Alberta opens $3.2M grant call for family support networks
The funding boost pushes Alberta's annual investment in Family Resource Networks to $66.7 million as officials seek applications for services families used more than 128,000 times last year.
Why it matters
The funding affects the availability of free parenting, child development and mental health supports for families across Alberta's urban, rural and Indigenous communities.
The Alberta government has opened applications for a $3.2 million grant call supporting Family Resource Networks, programs designed to help families access prevention and early intervention services before problems escalate into a crisis. The new funding brings total annual provincial investment in the networks to $66.7 million, with applications open until Sept. 29.
Family Resource Networks operate in urban, rural and Indigenous communities across Alberta, offering free services such as parenting and caregiver education, home-based supports, early childhood and youth development activities, and short-term community-based mental health support. The grant call is specifically seeking proposals for intensive youth and caregiver supports, child development supports and in-home services, which officials say have been identified as priority needs.
Children and Family Services Minister Searle Turton said the investment aims to strengthen access to services that help families build stronger relationships and continue to thrive in their communities. The province says the funding is part of a renewed approach to the networks, shaped by program evaluations and feedback from service providers, intended to improve coordination and direct funding where it is needed most.
Family Resource Networks were launched in 2020 to reduce reliance on child intervention services. In 2024-25, about 52,400 caregivers and 76,500 children and youth accessed the programs, according to provincial figures.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.