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Head Start News
Head Start News provides timely information for Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start programs about regulatory requirements, Office of Head Start priorities, and Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) for DRS grant competitions, as well as tips, strategies, and resources to support compliance and continuous program improvement.
If you followed our DRS Updates blog before, you will want to sign up for this new blog now! When there is a forecasted or open DRS competition, we will use Head Start News to continue to share tips, strategies, and resources to help agencies in DRS, at risk of being in DRS, or those wishing to compete for the service areas to submit the most competitive application.
The Head Start News blog is published a minimum of quarterly. Subscribing also gives you access to our Monthly Round Up, where we highlight blog posts from both of our blogs, upcoming events, and newsworthy research and reflections.
How to Leverage Efficiencies in DRS Planning
While there is uncertainty about the future of Head Start, children and families are being served and the core aspects of the federal program continue on – including DRS. We understand that having a program in DRS can be unsettling. With the right planning and tools, the process can go smoothly and successfully. Here, we talk about what to expect for the next round of DRS and how you can leverage efficiencies in planning.
Early 2025 DRS Grant Competitions Delayed
The upcoming round of DRS was scheduled to open for competition on Tuesday, January 28, 2025. Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) were not released as scheduled. The forecast for these grants has not been updated with a new timeline.This week, federal grant recipients, including Head Start grantees, experienced uncertainty about their immediate funding and future of their grants. While it’s unclear when currently forecasted grant opportunities will move forward, we encourage programs awaiting a DRS competition to use this time to prepare.
DRS Grants Forecasted to Open for Competition in January 2025
Last week, a Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) for Designation Renewal System (DRS) grant opportunities was forecasted on grants.gov.Per grants.gov, the geographic areas and funding amounts for the NOFOs include the following.Head Start/Early Head Start Recipient - Multiple Communities in CO, DE, LA, NC, OK, OR, TN, TX
8 DRS NOFOs Posted and Applications Due March 26
On January 24, 2024, eight Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) for Designation Renewal System (DRS) grant opportunities posted on grants.gov. Grant applications are due March 26, 2024. In addition to accessing NOFOs on grants.gov, they are downloadable from the Office of Head Start (OHS) NOFO Locator.
December 2023 DRS Recap: Closed, Open, and Coming Soon
This has been a busy fall for DRS grant competitions, and new activity continues on grants.gov. Here, we recap all of the moving pieces as we head into the new year.Grant Competitions Recently Closed: This fall’s largest round of DRS competitions closed on December 14, 2023. A majority of the 30 Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) that were released on October 12 had proposals due last week and applicants now await review and notification.
Early 2024 DRS Grant Competitions Forecasted
Today, the Office of Head Start (OHS) forecasted four additional DRS Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) on grants.gov. This DRS season has seen NOFOs forecasted and posted on a variety of timelines, as we summarized in Status of Grant Competitions and Resources for Applicants.
Status of DRS Grant Competitions and Resources for Applicants
This fall, there has been a lot of activity related to DRS on grants.gov. Currently, there are grant competitions that are about to close, newly opened competitions, and other grants that are forecasted but have not yet posted. Below is a breakdown of what we know about the status of DRS competitions. We also highlight a few new resources made available by the Office of Head Start (OHS).
Additional DRS NOFO Forecasted – More to Come?
This week, there was new activity on grants.gov as an additional DRS grant opportunity was forecasted. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), however, is on a different timeline than the 30 active NOFOs that were published in October. Here’s what you need to know.
Changes Coming to Grants.gov
Later this month, October 28-31, Grants.gov will be down for maintenance. We are highlighting this outage for two reasons. First, it falls during the DRS application period. Second, following maintenance, Grants.gov will be different. A blog post from Grants.gov describes the planned update as resulting in a “new look and feel” and with a “more intuitive and responsive user experience.”
What to Do While you Wait for DRS NOFOs
There are 50 Head Start/Early Head Start grants forecasted for which Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) were forecasted to be released on September 5. One week later, the NOFOs have not yet posted to grants.gov. If your program is waiting for a NOFO, we understand that this delay can create wrinkles in your planning. Below are a few ways you might use the time while you wait.
Preparing for Grant Writing Success: How to Use the “Pre-NOFO” Time Strategically
There are 50 Head Start/Early Head Start grants forecasted to open for competition next month and many grantees are awaiting the posting of the Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO). NOFOs are scheduled to post to grants.gov on September 5, 2023, just three weeks away.The roughly eight-week turnaround time from a NOFO posting to applications being due goes very quickly. Leveraging the “pre-NOFO” time strategically can help to set a program on a path to successful grant writing. Here are a few tips for how you might use the time.