Foa_Content_of_HHS-2023-ACF-OPRE-PE-0005.pdf

Administration for Children and Families

Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation

Career Pathways Secondary Data Analysis Grants

HHS-2023-ACF-OPRE-PE-0005

Application Due Date: 06/29/2023

Table of Contents Executive Summary

I. Program Description

II. Federal Award Information

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching

III.3. Other

IV. Application and Submission Information

IV.1. Address to Request Application Package

IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission

Required Forms, Assurances, and Certifications

The Project Description

The Project Budget and Budget Justification

Application Submission Options

IV.3. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM)

IV.4. Submission Dates and Times

Explanation of Due Dates

Acknowledgement of Received Application

IV.5. Intergovernmental Review

IV.6. Funding Restrictions

IV.7. Other Submission Requirements

V. Application Review Information

V.1. Criteria

V.2. Review and Selection Process

V.3. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates

VI. Federal Award Administration Information

VI.1. Federal Award Notices

VI.2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

VI.3. Reporting

VII. HHS Award Agency Contact(s)

VIII. Other Information

Reference Websites

Application Checklist

Funding Opportunity Title:

Career Pathways Secondary Data Analysis Grants Announcement Type:

Initial Funding Opportunity Number:

HHS-2023-ACF-OPRE-PE-0005

Primary CFDA Number:

93.595 Due Date for Applications:

06/29/2023 Executive Summary

Notice:

Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the entire notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) carefully and observe the application formatting requirements listed in Section IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission. For more information on applying for grants, please visit "How to Apply for a Grant" on the ACF Grants & Funding Page at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) is soliciting applications for Career Pathways Secondary Data Analysis Grants to support secondary analysis of data collected to rigorously evaluate a collection of career pathways programs. The purpose of these grants is to better understand the effectiveness of services funded by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs that aim to address the employment and self-sufficiency needs of TANF recipients and those eligible for, or at risk of, TANF receipt. Career pathways programs are one such service. Career pathways programs provide post-secondary education and training organized as a series of manageable steps leading to successively higher credentials and employment opportunities in growing occupations. Programs also provide financial, academic, and non-academic support to help primarily non-traditional students with low incomes enroll and persist in education. Career pathways programs can offer an efficient and client-centered approach to career and technical education and training by connecting adult basic education, occupational training, postsecondary education, and supportive services.

OPRE oversees a robust portfolio of research to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of career pathways programs, including the Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) project and the evaluation of two rounds of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Program. More information is available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/career-pathways-research-portfolio. Data from these studies are available for secondary analysis through the Child and Family Data Archive (CFData) (https://www.childandfamilydataarchive.org). A webinar on how to access and use the data is available at https://www.childandfamilydataarchive.org/cfda/pages/cfda/video-resources.html?categories=Career%20Pathways. The grants are intended to support rigorous, policy-relevant secondary analysis of these career pathways data sets.

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/career-pathways-research-portfolio https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/career-pathways-research-portfolio https://www.childandfamilydataarchive.org https://www.childandfamilydataarchive.org/cfda/pages/cfda/video-resources.html?categories=Career%20Pathways https://www.childandfamilydataarchive.org/cfda/pages/cfda/video-resources.html?categories=Career%20Pathways https://www.childandfamilydataarchive.org/cfda/pages/cfda/video-resources.html?categories=Career%20Pathways.

I. Program Description

Statutory Authority Awards offered under this program will be funded under the authority of section 413 of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 613

Description A. Background The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 established the TANF program to replace the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program. The four statutory purposes of TANF are as follows:

Assist needy families so that children can be cared for in their own homes;

End the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage;

Prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and Encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.

States, tribes, and U.S. territories receive federal TANF funding in the form of a block grant, which provides broad flexibility in the design and implementation of TANF programs. Federal TANF funds and the required state match (known as "maintenance of effort" funds) can be spent on any activity reasonably calculated to achieve one or more of the above-referenced purposes of TANF. TANF eligibility varies by state/tribe/territory and is determined based on income and other household characteristics. More information about the TANF program can be found at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ofa/programs/temporary-assistance-needy-families-tanf.

