TANF and MOE Spending and Transfers by Activity, FY 2015 (Contains National & State Pie Charts)

The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) has posted the fiscal year (FY) 2015 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) financial data tables, along with an interactive map, national and state pie charts, and a fact sheet. This year’s financial data reflects the addition of new expenditure categories and changes to the accounting method, offering more insight into how states actually spend their funds.

• In FY 2015, combined federal TANF and state maintenance-of-effort (MOE) expenditures and transfers totaled $31.7 billion. Across the United States in FY 2015:
  • 24.6 percent of TANF and MOE funds was spent on basic assistance,
  • 6.7 percent was spent on work, education, and training activities; and
  • 16.9 percent was used for child care (including funds transferred to the Child Care Development Fund).
• 25 states spent less than half of their TANF and MOE funds on the combination of basic assistance; work, education, and training activities; and child care. OFA’s interactive map shows the distribution of this spending by state.
• New spending categories reveal that states spent about 15 percent of TANF and MOE funds on the combination of child welfare services, pre-kindergarten and Head Start programs, and services for children and youth (including after-school programs and home visiting).
  • 7.3 percent of TANF and MOE funds was spent on child welfare services, including child welfare or foster care services authorized solely under prior law. Five states spent more than 25 percent of their TANF and MOE funds on child welfare.
  • Pre-kindergarten and Head Start spending accounted for 6.0 percent of total TANF and MOE funds, with three states spending more than 25 percent on these services.

View OFA’s national (PDF) and individual state pie charts (PDF) for more information on how states spent their TANF and MOE funds in FY 2015.