CSBG-DCL-2022-47 T/TA Needs Assessment Summary Report and Dashboard FY 2022

Community Services Block Grant

Dear Colleague Letter

DCL#: CSBG-DCL-2022-47

DATE: September 7, 2022

TO: State CSBG Lead Agencies, Tribal CSBG Grant Agencies, State Community Action Associations, and CSBG Eligible Entities

SUBJECT: CSBG Training and Technical Assistance Needs Assessment Summary Report and Interactive Dashboard

ATTACHMENT(S): FY 2022 Community Services Block Grant Training and Technical Assistance Needs Assessment Survey Summary Report

Dear Colleague,

The Office of Community Services (OCS) is pleased to provide a summary of the survey results from our inaugural Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) Needs Assessment Survey. Thank you to everyone that completed the survey and helped spread the word about the T/TA assessment in order to ensure a robust response. We are very appreciative of your contributions to OCS’ T/TA Learning Agenda, including your time, feedback, and thoughtful comments.

Background

On June 8, 2022, OCS announced the launch of the online CSBG T/TA Needs Assessment Survey. The survey was designed to elicit feedback on T/TA needs from everyone who receives OCS-funded T/TA in the CSBG Network. We are deeply committed to ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to share their training needs and help determine how we utilize our federal T/TA resources. We know that for our T/TA to be effective, it must be relevant, timely, anticipatory of your needs, and driven by the CSBG Network. Thus, the results of the assessment will help inform OCS’ T/TA priorities.

Survey Results at a Glance

The CSBG T/TA Needs Assessment Survey allowed CSBG grant recipients and partners to identify their top T/TA priorities. The survey was open from June 8, 2022, through July 8, 2022. During this period  OCS received 932 survey responses. Of the 932 responses, 852 individuals completed the survey in its entirety. OCS included partial responses in the survey analysis. Overall, respondents indicated that there is some need for T/TA in every category, and some respondents indicated that there is not a need for T/TA in some categories only because they are already receiving good T/TA in that area. Of note, the top categories for T/TA are:

• Data Collection, Analysis, and Sharing of Data
• Identifying and Implementing Innovative Community-based Approaches to Build Family Economic Security and Well-Being
• The Basics (an orientation to CSBG that includes the history of community action, legislation, and the structure of the CSBG, among other topics)

Additional survey results are available in the CSBG T/TA Needs Assessment Survey Summary Report and the CSBG T/TA Needs Assessment Dashboard (see below for more information on these resources).

The CSBG T/TA Needs Assessment Survey Summary Report and Dashboard

The CSBG T/TA Needs Assessment Survey Summary Report, which is attached to this Dear Colleague Letter, provides a high-level summary of the survey results. OCS’ full analysis of the data will be used to help inform funding decisions and will not be released publicly. However, individuals who are interested in diving deeper into the data can review the raw data using the CSBG T/TA Needs Assessment Dashboard. The CSBG T/TA Needs Assessment Dashboard is an interactive interface that shares the results of the CSBG T/TA Needs Assessment Survey. The data displayed on the dashboard is captured directly from the survey, but names, qualitative data, and other identifying information were not included to preserve anonymity. A link to this dashboard and additional information about the dashboard are included in the CSBG T/TA Needs Assessment Survey Summary Report. The dashboard is best viewed using a desktop computer or laptop.

Thank you for your attention to these matters. OCS looks forward to continuing to provide high-quality services to OCS partners.

/s/
Charisse Johnson
Director, Division of Community Assistance
Office of Community Services