Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2016 ACF OCSE FD 1171
Apply for HHS 2016 ACF OCSE FD 1171
- The HHS-ACF-OCSE in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Evaluation of the Procedural Justice Informed Alternatives to Contempt (PJAC) Demonstration" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.564.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 26, 2016 and posted on Apr 26, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 08, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $900,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Opportunity Summary:
The Evaluation of the Procedural Justice Informed Alternatives to Contempt (PJAC) Demonstration is a discretionary federal grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE). Its central purpose is to generate credible evidence for state and tribal child support agencies about whether applying procedural justice principles in child support enforcement can work as an effective alternative to contempt actions. Instead of funding a service program directly, this announcement funds the evaluation infrastructure for a national set of demonstration projects that are being supported under a separate, companion funding opportunity focused on implementing the PJAC interventions.
Under this opportunity, OCSE plans to make one cooperative agreement award to a single state or federally recognized tribal child support agency. That one recipient acts as the manager and fiscal agent for the evaluation effort, using Section 1115 grant funds (and the associated Federal Financial Participation) to procure an independent third-party evaluator, such as a university or research firm. The evaluator is expected to conduct a multi-site evaluation covering all of the demonstration grantees funded under the companion PJAC implementation announcement (HHS-2016-ACF-OCSE-FD-1172). A key design feature is impartiality: even though the award goes to one agency, that agency must structure the procurement and oversight so that the evaluation is independent and objective across all participating sites.
The evaluation itself is meant to answer not only whether PJAC-style approaches improve outcomes, but also how they are implemented and whether they are cost-effective. The core component is an impact study using random assignment. In each demonstration site, eligible noncustodial parents are randomly assigned to a treatment group that receives the PJAC-informed alternative-to-contempt approach, or to a control group that receives the usual services available absent the demonstration intervention. This randomized design is intended to produce strong causal evidence about program impacts, rather than relying on comparisons that could be biased by differences in who participates.
Beyond the impact analysis, the evaluation includes two additional major components. First is an implementation study that looks closely at how the PJAC interventions are put into practice across sites, using qualitative methods such as interviews with program staff and key stakeholders. This piece is important because procedural justice-informed reforms can vary by local context, staffing, court relationships, and agency workflows; the implementation study helps interpret why results differ across locations and what it takes to replicate the model. Second is a benefit-cost analysis to estimate whether the PJAC approaches deliver benefits that justify their costs, taking into account factors such as administrative resources, participant outcomes, and potential downstream effects relevant to child support systems.
A practical element of the award is that the evaluator is also expected to provide evaluation-related technical guidance to the demonstration sites. That includes helping sites properly implement random assignment, advising on operational details that protect the integrity of the study, and giving feedback to ensure the treatment condition is meaningfully different from what control group members can access. In other words, the evaluator is not just analyzing data after the fact; they are helping sites maintain clear, testable differences between intervention and business-as-usual practices so the evaluation can credibly measure impacts.
Eligibility is limited primarily to state governments and federally recognized Native American tribal governments, with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement. While an applicant may also apply for the companion PJAC implementation funding, it is not required, and selection under one announcement does not determine selection under the other. OCSE expects to make a single award, with an anticipated maximum federal funding level (award ceiling) of $900,000. The opportunity was posted April 26, 2016, and the application closing date was July 8, 2016.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Evaluation of the Procedural Justice Informed Alternatives to Contempt (PJAC) Demonstration grant?
It is a discretionary federal grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE). The funding supports the evaluation infrastructure for a national set of PJAC demonstration projects, not the direct delivery of PJAC services.
What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?
The central purpose is to generate credible evidence for state and tribal child support agencies about whether applying procedural justice principles in child support enforcement can work as an effective alternative to contempt actions.
Is this grant for running a service program or for evaluation?
This announcement funds the evaluation effort. It does not directly fund a service program; the PJAC interventions themselves are supported under a separate, companion funding opportunity focused on implementing the PJAC interventions.
What is the relationship to the companion PJAC implementation announcement (HHS-2016-ACF-OCSE-FD-1172)?
