Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Collaborative on Workforce and Economic Development

The Office of Community Services (OCS) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) plans to issue a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for a Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Collaborative on Workforce and Economic Development grant. The purpose of this NOFO is to highlight emerging employment practices and strengthen approaches for helping individuals find quality jobs in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. This work will support innovative approaches to workforce development, entrepreneurship, business development, and public/private partnerships. The Workforce and Economic Development Collaborative will work to identify, develop, and disseminate high-quality resources for implementing effective practices and strategies to increase employment opportunities that pay a living wage, help to address chronic barriers to sustained employment, and increase self-sufficiency. As such, the Workforce and Economic Development Collaborative will be designed to address OCS’ mission of reducing poverty, revitalizing low-income communities, and empowering low-income families and individuals. The Workforce and Economic Development Collaborative will work with OCS to provide a range of training and technical assistance (T/TA) resources to support CSBG-eligible entities in implementing and piloting various workforce and economic development strategies. T/TA will include the development and dissemination of resources and materials such as webinars, training modules, podcasts, presentations, and other learning activities on innovative workforce and economic development strategies. T/TA will also focus on effective efforts for building strategic partnership, employment and career pathways, education and industry-recognized certifications, employer-informed training and capacity building, job supports, and more. It will also include opportunities for small group learning and one-on-one support. Most of the work is projected to be aligned closely with and promote best practices associated with poverty reduction and increasing the self-sufficiency of low-income individuals and families. Audiences include OCS-funded community action agencies, CSBG-eligible entities, state associations, and CSBG tribal grant recipients. This Collaborative will be funded through a cooperative agreement. The cooperative agreement will require a close working partnership with OCS to implement training and technical assistance (T/TA) consistent with the purposes of CSBG.