ATLANTA – Nonprofits, philanthropies, government, businesses, individuals and all interested parties can now apply to receive potential funding, technical assistance and community support from the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) State of Hope (SoH) initiative. 

DFCS announced this week that round three of the application cycles for potential State of Hope designated sites is currently underway.

Led by the Georgia DFCS, and in partnership with Georgia State University (Child Welfare Training Collaborative) and Georgia Family Connection partnership, the State of Hope initiative provides opportunities for seed funding and specialized technical assistance to local entities with “big ideas” that address conditions that attribute to disparities in education, threaten a family’s self-sufficiency and lead to child abuse and neglect.

DFCS Division Director, Tom Rawlings said, “The State of Hope is a movement throughout Georgia to create communities where children are safe, thriving, and full of hope. Our mission is to cultivate family-centered support systems by connecting, equipping, and nurturing diverse community collaborators.”  

This initiative supports grass-roots innovative efforts that focus on one or more of four opportunities for hope: Education, being/becoming Trauma-Informed, Quality Caregiving and Economic Self-Sufficiency. These are the priority areas the agency believes will have the greatest impact on keeping children safe, strengthening families and empowering communities.

In previous years, applicants not selected to receive funding, may still receive an invitation to become a member of the Hope Ecosystem -- a network that enables State of Hope sites to connect and collaborate with fellow sites, receive technical resources and support, and access additional funding opportunities. 

New this year, previously funded sites can apply for additional funding to continue their great work!  Also new this year, member sites in the HOPE Ecosystem who were not funded may reapply for SoH funding.

Dahlia Bell-Brown, Deputy Division Director of Strategy, Innovation & Engagement at DFCS said, “We invite everyone who cares about their community, believes they can make a difference, and wants families and children to thrive to apply to join this movement.  Applications are open to individuals (13 years of age and older), organizations and collaborative groups.”

The deadline to submit an application is April 10.  To learn more or participate in the State of Hope initiative, go to dfcs.georgia.gov/state-hope.  For more information, questions or to be added to the State of Hope mailing list, please email [email protected].