Opportunity Overview
The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) is seeking a statewide administrative partner to operate key day-to-day functions of the MI Tri-Share Child Care program. The selected partner will support statewide implementation, regional employer recruitment, participant administration, payment operations, data systems, customer service, and reporting.
Funding and Grant Period
MiLEAP’s official applicant webinar identifies $3,400,000 in FY27 state general fund support for this grant. The anticipated grant period is November 1, 2026 through September 30, 2029.
Deadline and Submission
The completed application is due September 16, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. EDT. MiLEAP instructs applicants to submit all application pages as one PDF by email to MiLEAP-CDC-ADMIN@michigan.gov.
The official webinar also lists the Notice of Intent to Apply, Form A, as a required application document and shows its deadline as August 28, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. EDT. That prerequisite deadline has already passed. Absent an authoritative waiver or other controlling instruction, an organization that did not timely submit Form A should not assume that a new application can still be accepted.
Core Administrative Responsibilities
The statewide administrative partner is expected to develop and manage regional employer recruitment, establish benefit and financial arrangements, support employer budgets and enrollment, determine participant eligibility, connect families to licensed child care resources, manage provider billing and timely payments, collect employer, employee and state shares, administer participant changes, maintain secure operational and data platforms, provide reporting, and operate customer service functions.
Required Application Materials
MiLEAP’s public grant page provides the RFP Application plus Form A Notice of Intent to Apply, Form B Cover Page, Form C Narrative, Form D Quality of Personnel, Form E Budget Summary, a webinar presentation, and FAQ materials. The applicant webinar shows the scored application structure as Narrative, 90 points; Quality of Personnel, 15 points; and Budget, 10 points, for 115 total points. Applicants should use the complete current RFP and FAQ as controlling instructions for any additional requirements, amendments, match or cost-share treatment, and submission details.
Eligibility and Atlas Analysis
MiLEAP’s public page describes the award as a statewide administrative partner grant but does not, on the public summary page, state a categorical entity-type eligibility list. Applicants must satisfy the complete RFP requirements and the previously due Form A prerequisite. Because fewer than 48 hours remain before the final deadline, Atlas will not begin new applicant outreach for this cycle.
N9+ Fit Score: 0/100. This opportunity is for child care benefit administration, financial operations, enrollment, data management, employer support, provider payment, and customer service. It is not a clinical technology, telehealth, diagnostics, or medical-device funding opportunity, and N9+ should not be positioned into it.
Atlas Opportunity Score: 42/100. The opportunity is relevant to Michigan’s early-childhood and child-care ecosystem and carries meaningful statewide funding, but the final deadline is imminent and the mandatory Notice of Intent deadline has already passed.
Direct-Vendor Determination
A new direct Dr. Miltie submission is not treated as viable for this cycle. The official webinar identifies Form A as required and shows that it was due August 28, 2026, and Atlas has no verified evidence that Dr. Miltie timely filed that prerequisite. No direct application should be advanced absent authoritative proof of a timely Form A or an official waiver.
Next Steps
Organizations that timely filed the required Notice of Intent should complete the current RFP package, verify all current FAQ or amendment instructions, combine the required application pages into one PDF, and submit it before September 16, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. EDT. New prospect outreach is closed under the Atlas 48-hour rule.
Verified sources: MiLEAP MI Tri-Share Child Care grant page; MiLEAP MI Tri-Share Statewide Administrative Partner applicant webinar presentation linked from the official grant page.