Administration for Children and Families

What Administration for Children and Families does

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, headquartered at 330 C Street, S.W., Washington D.C. ACF administers a portfolio of 19 program offices that deliver services and funding for children, youth, families, and vulnerable populations, including foster care, child support enforcement, Head Start early childhood education, refugee resettlement, family violence prevention, and human trafficking response. The agency operates 10 regional offices across the United States — Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, Denver, San Francisco, and Seattle — providing direct coordination with state-level service delivery. All 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico have joined the A Home for Every Child initiative, demonstrating nationwide jurisdictional reach.

ACF's technology infrastructure includes Predictive Risk Modeling (PRM) tools integrated into child welfare systems for real-time, data-driven risk assessment, and a public State Child Welfare Performance Dashboard providing transparent state-by-state outcome data. The agency issues joint guidance with the U.S. Department of the Treasury on financial programs such as Fostering the Future Accounts for youth in foster care, indicating cross-agency technology and policy coordination.

ACF does not sell products or services commercially. It operates through federal appropriations and distributes funding to states, territories, and program offices. The business model is fundamentally that of a public agency — funding flows from congressional appropriations downward through ACF to state agencies and service providers, rather than revenue flowing upward from customers. There is no commercial pricing, no API or SDK offering, no developer-facing integrations, and no equity ownership. ACF is publicly operated, funded through federal budget processes, and has no parent company in the corporate sense beyond its location within HHS.

Name

Administration for Children and Families

Legal name

Administration for Children and Families

Website

https://acf.hhs.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that administers programs for children, youth, families, and vulnerable populations across all 50 states through 19 program offices and 10 regional offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Social Services - Child Welfare Administration

NAICS

Administration of Education Programs (923110), Administration of Education Programs (92311), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Maternal, Child & Family Health Departments (HLAJAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Subsidy & Funding Compliance (CCDF/child care assistance program requirements) (EDACAKAN), Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG), Local Public Health & Human Services Administration (BPAIACAK), Tuition Assistance & Voucher/ESA Program Administration (EDADAHAF)

Keywords

• Child welfare services
• Foster care programs
• Child support enforcement
• Early childhood education
• Family assistance programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ACF is a federal agency that administers a portfolio of programs serving children, youth, families, and vulnerable populations through 19 program offices, including foster care, child support enforcement, Head Start early childhood education, family assistance (TANF), refugee resettlement, family violence prevention, and anti-trafficking services. It funds state agencies, sets national policy guidance, and operates 10 regional offices across the United States to coordinate federal-state child welfare programs.

