Community Services Block Grant Training and Technical Assistance Program: Capacity-Building for Ongoing CSBG Programs and Strategic Planning and Coordination Supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

This grant opportunity is being made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5) and Section 674(b)(2)(A) of the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Act, as amended. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Community Services (OCS) solicits applications for grant awards to fund up to 48 Statewide capacity-building collaborations. Each Statewide collaboration will include the following two major component areas: 1) Capacity-Building for Ongoing CSBG Programs, 2) Strategic Planning and Coordination supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). ACF will provide a separate grant award for each project in order to assure separate tracking of funds and activities. Therefore, a total of 96 grant awards will be made under this announcement. Estimated total program funding for Part 1 (Capacity Building for Ongoing CSBG Programs) is $1,200,000 and estimated total program funding for Part 2 (Strategic Planning and Coordination supported by ARRA) is $3,840,000. Applicants may apply for up to $25,000 per 12-month budget period for Part 1. Applicants also may apply for up to $80,000 per 12-month budget period for Part 2. Successful applicants will receive a separate award for each component area. The "Award Ceiling" listing in this notice represents the ceiling for Part 2 awards, although successful applicants may receive a total of $105,000 for combined awards under Part 1 and Part 2. For both Part I and Part 2 grantees, funds will be used to provide training and technical assistance on improving program quality (including financial management), management information and reporting systems, measurement of program results, and responsiveness to identified local needs. For this specific announcement, OCS has determined that key technical assistance needs include Statewide efforts designed to 1) ensure coordination of Community Action Program Recovery Act projects, 2) inform communities of available services, 3) document community results; and 4) prepare communities to sustain the impact of Recovery Act funds. Successful applicants will be subject to reporting requirements consistent with ARRA and with current CSBG regulations.