The Office of Community Services (OCS) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) will support one cooperative agreement for the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Learning Communities Resource Center (LCRC).

This cooperative agreement is intended to support a 3-year effort

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for the CSBG LCRC to build the long-term capacity of the CSBG Network by promoting and regularly convening several specific learning communities (defined in the Definitions of Terms later on in this section) and improving access to validated quality T/TA information and resources (i.e., innovative, evidence-based, evidence-informed, field tested, exemplary, and/or promising practices).

The LCRC will provide technical assistance to State CSBG Lead Agencies and CSBG Eligible Entities to identify activities and services that improve program outcomes for low-income individuals, families, and communities.

The successful applicant will review the existing LCRC’s T/TA work and present a plan to assist States and Eligible Entities in identifying and implementing innovative services and strategies that align with the National Community Action Theory of Change.

This includes frequently convening learning community groups comprised of State CSBG Lead Agencies, CSBG-Eligible entities, RPIC grantees and other stakeholders to encourage a culture of success, transparency, and partnerships.

The grantee chosen will work to improve the validity, quality, and quantity of T/TA information and resources available to State CSBG Lead Agencies and CSBG-Eligible Entities and assist the CSBG network with implementing CSBG National Performance Management Framework.

Learning communities may focus on specific community-level strategies or individual and family services consistent with the domains for CSBG National Performance Indicators (NPI’s).

In addition, learning communities may focus on approaches designed to promote positive for outcomes across multiple domains in the CSBG Performance Management Framework.