In an effort to strengthen support for family caregivers and sustain what it calls “the network that helps prevent the health care system from shouldering the full burden of care,” the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is offering up to $2 million to winners of its Caregiver Artificial Intelligence (AI) Prize Challenge. 

The challenge, according to HHS’ Administration for Community Living (ACL), seeks AI-enabled tools that support caregivers and strengthen care in the home, as part of a reimagining of how AI can improve care quality, reduce burden, and strengthen the caregiving infrastructure for the future. Through this challenge, ACL will recognize and reward innovators who are developing, testing, and scaling AI-enabled tools to support both family caregivers and the direct care workforce.

Announced in November 2025, the initiative has three separate phases. Upcoming deadlines for Phase 1 include an April 15, 2026, deadline for innovators to submit their intention—described as optional on the ACL’s webpage. Watch for an informational webinar in May. Phase 1 applications are due at the end of July; winners will be announced in September.

AI Tools Can Improve Caregiving at Home and in Aging Services

ACL notes that caregiver stress and lack of respite is a key reason for selecting avoidable institutional care. AI can ease the crisis through tools that detect health changes, manage schedules, coordinate transportation, reduce administrative burdens, and improve communication among caregivers, individuals receiving care, and health professionals. However, real-world data and best practices for the responsible use of AI are limited.

The competition seeks to identify the most promising AI-enabled tools in two tracks that will run concurrently:

• Track 1: AI Tools to Support Caregivers – These tools would assist caregivers providing support to an individual in their home or community. Applications for this challenge must have a direct tie to caregiver experiences and needs.
• Track 2: AI Tools for Extending the Caregiver Workforce – These tools would create efficiencies to extend and strengthen the direct care workforce. This track is primarily aimed at organizations that play a critical role in the caregiving support system, including state agencies that administer funding for community-based care, direct care workforce employers, home care co-operatives, and other home and community-based providers. Key components include the design and scaling of AI-enabled tools that demonstrate clear value to direct care workers and the communities they serve, such as reducing administrative burden by automating documentation, improving scheduling and deployment of staff, increasing caregiving time with care recipients, improving staff recruitment, retention, and training.

Support Partners Offered

Additional support is available. Several federal partners are available to provide regulatory and scientific expertise, including the Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, and the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

The nonprofit Caregiver Action Network will offer direct access to caregivers to inform design and strengthen real-world applicability.

How to Apply

ACL encourages innovators, technology developers, researchers, caregiving organizations, and other interested stakeholders to apply.

Teams intending to submit the optional April 15 intent to apply email should send a brief description of the proposed AI-based solution and its potential impact on caregivers to CaregiverAI@acl.hhs.gov by 5 p.m. ET that day.

Keep an eye on the ACL’s Caregiver AI Prize Challenge webpage for updates.