This opportunity funds the multi-site evaluation of the demonstration projects that are being supported under the companion PJAC implementation funding opportunity (HHS-2016-ACF-OCSE-FD-1172).
How many awards does OCSE expect to make under this evaluation opportunity?
OCSE plans to make one cooperative agreement award to a single state or federally recognized tribal child support agency.
Who can apply for this funding opportunity?
Eligibility is limited primarily to state governments and federally recognized Native American tribal governments, with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement.
Can an applicant also apply for the PJAC implementation funding?
Yes. An applicant may also apply for the companion PJAC implementation funding, but it is not required.
If an agency is selected for one announcement, does that guarantee selection under the other?
No. Selection under one announcement does not determine selection under the other.
What kind of award is this?
It is a cooperative agreement, and it uses Section 1115 grant funds (and the associated Federal Financial Participation) to support the evaluation effort.
What is the role of the single award recipient?
The recipient acts as the manager and fiscal agent for the evaluation effort and is responsible for procuring an independent third-party evaluator (such as a university or research firm) to conduct the multi-site evaluation.
Who conducts the evaluation?
An independent third-party evaluator, procured by the recipient agency, is expected to conduct the evaluation. Examples include a university or research firm.
How many demonstration sites will be included in the evaluation?
The evaluator is expected to conduct a multi-site evaluation covering all of the demonstration grantees funded under the companion PJAC implementation announcement.
How is independence and objectivity maintained if one agency holds the award?
A key design feature is impartiality. Even though the award goes to one agency, that agency must structure the procurement and oversight so the evaluation is independent and objective across all participating sites.
What are the main components of the evaluation?
The evaluation is designed to include: (1) an impact study using random assignment, (2) an implementation study using qualitative methods (such as interviews), and (3) a benefit-cost analysis to assess whether benefits justify costs.
What research design is used for the impact study?
The core component is an impact study using random assignment. Eligible noncustodial parents are randomly assigned to either a treatment group that receives the PJAC-informed alternative-to-contempt approach or a control group that receives the usual services available absent the demonstration intervention.
Why is random assignment used in this evaluation?
The randomized design is intended to produce strong causal evidence about program impacts, rather than relying on comparisons that could be biased by differences in who participates.
Who is the study population in the random assignment design?
In each demonstration site, eligible noncustodial parents are randomly assigned to treatment or control conditions.
What does the control group receive?
The control group receives the usual services available absent the demonstration intervention (business-as-usual practices).
What does the treatment group receive?
The treatment group receives the PJAC-informed alternative-to-contempt approach implemented at the demonstration site.
What is included in the implementation study?
The implementation study examines how PJAC interventions are put into practice across sites. It uses qualitative methods such as interviews with program staff and key stakeholders and explores how local context, staffing, court relationships, and agency workflows affect implementation.
Why is the implementation study important?
Procedural justice-informed reforms can vary by location. The implementation study helps interpret why results may differ across locations and identifies what it takes to replicate the model.
What is the purpose of the benefit-cost analysis?
The benefit-cost analysis estimates whether the PJAC approaches deliver benefits that justify their costs, considering factors such as administrative resources, participant outcomes, and potential downstream effects relevant to child support systems.
Does the evaluator provide support to the demonstration sites during implementation?
Yes. The evaluator is expected to provide evaluation-related technical guidance to demonstration sites, including helping sites properly implement random assignment, advising on operational details that protect study integrity, and providing feedback so the treatment condition remains meaningfully different from what control group members can access.
What does it mean that the evaluator helps keep treatment and control conditions distinct?
It means the evaluator provides guidance so the intervention (treatment) is clearly different from business-as-usual services (control). This helps ensure the evaluation can credibly measure the impacts of the PJAC-informed approach.
What is the anticipated maximum federal funding level for this award?
The anticipated maximum federal funding level (award ceiling) is $900,000.
When was this funding opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted on April 26, 2016.
What was the application closing date?
The application closing date was July 8, 2016.
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