FAQ: Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program

Funding Opportunity Number: HRSA-25-031

These Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) serve as a resource for MIECHV awardees in developing applications in response to the FY25 Non-Competing Continuation Update. Awardees are advised to fully read the FY25 NCC Update (PDF - 848 KB) in its entirety for complete information.

Additional resources

Technical Assistance Webinar – A recording of the March 13th webinar outlining instructions and helpful hints to avoid common pitfalls.
TA Resources – Awardees may use optional TA Resources and budget narrative sample to assist in filling out required attachments in the application. Awardees should have received the full set of optional TA resources in the communications on or around February 28, 2025, announcing the rescheduled TA webinar. Awardees can also connect directly with their HRSA Project Officers over the phone to discuss any questions, or consider options for responding to the FY25 NCC Update. Additionally, the TARC TA team is available to help assist awardees.
EHBs Applicant User Guide (PDF) – This guide will provide detailed instructions on how to access and submit the FY25 NCC Update through HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks (EHBs).
Matching Funds FAQs – Awardees can find a list of FAQs about matching funds on the MIECHV Reauthorization webpage.

Funding and eligibility

What are the major changes made in FY25?

In many places throughout the FY25 NCC Update, HRSA is asking awardees to ONLY describe changes to service delivery or any new activities. If an awardee is not proposing changes or new activities, it is appropriate for them to respond in their narrative that they are not proposing to make changes or implement new activities. For example, an applicant’s response could simply be “[Insert awardee name] is not proposing any new activities with this award.” Budgeted items may include ongoing activities from prior years and do not necessarily need to be described in the program narrative if they are continuing activities.

Awardees should not propose any new activities that do not align with administration priorities.

Major changes include:

HRSA has streamlined the formatting and structure of the FY25 NCC Update guidance to improve readability, and make applying for this funding opportunity easier.
Awardees will receive one award that consists of base funds and federal matching funds, if they choose to apply for them. Additional matching funds are included in the total federal matching fund ceiling amount for awardees that previously expressed interest in applying for them.
- For additional information on matching funds, see the MIECHV Program Reauthorization webpage.
Administrative expenditures are now simply defined as administrative indirect costs.
- Awardees will only need to include their planned indirect cost amount based on their indirect cost rate or allocation plan, as in previous years.
- If indirect costs do not exceed 10% of the total federal award, no additional information is required.
- If administrative costs exceed 10% and the awardee is requesting an exception for up to 15% of the total award, only a brief description of the request and qualifying criteria in the indirect cost section of the budget narrative is required. For example, an applicant’s response could be, “Our approved indirect cost rate is X% of salaries and fringe benefits. Our indirect cost rate agreement has been attached as Attachment 4. Exception Request: We are requesting an exception to the limit on administrative costs to allow for 11% total administrative costs on this award. This exception is requested as we are beginning the process of expanding to new communities identified through our needs assessment, and we have budgeted additional personnel time for increased administrative activities needed that will support the program as we undertake this work.”
- Awardees no longer have to submit a separate detailed line-item breakdown and description of activities for administrative cost in their budget narrative.
- For additional information, see the Budget section of this FAQs page.
HRSA has made several changes to attachments and created optional TA templates for awardee use. Please reach out to your HRSA Project Officer if you did not receive the optional TA templates.
- Formatting for optional Attachment 2 has been updated to reduce duplication.
- An additional TA template has been created for the required Attachment 5: Model Developer Documentation for Model Enhancements.
- Administrative Cost Detail is no longer required as an attachment. Optional Attachment 7: Assurances Checklist may be used to document compliance with required program expectations and assurances listed in the Project Narrative.

How much total funding is available for FY25 MIECHV Base and Matching Grant Awards? Who is eligible to apply?

Approximately $491 million in total funding is available for FY25 MIECHV Base, Matching fund, and Additional Matching fund Awards.

