothing, housing, medical care, food, utilities, and transportation. The program also allows a portion of funds to be used for counseling, training, and advertising activities that directly support these populations. However, strict statutory limitations apply to the use of funds, including a prohibition on administrative expenses, legal costs, and capital expenditures. The funding structure imposes clear expenditure requirements to ensure alignment with legislative intent. Grantees must allocate no more than 60 percent of funds toward material needs and no more than 40 percent toward counseling, training, or advertising. These allocations must be verified through one of three acceptable reporting methods: an audited financial statement, a notarized financial statement, or a standardized expenditure tracking form. Additionally, grantees are required to return any unused funds exceeding 10 percent of the total award by July 1, 2027, reinforcing accountability and efficient use of public resources. Eligibility for the program is limited to nonprofit organizations that are physically present in the county for which they are applying and that provide services to pregnant women within that county. Applicants may submit separate applications for each service location if operating in multiple counties. The program also allows organizations located outside a county to apply for funding in that county if they can demonstrate service provision to residents there. Funding distribution is determined at the county level, with allocations made equally among eligible applicants within each county, or redistributed to contiguous or other counties if no local applicants are available. The application process requires submission of a completed application form along with all required documentation by June 29, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Applications must be submitted via email to the designated DCY procurement inbox with a specified subject line. Required components include organizational information, verification of prior fund usage if applicable, and supporting financial documentation. For prior-year grantees, submission of an acceptable reporting form for the previous fiscal year is mandatory, while new applicants must complete supplier registration and submit a W-9 form. The application must be fully complete at submission, as incomplete applications will not be considered. Evaluation of applications is primarily based on eligibility compliance and certification of service provision to pregnant women in the specified counties. Applicants must attest to their service areas and demonstrate adherence to program requirements. The grant does not specify a competitive scoring rubric but emphasizes compliance, completeness, and alignment with statutory funding purposes. Once awarded, grantees enter into a formal agreement with DCY and must adhere to reporting, auditing, and record retention requirements, including maintaining documentation for up to eight years for audit purposes. The timeline for this opportunity includes an application opening date of May 28, 2026 and a submission deadline of June 29, 2026. An inquiry period for clarification questions runs from May 29 through June 12, 2026, during which applicants may submit questions via email. The grant period begins July 1, 2026 and ends June 30, 2027. While the program is tied to the state fiscal year and may recur annually, applicants must submit a new application each cycle. The funding agreement becomes effective upon execution by DCY and remains subject to state approval processes, including funding availability and issuance of a purchase order.

Ensure all required documentation is included at submission as incomplete applications will not be considered; strictly follow allocation rules for fund usage; verify county eligibility and submit separate applications per location; update supplier information prior to submission