Arra - Community Services Block Grant (93.710)

Program

93.710 Arra - Community Services Block Grant

Federal Agency

Agency: Department of Health and Human Services
Office: Administration For Children And Families

Authorization

Community Services Block Grant Act (CSBG Act), as amended by the Community Opportunities, Accountability, Training, and Educational Services Act of 1998, Public Law 105-285; American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Public Law 111-5.

Program Number

93.710

Last Known Status

Active

Objectives

This funding will provide economic stimulus to the nation while furthering the ACF mission to promote the economic and social well-being of children, youth, families and communities. Objectives are to provide assistance to States and local communities, working through a network of community action agencies and other neighborhood-based organizations, for the reduction of poverty, revitalization of low-income communities, and empowerment of low-income families and individuals in rural and urban areas to become fully self-sufficient (particularly families who are attempting to transition off a State program carried out under part A of Title IV of the Social Security Act). Additional objectives are (1) to provide services and activities having a measurable and potential major impact on causes of poverty in the community or those areas of the community where poverty is a particularly acute problem; (2) to provide activities designed to assist low-income participants, including the elderly poor, to: (a) secure and retain meaningful employment; (b) attain an adequate education; (c) make better use of available income; (d) obtain and maintain adequate housing and a suitable living environment; (e) obtain emergency assistance through loans or grants to meet immediate and urgent individual and family needs, including health services, nutritious food, housing, and employment-related assistance; (f) remove obstacles and solve problems which block the achievement of self-sufficiency; (g) achieve greater participation in the affairs of the community; and (h) make more effective use of other related programs; (3) to provide on an emergency basis for the provision of such supplies and services, nutritious food, and related services, as may be necessary to counteract conditions of starvation and malnutrition among the poor; and (4) to coordinate and establish linkages between governmental and other social services programs to assure the effective delivery of such services to low-income individuals.

Types of Assistance

Formula Grants

Uses and Use Restrictions

Uses and restrictions for CSBG Recovery Act funds differ from the uses and restrictions that apply to allotments to States from regular CSBG annual appropriations with regard to use and percentage of funds retained by the States. As with regular CSBG grants, States receive CSBG Recovery Act funds to ameliorate the causes of poverty in communities. The block grant approach gives the States flexibility to tailor their programs to the particular services needs in their communities. States are required to pass through 99 percent of their Recovery Act allocations for grants to �eligible entities,� as defined in the CSBG Act and use the remaining one percent of funds for benefits enrollment coordination activities relating to the identification and enrollment of eligible individuals and families. See Above.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

The Secretary is authorized to make grants to States. This includes each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Island, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Secretary also provides assistance directly to the governing body of an Indian Tribe or Tribal organization upon application by the tribe. Only State-recognized tribes, as evidenced by a statement to that effect by the Governor, or tribds formally recognized by the Secretary of the Interior, under the procedure for such recognition in 25 CFR 54, are eligible to receive direct grants.

Beneficiary Eligibility

States make grants to qualified locally-based nonprofit community anti-poverty agencies and other eligible entities which provide services to low-income individuals and families. The official poverty line, as established by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, is used as a criterion of eligibility in the Community Services Block Grant program. When a State determines that it serves the objectives of the block grant, it may revise the income limit, not to exceed 200 percent of the official poverty line.

Credentials/Documentation

No Credentials or documentation are required. OMB Circular No. A-87 applies to this program.

