Grant program authorized; uses of funds

(a) Program authorized (1) In general From amounts appropriated to carry out this Act, the Secretary shall award planning and implementation grants to eligible entities to enable those eligible entities to carry out the activities described in this section. (2) Reservation of funds From amounts appropriated to carry out this Act, the Secretary shall reserve 10 percent for such planning and implementation grants for eligible entities described in section 3(2)(A)(ii). (3) Administrative costs (A) In General The Secretary shall reserve not less than 5 percent and not more than 7 percent of amounts appropriated to carry out this Act for the costs of administration, evaluation, and technical assistance. (B) Technical assistance provider From the amounts reserved under subparagraph (A), not less than 30 percent shall be used to award a grant, on a competitive basis, to a single national entity to serve as the technical assistance provider for program grantees. Such entity shall have— (i) a strong national record of supporting communities in improving child and student outcomes through place-based strategies; (ii) a nationally accessible technology platform for efficiently scaling capabilities of place-based implementation; (iii) an externally validated framework for building cross sector partnerships resulting in better outcomes for children and families; and (iv) experience supporting the diverse needs of rural and Tribal place-based partnerships. (4) Allocation between planning and implementation Of the amounts appropriated under section 10 for a fiscal year and remaining after the reservation of funds under paragraph (3), the Secretary shall allocate 10 percent for planning grants awarded under subsection (b) and 90 percent for implementation grants awarded under subsection (c). The reservation in paragraph (2) shall be applied proportionally within each of the planning grant and implementation grant funding allocations. (b) Planning grants The Secretary shall award not more than 3 planning grants to eligible entities for a 12-month period, in an amount equal to not more than $500,000 each, to enable eligible entities receiving a planning grant to— (1) develop goals, objectives, and activities; (2) collect baseline data; and (3) secure necessary partnerships and agreements. (c) Implementation grants The Secretary shall award not more than 6 implementation grants to eligible entities for a 10-year period, in an amount equal to $6,000,000 each per year (subject to appropriations and performance requirements). An eligible entity that receives an implementation grant under this section shall use grant funds over a 10-year period to carry out activities through hub and spoke sites in not fewer than 4 of the 6 categories listed in paragraphs (1) through (6), including not less than 1 activity under paragraph (2) or (3) and not less than 1 activity under paragraph (4) or (5): (1) Support fixed or mobile family support hubs, which shall include one or more of the following: (A) Carrying out case management services and providing referrals to support family choices in the pursuit of meeting a family’s educational, health, and workforce needs. (B) Conducting home visits to help families develop plans to reach their personal goals, and providing family outreach to support activities to meet those goals. (C) Providing parenting and caregiver guidance to empower parental choice. (D) Providing mental health and substance use disorder screening or treatment. (E) Providing telehealth services to remote communities. (F) Providing legal or financial counseling. (2) Support early childhood services, which shall include one or more of the following: (A) Improving infant or toddler capacity at childcare sites within the service area. (B) Family, friend, and neighbor caregiver support systems to raise individual awareness of options in support of informed family choices. (C) Coordinating services across State, local, and provider networks to reduce duplication and improve efficiencies. (D) Providing transportation for childcare access. (3) Supports for students in kindergarten through grade 12, either in school or after school, which shall include one or more of the following: (A) Evidence-based literacy programming and tutoring services. (B) Attendance interventions. (C) Tutoring in reading or mathematics. (D) After-school programming. (E) Career and technical education vertical alignment with workforce partners. (F) School-based mental health services. (4) Economic mobility activities, which shall include one or more of the following: (A) Apprenticeships and work-based learning, except that participation in a Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship shall not be required. (B) Childcare-linked training. (C) Small business coaching. (D) Workforce training. (5) Health access services, which shall include one or more of the following: (A) Community health workers. (B) Evidence-based substance use disorder treatment. (C) Maternal safety bundles, as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. (D) Mobile and tele-health services. (6) Infrastructure enablers, which shall include one or more of the following: (A) Broadband hotspots. (B) Local data systems. (C) Partnerships with transportation companies to increase availability. (D) Childcare facility upgrades. (E) Driver’s education and transportation vouchers. (d) Waiver The Secretary may waive the requirement in subsection (c) to address not fewer than 4 categories of activities if— (1) an applicant demonstrates in the application that the eligible entity serves an extremely high-need or tribal area; and (2) the Secretary finds that a narrower set of activities will more effectively achieve the stated program outcomes.