This re-occurring breakout session took place during the 2024 National Tribal Technical Assistance Meeting to provide an overview of the grants management cycle for Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Native Employment Works (NEW) programs. The Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Grants Management provided guidance and resources to help navigate the fiscal roles and responsibilities associated with these program awards. This session shared updates in fiscal policy and practices, trending audit findings, and the opportunity to gauge attendees’ fiscal awareness and knowledge of these program awards.

The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) recently published two important documents related to the implementation of the Temporary Assistance Needy Families (TANF) provisions in the bipartisan Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) of 2023.

The first, published on July 18, 2024, is updated guidance and application submission information for the TANF pilots. As noted by the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in his letter, ACF welcomes all state and territory TANF agencies to take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity to innovate by submitting a proposal by the deadline of September 3, 2024.

The second, published on July 19, 2024, is a Program Instruction and technical resource guide designed to support state and territory agencies in successfully understanding, preparing, and submitting the new reporting of work outcomes, as required by Section 304 of the FRA and described in the Interim Final Rule on TANF Work Outcomes Measures.

On July 24, 2024, OFA hosted a webinar to review the new measures and provided technical guidance for preparing and submitting the new reports for the measures. The materials and recording are now available to review.

All updates can be found on OFA’s FRA Implementation site.

The Administration for Children and Families released this resource, which includes frequently asked questions with responses to help programs understand the process when applying for ACF funding and/or managing awards. Topics in this Frequently Asked Questions webpage include Application Process, Application Review Process, and Grants Management.

Section 304 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) of 2023 requires all states to report the data necessary to produce outcome measures for work-eligible individuals who leave Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The interim final rule on TANF Work Outcomes Measures was published on June 28, 2024. The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) hosted a webinar on July 24, 2024, where OFA presenters reviewed the new measures and provided technical guidance for preparing and submitting three new reports for the measures: Work Outcomes of TANF Exiters Report (quarterly), the required Secondary School Diploma or its Recognized Equivalent Attainment Rate (annually), and the Supplemental Work Outcomes Report (annually).

Over the last three years, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has increased program investments in support of Public Law 102-477 (477) as part of their commitment to uplift indigenous communities, foster self-sufficiency, and honor tribal sovereignty. In fiscal year 2023, almost 300 Tribes within about 70 plans integrated 133 ACF grant awards totaling nearly 85% of the total funding integrated under 477 across the federal government. This includes Child Care and Development Fund, Community Services Block Grant, Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and Native Employment Works programs. This ACF resource highlights examples of how tribes leverage the 477 Program based on the funding they get from ACF and their specific needs, including from Citizen Potawatomi Nation and from Shoshone-Bannock Tribes.

In February 2024, the Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) announced a new rule - Elimination of Tribal Non-Federal Share Requirement (ACF-OCSS-AT-24-02) - which supports the growth of the tribal child support program by eliminating burdensome costs. It will make it easier for existing and new tribal child support programs to access the funding they need to operate. This OCSS resource announces the new rule and highlights the impact it will have on tribal child support programs.

This American Public Human Services Association and Chapin Hall “Evidence to Impact” tool provides examples of state policy options aligned with peer-reviewed research, organized by the policy levers at agencies’ disposal, including macroeconomic supports (Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, minimum wage, paid family leave, employment and job creation), concrete supports (child care, housing, health care, flexible funds, direct cash transfers), and public assistance programs (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children). Used in concert with meaningful policy and practice improvement efforts, this policy tool allows jurisdictions to assess their current policy landscape and consider future opportunities to expand access to economic and concrete supports as a primary prevention strategy.

All states may choose to allocate a portion of their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) dollars to support fatherhood work. Despite this funding opportunity, very few states have taken advantage of it. States may have other priorities for the use of their TANF dollars, decision makers may not be aware of all the benefits of father involvement for child wellbeing, or TANF program leaders may have limited knowledge about the components of fatherhood programs and how to start/maintain fatherhood programming. This National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse spotlight demystifies the process for using TANF funds to support fatherhood programming and looks at how Ohio has used their state TANF funds to support father-related services through the Ohio Commission on Fatherhood (OCF). The spotlight details the history of how OCF was established, how it works to meet four specific goals, and how its work throughout the state addresses two of the four purposes of the TANF legislation.