Eligible applicants include the 56 eligible entities that currently receive FY24 MIECHV formula funding to continue to deliver and expand coordinated and comprehensive high-quality, and voluntary early childhood home visiting services to eligible families. Nonprofit organizations that provide services in states or jurisdictions that did not apply for and receive MIECHV Program – Base Grant Award funding in FY24 are also eligible to apply in FY25 so long as the state, territory, or jurisdiction funded in FY24 continues not to apply under this funding opportunity.

How were award ceiling amounts calculated?

In accordance with the Social Security Act, Title V, § 511(c)(4), as amended by Section 6101 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328), the following formula is applied to FY25 funding available to states, nonprofit organizations, and territories:

Base Funding – Per statute, the Base funds that awardees receive will remain stable each year based on the statutory formula for such funds, subject to the availability of appropriations. We calculated the base funding according to each state or jurisdiction’s share of children under the age of 5. We used the most recent U.S. Census data available before FY23 to determine this share. , To maintain stability, the total amount for which an applicant may apply was adjusted, where appropriate, to ensure that any available recipient funding does not fluctuate by more than 10% from each awardee’s FY21 award. There is a $1.0 million minimum base amount awarded to recipients.

Matching Funding – Matching fund allocations are determined by each awardee’s share of children under age 5 whose families have incomes below the poverty line, using the most recent U.S. Census data. Matching funding amounts are based on a statutory formula that sets a maximum federal matching allocation, which increases each fiscal year.

Applicants must meet the Maintenance of Effort (MOE) requirements to be eligible to receive base funds. Applicants also meet the MOE requirements and obligate non-federal matching funds to be eligible to receive federal matching funds. See the MIECHV Reauthorization webpage for more information on MOE requirements.

What is sequestration of the federal budget? What would happen if MIECHV funds were sequestered? How much is sequestration for FY25?

Sequestration is a budget enforcement tool Congress uses to reduce federal spending in order to meet established budget ceiling amounts. Typically, reductions are applied in a uniform percentage to appropriations annually and may vary from year-to-year. Sequestration applies to FY25 appropriations; the base and matching grant allocations are reduced by 5.7% to reflect funding availability.

How much in funding can eligible entities request?

Eligible entities may not request more than the total base grant award ceiling for their state or jurisdiction, and may choose to request less. For matching grants, eligible entities may request any amount up to the full allocation, commensurate with their available qualifying non-federal funds. Award ceiling amounts for each eligible entity were sent via the EHBs to MIECHV Program Directors and Authorizing Officials on or around February 17, 2025.

Base and Matching fund award amounts vary by state or jurisdiction, as determined by statutory formulas.

Applicants must demonstrate that they will meet the requirements outlined in the FY25 NCC Update with respect to obligations of non-Federal and Federal funds. Applicants are not required to apply for Matching funds. Applicants that apply for matching funds but contribute less than the full minimum in non-federal funds will see further adjustments to their federal matching funds award to reflect their reduced contribution.

When will awards be issued?

HRSA expects to issue Notices of Award prior to the project period start date of September 30, 2025.

What dates are the period of performance?

The period of performance, also called the project period, extends from September 30, 2025, to September 29, 2027.

Application submission

Where can I obtain a copy of the FY25 NCC Update?: The FY25 NCC Update (PDF - 848 KB) is accessible on the main MIECHV webpage and via EHBs.
When are applications due?: The application deadline is Monday, April 21, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. HRSA suggests submitting applications at least 3 business days before the deadline to allow for any unforeseen circumstances. Applications must be complete, within the specified 50-page limit, validated by EHBs under HRSA-25-031, and submitted prior to the deadline to be considered under this notice.
What is the activity code for this grant award?: The activity code for this grant is X10.

Project narrative

What are the current home visiting models eligible for MIECHV funding?

This year a total of 24 evidence-based models meet the Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness (HomVEE) criteria for early childhood home visiting service delivery models and are eligible for MIECHV funding.

What is in a complete FY25 NCC Update submission?

HRSA requires applicants to apply electronically through EHBs.

