Kinship Navigator Program Resources

Kinship navigator programs are designed to assist kin caregivers-grandparents, other relatives, and close family friends who raise children when their parents cannot – in navigating the many systems that impact them, including education, housing, and health care. These programs link caregivers to supports that help their kinship family thrive. Kinship navigator programs started over 25 years ago in a handful of states and grew to other parts of the country based on early success, two rounds of limited federal grants, and ongoing federal funding.

Generations United has been working with kinship navigator programs for decades and has been coordinating the nation’s only multi-state kinship navigator program and evaluation. The Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network: A National Technical Assistance Center (Network) at Generations United has been providing technical assistance to kinship navigator programs, new and old, since it was launched. Based on our years of experience, we have compiled this toolkit of best practices to develop or enhance kinship navigator programs. We hope you find it helpful.

HHS brief that describes the benefits of kinship care and recent steps that states and the federal government have taken to promote kinship care. The brief also identifies further opportunities for states to promote kinship care, including by adopting kin-specific licensing standards, participating in Title IV-E kinship navigator programs, and broadening their definition of relative/kin.

Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network resource listing kinship navigator programs by state, tribe, and territory. Updated periodically. 

Federal Fiscal Year 2025 Title IV-B, Subpart 2 Funding Available to Develop and Enhance or to Evaluate Kinship Navigator Programs

• Program Instruction
• Indian Tribes/Tribal Organizations Eligible to Apply for Fiscal Year 2025
• Fiscal Year 2025 Title IV-B, Subpart 2 Kinship Navigator Funding Request

Part 4 of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Family Ties series based on a survey of state child welfare administrators. This resource examines state policies and strategies for identifying, notifying, and supporting kinship caregivers, as well as the availability of kinship navigator programs in each state.