TANF is Louisiana's Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program. It is a group of programs and services that help people break away from what's holding them back. It's not a welfare program or a handout - it's real help for those who are ready to break the cycle of poverty. TANF funding is made available to different state agencies through the state budget. These agencies receive a specific appropriation for a particular service (like afterschool tutoring, pre-k, job training, etc). These agencies will then contract out to different service providers who can offer that service. Providers who receive a contract for services are selected through a competitive process, or request for proposals (RFP) process. This process usually happens around July 1 which is the beginning of the state fiscal year and is the only opportunity for funding to be dispersed throughout the year. If you have an interest in a particular service, you should contact the state agency who administers that particular TANF servicemost of the TANF initiatives are not operated through the Department of Social Services.