Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2021 ACF OPRE PE 1944
The Family Self-Sufficiency Demonstration Development Grants are a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), specifically through the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE). The core purpose is to help organizations that serve low-income families with children strengthen, refine, and get ready to evaluate coordinated, client-centered strategies designed to improve family self-sufficiency. Rather than paying for direct services to participants, the program is meant to support the behind-the-scenes development work that makes an intervention clearer, stronger, and more measurable, so it can eventually be tested and shown to work (or be improved based on evidence).
A major theme of the grant is building both evidence and evaluation capacity. OPRE is looking for recipients that want to contribute to what is known nationally about what helps families move toward stability and self-sufficiency, while also improving their own ability to do research, collect and use data, track outcomes, and communicate results to funders and partners. In other words, this is as much about strengthening an organization as it is about strengthening a program model, with the expectation that recipients will be better positioned to run credible evaluations and use learning to improve results over time.
The interventions supported under this opportunity are expected to connect to families who are eligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or at risk of becoming eligible, and to be part of the broader local service network that interacts with those families. OPRE is interested in multi-faceted approaches, meaning programs that pull together more than one strategy or service pathway in a coordinated way, rather than isolated, single-component efforts. The required outcome focus includes employment-related progress, such as reducing barriers to work, increasing earnings, supporting job retention, or enabling career advancement. In addition, interventions must also target at least one other aspect of family well-being. Examples named in the opportunity include education, health, food security, financial security, and social capital, reflecting an expectation that self-sufficiency is not just about employment but also about the conditions that help families sustain employment and improve overall stability.
A key restriction is that grant funds may not be used to provide program services. That means the award is not intended to pay for cash assistance or typical support services delivered directly to families. Instead, allowable work centers on program design and refinement, evaluation planning, and small-scale learning activities that help determine whether the intervention is being implemented as intended and whether it shows promising effects. The grant is essentially designed to move an organization from having an idea (or an early model) to having an intervention that is clearly defined, feasible to implement, and ready for more rigorous evaluation in the future.
Applicants are expected, at minimum, to have already conceptualized an intervention they believe can improve self-sufficiency outcomes for low-income families, including TANF-eligible families, and to have an interest in eventually evaluating that intervention. OPRE also builds structured evaluation support into the grant: recipients will work with a federally funded, third-party evaluation technical assistance provider. This technical assistance is tailored based on where a grantee is starting. For groups still shaping their model, support may focus on foundational pieces like developing a logic model and clarifying outcomes, activities, and assumptions. For organizations already operating a program, support may move toward more advanced evaluation readiness tasks such as designing and carrying out a pilot evaluation or other small-scale studies to assess implementation and early outcome signals.
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally signals a closer working relationship with the federal agency and its partners than a standard grant. The project period is 24 months, organized into two 12-month budget periods, giving recipients a structured timeframe to develop the intervention and complete evaluation-focused milestones. The published award ceiling is $200,000, and OPRE anticipated making about 20 awards under this opportunity. Eligible applicants are broad and include many types of public and private entities, such as state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other entities as specified in the additional eligibility language.
Administrative details from the notice include the funding opportunity number HHS-2021-ACF-OPRE-PE-1944 and CFDA number 93.595, with the activity category listed as Income Security and Social Services. The opportunity record shows a creation date of May 3, 2021, and an original application due date of July 2, 2021, with electronic submissions due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date. Overall, the grant is best understood as a development and evaluation-readiness investment for organizations that want to build stronger, evidence-informed, employment-connected self-sufficiency initiatives for TANF-connected families, and to position those initiatives for credible testing and learning.Apply for HHS 2021 ACF OPRE PE 1944
- The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families - OPRE in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Family Self-Sufficiency Demonstration Development Grants" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.595.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 03, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 02, 2021 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 20 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Family Self-Sufficiency Demonstration Development Grants (HHS/ACF/OPRE) - FAQs
What is the Family Self-Sufficiency Demonstration Development Grants opportunity?
