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93.595 WELFARE REFORM RESEARCH, EVALUATIONS AND NATIONAL
STUDIES

FEDERAL AGENCY

ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

AUTHORIZATION

Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, Public Law 109-171, 42
U.S.C. 613, 613 note, and 710.

OBJECTIVES

To support research on the benefits, effects, and costs of
operating different State welfare programs, including studies on the
effects of different programs and the operation of such programs on
welfare dependency, illegitimacy, teen pregnancy, employment rates, child
well-being, and other areas; to assist States in developing and evaluating
innovative approaches for reducing welfare dependency and increasing the
well-being of minor children living at home.

TYPES OF ASSISTANCE

Project Grants.

USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS

Grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts are awarded
for innovative research, demonstrations, and evaluations that are
responsive to the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) program
priorities. All applications must meet standards of excellence in
research, demonstration, or evaluation design. Construction or renovation
costs are not allowable under these grants or contracts. Further, these
funds may not be used to supplement the cost of program operations
otherwise capped under the law. Organizations may not use funds under
these grants or contracts to engage in inherently religious activities,
such as worship, religious instruction, or proselytization. In addition,
an organization receiving ACF funds shall not, in providing ACF-funded
services, discriminate against a program beneficiary or prospective
program beneficiary on the basis of religion or religious belief.
Regulations pertaining to the Equal Treatment for Faith-Based
Organizations, which include the prohibition against Federal funding of
inherently religious activities, as well a provisions related to
nondiscrimination against religious organizations and the ability of
religious organizations to maintain their religious character, can be
found at either 45 CFR 87.1 or the HHS web site at
http://www.os.dhhs.gov/fbci/waisgate21.pdf.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applicant Eligibility

Grants and cooperative agreements may be made to or with
governmental entities, colleges, universities, nonprofit and for-profit
organizations (if fee is waived), and faith- and community-based
organizations. Contracts may be awarded to non-profit or for-profit
organizations. Grants or cooperative agreements cannot be made directly to
individuals.

Beneficiary Eligibility

Children, youth, and families, especially low-income
families, will benefit.

Credentials/Documentation

Applicants must present written evidence of other agencies'
willingness to cooperate when the project involves the use of other
agencies, facilities, or services. Nonprofit organizations which have not
previously received ACF program support must submit proof of nonprofit
status. For State and local governments, costs will be determined in
accordance with 45 CFR 92 and OMB Circular No. A-87. For other grantees,
applicable costs and administrative procedures will be determined in
accordance with 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92.

APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS

Preapplication Coordination

This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372,
"Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should
consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact
in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires
to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the
program for review.

Application Procedure

Applicants will be able to find a synopsis of grant or
cooperative agreement oportunities and apply electronically for
opportunities via: www.grants.gov. Applicants will also be able to find
the complete text of grant announcements on the ACF web site located at:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/index.html.

Award Procedure

Official notice of approved grant applications is made
through issuance of a Notice of Grant Award. This provides the amount of
funds awarded, the purpose of the award, the terms and conditions of the
award, the budget period for which support is given, the total project
period for which spport is contemplated, and the total grantee
participation. Official notice of an accepted contract proposal is made
through award of a contract.

Deadlines

Deadlines for grants and cooperative agreements are
announced in www.grans.gov as part of the announcement or are mailed to
State Agencies where applicants are limited to those agencies. Deadlines
for requests for contract proposals are posted on www.fedbizopps.gov.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

From 60 to 365 days. Generally, solicited grants,
cooperative agreements, and contracts will be acted upon within 120 days.

Appeals

Appeals are processed in accordance with HHS regulations in
45 CFR Part 16.

Renewals

Grant extensions and continuations are available if
formally applied for and approved. If an application is recommended for
approval for 2 or more years, the grantee or contractor must submit each
year a formal request for a non-competitive continuation application
accompanied by a progress report which will be evaluated prior to a
recommendation of continuation. This process is not applicable to
contracts.

ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS

Formula and Matching Requirements

Grantees are generally required to share in the cost of
projects. Cost sharing may range up to 25 percent of the total approved
project cost for grants or cooperative agreements.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

Funds are granted on a 1- to 5-year basis (up to 10 years
under certain exceptions), with support beyond the first year contingent
upon acceptable evidence of satisfactory progress, continuing program
relevance, and availability of funds.

POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS

Reports

Reports of progress and expenditures are required on all
projects. Comprehensive final reports are generally due within 90 days of
completion of the project.

Audits

All fiscal transactions identifiable to Federal financial
assistance are subject to audit by the HHS audit agency, and other Federal
officials. In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133
(Revised June 27, 2003) "Audits of States, Local Governments and
Non-Profit Organizations," Non-Federal entities that expend $300,000
($500,000 for fiscal years ending after December 31, 2003) or more in a
year in Federal awards shall have a single or program-specific audit
conducted for that year. Non-Federal entities that expend lees than
$300,000 ($500,000 for fiscal years ending after December 31, 2003) a year
in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that
year, except as noted in section 215(a), but records must be available for
review or audit by appropriate officials of the Federal agency,
pass-through entity, and General Accounting Office (GAO).

Records

Proper accounting records, identifiable by grant number and
including all receipts and expenditures, must be maintained for 3 years in
accordance with 45 CFR Part 92. Subsequent to audit, they must be
maintained until all questions are resolved, or at the end of the regular
3-year period, whichever is later.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Account Identification

75-1553-0-1-609.

Obligations

(Grants, Cooperative Agreements, and Contracts) FY 05
$107,527,000 (Note: of this amount, $20,083,653 was appropriated under
93.647); FY 06 $97,218,000; and FY 07 est. $127,000,000. Four funding
streams combine for these amounts: the Compassion Capital Fund; Welfare
Research; Social Services Research and Demonstration; and the Child
Welfare Study. With regard to the Compassion Capital Fund, $54,542,000 in
FY 05, $64,350,000 in FY 06, and est. $100,000,000 in FY 07. With regard
to Welfare Research, $14,992,000 in FY 05, $15,000,000 in FY 06, and est.
$15,000,000 in FY 07. With regard to Social Services Research and
Demonstration, $32,005,000 in FY 05, $11,868,000 in FY 06, and est.
$6,000,000 in FY 07. With regard to the Child Welfare Study, $5,988,000 in
FY 05, $6,000,000 in FY 06, and est. $6,000,000 in FY 07.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

(Grants, Cooperative Agreements and Contracts) From $90,260
to $6,000,000; average $712,000.

PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS

In fiscal year 2005, funding was provided to 18 research
and evaluation projects through contracts or grants related to welfare
reform and employment strategies (including projects testing promising
strategies to serve the hard-to-employ and job retention and advancement,
and research on sanction policies, time-limited assistance and local
implementation) and to strengthening marriage and family formation. More
information describing research and evaluation projects we have funded can
be found at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/. We anticipate funding a
similar number of projects related to these areas of interest in fiscal
year 2007 and 2008.

REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE

A variety of guidance on grants can be found at
www.grants.gov and http://www.hhs.gov/grantsnet/roadmap/index.html.
Helpful information on contracts is available at www.fedbizopps.gov.

INFORMATION CONTACTS

Regional or Local Office

Contact the appropriate ACF Regional Administrator. (See
Appendix IV of the Catalog for ACF Regional Offices.)

Headquarters Office

Karl Koerper, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation,
Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human
Services, 7th Floor, 370 L'Enfant Promenade SW., Washington, DC 20447.
Telephone: (202) 401-4535. Fax: (202) 205-3598. E-Mail:
[email-masked].

Web Site Address

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre

RELATED PROGRAMS

93.558, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; 93.647,
Social Services Research and Demonstration; 93.648, Child Welfare Services
Training Grants.

EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS

See 93.647, Social Services Research and Demonstration, for
examples of funded projects.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS

The criteria for selecting projects to be funded under this
program are published in www.grants.gov for grant announcements and in the
solicitation for requests for proposals published in www.fedbizopps.gov
for contracts.

General Services Administration
Office of Chief Acquisition
Officer
Regulatory and Federal Assistance Division (VIR)