Education of Homeless Children & Youth (EHCY) Grant Information and Resources

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act was passed in 1987 and was most recently amended by Title IX, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in December 2015. Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act authorizes the federal Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Grant Program and serves as the primary federal legislation to remove barriers to education created by homelessness.

The U.S. Department of Education allocates EHCY funding to each state based on the state's share of Title I, Part A funds. States may retain up to 25% of the EHCY funding for state-level program administration, and must subgrant at least 75% of the funds to Local Education Agencies (LEAs).

FY26 Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Grant Information, Application Materials, and Resources

The State Education Agency (SEA) must facilitate a competitive subgrant process at least once every three years to allocate the Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) funds to LEAs. The purpose of the EHCY grant is to supplement, not supplant, the existing resources and services provided to all students to eliminate the specific barriers to education for children and youth experiencing homelessness through ensuring their identification, enrollment, attendance, and academic success (42 U.S.C. § 11433(a)(3)). 

EHCY grant funds are awarded on a highly competitive basis and selection is based on the proposed project’s quality, assessment of the educational and related needs of students, and the ability of the applicant to meet these needs. 

FY26 is the third and final year of the three-year EHCY grant cycle. However, other EHCY funding opportunities may be available intermittently throughout the three-year EHCY funding cycle.

Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Subgrant Allocations

Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Subgrant Budget Resources