State of Hope applications open on June 1

The 2021 grant application cycle for the State of Hope initiative will be opening on June 1, 2021. State of Hope is a state initiative operated by the Georgia Division of Family & Children Services that seeks to encourage nonprofits, philanthropies, government, businesses and communities to collaborate closely to build local safety nets that will prevent conditions that contribute to disparities in education, threaten a family’s self-sufficiency and could lead to child abuse and neglect. Over the past four years the State of Hope (SOH) Ecosystem has grown to include over 250 designated sites throughout Georgia that are actively engaged in positively impacting child well-being in their communities through the four opportunities of hope:

1. Education – develop children and youth who are ready for life
2. Trauma-informed – build communities that are trauma-informed and responsive
3. Quality caregiving – provide stable relationships through supported and responsive caregivers
4. Economic self-sufficiency  – strengthen and support individuals and families to achieve independence

In March 2020, the state released its State Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Plan that will be effective from 2020 – 2029. Over the next decade, six objectives were identified in this plan as community conditions that must change in order for collective action to work and achieve Georgia’s vision for prevention:

1. Increase family economic stability
2. Increase family resiliency
3. Increase access to early childhood education
4. Increase family mental health
5. Increase family physical health
6. Increase community knowledge and awareness of the societal factors that contribute to child abuse and neglect and the capacity to prevent it.

This year, funding considerations will prioritize supporting big ideas that address one or more of Georgia’s six objectives for prevention within the framework of the four opportunities of hope.

Interested organizations can learn more by visiting the Georgia DFCS – State of Hope website on June 1. The deadline to submit is June 18, 2021. For questions and additional information prior to June 1, please contact stateofhope@dhs.ga.gov.