Fact Sheet

Type of Grant: Mandatory Block Grant
2008 Appropriation:$654 million
2007 Appropriation: $630.4 million

Legislative Authority:

The Community Services Block Grant Act of 1981 as amended by Section 680(a)(2) of the Community Opportunities, Accountability, and Training and Educational Services Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-285).

Purpose:

The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) provides States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. Territories, and Federal and State-recognized Indian Tribes and tribal organizations, Community Action Agencies, migrant and seasonal farmworkers or other organizations designated by the States, funds to alleviate the causes and conditions of poverty in communities.

Block Grants:

The CSBG program provides States and Indian Tribes with funds to lessen poverty in communities. The funds provide a range of services and activities to assist the needs of low-income individuals including the homeless, migrants and the elderly. Grant amounts are determined by a formula based on each State's and Indian Tribe’s poverty population. Grantees receiving funds under the CSBG program are required to provide services and activities addressing employment, education, better use of available income, housing, nutrition, emergency services and/or health.

Discretionary Grants:

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC):
OCS is committed to promoting and funding projects that use asset formation financial strategies to increase disposable earned income in low-income households and to help direct the use of that income toward asset formation. OCS awards funds to provide capacity-building assistance that enables local, State or regional CSBG networks to plan, establish, improve or expand asset formation and financial service opportunities for eligible individuals and families.

Healthy Marriage:

This program's purpose is to help low-income families form healthy, stable marriages. To achieve this objective, OCS funds projects that help low-income families form and maintain such marriages. OCS funds projects with thorough, well designed proposals that include implementation activities for the following: data gathering, planning, and model development; and program intervention and service delivery; that lead to training and technical assistance activities for organizations eligible to receive CSBG assistance with the Community Services Block Grant Network.

Target Population:

Beneficiaries are low-income individuals that may be unemployed or receiving public assistance, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), at-risk youth, custodial and non-custodial parents, residents of public housing, persons with disabilities, persons who are homeless, and individuals transitioning from incarceration into the community. Individuals and families can find out about local service providers at http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/ocs/csbg/documents/8c.html.

Eligible Applicants:

Block Grants: States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. Territories, and Federal and State-recognized Indian Tribes and tribal organizations.

Discretionary Grants:

Statewide or local organizations, or associations with demonstrated expertise in providing training to individuals and organizations on methods of effectively addressing the needs of low-income families, and communities and organizations that are officially designated as a Community Action Agency (CAA) or a community action program under section 673(1) of the CSBG Act, as amended by the Human Service Amendments of 1994 (P.L. 103-252), and meets all requirements under section 673 (1)(A) and 676A of the CSBG Act, as amended by the COATES Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1998.

Federal Contact: Division of State Assistance
Office of Community Services
202.401.2333
Email: csbg@acf.hhs.gov