About the Heart Galleries of Texas
In partnership with the Moritz Center for Societal Impact at the University of Texas Austin, the Texas Center for Child and Family Studies (the Center) seeks applications for the purpose of establishing or sustaining post-adoption and post-permanency supports throughout Texas.
The Heart Galleries of Texas project is focused on strengthening heart gallery programs as tools for positive permanency in communities by developing strong and thriving local heart galleries and supporting children and families post-adoption and post-permanency. The project received funding in the 89th Legislative Session.
About the Grant Funding
- Funding range: Typically between $10,000 – $100,000
- Grant period: Funding for the 2026–2027 Heart Galleries of Texas grant cycle supports services delivered between September 1, 2026, and August 31, 2027.
- Anticipated award distribution: by October 15, 2026
While applicants are encouraged to design programs that reflect regional needs and innovation, funding is limited and highly competitive. Requests above $100,000 will be considered only in limited circumstances for well-established organizations demonstrating strong capacity, scale, and impact.
To support a broad range of services across the state, many awards may be funded at a partial level.
About the Grant Application
Due to strong statewide interest and a growing network of returning applicants, this year’s RFA will follow a two-pronged application approach:
- New Applicants (organizations not previously funded through HGTX grant dollars) will complete the full application
- Past HGTX award recipients may be eligible for an abbreviated application (including FY 24-25 funded partners)
This approach is designed to reduce duplication and streamline the process for organizations with existing documentation on file.
Please Note: These funds are intended to support CPS-involved families with a child in their identified permanent placement, including kinship, PMC, adoptive families, and out-of-state families now residing in Texas.
How to Apply
To ensure applicants receive the correct version of the application:
All interested organizations must request an application link directly from Cassandra Mendoza cassandra.mendoza@austin.utexas.edu
- Application links will be available for request beginning May 15, 2026
- Last day to request a link: Friday, June 26, 2026
- Application deadline: July 3, 2026 at 11:59 PM (CT)
- Should I apply? Click HERE for eligibility requirements
- Please note: RFA request links will be responded to on a rolling basis, please expect no more than 3 – 5 days to receive the application link.
- Please do not share your link with anyone outside of your organization.
(Applications must be submitted through the provided link.)
Got questions? Join Office Hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Organizations that:
- Directly serve children, youth, and families with post-adoption or post-permanency needs.
- Provide services aligned with the key areas of focus identified in the Texas statewide needs assessment.
- Are willing to collaborate regionally with the local Heart Gallery and post-permanency network.
If you’re new to this space or unsure about eligibility, we encourage you to reach out—we’re happy to help you assess fit. Please Note: These funds are intended to support CPS-involved families with a child in their identified permanent placement, including kinship, PMC, adoptive families, and out-of-state families now residing in Texas.
- Basic & Emergency Assistance (e.g., clothing, food, urgent expenses)
- Mental Health & Therapeutic Services (individual, family, group, or non-traditional therapy)
- Respite Care (short-term relief for caregivers) Family Bonding & Wellness Activities (e.g., camps, sports, extracurriculars)
- Caregiver Support, Groups & Skill-Building (e.g., training, peer groups, coaching)
- Training for Professionals (targeted capacity-building to strengthen trauma-informed and adoption-competent practice among those serving post-permanency families; proposals should prioritize leveraging existing no-cost training opportunities, such as NTI and TAC, and demonstrate a clear, cost-effective scope for any requested training funds). While proposals in this category will be considered, it will be at a lower funding priority compared to other services
- Other Innovative Supports that meet identified needs
Yes. Organizations must be affiliated with their Regional Heart Gallery or a local post-permanency collaborative. If you are not yet connected, please reach out to your local regional Heart Gallery. Local Heart Gallery information can be found at the bottom of this page.
Absolutely. If your organization is rooted in community support, trauma-informed care, or family-serving programs and you’re interested in adapting your work to support post-permanency families, we welcome your interest. We’re especially excited to engage organizations that bring new voices, partnerships, or regional reach.
If your services help stabilize and support families after adoption or legal permanency, they likely fit. Your regional Heart Gallery is available to help you explore how your existing programs might align with the grant’s goals, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Yes. We highly encourage grassroots, community-based, and trauma responsive organizations to apply. Many funded partners are locally rooted and offer deep, trust-based connections with the families they serve.
We’re here to help. Whether you need support connecting to a regional Heart Gallery, understanding the funding priorities, or talking through your program idea, we want this process to feel accessible and collaborative.
You’ll be asked to:
- Track the number of families and individuals served
- Report monthly on the services delivered and outcomes achieved
- Awarded organizations will engage with the Heart Galleries of Texas (HGTX) Hub, be featured on the HGTX website, and coordinate with HGTX staff to receive referrals
- Participate in Heart Gallery or regional collaborative conversations and share any lessons learned or barriers encountered.
Please Note: Grantees are not required to independently track or report outcomes beyond standard monthly output metrics. As part of a statewide evaluation effort led by HGTX in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin, grantees must maintain accurate records of families served, including a current list of caregiver email addresses, to support survey distribution. HGTX and UT Austin will not request or collect identifiable caregiver contact information; however, selected grantees will be responsible for distributing anonymous annual surveys to caregivers whose families received services during the reporting period.