Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Regional Performance and Innovation Consortium (RPIC) Capacity Building and Quality Improvement (CBQI) - Regio…

The Office of Community Services (OCS) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announces funding availability for a cooperative agreement for the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Regional Performance and Innovation Consortium (RPIC) Capacity Building and Quality Improvement (CBQI).Under the three-year cooperative agreement, OCS will fund one (1) Regional Performance and Innovation Consortia (RPIC) in Region IV-A to serve as the regional leader for training and technical assistance (T/TA) for building the capacity of state and territory CSBG lead agencies, the CSBG State Association, and CSBG-eligible entities. The increased capacity will ensure high-quality, far-reaching services and supports outcomes for individuals, families, and communities towards improving and sustaining economic self-sufficiency. The T/TA will improve the performance of and enhance the efforts of the CSBG Network to ensure better outcomes.As part of this cooperative agreement, the recipient will be expected to identify and align the training needs of the region on capacity building and quality improvement. T/TA should be focused on but not limited to the following areas: organizational self-assessment, strategic planning in service delivery, fostering strategic partnerships, leveraging existing resources, worker training models, standardization of processes and procedures, and Community Needs Assessment.The T/TA provided through this cooperative agreement will be driven by a collection and analysis of emerging and promising practices in capacity building. T/TA provided may include regional or in-person or virtual convenings, direct one-on-one T/TA, webinars, training modules, podcasts, presentations, and other learning and capacity building activities. The recipient will assess the effectiveness of the T/TA provided through this cooperative agreement.The cooperative agreement will require a close working partnership with OCS to ensure deliverables and outcomes align with the purpose of CSBG and the priorities of OCS. The recipient will communicate information about the implementation and progress of the initiatives throughout their duration.

As prescribed by Section 678A(c)(2) of the CSBG Act (42 U.S.C. 9913(c)(2)), eligible applicants are CSBG-eligible entities, or statewide or local organizations or associations, with demonstrated expertise in providing training to individuals and organizations on methods of effectively addressing the needs of low-income families and communities. Eligible applicants must be physically located in ACF Region IV-A (Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi). The geographical area aligns with the established ACF regions and the ACF Regional Map at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/oro/regional-offices), with the exception of ACF Region IV. In Region IV, awards will be made for two separate service areas. One award will be made to serve Region IV-A (Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi) and a separate award will be made to serve Region IV-B (South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky). For the purpose of this funding opportunity, eligible applicants within the region or service area may coordinate efforts and apply as a consortium, identifying a single applicant organization to serve as the recipient. 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. 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.