Healthy Marriage Promotion and Responsible Fatherhood Grants

 

This program has three objectives: (1) To fund Healthy Marriage Promotion activities that will help couples, who have chosen marriage for themselves, gain greater access to marriage education services on a voluntary basis. These services will help couples acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to form and sustain a healthy marriage; (2) To fund Responsible Fatherhood promotion activities specifically designed to promote responsible fatherhood to reverse the rise in father absence and its subsequent impact on our nation's children. In 2015, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) awarded these funds on a competitive basis to States, territories, Indian tribes and tribal organizations, and public and nonprofit community entities, including faith-based organizations for a 5-year project period; and (3) To Award competitive based demonstration projects designed to test the effectiveness of tribal governments or tribal consortia in coordinating the provision to tribal families at risk of child abuse or neglect of child welfare services and services under tribal programs.

Active 93.086 Administration For Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services B - Project Grants; L - Dissemination of Technical Information Fiscal Year 2016 It is projected that 90 continuation awards will be awarded in FY 2016. In FY 2016, 100 continuations grants were awarded in FY 2016.
Fiscal Year 2017 99 continuation grants were awarded in FY 2017.
Fiscal Year 2018 94 continuation grants were awarded in FY 2018.
Fiscal Year 2019 It is projected that 94 continuation grants will be awarded in FY 2019
Fiscal Year 2020 It is projected that 133 new grants will be awarded in FY 2020. Social Security Act, Title IV, Part A, Section 403(a)(2); 42 USC 603(a)(2)
The Claims Resolution Act of 2010 (CRA), Public Law 111-291 The Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education Grant Program (HMRE) is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), ACF efforts to promote HMRE at the community level. All public and private entities are eligible to apply (including, but not limited to, state, territorial, local, and quasi-governmental agencies, Native American tribal governments and tribal organizations, nonprofit organizations, independent school districts, public, private or Tribal institutions of higher education, and for-profit entities). Faith-based and community organizations that meet the eligibility requirements are eligible to receive awards. The New Pathways for Fathers and Families Grant Program (New Pathways) is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), ACF's efforts to support responsible fatherhood. The New Pathways program funds projects that integrate robust economic stability services, healthy marriage activities, and activities designed to foster responsible parenting. The Responsible Fatherhood Opportunities for Reentry and Mobility Project (ReFORM) is a part of the U.S. HHS' and ACF's efforts to support responsible fatherhood and ex-prisoner initiatives. Eligible applicants under these two programs are: states, territories, Native American tribes and tribal organizations (including state, territorial, and tribal post-secondary educational institutions), and public and nonprofit community entities (including religious organizations and public and private nonprofit post-secondary educational institutions). For-profit entities are not eligible to receive funds (including, but not limited to, for-profit businesses, corporations, agencies or organizations, or for-profit institutions of higher education, trade, or technical schools). Faith-based and community organizations that meet the eligibility requirements are eligible to receive awards. The eligible applicants under the Tribal TANF and Child Welfare Services program are: Indian tribes and Alaska Native regional non-profits that administer a Tribal TANF program or a consortia of two or more Indian tribes that administers a Tribal TANF program. For all programs under this listing: Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible. Persons who may benefit from the assistance includes, families, couples, and individuals in need of assistance with Healthy Marriage services. Services include marriage enhancement and relationship education. For the Responsible Fatherhood programs, beneficiaries are fathers (with children who are up to age 24) interested in Responsible Fatherhood activities, including parenting education, economic stability services, and marriage and relationship education. Tribal TANF Child Welfare funds assist in the efforts to enhance and expand the ability of States, Native American governments, local governments, for-profit organizations, non-profit community organizations and other public entities to provide family formation and responsible fatherhood services to those in need. Any nonprofit agency was required to provide proof of its nonprofit status. Preapplication coordination is not applicable. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Applicants may find funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) on https://www.grants.gov or on the ACF website at https://ami.grantsolutions.gov/. Applicants may apply on https://grants.gov. No applications are currently being accepted. The previous competitive award for all three programs under this listing was conducted in September 2015 for a 5-year project period. We anticipate awarding new grants in FY 2020, assuming congressional appropriation. However, if reauthorized, the award procedures is as follows: Each application will be screened to determine whether it meets any of the disqualifying factors: missing the application deadline, required electronic submission or waiver requested and approved, or exceeding the Award Ceiling. Disqualified applications are considered to be "non-responsive" and are excluded from the competitive review process. Applications competing for financial assistance will be reviewed and evaluated by objective review panels using only the criteria described in FOA. Each panel is composed of experts with knowledge and experience in the area under review. Generally, review panels include three reviewers and one chairperson. Results of the competitive objective review are taken into consideration by ACF in the selection of projects for funding; however, objective review scores and rankings are not binding. Scores and rankings are only one element used in the award decision-making process. ACF may elect not to fund applicants with management or financial problems that would indicate an inability to successfully complete the proposed project. ACF reserves the right to consider preferences to fund organizations serving emerging, unserved, or under-served populations, including those populations located in pockets of