---
kind: "section"
citation: "45 C.F.R. § 260.20"
title: "45"
number: "260.20"
heading: "What is the purpose of the TANF program?"
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/45/260.20"
---

# §260.20. What is the purpose of the TANF program?


The TANF program has the following four purposes:

- (a) Provide assistance to needy families so that children may be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives;
- (b) End the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage;
- (c) Prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies and establish annual numerical goals for preventing and reducing the incidence of these pregnancies; and
- (d) **Encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.**

## Notes

### Authority

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 601, 601 note, 603, 604, 606, 607, 608, 609, 610, 611, 619, and 1308.

### Source

Source: 64 FR 17878, Apr. 12, 1999, unless otherwise noted.