TDHS Launches Pilot Program

Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) is taking a groundbreaking step to transform the way Tennessee serves its most vulnerable families….with the launch of the Tennessee Opportunity Pilot Initiative. Over the next four years, this initiative will provide up to $5 million in Planning Grants and $175 million in Implementation Grants to further the Department’s vision of fundamentally changing the way government assistance is delivered to families in Tennessee.

The first phase will award Planning Grants of up to $500,000 each to public-private partnerships dedicated to developing innovative strategies that will move Tennesseans with economic, social, and developmental vulnerabilities beyond their current circumstances and on to self-sufficiency. Planning Grants will provide the resources needed for grantees to develop their vision, overall design, budget, and other important aspects required for their Tennessee Opportunity Pilot Implementation Grant proposals. Planning Grant applications must be submitted online no later than Friday, October 15, at 6PM. Next spring the Families First Community Advisory Board will select the 6 Pilot Program grantees…2 from west Tennessee, 2 from middle Tennessee and 2 from East Tennessee…those 6 will receive up to $25 million in Implementation Grants over a three-year period. Those organizations that will be approved for one of these grants must be a Tennessee non-profit organization…a Development District…a local government agency…or Human Resource agency created pursuant to the Human Resource Agency Act of 1973. More information can be found on the website