Priority for funds transferred to the State Children’s Trust Fund pursuant to Section 18968 shall be given to funding child abuse and neglect prevention and intervention programs operated by private nonprofit organizations or public institutions of higher education with recognized expertise in fields related to child welfare in the county where the funds originated, and where the county board of supervisors has not designated a commission pursuant to Section 18965 and has not established a county children’s trust fund pursuant to Section 18966. The department may allow the funds for a small county to accumulate to a usable amount, or fund regional programs serving several small counties. The department shall establish criteria for determining which programs shall be funded. Applicants for funding shall submit proposals to the department in response to a request for proposals. If there is no acceptable response to the department’s requests for proposals from qualified public institutions of higher education or private nonprofit organizations in a county, then the department may use the funds from that county pursuant to Section 18970.