The ACF Office of Family Assistance (OFA) administers the TANF program. In 2016, OFA released Information Memorandum No. TANF-ACF-IM-2016-05 that encouraged TANF agencies to adopt policies and practices that will connect families to career pathways to help parents receive training and credentials in support of obtaining jobs with family-sustaining wages. OFA noted:

All federal TANF and state maintenance-of-effort (MOE) expenditures must meet one or more of the four statutory purposes of the TANF program. Career pathways programs fall under the second purpose, to end the dependence of needy parents by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage. TANF agencies may use TANF and MOE funds to support a range of benefits and services for low-income parents as part of a career pathways approach, such as adult basic education, job training, job placement, postsecondary education (including career and technical training), apprenticeships and subsidized employment, and support services such as child care and transportation.

Education and training are critical to obtaining employment that pays family-supporting wages for TANF recipients and TANF-eligible adults. Job opportunities in specific sectors, such as healthcare and information technology (IT), are increasing, and local economies are experiencing labor shortages in these sectors. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that most employment gains in the United States from 2021 to 2031 will occur in service-providing sectors such as health care, driven by increasing demand in healthcare industries and occupations because of the aging U.S. population (Dubina, Kim, Colato, & Rieley 2022). In addition, the economic recovery https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ofa/programs/temporary-assistance-needy-families-tanf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ofa/tanf_im_2016_05_supporting_career_pathways.pdf from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and structural changes induced by the pandemic is spurring higher demand for IT services. Computer-related industries and occupations are expected to see long-term growth in coming years. Many of these growing occupations do not require a 4-year degree, but do require some postsecondary education or training (Torpey, 2020).

To better understand the effectiveness of career pathways programs in meeting the second statutory purpose of TANF—to end dependence on government benefits by promoting job preparation and work—OPRE within ACF has invested in a large portfolio of research evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of career pathways programs that serve TANF recipients and other adults with low incomes. Programs that use the career pathways framework of postsecondary education are designed to address the dual goals of preparing individuals for employment and meeting local labor market demand. Career pathways programs provide postsecondary education and training as a series of manageable steps leading to successively higher credentials and employment opportunities in growing occupations (Fein, 2012; Werner et al., 2013). Each step is designed to prepare students for the next level of employment and education and to provide a credential with labor market value. To effectively engage, retain, and facilitate learning for diverse populations, programs often integrate comprehensive screening and assessment, promising instructional strategies targeted at adult learners, academic and non-academic supports, and employment experiences and opportunities. The programs included in OPRE’s PACE and HPOG evaluations vary in their design and implementation of these core principles. Each program creates a constellation of services and supports that are appropriate for the given program or recipient organization, its context, objectives, and target population. As a result, career pathways programs offer an efficient and client-centered approach to career and technical education.

More information about OPRE’s complete career pathways research portfolio is available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/career-pathways. More information about OPRE’s broader portfolio of research and evaluation on TANF and family self-sufficiency is available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/topic/self-sufficiency-welfare-employment.

PACE project In 2007, OPRE launched PACE, a random assignment evaluation of nine career pathways interventions that aimed to increase employment and self-sufficiency among individuals with low incomes and low academic skills. The project was designed to assess the impact of the interventions on educational attainment, employment and earnings, and other relevant outcomes. All programs in the PACE project contained key elements of the career pathways framework, but they varied in their designs and combined and prioritized different program elements and career pathways steps. Areas of variation include the following:

Lead Organization: The programs in PACE were operated by community or technical colleges, non-profit organizations, and Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs).

Target Population: By design, all the programs in PACE targeted adults with low incomes and low academic skills; however, some focused on specific populations, such as Latinos or young adults. Additionally, programs varied on the skill level of the participants targeted.

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/career-pathways https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/topic/self-sufficiency-welfare-employment

Occupational Focus: Several programs in PACE focused exclusively on health-related occupations. The other programs focused on areas such as welding, electrical, administrative support, manufacturing, technology/IT, and financial services.

Steps on a Career Pathway: The programs varied in the number and level of steps within a career pathway covered.

Service Strategies: All programs included some type of assessment, instructional approaches targeted to adult learners, support services, and connections to employment.

The programs combined these strategies in different ways depending on the goals of their program and the target population.

Nearly 12 percent of all study participants in PACE reported receiving TANF or public assistance in the 12 months before enrollment (Gardiner and Juras, 2019). The percentage of TANF recipients varied by program, ranging from about 5 percent to over 40 percent.

The PACE project included three follow-up periods at 15, 36, and 72 months after random assignment. Using an experimental design, the study measured differences between the treatment and control group members on educational outcomes (e.g., persistence in education, receipt of certificates and degrees), labor market outcomes (e.g., earnings, employment), and family well-being outcomes (e.g., debt, financial hardship, child development). The key research questions addressed in PACE include the following:

What is the basic design and underlying logic of each PACE program? What are its elements?