A complete submission includes four parts:

The first is completion of a standard OMB form: SF-424 Instructions for Application for Federal Assistance.

The remaining parts of the application must be uploaded under the applicable section:

FY25 Project Narrative;
FY25 Budget Narrative; and
Attachments
- Note: There are three required attachments for all applications this year. All other attachments should be submitted if applicable.

How should I report the number of participants served with non-federal funds identified for the match?

Awardees must provide an estimate for the number of participants served or that they plan to serve with the non-federal funds they used to qualify for the federal match with their FY24 MIECHV grant award.

Awardees must also provide the number of participants they plan to serve with the non-federal funds they have identified to qualify for the federal match in the FY25 NCC Update grant application.

If the non-federal funds identified provide direct services to support a caseload of families served, awardees must report the total number of participants (adults and index children) served or anticipated to be served. If this information is not available, awardees may need to develop an estimate. Awardees may consider using data available in state data systems, caseloads identified in contracts or by LIAs, or elsewhere.

If the non-federal funds identified do not directly support families being served, and rather support administrative activities or infrastructure for home visiting programs, awardees may need to calculate a proportion of the home visitor caseload those activities are supporting and project the number of participants (adults and index children) anticipated to be served during the reporting period.

Example: A state’s Department of Health commits $500,000 annually in state general funds for home visiting services which support a cumulative total of 300 participants. Of that $500,000, an awardee has identified $241,964 in state general funds to be committed as non-federal funds for the purposes of meeting the matching grant requirement, as reported in their FY24 MIECHV funding application.

The $241,964 in state general funds represents 48 percent of the total state general funds. Since the $500,000 in state general funds supports a cumulative total of 300 participants, the awardee may estimate that 48% of participants, or 144 participants, were supported with the $241,964 they identified.

Another method to consider is dividing the amount of non-federal funds identified by the cost per participant for providing home visiting. The cost per participant may be the cost for a single model or may be averaged across the models used in a state.

HRSA offers awardees the flexibility to estimate participants served or an awardee plans to serve based on available data. In either of these cases, awardees must provide a description of their method for developing estimates.

Awardees can also connect directly with their HRSA Project Officers to discuss any questions. The TARC TA team is also available to assist awardees.

*Note – territory awardees that requested a waiver of non-federal funds to obtain the match should report zero families served with non-federal funds.

What if my non-federal match is obligated on a state fiscal year basis and starts a few months before the period of performance?

So long as your non-federal funds are obligated in the same two-year period of performance as the MIECHV award, they do not have to cover the entire period of performance (9/30/2025 – 9/29/2027).

How do I find the Congressional Districts served?

Applicants have the option to pick a single congressional district for their state or all the congressional districts in their state. Applicants are required to both select from the drop-down menu and upload a document.

We recommend that applicants select “State-specific district” or “State-ALL Districts” from the dropdown menu, whichever option is correct for their MIECHV Program. Applicants can use the Census website to find the relevant congressional districts. For the document to be uploaded, we recommend applicants create a list or map of affected districts in a Word document, convert to PDF, and then attach.

How do I submit my program expectations and requirements this year that are outlined in the Project Narrative?

In last year’s Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) application, we asked awardees to provide a written response for each assurance in their project narrative. Since this year's guidance is an NCC Update, awardees will see an optional Assurances Checklist to support responses to this section of the Project Narrative. This may be included as optional Attachment 7: Assurances Checklist.

How should I report my Maintenance of Effort amount in the FY25 NCC Update?

Applicants are asked to assure that their FY25 MOE amount meets or exceeds their MOE amount from FY19 or FY21 (which were published in a Federal Register Notice on June 23, 2023), whichever is the lesser of the two. Applicants must meet this MOE requirement to receive MIECHV award funding in FY25. Applicants can provide the MOE amount and their assurance directly in their project narrative, or include in optional Attachment 7: Assurances Checklist.

What if I do not have MOE?

