Monitoring GenIC - CSBG Work Plan

Request for Approval under the clearance of the “Generic for ACF Program Office Monitoring Activities” Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number: 0970-0558

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Work Plan Template

PURPOSE: The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) is a federal block grant administered through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Community Services (OCS). The CSBG Act (49 U.S.C. § 9901 et. seq.) was created, “To provide assistance to states and local communities, working through a network of community action agencies and other neighborhood-based organizations, for the reduction of poverty, the revitalization of low-income communities, and the empowerment of low-income families and individuals in rural and urban areas to become fully self-sufficient…” Additional information regarding the CSBG Act can be found online on the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) website.

OCS distributes CSBG funds to states and local communities. Funds provide services and strategies to low-income individuals and families to address the causes and conditions of poverty and improve the communities in which they live. Services and strategies support education, employment, housing, health, nutrition, income management, and incorporate case management, self-sufficiency, and re-entry programs.

The CSBG Network consists of several types of organizations that administer and/or support services designed to eliminate the causes and conditions of poverty in the United States. This includes national CSBG partners and other award recipients that provide training and technical assistance (T/TA) in a variety of areas.

In an effort guide the development, meaningful delivery, and assessment of T/TA for the CSBG Network, ACF has added a requirement for funding for CSBG award recipients to complete a CSBG Work Plan Template. The CSBG Work Plan Template will capture, organize, and present project elements to support monitoring of project progress and achievement of OCS discretionary awards. This proposed CSBG Work Plan Template will allow discretionary CSBG award recipients to identify key activities and the alignment to project outputs and project outcomes which will serve as a blueprint for implementation and benchmarks to mark progress of award-related activities. The work plan will be used as an at-a-glance tool for planning purposes and for the identification of potential collaboration opportunities. The OCS Project Officer will assess project progress via the work plan during recurring status update meetings with the award recipient.

This information collection aligns with the overarching generic for monitoring activities, which specifically states that ACF will collect the information for:

• monitoring of compliance with federal practice, guidelines and requirements,

• quick understanding of and remediation to national, regional, and/or site-specific issues,

• provision of support as needed,

• accurate assessment of the efficiency and efficacy of recipient activities

• documentation of promising practice, innovative services, and program strengths

• flexible and responsive oversight of federal funds

The proposed uses of the data also align with the overarching generic, which specifies that program offices will use information collected under this generic clearance to monitor the efficiency and efficacy of funding recipient activities and to provide support or take appropriate action, as needed. Some examples of how OCS will use the information follow:

• Oversight and evaluation of grantee performance: technical/programmatic, financial, and business management.

• Assessment of progress towards meeting Funding Opportunity Announcement objectives.

• Confirmation of compliance with grant requirements: determining whether federal awards are being used for the purposes for which they are made and taking appropriate actions for non-compliance and enforcement.

• Verification that programs/projects initiated by award recipients are carried out in a manner consistent with the award recipient’s approved project goals and objectives, and in a manner consistent with ACF’s expectations

• Confirmation and assessment of award recipient’s subrecipient partnerships.

• Day-to-day activities, activities performed at specified intervals, and periodic evaluations of award recipient performance that are required by statute or policy.

• Determination of certain aspects of continued performance (e.g., continued funding).

• Determine if additional actions/support (e.g., T/TA) are needed to increase the potential for success or to protect federal interests (e.g., enforcement actions).

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

Within CSBG, there are 20 discretionary award recipients. The Authorizing Official/Executive Director is responsible for completing and submitting the work plan.

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is in compliance with U.S. Health and Human Services regulations.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

Name and Title: Josezetta Alexander, CSBG Senior Advisor

To assist OMB review of your request, please provide answers to the following question:

PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [ X] No

2. If Yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [ X] No

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	No. of Responses per Respondent per year	Burden Hours per Response	Annual Burden Hours
CSBG Award Recipients State, local, or tribal government Private Sector (Statewide or local organizations or associations)	20	1	3.25	65

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the federal government is $3,044.64.

Activity	Estimated Cost
Development of CSBG Work Plan Template: 8 hours X $63.43 x 3 ACF Project Officers (GS14, step 1 hourly wage rate)	$1,522.32
Review/analyzation of completed CSBG Work Plan and recurring reviews with award recipients: 8 hours X $63.43 x 3 ACF Project Officers (GS14, step 1 hourly wage rate)	$1,522.32
Estimated Total:	$3,044.64

TYPE OF COLLECTION:

How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ ] Web-based

[ X ] E-mail

[ ] Paper mail

[ ] Other, Explain

will distribute the Work Plan Template (in Microsoft Word format) to each CSBG award recipient by email at the start of an award. Discretionary CSBG award recipients will be allotted up to 30 calendar days to provide a completed work plan to their assigned ACF Project Officer.

Please make sure to submit all instruments, instructions, and scripts with the request.

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