COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK GRANT (CSBG)

Purpose:
To support services and activities for individuals and families with low incomes that alleviate the causes and conditions of poverty in communities.

Legislative Authority:
Community Opportunities, Accountability, and Training and Educational Services Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1998, P.L. 105-285

Appropriations:
In FY 2022, Block Grant: $755 million
In FY 2021, Block Grant: $745 million
In FY 2020, Block Grant: $740 million
In FY 2020, Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Supplemental: $1 billion

Eligible Applicants:
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. territories (America Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and Virgin Islands), and federally recognized tribes and tribal organizations.

Target Population:
Individuals and families with low incomes as well as low-income communities.

Uses:
Block Grants — States receive funds according to a statutory formula. In turn, states fund a network of local eligible entities with 90 percent of their CSBG grant award. These local eligible entities include, but are not limited to, local governments, migrant and seasonal farm worker organizations, tribes and tribal organizations, and Community Action Agencies (CAAs). The local entities provide services and activities addressing employment, education, income and asset building services, housing, nutrition, emergency services, and/or healthcare based on community needs assessments conducted by the local entities. Examples of services provided include child/young adult education programs (such as Summer Education Programs and College-Readiness Preparation/Support), adult education programs (such as adult literacy classes and financial literacy education), transportation services, utility payments, and emergency hygiene assistance (such as kits and boxes).

Discretionary Grants — A small portion of funds are reserved to support technical assistance and monitoring efforts of CSBG. Eligible applicants include statewide or local organizations, or associations with demonstrated expertise in providing training to individuals and organizations on methods of effectively addressing the needs of families and individuals with low income and low-income communities.

Type of Grant:
Block and Discretionary Grants

Program Requirements:
States must pass through no less than 90 percent of the CSBG grant award. Of the remaining 10 percent, states can use up to five percent for administrative costs and the remaining funds for projects that support the statutory goals of CSBG. States are also required to conduct a full on-site review of each local entity at least once every three years.

Program Highlights:

• Directly funds approximately 66 tribes and tribal organizations.
• Approximately 1,007 eligible entities provide CSBG-funded services to 99 percent of the country.
• In FY 2020, CSBG received additional funding in the amount of $1 billion under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) related needs, such as providing COVID vaccinations, personal protective equipment (PPE), and COVID testing.
• In FY 2021, CSBG funded 16 organizations across the U.S. that will spend 15 months exploring how the service models used to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic can be strengthened and adapted to meet ongoing and future community needs.
• In FY 2021, CSBG hosted their first annual CSBG Tribal Network Annual Meeting, an event that contributed to a 50 percent increase in tribal leadership participation in CSBG activities.
• Preliminary data indicates that CSBG grant recipients served 9.5 million individuals and 4.8 million families, in FY 2020. Of those served, 11 percent were between ages 0 — 5, 22 percent were children between the ages of 6 — 17, and 23 percent were persons 55 years of age and older.
• Over the last several years, OCS and the CSBG Network — comprised of CSBG eligible entities, state CSBG Lead Agencies, State Community Action Agency Associations, national training and technical assistance partners, and others — collaborated to create a new Performance Management Framework to increase effectiveness and accountability across federal, state, and local entities.

Program Contact:
Community Services Block Grant
Office of Community Services
Phone: (202) 401-9380
CSBGStates@acf.hhs.gov
www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/programs/community-services-block-grant-csbg