If an awardee does not anticipate reporting any MOE amount, and did not report any MOE in FY19 or FY21, they can simply provide their assurance that their MOE amount meets or exceeds the lesser of FY19 or FY21. Awardees can confirm their MOE amount for FY19 or FY21 in this Federal Register Notice published on June 23, 2023.

If an awardee’s FY25 MOE amount does not meet the requirement of meeting or exceeding the lesser of their MOE amount from FY19 or FY21, they must provide an explanation for circumstances leading to non-compliance, as well as any actions they have taken, or plan to take, to comply with the MOE requirement.

Can I apply for matching funds if my MOE is $0?

Yes. If there is no qualifying non-federal spending from FY19 or FY21, then there is no non-federal spending requirement to meet the MOE. In this case, the first dollar of non-federal funds spent can be applied to the non-federal matching contribution. See the Maintenance of Effort section on the MIECHV Reauthorization webpage for more information.

If I elect to implement a model enhancement, what do I need to submit in my application?

If awardees plan to use a new or continuing model enhancement, implemented in alignment with a MIECHV-funded home visiting model, they should provide in their project narrative a summary of the enhancement(s) to be implemented, including which Local Implementing Agencies (LIAs) will use the enhancement(s) and any training that has been or will be completed. Awardees must provide documentation of model developer concurrence as Attachment 5 or “Documentation of Model Enhancement” from the model developer with their application for any new model enhancement since the submission of their FY24 MIECHV NOFO application. Awardees that implement the same model enhancement in a new community must indicate that in their project narrative but do not need to submit documentation of model developer concurrence. Otherwise, awardees should clearly state that they are not implementing a model enhancement.

If awardees plan to use a new or continuing model enhancement with a MIECHV-funded home visiting model, they should describe the enhancement(s), including the information in this section for each enhancement. Otherwise, awardees should clearly state if there is no plan to use an enhancement. For each enhancement, awardees should include:

The proposed enhancement activities to be funded with the FY25 award and how the activities align with the scope of MIECHV.
The home visiting model that the enhancement(s) will support.
Which LIAs will use the enhancement(s) and how the enhancement(s) could change the LIA’s proposed caseload or eligibility of families.
Training that has been or will be provided.
A letter of concurrence from the model developer for new model enhancements, as Attachment 5, showing that using the enhancement does not alter core components of the model. Attachment 5 is not required for continuing model enhancements.

If I am planning to conduct virtual home visits, do I need to submit model developer concurrence as Attachment 5? What do I need to include in my application regarding virtual home visits?

If an awardee plans to conduct virtual home visits, they do not have to provide documentation of model developer concurrence as Attachment 5. Review the Project Narrative Section 3k – Virtual Home Visiting and Appendix – Model Enhancements of the FY25 NCC Update for more information regarding virtual home visiting application requirements.

What attachments do I need to include?

Attachments 1-3 are required for all applications. Attachments 4-6 are only required if applicable. Attachment 7 is optional. Awardees may include any other relevant documents as attachments 8-15.

Attachment 1: (required) Work Plan Timeline
Attachment 2: (required) Communities, Local Implementing Agencies, and Caseload of Family Slots
Attachment 3: (required) Current Organizational Chart
Attachment 4: (Only if applicable) Indirect Cost Rate Agreement or Allocation Plan*
Attachment 5: (Only if applicable) Model Developer Documentation for Enhancements
Attachment 6: (Only if applicable) New or Revised Written Agreements
Attachment 7: (Optional) Assurances Checklist
Attachments 8-15: Other Relevant Documents

*Does not count towards page limit

Will the Technical Assistance (TA) Resource Tables be made available again this year?

Yes. The FY25 NCC Update TA Resource Tables are available this year, and were sent through EHBs on or around January 17, 2025. A full set of resources was sent via email on or around February 28, 2025.

Do I have to use the templates included in the TA Resource Tables?

No. The FY25 NCC Update TA Resource Tables are for optional use. Awardees can use templates of their own, if they wish, as long as they include the required information outlined in the FY25 NCC Update.

