Description
The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) is soliciting applications to award a cooperative agreement that will support ongoing operations, maintenance, and enhancements to the Self-Sufficiency Research Clearinghouse (www.opressrc.org). The SSRC is a research clearinghouse whose principal aim is to gather, catalog, store, and disseminate high-quality research and evaluation studies on various topics related to low-income families and self-sufficiency, including TANF, employment and training, child and family well-being, poverty, and other anti-poverty strategies. The SSRC is a hub for information on programs, practice, and research on low-income families and programs to promote self-sufficiency. The SSRC seeks to be valuable to researchers, policymakers, and practitioners, and assist all three groups in accessing and using high-quality research, as well as offer opportunities for networking. The grantee will be expected to maintain and enhance the SSRC's current array of offerings for a broad audience. At the same time, the grantee will continue the SSRC's emphasis on evidence-based policymaking, technological innovations, and different methods of interaction among potential SSRC users, which demands that the grantee not only satisfy the needs of the SSRC's current audience, but will also anticipate the needs of future users. It is expected that under the award, the SSRC will continue as a leader in the collection and curation of a research library, and will also add value to the user experience, expand opportunities for networking and learning, and serve as a model for other research clearinghouses. In the application, potential grantees must emphasize their vision and strategies for promoting the continuation of the SSRC's activities. At a minimum, the grantee must be able to maintain the successful aspects of the SSRC. ACF is placing significant emphasis on the grantee's creative, innovative, and cutting-edge strategies in the areas of technology, dissemination, and engagement with and among the various SSRC audiences. At a minimum, the grantee will be expected to document their technological capacity. A successful grantee must demonstrate significant skills and substantial ability in conceptualizing, strategizing, and implementing a clear vision for the next 5 years of the SSRC. The recipient of the cooperative agreement will have access to all work products from the cooperative agreement ending September 29, 2016.