Collaborative Approaches to Adoption for Children with Complex Needs

This funding opportunity supports research-driven, collaborative efforts to improve adoption outcomes for children and youth with complex or high-acuity needs by identifying, evaluating, and scaling effective strategies to recruit, train, support, and retain adoptive families capable of meeting their unique demands. Projects must be led by researchers embedded within or in close partnership with child welfare agencies, ensuring real-world relevance and systemic integration. Priority is given to partnerships that involve Medicaid Section 1115 Research and Demonstration Projects, private adoption agencies, or community- and faith-based organizations to enhance coordination across systems. Applicants are required to conduct rigorous implementation studies that examine how the model operates in practice, alongside robust evaluations of its effectiveness using the strongest available research designs and analytical methods. The goal is to generate evidence that not only informs local practice but also contributes to the broader knowledge base on adoption interventions, building upon existing research to produce generalized, actionable insights for child welfare systems nationwide.