Application and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

Preapplication coordination is not applicable. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure

This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110. Under the regularly-funded CSBG Program, each State desiring to receive an allotment for a fiscal year is required to submit an application to the Secretary of HHS. For Recovery Act funds, States will receive a separate allotment of funds based on the statutory formula. Within 30 days of receiving new grant allotments, each State must submit an application amendment outlining the intended use of Recovery Act funds, to include how the State will carry out the assurances in Section 676(b) of the CSBG Act. The application amendment must be a separate document from the original application and must contain assurances by the Chief Executive Officer of the State that the State will comply with the allowable uses of funds under Section 675C of the CSBG Act, with modifications to allowable uses specified in the Recovery Act. The application amendment must set forth the general purposes for which funds will be used, including a description of the State�s intended use for benefits enrollment coordination activities relating to the identification and enrollment of eligible individuals and families in Federal, State, and local benefit programs. The State also must describe how it will incorporate monitoring of Recovery Act funds into its regular monitoring of CSBG eligible entities. This includes descriptions of how the State will monitor restrictions on administrative expenses, eligible recipients, board requirements for community action agencies and other nonprofit organizations, fiscal control, monitoring, and Federal investigation provisions, coordination between antipoverty programs in each community and certain prohibitions on political activities. States also must include a description of how they plan to track CSBG funds from ARRA separately from CSBG funds provided through the regular FY 2009 and 2010 appropriations process. In addition, States must indicate how they plan to evaluate the effectiveness of ARRA CSBG funds, including tracking the number of jobs created. This program is excluded from coverage under 45 CFR Part 1050.

Award Procedure

HHS determines the amount of funds to be allocated as block grants to each State in accordance with the formula set forth in the CSBG Act. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has the authority to apportion to HHS through the course of a year the Congressional appropriation for block grants. Consistent with OMB's apportionment of funds, HHS will assign allotments to the States through individual awards or a series of awards.

Deadlines

Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

Not Applicable.

Appeals

Funds may be withheld from any State which does not utilize its allotment substantially in accordance with the provisions of the CSBG Act, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and the assurances provided in its application. This may be done only after adequate notice and an opportunity for a hearing conducted within the affected State.

Renewals

Not Applicable.

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

Statutory formulas are not applicable to this program.

This program has no matching requirements.

This program does not have MOE requirements.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

Formula grant awards will be made in FY 2009. Grant funds allotted to the State will be awarded in accordance with apportionment of funds from OMB. Amounts unobligated by the State at the end of a fiscal year remain available for obligation during the succeeding fiscal year. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: Formula grant awards will be made in FY 2009.

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

Funded grantees must submit quarterly reports required by Section 1512 of the Recovery Act. Cash reports are not applicable. Progress reports are not applicable. Expenditure reports are not applicable. Performance monitoring is not applicable.

Audits

In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133. States must conduct financial and compliance audits of block grant funds annually in accordance with Section 678D of the CSBG Act. 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 in accordance with the provisions of this part. Non-Federal entities that expend less 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 Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Records

States are required to keep records sufficient to permit preparation of the required reports and to permit tracking of funds to a level of expenditure adequate to ensure that funds have not been spent unlawfully.

Program Accomplishments

Fiscal Year 2008: These funds were not available in FY 2008, therefore, there are no accomplishments to report. Fiscal Year 2009: $985,000,000 has already been awarded to states, territories and tribes. Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available

Financial Information

Account Identification

75-1537-0-1-506 - TAFS: 75-0910-1537.

Obligations

(Formula Grants) FY 08 $0; FY 09 est $985,000,000; FY 10 est $0

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

TBD based on statutory formula.

Regulations, Guidelines and Literature

45 CFR Part 16, 45 CFR Part 74 and 45 CFR Part 96. All ARRA Standard Terms and Conditions will be applicable to the grantee. Also reference the HHS Grants Policy Statement available online at: http://www.hhs.gov/grantsnet/adminis/gpd/index.htm

Related Programs

93.045 Special Programs for the Aging_Title III, Part C_Nutrition Services; 93.048 Special Programs for the Aging_Title IV_and Title II_Discretionary Projects; 93.568 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance; 93.570 Community Services Block Grant_Discretionary Awards; 93.600 Head Start

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

None.

Headquarters Office

Division of State Assistance, Office of Community Services, Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services 370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW., Washington, District of Columbia 20201 Email: POC@DHS.GOV Phone: (202) 401-2333

Web Site Address

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/csbg/

Examples of Funded Projects

Not Applicable.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals

Not Applicable.