Score
7

In FY16, ACF’s 5 largest non-competitive grant programs are: 1) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families ($17,345,407,000); 2) Child Care and Development Fund (Block Grant and Entitlement to States combined) ($5,678,000,000); 3) Foster Care ($4,799,573,280); 4) Child Support Enforcement Payments to States ($4,303,998,000); and 5) Low Income Home Energy Assistance ($3,390,304,000).
ACF’s Foster Care program ($4.8 billion in FY16) has approved over 30 jurisdictions to develop and implement child welfare waiver demonstration projects to improve outcomes for children in foster care or at risk for entry or re-entry into foster Through these demonstrations, ACF waives provisions of law to allow flexible use of funding normally limited to foster care for other child welfare services. Many participating jurisdictions are implementing evidence-based or evidence-informed interventions and all demonstration projects are required to have a rigorous evaluation conducted by a third-party evaluator. Although ACF does not currently have statutory authority to grant new waivers, current projects are expected to continue through September 30, 2019. General information on this program, including a fact sheet and summary of relevant legislation/policy, is available at the online Children’s Bureau portal.

Score
7

CNCS operates one formula grant program, the AmeriCorps State formula grants program ($130 million in FY16). CNCS also operates four direct grant programs in FY16: 1) National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) ($30 million in FY16), 2) VISTA ($92 million in FY16), 3) Senior Corps Foster Grandparents ($108 million in FY16), and 4) Senior Corps Senior Companion Program ($46 million in FY16).
In FY16, for the first time, the Senior Corps Foster Grandparents and Senior Companion programs embedded evidence into their grant renewal processes by offering supplemental funding to grantees interested in deploying volunteers to serve in evidence-based programs (see 2-4) and providing evaluation data on implementation fidelity, including outcomes. A total of $400,000.00 is allocated for the Foster Grandparents program in FY16, or .4% of program funds. A total of $300,000.00 is allocated for the Senior Companion program in FY16, or .65% of program funds.
VISTA is currently developing a theory of change that will make explicit the link between the work that the volunteers perform, the design of a sponsor’s project to address community needs, and the evidence to support this activity. This effort will impact several management aspects including project approval, volunteer assignment descriptions, member activity, data collection, and the role of evidence in the design and implementation of projects.

Score
N/A

Score
N/A

USAID does not administer non-competitive grant programs.
USAID does contribute funding to multilateral institutions known as Public International Organizations (PIOs), which are listed here, and include the World Bank, UN, and multi-donor funds such as the Global A Public International Organization (PIO) is an international organization composed principally of countries. In these specific cases, USAID funds are part of overall US Government funding for these partner institutions. These funds become subject to the monitoring and evaluation requirements of the organization that receives them. For example, the Global Fund has a performance-based funding system, which bases funding decisions on a transparent assessment of results against time-bound targets. USAID’s ADS chapter 308 provides more information on how PIOs are defined and includes guidance related to due diligence required prior to awarding grants to PIOs.

Score
7

HUD’s budget contains 3 large formula grant programs for public housing authorities (PHAs): 1) the Public Housing Operating Fund ($4.5 billion in FY16), 2) the Public Housing Capital Grants ($1.8 billion in FY16), and 3) Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Administrative Fees ($1.7 billion in FY16). Another 3 formula grant programs serve cities or tribes: 1) Community Development Block Grant Entitlement/Non-Entitlement ($3.0 billion in FY16), 2) HOME Investment Partnerships ($0.9 billion in FY16), and 3) Native American Housing Block Grants ($0.6 billion in FY16).
Although the funding formulas are prescribed in statute, evaluation-based evidence is central to each HUD is using evidence from a 2015 Administrative Fee study of the costs that high-performing PHAs incur in administering a HCV program to propose a new FY17 approach for funding Administrative Fees while strengthening PHA incentives to improve HCV outcomes by providing tenant mobility counseling.
HUD is also conducting a Rent Reform demonstration and a Moving To Work (MTW) demonstration to test efficiencies of changing rent rules.
HUD also is conducting an extensive assessment of Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian housing needs to strengthen the evidence base for the formula programs.

Score
7

In FY16, the 5 largest non-competitive grant programs at DOL are in the Employment and Training Administration, all of which allocate funding, by statute, and all include performance metrics (e.g., unemployment insurance payment integrity, WIOA common measures) tracked quarterly: 1) the Unemployment Insurance State grants ($2.6 billion in FY 2016); 2) the Employment Security program state grants ($680 million in FY 2016); and 3) three authorized programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The 3 WIOA-authorized grants are: 1) Youth Workforce Investment program ($873 million in FY 2016), 2) Adult Employment and Training program ($816 million in FY 2016), and 3) Dislocated Workers Employment and Training program ($1.2 billion in FY 2016).
WIOA includes evidence and performance provisions beginning in Program Year 2016 which: (1) increase the amount of WIOA funds states can set aside and distribute directly from 5-10% to 15% and authorize them to invest these funds in Pay for Performance initiatives; (2) authorize states to invest their own workforce development funds, as well as non-federal resources, in Pay for Performance initiatives; (3) authorize local workforce investment boards to invest up to 10% of their WIOA funds in Pay for Performance initiatives; and (4) authorize States and local workforce investment boards to award Pay for Performance contracts to intermediaries, community based organizations, and community colleges.

Use of Evidence in 5 Largest Non-Competitive Grant Programs

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