It is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), through the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE). The grant supports organizations in strengthening and refining coordinated, client-centered strategies intended to improve family self-sufficiency for low-income families with children, with a strong emphasis on evaluation readiness and evidence-building.
What is the main purpose of these grants?
The main purpose is to fund development work that makes an intervention clearer, stronger, and more measurable so it can eventually be evaluated in a credible way. The focus is on improving program design and building evaluation capacity rather than paying for direct services to families.
Are these funds meant to pay for direct services to participants?
No. A key restriction is that grant funds may not be used to provide program services. The award is not intended to pay for cash assistance or typical support services delivered directly to families.
What kinds of activities are these grants intended to support?
The opportunity is designed to support behind-the-scenes development and evaluation-readiness work, including program design and refinement, evaluation planning, and small-scale learning activities (such as pilot evaluation efforts or other small studies) to assess whether the intervention is being implemented as intended and whether it shows promising early signals.
What is OPRE looking for in funded interventions?
OPRE is looking for coordinated, client-centered, multi-faceted approaches that bring together more than one strategy or service pathway in an organized way, rather than isolated, single-component efforts. The interventions should be connected to families eligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or at risk of becoming eligible.
Who are the intended populations for the interventions?
The interventions are expected to connect to low-income families with children who are eligible for TANF or at risk of becoming eligible, and to be part of the broader local service network that interacts with those families.
What outcomes must the intervention focus on?
The intervention must include an employment-related outcome focus, such as reducing barriers to work, increasing earnings, supporting job retention, or enabling career advancement.
Do interventions need to address outcomes beyond employment?
Yes. In addition to employment-related progress, interventions must also target at least one other aspect of family well-being. Examples listed include education, health, food security, financial security, and social capital.
Is the grant about building evidence and evaluation capacity?
Yes. A major theme is building both evidence and evaluation capacity. OPRE is seeking recipients who want to contribute to national knowledge about what helps families move toward stability and self-sufficiency and who also want to strengthen their own ability to collect and use data, track outcomes, conduct research, and communicate results to funders and partners.
Do applicants need to already have an intervention idea or model?
Yes. Applicants are expected, at minimum, to have already conceptualized an intervention they believe can improve self-sufficiency outcomes for low-income families (including TANF-eligible families) and to have an interest in eventually evaluating that intervention.
What kind of evaluation support is included with the award?
Recipients will work with a federally funded, third-party evaluation technical assistance provider. The support is tailored based on where the grantee is starting, ranging from foundational development (like creating a logic model and clarifying outcomes and assumptions) to more advanced evaluation readiness work (like designing and carrying out a pilot evaluation or other small-scale studies).
What is a cooperative agreement, and why does it matter here?
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates a closer working relationship with the federal agency and its partners than a standard grant. This aligns with the opportunity's emphasis on structured evaluation technical assistance and milestone-driven development work.
How long is the project period?
The project period is 24 months, organized into two 12-month budget periods.
What is the maximum award amount?
The published award ceiling is $200,000.
How many awards did OPRE anticipate making?
OPRE anticipated making about 20 awards under this opportunity.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants are broad and include many types of public and private entities, including state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other entities as specified in the additional eligibility language.
Which federal office is administering this opportunity?
The opportunity is offered by HHS, ACF, specifically through OPRE (Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation).
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is HHS-2021-ACF-OPRE-PE-1944.
What is the CFDA number for this program?
The CFDA number listed is 93.595.
What is the activity category for this funding opportunity?
The activity category is Income Security and Social Services.
When was the opportunity created and when were applications due?
The record shows a creation date of May 3, 2021. The original application due date was July 2, 2021, with electronic submissions due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date.
What is the overall intent of the program in plain terms?
It is an investment in development and evaluation readiness for organizations that want to build stronger, evidence-informed, employment-connected self-sufficiency initiatives for TANF-connected families, and to position those initiatives for credible testing, learning, and improvement over time.
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