poverty. ACF will also consider the geographic distribution of federal funds in its award decisions. ACF will complete a review of risk posed by applicants as described in 45 CFR 75.205. ACF also has the option to solicit comments from other Federal agencies. ACF has the option to consider a variety of factors in addition to the review criteria identified above, including geographic diversity/coverage and types of applicant organizations, in order to ensure that the interests of the Federal Government are met in making the final selections. The successful applicants are notified through issuance of a Notice of Award document which sets forth the amount of funds granted, the terms and conditions of the grant, the budget period for which initial support will be given, and the total project period. Not applicable. From 60 to 90 days. Not applicable. Not applicable. Not applicable. Healthy Marriage Promotion activities include the following: (I) Public advertising campaigns on the value of marriage and the skills needed to increase marital stability and health. (II) Education in high schools on the value of marriage, relationship skills, and budgeting. (III) Marriage education, marriage skills, and relationship skills programs, that may include parenting skills, financial management, conflict resolution, and job and career advancement. (IV) Pre-marital education and marriage skills training for engaged couples and for couples or individuals interested in marriage. (V) Marriage enhancement and marriage skills training programs for married couples. (VI) Divorce reduction programs that teach relationship skills. (VII) Marriage mentoring programs which use married couples as role models and mentors in at-risk communities. (VIII) Programs to reduce the disincentives to marriage in means-tested aid programs, if offered in conjunction with any activity described in this subparagraph. Responsible Fatherhood activities include: (I) Activities to promote marriage or sustain marriage through activities such as counseling, mentoring, disseminating information about the benefits of marriage and 2-parent involvement for children, enhancing relationship skills, education regarding how to control aggressive behavior, disseminating information on the causes of domestic violence and child abuse, marriage preparation programs, premarital counseling, marital inventories, skills-based marriage education, financial planning seminars, including improving a family's ability to effectively manage family business affairs by means such as education, counseling, or mentoring on matters related to family finances, including household management, budgeting, banking, and handling of financial transactions and home maintenance, and divorce education and reduction programs, including mediation and counseling. (II) Activities to promote responsible parenting through activities such as counseling, mentoring, and mediation, disseminating information about good parenting practices, skills-based parenting education, encouraging child support payments, and other methods. (III) Activities to foster economic stability by helping fathers improve their economic status by providing activities such as work first services, job search, job training, subsidized employment, job retention, job enhancement, and encouraging education, including career-advancing education, dissemination of employment materials, coordination with existing employment services such as welfare-to-work programs, referrals to local employment training initiatives, and other methods. (IV) Activities to promote responsible fatherhood that are conducted through a contract with a nationally recognized, nonprofit fatherhood promotion organization, such as the development, promotion, and distribution of a media campaign to encourage the appropriate involvement of parents in the life of any child and specifically the issue of responsible fatherhood, and the development of a national clearinghouse to assist States and communities in efforts to promote and support marriage and responsible fatherhood. For Healthy Marriage Promotion and Responsible Fatherhood Grants, the Secretary may not award funds on a noncompetitive basis, and may not provide any such funds to an entity for the purpose of carrying out healthy marriage promotion activities or for the purpose of carrying out activities promoting responsible fatherhood unless the entity has submitted to the Secretary an application which describes how the programs or activities proposed in the application will address, as appropriate, issues of domestic violence; and what the applicant will do, to the extent relevant, to ensure that participation in the programs or activities is voluntary, and to inform potential participants that their participation is voluntary; and contains a commitment by the entity to not use the funds for any other purpose; and to consult with experts in domestic violence or relevant community domestic violence coalitions in developing the programs and activities. For Tribal TANF Child Welfare, recipients may use funds to (I) to improve case management for families eligible for assistance from such a tribal program; (II) for supportive services and assistance to tribal children in out-of-home placements and the tribal families caring for such children, including families who adopt such children; and (III) for prevention services and assistance to tribal families at risk of child abuse and neglect. Performance Reports: Performance progress reports are required using the SF-PPR ACF Performance Progress Report. The frequency of reporting will be listed in the FOA and in the award terms and conditions. For more information, see: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/discretionary-post-award-requirements#chapter-2. Performance reports include information obtained from submitted semi-annual reports, site visits, and technical assistance provision conducted during biennial meetings. Audits are conducted in accordance with the requirements in 45 CFR 75 Subpart F. All financial records are to be maintained in accordance with 45 CFR 75.361-365. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. The grants awarded in September 2015 were awarded for a five year project period, with annual appropriations. Post award, our Division of Payment Management will establish an account from which a grantee may draw down award funds. None/Not specified. Millicent Crawford
Office of Family Assistance (OFA), 330 C Street SW
Washington, DC 20201 USA
millicent.crawford@acf.hhs.gov
Phone: 202-205-8184 http://hmrf.acf.hhs.gov 75-1552-1-0-506 (Project Grants (Discretionary)) FY 18$106,885,142.00; FY 19 est $103,387,984.00; FY 20 est $116,800,000.00; FY 17$108,704,468.00; FY 16$113,460,060.00; - Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Grants range from $350,000 to $2,000,000. Not applicable. Not applicable.