Infόrmate March 2013

Greetings from ACF:

We have three important announcements!

1) Potential New Center

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) will be soliciting applications for the establishment of a Center for Research on Hispanic Children and Families.

This center will lead and support investigation of the needs of Hispanic populations served by ACF and the most promising programs and policies to promote social and economic well-being among low-income Hispanic families.

Through a combination of leadership activities, original research, secondary analyses of existing data, and collaborative research efforts, this national center will address a range of relevant issues including, but not limited to:

  • Examination of strategies to strengthen and promote the well-being of Hispanic children and families
  • Definition and measurement used by research and/or program monitoring systems
  • Identification of barriers and facilitators of service utilization by Hispanic populations

The center will be expected to develop a range of products and resources to communicate relevant information to ACF grantees, program practitioners, and researchers, as well as ACF program offices and contractors.

To learn more about this future grant opportunity, visit the grant forecast announcement by clicking here. As a reminder, funding is subject to availability and the best interest of the federal government.

2) Potential Puerto Rican Project

ACF will also solicit applications for the project, Human Services Research Partnerships: Puerto Rico. The project will explore issues related to social service needs and public welfare systems in Puerto Rico. This grant will support a partnership among researchers, local governments and community-based organizations to define and address research questions relevant to low-income people in Puerto Rico and to the Head Start and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. For more information about this future grant opportunity, visit the grant forecast announcement by clicking here. As a reminder, funding is subject to availability and the best interest of the federal government.

3) Research Initiative Projects Announced

Last year, the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation funded a research initiative focused on low-income Hispanic populations through the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality. The Center recently announced the projects funded through this initiative. The projects focus on monitoring and explaining basic trends; incorporation of new generations; social mobility; immigration policy; as well as health and well-being of Hispanic populations in the continental United States. For more information, please visit “Poverty, Inequality and Mobility Among Hispanics.” The Center’s core operations are funded by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.

For weekly updates on ACF programs, visit our blog the ACF Family Room.

OUTREACH

Young boy speaks to ACF Acting Assistant Secretary George Sheldon and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.Promoting the President’s Early Initiative Plan on the Road
On March 1, ACF’s Acting Assistant Secretary George Sheldon (center) and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (far right) joined Education Department Secretary Arne Duncan to promote President Barack Obama’s early education initiative. The event took place at Rolling Terrace Elementary School in Takoma Park, Md., which drew plenty of media and community leaders. Both secretaries held a joint news conference and wrote an opinion piece, “America’s Middle Class Promise Starts Early” published on March 2. Check out this minute video of the day’s visit: Rolling Terrace .

NEWS

A photo of a group of people of different races and ethnicities.ACF Establishes Office of Diversity Management and Equal Employment Opportunity
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has recently established the Office of Diversity Management and Equal Employment Opportunity (ODME) directed by Deborah Minor.  ODME’s primary goal is to make ACF the model Diversity and Equal Employment Opportunities office and to ensure equity for all people. ODME’s top priorities include ACF’s Hispanic Initiatives and improving the visibility of underrepresented communities at ACF. For more information, contact Glenda Harden at 202-401-5623 or Glenda.Harden@acf.hhs.gov.

SUCCESS STORIES

Photo of a woman in silhouette watching the sunrise.Isabella Becomes a Leader in Her Community Through Caminar Latino
ACF Grantee Caminar Latino is a non-profit domestic violence intervention and prevention program whose mission is to create opportunities for Latino families affected by violence to transform their lives and their communities. Caminar Latino (Latino Journey) is the only Spanish speaking, culturally-specific domestic violence program in the Atlanta, Georgia, metro area that provides services for women, men, and children. Read about Caminar Latino’s success story, Isabella, who went from victim to survivor.

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT

A photo of a woman placing coins in a coin purse.Office of Community Services
Tax season is on upon us and we encourage you to remind your communities about the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). As one of the largest federal anti-poverty programs, EITC is a powerful asset-building tool for people with earned income because it can reduce their taxes and result in a refund.  Did you know…

  • EITC lifted 6.6 million people out of poverty, including 3.3 million children 
  • 26.5 million people received almost $60.7 billion in EITC
  • 1 out of 5 eligible workers do not claim their EITC
  • Eligible tax payers can receive up to $5,981 on their 2012 federal tax return

Federal refundable tax credits, such as EITC and the Child Tax Credit, are important sources of support for low- and moderate- income families.  Learn how ACF’s Office of Community Services helps families when they combine their EITC refund with an asset building program, such as the Assets for Independence Program.

Over the past couple of years, ACF has partnered with the Internal Revenue Service to inform low- to moderate- income individuals and families about the various financial empowerment resources available through ACF and the IRS. One of the most in-demand services is tax filing assistance. Does your community need help with filing taxes? Visit the VITA Program to learn more.

GRANTS

ACF programs have a variety of funding opportunities available to support social service programming at the state, local and tribal levels. Our grantees include:

  • Non-profit Organizations
  • For-profit Organizations
  • Government
  • Educational
  • Public Housing Groups

ACF funds an array of activities that support the economic and social well-being of people throughout the country. Find out which ACF grants are available today: Funding Opportunities. To learn how to apply for a grant, view this guide to resources for community and faith-based organizations  (PDF). To learn how to become a grant reviewer, view the ACF Grant Review Guide.

To learn more about grant and funding opportunities within the individual ACF programs, visit this links:

New Grant: Refugee Home-Based Child Care Microenterprise Development Projects
On March 22, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) published a funding opportunity announcement for Refugee Home-Based Child Care Microenterprise Development Projects (application deadline is May 21, 2013). These projects are aimed at assisting primarily refugee women in becoming economically self sufficient by providing home-based child care services. Grant recipients will teach refugee women about:

  • Local, state, and federal child care laws, regulations and licensing requirements
  • Cultural norms concerning child care and child care development

Grantees will also help women with:

  • English language acquisition
  • Advance educational attainment (GED)
  • Improving economic opportunities through application of acquired job skills

Through this grant, mentors will help primarily refugee women establish agreements or contracts with state or county child care offices so they may qualify for State/county childcare reimbursement as childcare service providers.  Download the full FOA and application kit.

EMPLOYMENT

Interested in working with ACF?
ACF is working hard to enhance the cultural competence of the agency, its employees and its contractors. One sure way to reach that goal is to hire more people from diverse backgrounds. We are committed to increasing diversity in the ACF workforce. Please visit www.usajobs.gov and search for vacancies in the Administration for Children and Families within the Health and Human Services Department.

Already a Federal Worker? See current vacancies for status candidates:

Program Specialist, GS 0101-09/12, Kansas City, Missouri, Deadline Thursday, March 28, 2013
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/339608800

Program Specialist, GS 0101-09/12, Dallas, Texas, Deadline Thursday, March 28, 2013
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/339608800

FUTURE EMAILS

Thank you for taking the time to learn about ACF opportunities. For more information, or to sign up a new recipient for Infόrmate, contact Special Assistant Jesus Garcia in the ACF Office of Public Affairs at jesus.garcia@acf.hhs.gov .

For past issues of Infόrmate, click on this link.