What was the actual implementation of the intervention? Did it deviate from plans or expectations?

What were the students’ participation patterns and experiences with program services?

What are the short, intermediate, and long-term effects of the PACE programs on earnings, educational outcomes, household income, adult well-being, and other life outcomes?

How do the effects of PACE programs vary over time, across outcomes or domains and by participant characteristics?

Data sources vary by program but generally include the following:

Program records on program offerings and participant service receipt;

College records (when available);

Study participant information collected at baseline;

Study participant follow-up information collected through a series of surveys administered approximately at 15 and 36 months after random assignment for all programs, and again at 72 months for four programs; and

Administrative data from the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) and the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH).

The study analyzed and reported findings for each program separately. Programs began random assignment in November 2011, and random assignment ended in all sites in fall 2014. The total sample per site ranges from approximately 650 to over 2,500 individuals; the total sample across all PACE programs is 9,259 individuals. Additionally, the PACE evaluation of each program included an implementation study that provided a detailed description of the program, documented the experiences of participants (the treatment group), and examined how their program experiences compared to individuals who did not receive the program services (the control group).

OPRE has released reports for each wave of data collection with the programs in the PACE project. All products from the PACE project are available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/research/project/pathways-for-advancing-careers-and-education.

HPOG Program The HPOG Program awarded grants to organizations that provided education and training to TANF recipients and other individuals with low incomes for health care occupations that were expected to either experience labor shortages or be in high-demand. In 2010, ACF within HHS awarded the first round of 5-year HPOG grants (HPOG 1.0) to 32 recipients. In 2015, ACF awarded the second round of 5-year grants (HPOG 2.0) to 32 recipients, 17 of which received funding under HPOG 1.0. HPOG 2.0 grants were later extended an additional year, ending in September 2021. HPOG recipients were postsecondary educational institutions, workforce development boards, state or local government agencies, and community-based organizations.

Five of the 32 recipients in each round of HPOG were tribal organizations. HPOG 1.0 recipients enrolled over 38,000 individuals, and HPOG 2.0 recipients enrolled over 40,000.

The HPOG Program was designed with dual goals: to provide TANF recipients and other individuals with low incomes with opportunities for education and training that lead to employment and advancement in the health care workforce and to address the increasing shortfall in the supply of health care professionals in the face of expanding demand. HPOG recipients were required to partner with their state TANF agency, relevant local and state WIBs, and the state apprenticeship agency. Further, the recipients were expected to accomplish the following aims:

Target skills and competencies demanded by the health care industry;

Support career pathways, such as an articulated career ladder;

Provide training that resulted in an employer or industry-recognized certificate or degree

(including license, Registered Apprenticeship certificate, or degree);

Combine supportive services with education and training services to help participants overcome barriers to employment, as necessary; and Provide training services at times and locations that are easily accessible to targeted populations.

More information about the HPOG Program is available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ofa/programs/hpog.

HPOG was authorized as a demonstration program with a mandated evaluation. OPRE’s multipronged research and evaluation strategy is assessing the success of each round of the HPOG Program. The research and evaluation activities aim to provide information on program implementation, systems change, outcomes, and impact. The HPOG 1.0 Impact Study, HPOG

1.0 National Implementation Evaluation (NIE) (HPOG 1.0 NIE), and HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation sections provide more information about these studies.

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/research/project/pathways-for-advancing-careers-and-education https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ofa/programs/hpog

HPOG 1.0 Impact Study The HPOG 1.0 Impact Study used an experimental design to examine the effect of the HPOG 1.0 Program on participants’ educational and economic outcomes at 15, 36, and 72 months after random assignment. The evaluation aimed to identify which components of HPOG programs (e.g., types of support services, program structure, and training areas) contributed to participant success. The HPOG 1.0 Impact Study included 20 recipients that were not part of another study collecting individual-level data (“HPOG-only” recipients) as well as the 3 HPOG recipients being evaluated as part of the PACE project (“HPOG-PACE” recipients). As part of the HPOG

1.0 Impact Study, some recipients implemented a multi-arm experimental design that created two treatment arms—an “HPOG services as usual” treatment group and an “enhanced HPOG” treatment group that had access to an “enhanced” program component—as well as a control group that did not have access to HPOG. The following three program enhancements were implemented as part of the multi-arm experimental test: facilitated peer support groups, emergency assistance, and non-cash incentives. Approximately half of the recipients participated in an enhancement test.

The study was designed to address the following research questions:

What impacts do the HPOG programs, as a group, have on the outcomes of participants and their families?