Budget

How should I budget for the All-Grantee Meeting?

As indicated in the NCC Update, awardees must budget for required MIECHV meetings, including the All-Grantee Meeting (AGM). The next AGM is scheduled for November 2025. Awardees should budget for at least one in-person meeting for up to five people for five days during the period of performance (once every two years). If an awardee wants to budget for more than five people to attend, they should consult with their HRSA Project Officer. Further, if travel cannot be completed during the period of performance because of circumstances beyond their control, funds budgeted for travel may be re-budgeted. Awardees must ensure that AGM attendance has been budgeted. Awardees do not need to budget for the FY25 AGM in their FY25 NCC Update applications if they already budgeted for it under their FY24 awards.

How should I report the level of effort for home visitor personnel (e.g., full-time equivalent)?

In the Contractual section of the Budget Narrative, for each contract currently planned, awardees should include the level of effort for home visitor contract personnel and can use either of the following examples:

Example 1: HV 1: 100%; HV 2: 75%; HV 3: 50%; or HV 4: 50%; or
Example 2: 1 home visitor at 100% FTE; 1 home visitor at 75% FTE; 2 home visitors at 50% FTE.

For home visitor personnel working directly for awardee organizations, awardees should include the staff information including Full-Time Equivalency (FTE) in the Personnel Costs section of the Budget Narrative. Awardees should indicate the percentage of FTE funded under the award. Please see the Budget Narrative, Section a: Personnel Costs in the FY25 NCC Update for additional guidance.

Please note that HRSA reserves the right to request a more detailed, line-item breakdown for each contract.

How should I report service delivery expenditures in my application?

Awardees are no longer required to report recipient-level infrastructure expenditures. They must continue to budget for at least 75% of their federal award on expenditures to provide or support targeted, intensive home visiting services to families in the MIECHV communities they currently or plan to serve.

Examples of service delivery activity expenditures can include personnel, contracts, supplies, travel, equipment, rental, printing, and other costs. Additional examples can be found in the Glossary of Selected Terms (Appendix B) of the FY24 NOFO (PDF - 685 KB).

Awardees only need to ensure the proposed budget reflects plans to allocate at least 75% of funding toward service delivery activities in alignment with their project narrative. There is no requirement to separately identify or track and report on service delivery expenditures.

Does the 75% service delivery expenditure requirement apply to both the non-federal and federal matching funds?

No, all of the same MIECHV Program requirements for base funds also apply to federal matching funds. Unless you have prior approval from HRSA, you must plan to use at least 75% of MIECHV federal funds awarded for service delivery expenditures to deliver targeted and intensive evidence-based home visiting services.

The following statutory requirements for non-federal funds used to qualify for the matching funds apply and are outlined in the definition of non-federal funds for matching funds:

Implementation of service models meeting HHS criteria for evidence of effectiveness (or up to 25% used for implementing and evaluating promising approaches);
Providing targeted, intensive home visiting services to eligible families; and
Prioritizing services to high-risk populations.

In the past, contracts with subrecipients for TA/supports for LIAs were excluded from the 25% infrastructure ceiling. Does this mean that they are included in the 75% service delivery definition?

The definition for service delivery activities and expenditures have not changed. Costs that were previously defined as service delivery (as opposed to recipient-level infrastructure) would remain as service delivery.

How do I report my administrative costs? How are they different from indirect costs?

Beginning with the FY25 awards, MIECHV administrative costs will now be defined as administrative indirect costs. To simplify applications and reduce burden, awardees will provide their planned indirect costs in the Budget Narrative as provided in prior years, and HRSA will now confirm the administrative cost limitation through verifying that the total indirect costs do not exceed 10% of their award or that a qualifying exception has been requested.

Awardees no longer need to submit a separate detailed line-item breakdown and description of activities for administrative costs in their budget narrative. Awardees do not need to define or identify administrative costs and activities in their FY25 NCC Update application.

How can I request an exception to the 10% limit of funding expended on administrative costs?

