Reflective Supervision in Home Visiting Research Awards

The Reflective Supervision in Home Visiting Research Awards program is offered by the Administration for Children and Families through its Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, a division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This federal funding opportunity is designed to advance research and evaluation in early childhood home visiting programs, specifically focusing on reflective supervision practices. Reflective supervision is a widely recognized approach used to support home visiting staff by strengthening their professional skills, improving performance, and helping them manage the emotional demands of their work. The agency seeks to deepen the evidence base around this practice by funding rigorous research projects that can inform policy, program development, and service delivery across the home visiting field. The primary purpose of this opportunity is to support research projects that utilize the Supervisor Practices in Reflective Supervision Home Visiting measure. This tool, developed by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, is intended to assess supervisory practices within home visiting contexts. Funded projects must contribute to a clearer understanding of reflective supervision by exploring its measurement, examining its relationship to outcomes, or developing tools that improve its implementation in practice. Projects may also investigate how reflective supervision varies across different populations, settings, or program structures. All research efforts are expected to generate findings that are relevant to practitioners, policymakers, and researchers in early childhood and family support systems. Funding is structured to support approximately three awards, with individual project budgets ranging from two hundred thousand dollars to three hundred thirty thousand dollars. The total available funding for the program is nine hundred ninety thousand dollars. Each award will support a two year project period with a single budget period. The program does not require cost sharing or matching funds, allowing applicants to focus entirely on the proposed research activities. However, there are restrictions on the use of funds, including prohibitions on construction, real property acquisition, and certain types of activities such as diversity equity and inclusion related work as defined in the notice. All expenditures must comply with federal regulations and cost principles outlined in 2 CFR Part 200. Eligibility for this opportunity is broadly defined, allowing a wide range of organizations to apply, including nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and other non federal entities. However, individuals, federal entities, and foreign organizations are explicitly excluded from eligibility. Applicants must demonstrate the capacity to conduct rigorous research and are required to partner with at least one program funded by the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program. Projects must include primary data collection, ensure data privacy and security, and produce findings that are disseminated publicly, including through open access publications. Each application must designate a principal investigator who will oversee the research and participate in collaborative activities organized by the funding agency. The application process requires submission through Grants.gov and includes multiple components such as a project narrative, budget and budget justification, organizational capacity documentation, and third party agreements. Applicants must also complete standard federal forms and adhere to strict formatting and submission guidelines. An optional notice of intent to apply is due prior to the full application deadline. Applications are evaluated through a competitive merit review process based on criteria including the significance of the research, the quality of the proposed methodology, dissemination plans, organizational capacity, budget justification, and alignment with agency priorities. Reviewers assess how well proposals address gaps in knowledge and contribute to the advancement of reflective supervision practices. Key deadlines include an optional notice of intent due on August 7, 2026 and a final application deadline of August 24, 2026. Awards are expected to be issued by late September 2026, with project activities beginning shortly thereafter. Applicants must maintain active registrations in federal systems such as SAM.gov and Grants.gov to be eligible for submission. Program staff are available to provide support and answer questions throughout the application process, with designated contacts for both programmatic and grants management inquiries. This opportunity represents a targeted investment in research that aims to strengthen the home visiting workforce and improve outcomes for children and families through evidence based supervisory practices.

Focus on strong research design and alignment with SuPRS HV measure; demonstrate partnerships with MIECHV programs; clearly address evaluation criteria and dissemination plan