To what extent do those impacts vary across selected subpopulations?

Which locally adopted program components influence average impacts?

To what extent does participation in a particular HPOG component (or components) change the impact on trainees?

The 20 HPOG-only recipients conducted random assignment from approximately March 2013 to November 2014. Over that period, 10,693 individuals were enrolled in the study, with 2 people assigned to the treatment group for every 1 person assigned to the control group. The HPOG- PACE recipients enrolled 3,100 individuals in the study, with 1 person assigned to the treatment group for every person assigned to the control group. The total sample size for the HPOG 1.0 Impact Study is 13,717. Approximately 13 percent of Impact Study participants reported receiving TANF at baseline (Peck et al., 2018).

The HPOG 1.0 Impact Study relied on the following key data sources:

HPOG Performance Reporting System (PRS), a management information system used by all HPOG recipients to track recipient progress for program management and accountability and to record participant data for use in the evaluation;

Recipient and staff/management surveys, designed and collected by the HPOG 1.0 NIE;

Study participant information collected at baseline;

Study participant follow-up surveys administered approximately at 15, 36, and 72 months after random assignment; and Employment and earnings administrative data from NDNH.

OPRE has published short, intermediate, and long-term impact findings. More information about the HPOG 1.0 Impact Study is available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/health-https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/health-profession-opportunity-grants-hpog-impact-study-2011-2018 profession-opportunity-grants-hpog-impact-study-2011-2018.

HPOG 1.0 NIE

HPOG 1.0 NIE assessed program implementation, systems change, and participant outcomes of the 27 non-tribal HPOG 1.0 programs.

The evaluation included three major components—a Descriptive Implementation Study, a Systems Change Analysis, and an Outcome Study—that addressed the following three major research questions, respectively:

How are health professions training programs being implemented across the HPOG 1.0 recipient sites?

What changes to the service delivery system are associated with program implementation?

What individual-level outputs and outcomes occur?

To support the analyses, HPOG 1.0 NIE used surveys to collect data from recipient management and staff, stakeholders, employers, and participants. Additionally, the project used administrative data from HPOG PRS, NDNH, HPOG program management materials (e.g., grant applications), and national and local sources on local area labor markets.

More information on HPOG 1.0 NIE, including the design, interim, and final reports from the three major components of the study, is available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/national-implementation-evaluation-health-profession-opportunity-grants-2012-2018.

HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation The HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation is rigorously assessing the HPOG programs administered by the non-tribal recipients awarded grants in 2015. The 27 non-tribal recipients operated 38 HPOG programs across 17 states. Across HPOG 2.0 programs, about 19 percent of participants reported receiving TANF at enrollment (Sick and Loprest, 2022).

The HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation includes three main components. The impact evaluation randomly assigned eligible participants to either a treatment group that has access to HPOG services or a control group that does not have access to HPOG but can receive other services available in the community (i.e., “business as usual”) to assess the impacts of the HPOG programs. The descriptive evaluation includes implementation, outcomes, and systems studies that will help interpret findings from the impact study. The descriptive study also includes in-depth qualitative interviews with a small sample of HPOG study participants. The cost-benefit analysis will assess the costs and benefits of a standard HPOG program.

Data sources for all three components of the National Evaluation include program data collected in the management information system used by all HPOG programs, administrative data from NDNH and the NSC, and participant follow-up surveys at approximately 15, 36, and 66 months after random assignment. In 2021, OPRE funded a 15-month follow-up survey of participants who enrolled in HPOG after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This effort will support assessments of the effectiveness of the HPOG 2.0 Program before and after the pandemic.

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/health-profession-opportunity-grants-hpog-impact-study-2011-2018 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/national-implementation-evaluation-health-profession-opportunity-grants-2012-2018 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/national-implementation-evaluation-health-profession-opportunity-grants-2012-2018

More information about the HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation, including evaluation design and analysis plans, is available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/national-evaluation-2nd-generation-health-profession-opportunity-grants-hpog-20.

B. Grant Program Goals and Expectations The purpose of the Career Pathways Secondary Data Analysis Grants is to better understand the effectiveness of services funded by state TANF programs that aim to address the employment and self-sufficiency needs of adults receiving TANF or those eligible for or at risk of TANF receipt. Career pathways programs are one such service. TANF agencies may use TANF and MOE funds to support a range of benefits and services for low-income parents as part of a career pathways approach. These grants are intended to support rigorous, policy-relevant research of such approaches through secondary analysis of data sets from OPRE evaluations of career pathways programs—PACE, HPOG 1.0 Impact Study, HPOG 1.0 NIE, and HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation. The grants are an integral component of OPRE's multi-pronged career pathways portfolio, which is a key component of OPRE’s broader portfolio of research and evaluation on TANF and family self-sufficiency.