Statute has defined a 10% limit on funds used to cover the costs of administration, and allows for an exception for up to a 15% limit if an awardee meets at least one of three possible criteria: 1) directly provide home visits to eligible families and without a subrecipient; 2) are in the process of expanding to new communities identified through their needs assessment; or 3) are new to administering the MIECHV award within the past three years.

If an awardee anticipates incurring administrative costs greater than 10% of their total award, meets one of these three criteria above, and wishes to request an exception to the limit on administrative costs, the awardee must explicitly describe why they are requesting an exception in the Budget Narrative.

Do I need to use the Budget Narrative Sample? What level of detail needs to be included in the Budget Narrative?

No, the Budget Narrative Sample and examples are not required forms and are additional technical assistance resources to assist awardees. These are entirely optional and provide general examples and potential formats to capture required budgetary information.

Awardees must provide the required level of detail outlined in the Budget Narrative located in the Budget section of the FY25 NCC Update instructions.

Other

How can I propose caseloads for year one and year two, when I might be getting a significant amount of matching funds? Can I take some time to identify the community and model?

Awardees should propose their caseloads for year one and year two in a similar manner as in the Budget Narrative. Use the best estimate assuming stable base funding and anticipated matching funds for FY25 and FY26. Awardees may request revisions to their maximum service capacity, should there be changes in future funding.

Awardees can spend time during the FY25 project period to identify the community(ies) and model(s) to implement. The FY25 NCC Update guidance provides flexibility for awardees to work with MIECHV communities to determine readiness, develop capacity, select an evidence-based model(s), in alignment with model fidelity. These pre-implementation activities can be considered part of the awardees’ non-service delivery expenses. Community readiness work is also in alignment with the MIECHV Program’s focus on early childhood systems building and development. In the Project Narrative Section 3d – New Communities, awardees will describe their activities for implementing evidence-based home visiting in new communities. Awardees can detail how they intend to establish, expand, and scale services in the state to meet the needs of communities identified in the statewide needs assessment, including the timeframe for anticipated ramp-up of service delivery, and when they expect to reach maximum service capacity for each local implementing agency.

How and when do I submit my FY25 CQI Plan Update?

HRSA anticipates the release of the updated MIECHV CQI Plan template in April 2025, which will be due by the end of June 2025. For more information, guidance for completing and submitting the CQI plan is available on the MIECHV Data & CQI website.

Is there a statutory requirement to update MIECHV needs assessments?

MIECHV Reauthorization from 2022 does not have a statutory requirement to update the MIECHV needs assessment. The most recent needs assessment update was outlined in the 2018 reauthorization of the MIECHV Program.

Awardees were provided an opportunity to add additional at-risk communities to their needs assessments prior to the FY24 NOFO application. A similar opportunity was provided to MIECHV awardees in advance of the FY25 NCC Update, in which awardees were able to add, not remove, new at-risk communities.

How did HRSA arrive at the 75% threshold for in-person visits?

HRSA is committed to promoting in-person visits in alignment with the evidence base for home visiting services. Statute allows home visiting programs to use virtual visits when they are in the best interest of the family and appropriate within the evidence-based model but maintains a commitment to in-person visits. Virtual visits should be used to extend appropriate flexibilities under limited circumstances, such as a declared public health emergency, geographic limitations, or client preference. Virtual visits are treated as a model enhancement, unless a model using virtual visits has met HHS criteria for evidence of effectiveness through the HomVEE review.

The 75% threshold was arrived at after reviewing FY24 awardee performance data where over 80% of awardees were already meeting this threshold. We anticipate that this threshold may increase up to 85% in the next few years. HRSA took a data-informed approach to establishing a threshold for the percentage of in-person versus virtual home visits, aligning with statutory language and the value of in-person home visits. Recognizing a continued upward trend in awardee data around in-person visits, a threshold of 75% has been set as an attainable goal for the FY25 period of performance.

Date Last Reviewed:

March 2025

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