Product overview

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ACF is not a commercial software product company; rather, it operates a portfolio of 19 distinct program offices and initiatives that administer social service programs for children, youth, families, and vulnerable populations. The portfolio includes offices such as the Children's Bureau, Office of Child Support Enforcement, Office of Head Start, Office of Refugee Resettlement, and others. ACF also operates 10 regional offices across the United States and provides public data tools including the State Child Welfare Performance Dashboard and Predictive Risk Modeling tools for child welfare modernization. The agency offers no commercial API products, software-as-a-service, or developer-facing integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Administration for Native Americans (ANA) Program office that administers Native American programs and provides financial assistance to Native American communities.
• Administration on Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF) Program office that administers programs serving children, youth, and families; oversees child welfare policy and modernization of child welfare technology including predictive risk modeling.
• Children's Bureau (CB) Program office that works to protect children and strengthen families through policy, grants, and data initiatives.
• Early Childhood Development (ECD) Program office that coordinates early childhood programs and services across ACF.
• Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) Program office that provides services to runaway and homeless youth and families.
• Office of Child Care (OCC) Program office that administers child care programs and provides resources for child care services.
• Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) Program office that works with states to help children receive financial support from both parents.
• Office of Community Services (OCS) Program office that administers community services block grants and social service programs.
• Office of Family Assistance (OFA) Program office that administers Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and related programs.
• Office of Family Violence and Prevention Services (OFVPS) Program office that administers programs to prevent family violence and provide services to victims.
• Office of Head Start (OHS) Program office that administers Head Start and Early Head Start programs for early childhood development.
• Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response (OHSEPR) Program office that ensures preparedness and response capabilities for human services emergencies.
• Office of Legislative Affairs and Budget (OLAB) Program office that handles legislative affairs and budget matters for ACF.
• Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation (OPRE) Program office that conducts planning, research, and evaluation of ACF programs.
• Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Program office that administers programs for refugees and other eligible populations.
• Office of Regional Operations (ORO) Program office that manages ACF's 10 regional offices across the United States.
• Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) Program office that administers programs to prevent and respond to human trafficking.
• Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS) Program office that provides data matching across state public assistance programs to prevent fraud and improve program integrity.
• Unaccompanied Alien Children Office of the Ombuds (UACOO) Program office that provides ombudsman services for unaccompanied alien children.
• A Home for Every Child Initiative Nationwide initiative with all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico to strengthen families and increase foster family recruitment.
• Fostering the Future Accounts Joint guidance with U.S. Department of the Treasury to help states establish savings accounts for youth in foster care.
• State Child Welfare Performance Dashboard Public dashboard providing transparent, state-by-state data on safety and permanency outcomes for children in foster care.
• Predictive Risk Modeling (PRM) Tools ACF-integrated tools that generate real-time, data-driven risk assessments to strengthen child safety, improve workforce capacity, enhance caregiver recruitment and matching, and advance better outcomes for children and families.

Quantifiable outcome

• All 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico have joined the A Home for Every Child initiative
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• U.S. Department of the TreasurycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACF and the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued joint guidance to help states establish Fostering the Future Accounts for youth in foster care. This represents a significant inter-agency collaboration on financial programs benefiting children in the child welfare system.
• All 50 U.S. StatescoreOthersAll 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico have joined the A Home for Every Child initiative, creating nationwide momentum to strengthen families and increase recruitment of foster families.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: Sibling HHS operating division that administers federal health-benefit programs (Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP) to vulnerable populations. Directly comparable as a federal agency distributing funding and policy guidance to states for human services.
• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA): HHS operating division that administers federal health-care programs for underserved populations (health centers, maternal/child health, Ryan White). Comparable as a federal grant-making and policy agency serving vulnerable families and children.
• Administration for Community Living (ACL): HHS operating division focused on aging and disability services. Comparable as a federal human-services agency that funds state and community-based programs for at-risk populations.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): HHS agency leading public-behavioral-health efforts through grants and state partnerships. Comparable in structure as a federal agency distributing funding and policy guidance to state human services systems.
• USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS): Federal agency administering SNAP, WIC, school meals, and child-nutrition programs. Directly comparable in mission: federal-to-state distribution of benefits for low-income children and families.
• Office of the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families (ACYF): ACF sub-office that administers child welfare policy and oversees the predictive-risk-modeling initiative. Direct internal peer for technology-modernization and child-welfare policy.

Broad incumbents

• Social Security Administration (SSA): Independent federal agency administering Social Security, SSI, and survivor benefits. Comparable in scale and federal-state model for delivering benefits to children, families, and vulnerable populations.

Regional players

• California Department of Social Services: Largest U.S. state child-welfare agency, administering foster care, CalWORKs, and child care for ~30M residents. Comparable as a state-level implementing partner for ACF programs at significant scale.
• New York State Office of Children and Family Services: State-level child welfare and family services agency that directly receives ACF funding and implements federal child-welfare policy. Comparable as an ACF state-level implementing partner.
• UK Department for Education: UK government department responsible for children's services, early years, and family policy. Comparable as a national-government equivalent administering child welfare and family support programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ACFHHS
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCWBKgxPd3mMuv8agsCICHww
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChildrenAndFamilies
• Instagraminstagram.com/acf_gov

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Administration for Children and Families