Data from the PACE project, HPOG 1.0 Impact Study, HPOG 1.0 NIE, HPOG 2.0 National Evaluation, and qualitative data from in-depth participant interviews with HPOG 2.0 participants are available for secondary analysis through CFData (https://www.childandfamilydataarchive.org). CFData is maintained by the Inter-university Consortium on Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan.

The archived data includes information collected through participant baseline and follow-up surveys, participant interviews, staff surveys, and program administrative records (where available). The archived data does not include administrative records from the NDNH or NSC.

De-identified data from the studies is available to researchers as restricted access files.

Information about the process and requirements for accessing restricted access data through ICPSR is available at https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/content/ICPSR/access/restricted/. Please note that providing a link to a non-Federal website in this NOFO does not constitute an endorsement by ACF or any of its employees of the sponsors of the website or the information or products presented on the site. ACF cannot attest to the accuracy of information provided by this link or any other linked sites on the website.

OPRE sponsored information about the data available for analysis, including codebooks and data dictionaries, is available for

PACE at https://www.childandfamilydataarchive.org/cfda/archives/cfda/studies/37289

HPOG 1.0

at https://www.childandfamilydataarchive.org/cfda/archives/cfda/studies/37290

HPOG 2.0

at https://www.childandfamilydataarchive.org/cfda/archives/cfda/studies/38427

Additional HPOG 2.0 data will be made available on a rolling basis in 2023 and beyond. A webinar on how to access and use the data is available https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/national-evaluation-2nd-generation-health-profession-opportunity-grants-hpog-20 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/national-evaluation-2nd-generation-health-profession-opportunity-grants-hpog-20 https://www.childandfamilydataarchive.org https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/content/ICPSR/access/restricted/ https://www.childandfamilydataarchive.org/cfda/archives/cfda/studies/37289 https://www.childandfamilydataarchive.org/cfda/archives/cfda/studies/37290 https://www.childandfamilydataarchive.org/cfda/archives/cfda/studies/38427 at https://www.childandfamilydataarchive.org/cfda/pages/cfda/video-resources.html?categories=Career%20Pathways.

The specific goals of the Career Pathways Secondary Data Analysis Grants are to:

Deepen the understanding of the implementation and effectiveness of career pathways programs;

Examine career pathways programs’ effectiveness in meeting the goals and objectives in TANF’s second statutory purpose—to end the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation and employment;

Support research to inform and improve the design, implementation, delivery, and performance of related TANF-funded services related to career pathways, including career and technical education, occupational training, adult basic skills education, and supportive services;

Augment OPRE's multi-pronged evaluation of career pathways programs by focusing on questions relevant to TANF agencies and other providers of career pathways programs for individuals with low incomes; and

Address issues of current relevance to inform policy decisions at the local, state, and national levels related to career pathways programs for TANF recipients and individuals with low incomes.

Proposed studies may have a substantive or methodological focus and may seek to answer specific questions or address broader research topics of interest relevant to the goals delineated above. Proposed studies may focus on particular PACE programs or include multiple PACE or HPOG programs. Proposed studies may focus on specific groups of study participants, including TANF recipients and non-TANF recipients, to further understand strategies that are effective for serving various population groups. Proposals should reflect careful consideration and selection of a research topic that is suitable for secondary analysis with the available career pathways data.

Proposals may merge additional secondary datasets, if feasible and appropriate, but analyses should be limited to secondary data.

The proposed approach and analytic methods should be rigorous, appropriate, and sufficient for addressing the proposed research question(s). The approach should demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the methodological options and trade-offs that must be considered and addressed to conduct analyses and complete the project on schedule resulting in high-quality, useful products. OPRE is interested in supporting the use of innovative methods and state-of-the-art analytic techniques that can substantially enhance the quality of the research or save time or other resources.

