TANF Emergency Fund and Summer Food Service Programs

TITLE Slide - TANF Emergency Fund in the Recovery Act of 2009 and Summer Food Service Programs

Slide 2 TANF Emergency Fund Basics

• $5 billion available until September 30, 2010 for increases in:
  • Basic assistance
  • Non-recurrent, short-term benefits
  • Subsidized employment
• Pays 80% of increase over base year (FY 2007 or 2008) expenditures
• Each state can qualify for up to 50% of its TANF block grant, subject to overall cap
• To date, we have awarded states over $2 billion
• Administration has proposed continuation into FY 11, with $2.5 billion available for FY 11

Slide 3 - Qualifying Expenditures

• Combined federal and state spending (20% does not have to be state dollars)
• Must be an increase over comparable quarter in the base year (FY 2007 or FY 2008)
• May be third-party spending claimed as state “maintenance-of-effort” (MOE) spending
• Third-party expenditures
  • Third-party spending, including in-kind donations
  • Employer supervision and training costs
  • Need appropriate agreements

Slide 4 - TANF Emergency Fund and Summer Food Service Programs

• Opportunities to leverage additional TANF Emergency Funds for activities supporting
• Summer Food Service Programs
• Categories:
  • Non-recurrent, short-term benefits
  • Subsidized employment

Slide 5 - Non-recurrent, Short-term Benefits

• Must meet 3 conditions:
  • Address a family’s specific crisis situation or episode of need;
  • Is not intended to meet recurrent or ongoing needs; and
  • Will not extend beyond 4 months
• Very broad, flexible category of spending
• Can go to low-income families whether or not they receive cash assistance

Slide 6 - Non-recurrent, Short-term Benefits: Examples related to Summer Food Service Programs

• Short-term leased or rented equipment
• Transportation services to transport food and/or children to feeding sites
• Recreational activities to attract more youth to program locations
• Meal preparation costs that are not otherwise reimbursed under the SFSP (including the cost of additional meals and meals provided to parents of SFSP-eligible children)

Slide 7 - Subsidized Employment and Summer Food Service Programs

• Sites can create subsidized employment positions for staff support to provide supervision and programming at summer feeding sites
• Can include the cost of wage subsidies, staffing and development, and employer supervision and training
• State may assume supervision costs equal 25 percent of employee’s wage without special documentation