Summary

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) discretionary grant funding for child and family welfare demonstration projects for fiscal year (FY) 1985.

GAO found that: (1) only state or local government agencies and nonprofit organizations that engaged in child welfare activities or related research were eligible to apply for funding under the Social Security Act; (2) grant applicants generally competed for research and demonstration grants funded under the act, although some continuation grants were funded without competition; (3) in FY 1985, HHS funded $11.7 million in research and demonstration projects; (4) although HHS received approval in FY 1982 to reprogram family social services appropriations to activities authorized under the act, it did not seek approval in subsequent years but continued to reprogram funds as approved in 1982; and (5) 13 out of 43 grants were funded jointly with other HHS funds totalling $1.1 million.