The expected findings should benefit the TANF and family self-sufficiency, postsecondary education and training, career and technical education, and employment research fields in terms of the potential to advance knowledge of career pathways for TANF recipients and other adults with low incomes. Further, the expected results should address issues of current relevance to TANF agencies and decision-makers at the local, state, and national levels to inform policy decisions and solutions. OPRE is also interested in methodological topics that leverage the rigorous design and variable contexts and components of the programs included in the PACE and HPOG data sets. Such topics may include, but are not limited to, testing innovative statistical https://www.childandfamilydataarchive.org/cfda/pages/cfda/video-resources.html?categories=Career%20Pathways https://www.childandfamilydataarchive.org/cfda/pages/cfda/video-resources.html?categories=Career%20Pathways https://www.childandfamilydataarchive.org/cfda/pages/cfda/video-resources.html?categories=Career%20Pathways.

methods in causal inference or advancing methods to identify contextual and other factors that may account for variation in program effects. OPRE is additionally interested in projects that seek to understand whether and how career pathways programs can improve equity within the labor market.

C. Additional Project Requirements The roles and responsibilities of the recipients include the following:

Participating in in-person recipient meetings with the federal project officer (FPO), other federal partners, and interested parties (up to one annually);

Participating in quarterly phone calls with the FPO;

Working with the FPO to finalize research questions and analytic plans that will contribute to the TANF, family self-sufficiency, education and training, and employment research fields and practice;

Implementing the study, including data analysis; interpretation; and writing all papers, briefs, or reports; and

Discussing with the FPO plans for publishing or presenting research findings.

When issuing statements, press releases, publications, requests for proposal, bid solicitations, and other documents—such as toolkits, resource guides, websites, and presentations (hereafter, “statements”)—describing the projects or programs funded in whole, or in part, with HHS federal funds, the recipient must clearly state the following:

the percentage and dollar amount of the total costs of the program or project funded with federal money; and, the percentage and dollar amount of the total costs of the project or program funded by non-governmental sources.

When issuing statements resulting from activities supported by HHS financial assistance, the recipient entity must include an acknowledgment of federal assistance using the following or a similar statement.

If the HHS Grant or Cooperative Agreement is NOT funded with other non-governmental sources: "This [project/publication/program/website, etc.] [is/was] supported by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the United States (U.S.) Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $XX with 100 percent funded by ACF/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACF/HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit the ACF website at Administrative and National Policy Requirements."

Meeting Attendance The Principal Investigator(s) must attend and present at two meetings with all Career Pathways Secondary Data Analysis Grants recipients. These meetings will be held in 2024 and 2025 in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and will last approximately 1½ days each. Only principal investigators are required to attend, but applicants may budget for additional key project staff to attend if desired. The purpose of these meetings will be to support the planning, implementation, and coordination of the research projects undertaken by the Career Pathways Secondary Data https://www.acf.hhs.gov/administrative-and-national-policy-requirements

Analysis Grants recipients. In addition, the Principal Investigators will participate in quarterly conference calls with the FPO to communicate their progress.

COVID-19 Response If, during the pandemic, OPRE and/or recipients are required to adjust project requirements due to COVID-19, OPRE will exercise flexibilities as appropriate and in accordance with applicable laws. For example, convenings may be conducted virtually or timelines may be modified in consultation with OPRE.

Subawards ACF expects applicants to consider whether subcontracts or subawards are part of their planned activities. The following guidance applies to grantee oversight of subawards:

Recipients under this grant program may opt to transfer a portion of substantive programmatic work to other organizations through subaward(s). The prime recipient must maintain a substantive role in the project. ACF defines a substantive role as conducting activities and/or providing services funded under the award that are necessary and integral to the completion of the project. Subrecipient monitoring activities alone as specified in 45 CFR § 75.352 do not constitute a substantive role. Furthermore, ACF does not fund awards where the role of the applicant is primarily to serve as a conduit for passing funds to other organizations unless that arrangement is authorized by statute.

Subrecipient(s) must meet the eligibility requirements identified in the NOFO, Section III.1.

Eligible Applicants. Additionally, all subrecipient(s) must obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) assigned by the System for Award Management (SAM), if they do not already have one.

Prime recipients are required to check SAM to verify that the subrecipient(s) is/are not debarred, suspended, or ineligible. Please reference the Award Term and Condition on Subawards on the ACF Administrative and National Policy Requirements website for further requirements involving subawards.

