(NOFO) Community Services Block Grant Collaborative on Economic Mobility – US

Deadline: 17-Jul-23

The Office of Community Services (OCS) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announces the availability of funds for one three-year cooperative agreement for the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Collaborative on Economic Mobility.

The purpose of this NOFO is to highlight emerging and promising practices in economic mobility for communities with low incomes and to expand the capacity of CSBG-eligible entities to deliver services that promote economic mobility. The desired outcome is to increase the opportunities for individuals and families with low incomes to access pathways out of poverty, address individual and community level barriers to economic mobility, and support continued investments in future generations.

Specifically, the Collaborative on Economic Mobility will be expected to build knowledge of emerging and current approaches to creating opportunities for economic mobility as well as elevating equity in access to services that support economic mobility. The Collaborative will utilize this information as a guide for identifying and developing a range of high-quality training and technical assistance (T/TA) resources to assist CSBG-eligible entities in implementing and/or piloting economic mobility practices and strategies.

Through discretionary awards, OCS provides funding to support CSBG training, technical assistance, and monitoring efforts. Eligible applicants for these awards include statewide or local organizations or associations with demonstrated expertise in providing training to individuals and organizations to help effectively address the needs of individuals and families with low incomes and underserved communities. These organizations collaborate with OCS and support CSBG-funded states, territories, and tribes and tribal organizations to increase effectiveness and accountability and to generate robust results for the people and communities served.

Priorities for OCS

• OCS-funded programs are vital in addressing persistent poverty and pervasive disparities and inequities. To achieve the vision, OCS has established several overarching priorities to ensure that the goals are achieved across the CSBG Network. Award recipients must ensure that the following three goals are considered throughout the planning and execution of the activities outlined within this cooperative agreement.
  • Ensuring the programs they administer are of the highest quality possible and are reaching those most in need.
  • Lifting up voices from the field and using lessons learned to be thoughtful, inclusive, and innovative in the approach.
  • Identifying opportunities to break down silos and implement cross-cutting initiatives within OCS and ACF and across the federal government.

Key Areas

The award recipient will be required to implement projects and develop T/TA tools that focus on the following areas:

• Workforce Development: Obtaining full-time employment in skilled labor increases economic stability and fosters upward mobility. The award recipient will support the CSBG Network in implementing and/or strengthening workforce development activities that increase the ability for individuals to achieve livable or higher wages and access robust training opportunities. Some examples of activities and programs include the following:
  • Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs
  • Work-Based Learning (WBL) models
  • Employment and career pathways
  • Vocational or sector-specific training programs
  • Entrepreneurship-focused education and skills training programs
  • Youth, including Native youth, workforce development programs in high-need sectors
  • Working partnerships with local American Job Centers
• High-Quality Education: The completion of a postsecondary degree increases upward economic mobility for households with low incomes. High-quality early childhood and K-12 learning, as well as access to enrichment activities, can increase the likelihood of achieving post-secondary degrees. The award recipient will support the CSBG Network in implementing and/or strengthening programs that ensure access to high-quality early childhood and K-12 education, increased high-school graduation rates, and encourage the attainment of a postsecondary degree. This may include a focus on areas such as:
  • Access to early-childhood education, including Head Start and Early Head Start
  • Teacher retainment and recruitment
  • Funding opportunities for K-12 schools
  • After-school enrichment programs within schools or in partnership with community organizations
  • Support in visiting and applying to college
  • Adult education and General Education Development programs
  • Scholarships
  • Summer enrichment activities
• Community-Asset Building: Neighborhood socioeconomic and racial segregation leads to lower economic mobility, especially in areas of concentrated poverty. In such areas, efforts to decrease segregation and increase social capital can increase mobility. The award recipient will support the CSBG Network in community-asset building efforts to build social capital and social cohesion, revitalize neighborhoods, and increase the opportunity for integration with nearby neighborhoods. Some areas of focus may include the following:
  • Volunteer and civic action opportunities
  • Community-specific associations
  • Community-specific events
  • Community revitalization efforts, including economic revitalization
  • Mentoring programs
  • Anti-racism efforts
• Two-generational and whole-family approaches: A stable family structure increases the opportunity for upward mobility. Two-generation and whole-family approaches support family stability by providing meaningful support for the entire family. The award recipient will support the CSBG Network in implementing or strengthening programs that utilize two-generation or whole-family approaches. Some types of programs may include or provide the following:
  • Home visiting programs
  • Parenting programs
  • Fatherhood initiatives
  • Case management services
  • Housing stability programs
  • Access to basic necessities, such as food, shelter, clothing etc.
  • Support in accessing anti-poverty programs
  • Community wellness and health clinics
  • Mental health programming
• Innovative community programs and organizations: The award recipient will identify and share models from effective and innovative community programs and organizations for implementation on a broader basis.

Funding Information

• Estimated Total Funding: $600,000
• Expected Number of Awards: 1
• Award Ceiling: $600,000
• Award Floor: $500,000
• Per Budget Period $600,000
• Anticipated Project Start Date: 09/30/2023
• Length of Project Periods: 36-month project period with three 12-month budget periods

Activities

OCS program involvement will include:

• Providing program guidance and input, as appropriate;
• Approving all work plans and schedules;
• Reviewing and providing feedback on the activities, documentation, procedures, measures, and tools established and implemented for accomplishing the goals of the cooperative agreement throughout the duration of the initiative;
• Reviewing, providing feedback, and concurring with activities, procedures, tools, measures, products, and written materials prior to external communication and dissemination on an ongoing basis;
• Participating in the analysis of data;
• Participating in the selection and approval of analysis mechanisms; and
• Reviewing and approving each agreement phase before subsequent phases may be started.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible applicants are CSBG-eligible entities, or statewide or local organizations or associations, with demonstrated expertise in providing training to individuals and organizations on methods of effectively addressing the needs of low-income families and communities.
• Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity.
• Faith-based and community organizations that meet the eligibility requirements are eligible to receive awards under this funding opportunity. Faith-based organizations may apply for this award on the same basis as any other organization, as set forth at and, subject to the protections and requirements.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.