The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), Office of Community Services, is accepting applications under DCF RFA 2526 076, Responsible Fatherhood Initiative Direct Services Grant (MyFloridaMarketPlace opportunity GO-16688). The current MFMP-derived notice is open and was updated September 2, 2026 with Addendum No. 2.
Current deadline: October 16, 2026. Current MFMP-derived mirrors report the response deadline as 21:00 UTC, which corresponds to 5:00 p.m. EDT. Atlas has not directly recovered the controlling Addendum No. 2 clock-time field from the MFMP single-page application, so applicants should confirm the exact current time in the live MFMP package before submission rather than relying on a recreated time.
Eligible applicants: Community-based not-for-profit organizations incorporated or otherwise authorized to conduct business in Florida. Applicants may propose one, two, or all three program components within one or more Florida judicial circuits: Comprehensive Needs of Fathers (CNF), Responsible Fatherhood Education Program (RFEP), and Mentorship Programs for At-Risk Male Students (MPARMS). RFEP applicants must use a DCF-approved evidence-based fatherhood curriculum. DCF gives evaluation preference to integrated applications proposing all three components.
Program scope: CNF supports fathers through tailored services such as case management, employment and economic self-sufficiency, child-support navigation, reentry and family stabilization, health-care access/referral, child development, and parenting support. RFEP provides evidence-based fatherhood education. MPARMS provides mentorship and positive-youth-development services for at-risk male students ages 11–19. Services are proposed by judicial circuit.
Funding and cost rules: Current Addendum No. 2 summaries report no overall funding ceiling for CNF or RFEP and an MPARMS reimbursement range of $25,000 to $250,000 per year. Administrative costs are capped at 10% of the total grant award. Current RFA summaries report no required matching contribution. Applicants should verify the current Addendum No. 2 and Standard Contract package before budgeting, particularly the interaction of indirect costs with the administrative-cost cap. Atlas did not independently verify a total current-cycle funding pool.
Contract period: Addendum No. 1 revised the anticipated start date to January 1, 2027, with performance through June 30, 2029.
Subcontracting and qualifications: Subcontracting is permitted with prior Department approval. Applicants must demonstrate organizational capacity, relevant community relationships, qualified staffing, performance-management/reporting capability, and compliance with applicable background-screening, fiscal, and program requirements. The 2026 Florida statute governing these grants prioritizes local need, community involvement, competent staff able to engage participating fathers, planned service volume/cost, and organizational capacity.
Forms, amendments and submission: The live MFMP package includes the RFA, State of Florida DCF Standard Contract Part 1, the Responsible Fatherhood Direct Services Contract Special Provisions, Addendum No. 1, and Addendum No. 2 with Department answers to applicant questions and a timeline update. MFMP is the controlling source for the current response method and any future changes. Atlas has not directly recovered the final submission-mechanics text from the MFMP application interface, so it is not inventing an email/upload method.
Procurement contact: Alicia Reifinger, alicia.reifinger@myflfamilies.com.
Atlas assessment: Atlas Opportunity Score 78/100 because this is a substantial statewide family-services, education, mentoring, workforce, and community-support opportunity with an active 2026 application window. N9+/Dr. Miltie Fit Score 12/100. Although CNF may include access to health care and some current Florida fatherhood programs use telehealth, this RFA is fundamentally a direct social-service and education grant, not a remote physical examination, RPM, CCM/TCM, medical-device, or clinical telehealth procurement. QC Healthcare/other Dr. Miltie fit is approximately 15/100 and should not be forced. Dr. Miltie direct-prime eligibility is not established because the applicant must be a qualifying community-based nonprofit with relevant program capacity. Potential Florida applicant classes include established Responsible Fatherhood Initiative providers and community-based nonprofits already delivering fatherhood, case-management, mentoring, reentry, workforce, or youth services. Applicant-specific advancement should occur only after confirming the current Addendum No. 2 requirements and avoiding duplication with incumbent/master-lane records.
Official MyFloridaMarketPlace opportunity | Florida DCF Responsible Fatherhood Initiative | Father First grant information and applicant technical assistance