D. References

Kevin S. Dubina, Janie-Lynn Kim, Javier Colato, and Michael J. Rieley, "Projections overview and highlights, 2021–31," Monthly Labor Review, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 2022, https://doi.org/10.21916/mlr.2022.28

Fein, D. (2012). Career Pathways as a Framework for Program Design and Evaluation:

A Working Paper from the Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) Project, OPRE Report 2012-30, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Gardiner, K. and R. Juras. (2019). PACE Cross-Program Implementation and Impact Study Findings, OPRE Report 2019-32, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Peck, Laura R., Alan Werner, Eleanor Harvill, Daniel Litwok, Shawn Moulton, Alyssa Rulf Fountain, and Gretchen Locke. (2018). Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG 1.0) Impact Study Interim Report: Program Implementation and Short-Term https://www.acf.hhs.gov/administrative-and-national-policy-requirements#book_content_14 https://doi.org/10.21916/mlr.2022.28

Impacts, OPRE Report 2018-16a. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Nathan Sick and Pamela Loprest. (2022). Health Profession Opportunity Grants 2.0:

Final Annual Report, OPRE Report 2022-228. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Werner, A., Dun Rappaport, C., Bagnell Stuart, J., & Lewis, J. (2013). Literature Review:

Career Pathways Programs, OPRE Report #2013-24, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services.

Torpey, Elka. "Education level and projected openings, 2019–29," Career Outlook, U.S.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, October 2020.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance (2016). Information Memorandum No. TANF- ACF-IM-2016-05, Supporting Career Pathways for TANF Recipients. Available at:

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ofa/policy-guidance/tanf-acf-im-2016-05-supporting-career-pathways-tanf-recipients.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Characteristics and Financial Circumstances of TANF Recipients, Fiscal Year 2020.” Available at:

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ofa/fy2020_characteristics_data_fi nal.pdf.

II. Federal Award Information

Funding Instrument Type:

G (Grant) Estimated Total Funding:

$400,000 Expected Number of Awards:

Award Ceiling:

$100,000 Per Budget Period

Award Floor:

$90,000 Per Budget Period

Average Projected Award Amount:

$100,000 Per Budget Period

Anticipated Project Start Date:

09/30/2023 Length of Project Periods:

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ofa/policy-guidance/tanf-acf-im-2016-05-supporting-career-pathways-tanf-recipients https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ofa/policy-guidance/tanf-acf-im-2016-05-supporting-career-pathways-tanf-recipients https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ofa/fy2020_characteristics_data_final.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ofa/fy2020_characteristics_data_final.pdf

24-month project period with two 12-month budget periods

Additional Information on Project Periods and Explanation of 'Other' Additional Information on Awards:

Awards made under this funding opportunity are subject to the availability of federal funds.

Applications requesting an award amount that exceeds the Award Ceiling per budget period, or per project period, as stated in this section, will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity. This disqualification applies only to the Award Ceiling listed for the first 12-month budget period for projects with multiple budget periods. If the project and budget period are the same, the disqualification applies to the Award Ceiling listed for the project period. Please see Section III.3. Other, Application Disqualification Factors.

Note: For those programs that require matching or cost sharing, recipients will be held accountable for projected commitments of non-federal resources in their application budgets and budget justifications by budget period or by project period for fully funded awards, even if the projected commitment exceeds the required amount of match or cost share. A recipient's failure to provide the required matching amount may result in the disallowance of federal funds.

For more information on these requirements, see Section III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching.

Applicants are expected to submit applications for the full 24-month project period to ensure adequate time for project activities. Applications that are less than 24 months are not sufficient to meet the project goals, including accessing the restricted-use data, cleaning and analyzing the data, and disseminating findings. Non-competing continuation awards for the second 12-month budget period will be required and are subject to the availability of funds, satisfactory progress by the grant recipient, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the federal government. Satisfactory project performance and progress is judged, in part, on information provided in semi-annual progress reports. This includes, but is not limited to, adhering to the timeline for completing the future activities (aligned with the written description of planned activities), maintaining the research quality and methods originally proposed, and providing a detailed description of any changes in the activities and/or timeline from what was originally proposed. During the first budget period, applicants will receive instructions on how to submit non-competing continuation applications to request funds for the second budget period.

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants

Eligibility under the Career Pathways Secondary Data Analysis Grants NOFO is defined under section 413 of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 613. The statutory authorities for this funding opportunity do not limit eligible entities to receive this funding.

ACF encourages tribally controlled land grant colleges and universities, historically Black colleges and universities, and Hispanic-serving institutions to apply. Additionally, any other institutions with the research capacity and interest in the focus of the grant are welcome to apply.

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. See Section III.3. Other, Application Disqualification Factors.

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 of 45 CFR Part 87 and 42 U.S.C. 2000bb et seq., ACF will not, in the selection of recipients, discriminate against an organization on the basis of the organization's religious character, affiliation, or exercise.

