Services Supporting Healthy Marriage, Data Snapshot: Healthy Marriage Programs

The federal government has a long-standing commitment to supporting healthy relationships and stable families. Since 2005, Congress has funded $150 million each year in healthy marriage (HM) and responsible fatherhood (RF) grants. The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has awarded and overseen three cohorts of these grants. OFA works with the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, also within ACF, to conduct research on how to best serve families through these grants. This snapshot describes services provided by the 2015 cohort of HM grantees. To build clients’ relationship and parenting skills and support their economic well-being, HM grantees provide a range of services, including group-based workshops, which are typically the centerpiece of the program. Grantees also provide individual service contacts (such as case management) and referrals for services offered by other organizations.