Description
The Office of Community Services (OCS) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announces that funds will be available for a cooperative agreement for the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Center of Excellence (COE) for Human Capacity Community Transformation (HCCT). Working within the existing CSBG Performance Management Framework, this cooperative agreement will provide national coordination for a training and technical assistance (T/TA) initiative to identify, highlight, and support multi-year community transformation efforts that move individuals, families and communities towards improving human capacity, reducing dependency and sustaining self-sufficiency. CSBG COE for HCCT will emphasize partnerships between CSBG-eligible entities, state and local human services agencies, philanthropic organizations, private employers, faith-based organizations, and other community stakeholders. These organizations will develop innovative transformation plans to encourage systemic improvements by leveraging resources to create new economic opportunities and improved quality of life for low-income individuals and families. These initiatives will be implemented by CSBG-eligible entities in participating communities primarily using funds awarded under the regular CSBG distribution formula as well as other direct or in-kind resources from other participating community organizations. The COE will work in connection with the CSBG Regional Performance and Innovation Consortium (RPICs) Human Capacity Initiatives, which will serve as regional focal points for technical assistance and may provide limited financial support for community planning and transformation efforts. The COE will coordinate activities among 11 RPICs, to help strengthen relationships and T/TA efforts among and between CSBG lead agencies, state Community Action Agency (CAA) associations and RPICs, CSBG-eligible entities, and national T/TA providers. In addition to coordinating a national strategy for these community-level transformation efforts, the COE will create and implement a national strategy to assist states and CSBG-eligible entities in identifying appropriate outcome measures within the CSBG National Performance Indicators. As necessary to support improved community outcomes, the COE may identify and support ongoing efforts to assure accountability and performance management by assisting state CSBG lead agencies, state CAA associations, and local CSBG-eligible entities in meeting high organizational performance standards in the areas of consumer input and involvement, community engagement, community assessment, organizational leadership, board governance, strategic planning, human resource management, financial operations and oversight, and data and analysis.