Reference to Legal Status See Section IV.2. Legal Status of Applicant Entity for documentation required to support eligibility.

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement:

No For all federal awards, any shared costs or matching funds and all contributions, including cash and third-party in-kind contributions, must be accepted as part of the recipient’s cost sharing or matching when such contributions meet all criteria listed in 45 CFR § 75.306.

For awards that require matching by statute, recipients will be held accountable for projected commitments of non-federal resources in their application budgets and budget justifications by budget period, or by project period for fully funded awards, even if the projected commitment exceeds the amount required by the statutory match. A recipient’s failure to provide the statutorily required matching amount may result in the disallowance of federal funds.

Recipients will be required to report these funds in the Federal Financial Reports.

For awards that do not require matching or cost sharing by statute, where “cost sharing” refers to any situation in which the recipient voluntarily shares in the costs of a project other than as statutorily required matching, recipients will be held accountable for projected commitments of non-federal resources in their application budgets and budget justifications by budget period, or by project period for fully funded awards. These include situations in which contributions are voluntarily proposed by a recipient or subrecipient and are accepted by ACF. Non-federal cost sharing will be included in the approved project budget so that the recipient will be held accountable for proposed non-federal cost sharing funds as shown in the Notice of Award (NoA). A recipient’s failure to provide voluntary cost sharing of non-federal resources that have been accepted by ACF as part of the approved project costs and that have been shown as part of the approved project budget in the NoA, may result in the disallowance of federal funds. Recipients will be required to report these funds in the Federal Financial Reports.

III.3. Other

Application Disqualification Factors 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.

Award Ceiling Disqualification

Applications that request an award amount that exceeds the Award Ceiling per budget period or per project period ("per project period" refers only to fully funded awards), as stated in Section II. Federal Award Information, will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity. This disqualification applies only to the Award Ceiling listed for the first 12-month budget period for projects with multiple budget periods. If the project and budget period are the same, the disqualification applies to the Award Ceiling listed for the project period.

Required Electronic Application Submission

ACF requires electronic submission of applications at Grants.gov. Paper applications received from applicants that have not been approved for an exemption from required electronic submission will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity.

Applicants that do not have an internet connection or sufficient computing capacity to upload large documents to the internet may contact ACF for an exemption that will allow the applicant to submit applications in paper format. Information and the requirements for requesting an exemption from required electronic application submission are found in "ACF Policy for Requesting an Exemption from Electronic Application Submission."

Missing the Application Deadline (Late Applications)

The deadline for electronic application submission is 11:59 pm ET on the due date listed in the Overview and in Section IV.4. Submission Dates and Times. Electronic applications submitted to Grants.gov after 11:59 pm ET on the due date, as indicated by a dated and time-stamped email from Grants.gov, will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity. That is, applications submitted to Grants.gov, on or after 12:00 am ET on the day after the due date will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity.

Applications submitted to Grants.gov at any time during the open application period, and prior to the due date and time, which fail the Grants.gov validation check, will not be received at, or acknowledged by ACF.

Each time an application is submitted via Grants.gov, the submission will generate a new date and time-stamp email notification. Only those applications with on-time date and time stamps that result in a validated application, which is transmitted to ACF will be acknowledged.

The deadline for receipt of paper applications is 4:30 pm ET on the due date listed in the Overview and in Section IV.4. Submission Dates and Times. Paper applications received https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ACF_Policy_for_Requesting_an_Exemption_from_Required_Electronic_FINAL_0.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ACF_Policy_for_Requesting_an_Exemption_from_Required_Electronic_FINAL_0.pdf after 4:30 pm ET on the due date will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity. Paper applications received from applicants that have not received approval of an exemption from required electronic submission will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity.

Notification of Application Disqualification Applicants will be notified of a disqualification determination by email or by USPS postal mail within 30 federal business days from the closing date of this NOFO.

IV. Application and Submission Information

IV.1. Address to Request Application Package

OPRE Review Team:

Career Pathways Secondary Data Analysis Grants c/o ICF International 1902 Reston Metro Plaza Reston

VA

20190 877-350-5913 703-934-3740 CPDataGrants@icf.com Application Packages

Electronic Application Submission:

The electronic application submission package is available in the NOFO's listing at Grants.gov.

Applications in Paper Format:

For applicants that have received an exemption to submit applications in paper format, Standard Forms (SFs), assurances, and certifications are available in the "Select Grant Opportunity Package" available in the NOFO's Grants.gov Synopsis under the Package tab at Grants.gov. See Section IV.2.