Sec. 2. Chafee innovation grants
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Section 477 of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 677 ) is amended by adding at the end the following: The purpose of this subsection is to support the development of programs that improve outcomes for transition-age foster youth, specifically by identifying programs with evidence of effectiveness, determining if they can be replicated with fidelity and demonstrate results, and scaling up successful programs so more youth receive effective services that help them to transition successfully to adulthood.
In this subsection: The term adulthood outcomes means outcomes in employment, education, housing, mental health, physical health, financial stability, permanency, and criminal involvement. The term eligible entity means— a State child welfare agency; a local child welfare agency; a tribal child welfare agency of an Indian tribe or tribal organization operating a program under this part (including as part of a tribal consortium), in accordance with section 479B; or a non-governmental organization that has experience working with transition-age foster youth.
The term moderate evidence of effectiveness means that the results of at least 1 well-designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental study of a program demonstrates a statistically significant, sizable, and sustained effect on improving 1 or more adulthood outcomes for transition-age foster youth and the overall weight of the evidence shows meaningful benefits for program participants. The term preliminary evidence of effectiveness means that prior studies of a program, key components of a program, or similar programs suggest potential for sizable, and sustained effects on improving adulthood outcomes for transition-age foster youth but the overall weight of the evidence does not yet constitute moderate or strong causal evidence of such effects.
The term strong evidence of effectiveness means that the results of at least 1 well-designed and well-implemented experimental study of a program demonstrates a statistically significant, sizable, and sustained effect on improving 1 or more adulthood outcomes for transition-age foster youth and the overall weight of the evidence shows meaningful benefits for program participants. The term transition-age foster youth means individuals who have experienced foster care at age 14 or older.
The Secretary shall award the following types of innovation grants to eligible entities to improve adulthood outcomes for transition-age foster youth through the development, validation, and dissemination of evidence-based effective programs for improving adulthood outcomes for transition-age foster youth: Development grants to carry out programs with preliminary evidence of effectiveness in improving adulthood outcomes for transition-age foster youth. Validation grants to carry out programs with moderate evidence of effectiveness in improving adulthood outcomes for transition-age foster youth.
Replication grants to carry out programs with strong evidence of effectiveness in improving adulthood outcomes for transition-age foster youth. To the extent feasible and practicable, the Secretary shall award development, validation, and replication grants in equal proportion, but shall award validation and replication grants only to the extent the programs proposed to be carried out with such grants meet the evidence requirements for the applicable type of grant to be awarded.
The Secretary shall award at least 10, but not more than 15, innovation grants under this subsection. At least 1 innovation grant shall be reserved for awarding to an eligible entity described in paragraph (2)(B)(iii), unless no such eligible entity meets the application requirements. Each innovation grant awarded under this subsection shall be awarded for a period of not less than 5 years. The amount of an innovation grant awarded under this subsection shall be proportional to the level of funding necessary to implement and evaluate the proposed program at a scale that can be evaluated rigorously, as described in paragraph (5)(F).
In order to be eligible for an innovation grant under this subsection, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an application containing the following: A description of the proposed program to be carried out using amounts awarded under the grant, including the target population of transition-age foster youth to be served by the program, which may be 1 or more of the following populations: Transition-age foster youth who are homeless or at high risk of homelessness. Transition-age foster youth with emotional or behavioral challenges.
Transition-age foster youth who are not engaged in employment, education, or training. Transition-age foster youth who are expectant or parenting. Transition-age foster youth experiencing financial instability. Transition-age foster youth with a history of juvenile justice or criminal involvement or who are at risk of criminal involvement. Transition-age foster youth placed in another planned permanent living arrangement subject to section 475A(a). Transition-age foster youth who exited foster care without permanency.
Transition-age foster youth at risk of experiencing negative outcomes in adulthood not described in a preceding clause of this subparagraph. A description of the adulthood outcomes that would be measured under the program. The logic model for the proposed program and whether the program has strong, moderate, or preliminary evidence. An assurance that— if the eligible entity is a State, county, or tribal child welfare agency, the eligible entity will establish 1 or more partnerships with non-governmental organizations or entities for purposes of collaborating on the implementation and evaluation of the program funded under the grant; and if the eligible entity is a non-governmental organization, the eligible entity will establish a partnership with the State, or a county or tribal child welfare agency on the implementation and evaluation of the program funded under the grant.
Subject to clause (ii), an assurance that not less than 50 percent of the amounts expended by the eligible entity to carry out the program funded under the innovation grant shall be provided from non-Federal sources (which may be in cash or in kind) composed of the following: Not less than 20 percent of the amounts expended by the eligible entity shall be derived from State expenditures that are not from amounts made available to the State by the Federal Government or amounts expended as a condition of receiving Federal funds (other than under this subsection).
Not less than 30 percent of amounts expended by the eligible entity shall be derived from expenditures made by a collaborative partner of the eligible entity that are not from amounts made available to the partner by the Federal Government or amounts expended as a condition of receiving Federal funds (other than under this subsection). Clause
(i)shall be applied to an eligible entity described in paragraph (2)(B)(iii) by substituting 30 percent for 50 percent and without regard to subclause (I). Assurances that the eligible entity will (in accordance with guidelines proscribed by the Secretary in coordination with the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning, Research and Evaluation) use such amounts of the innovation grant awarded to the entity as is adequate to— have a rigorous, third-party evaluation of the program that employs experimental designs, using random assignment whenever feasible, and other research methodologies that allow for the strongest possible causal inferences when random assignment is not feasible; conduct an analysis of costs and benefits of the program; and adhere to an evaluation plan that is developed with 1 or more collaborative partners of the eligible entity. Such other information or assurances as the Secretary may require. In awarding innovation grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall give preference to grant applications to carry out proposed interventions that have prior evidence of meaningfully improving the greatest number of outcomes. The Secretary shall (directly, or by contract or a cooperative agreement with 1 or more organizations with relevant expertise)— provide technical assistance to eligible entities awarded innovation grants under this subsection to ensure that— implementation of the programs funded under such grants adheres faithfully to the key elements of the program models; and the third-party evaluations of such programs are designed and implemented with scientific rigor, as described in paragraph (6)(F); and ensure that findings from such evaluations are disseminated to support broad implementation and scaling up of successful approaches. In addition to the amounts made available for a fiscal year under subsection
(h)to carry out this section and paid to States under section 474(a)(4), out of any money in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise appropriated, there are appropriated $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025 to carry out this subsection. Not more than 5 percent of the amount appropriated under subparagraph
(A)to carry out this subsection for a fiscal year may be used to provide technical assistance and disseminate findings under paragraph (8). . Not later than October 1, 2022, and periodically thereafter, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall submit to the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate a report on the innovation grants awarded under section 477(k) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 677(k) ) (as added by subsection (a)) and the findings from the programs funded with such grants as such findings become available, including the impact of the interventions on outcomes for transition-age foster youth. Each report submitted under this subsection shall include recommendations for legislation and administrative action based on such findings. Subsection
(g)of section 477 of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 677 ) is amended to read as follows: The Secretary shall reserve 1 percent of the amount specified in subsection
(h)for a fiscal year to carry out, during the fiscal year, evaluation, technical assistance, performance measurement, and data collection activities related to this section, directly or through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements with appropriate entities. . Section 479B(f) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 679c(f) ) is amended— by striking section 477(j) and inserting subsections
(j)and
(k)of section 477 ; and by inserting or 477(k) after 474(e) .
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