Career Pathways Secondary Data Analysis Grants

Overview

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) is soliciting applications for Career Pathways Secondary Data Analysis Grants to support secondary analysis of data collected to rigorously evaluate a collection of career pathways programs. The purpose of these grants is to better understand the effectiveness of services funded by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs that aim to address the employment and self-sufficiency needs of TANF recipients and those eligible for, or at risk of, TANF receipt. 

Career pathways programs provide post-secondary education and training organized as a series of manageable steps leading to successively higher credentials and employment opportunities in growing occupations. Programs also provide financial, academic, and non-academic support to help primarily non-traditional students with low incomes enroll and persist in education. Career pathways programs can offer an efficient and client-centered approach to career and technical education and training by connecting adult basic education, occupational training, postsecondary education, and supportive services.

OPRE oversees a robust portfolio of research to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of career pathways programs, including the Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) project and the evaluation of two rounds of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Program. Data from these studies are available for secondary analysis through the Child and Family Data Archive (CFData). The grants are intended to support rigorous, policy-relevant secondary analysis of these career pathways data sets.

The specific goals of the Career Pathways Secondary Data Analysis Grants are to: 

• Deepen the understanding of the implementation and effectiveness of career pathways programs; 
• Examine career pathways programs’ effectiveness in meeting the goals and objectives in TANF’s second statutory purpose—to end the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation and employment; 
• Support research to inform and improve the design, implementation, delivery, and performance of related TANF-funded services related to career pathways, including career and technical education, occupational training, adult basic skills education, and supportive services; 
• Augment OPRE's multi-pronged evaluation of career pathways programs by focusing on questions relevant to TANF agencies and other providers of career pathways programs for individuals with low incomes; and 
• Address issues of current relevance to inform policy decisions at the local, state, and national levels related to career pathways programs for TANF recipients and individuals with low incomes.

Proposed studies may have a substantive or methodological focus and may seek to answer specific questions or address broader research topics of interest relevant to the goals delineated above. Proposed studies may focus on particular PACE programs or include multiple PACE or HPOG programs. Proposed studies may focus on specific groups of study participants, including TANF recipients and non-TANF recipients, to further understand strategies that are effective for serving various population groups. Proposals should reflect careful consideration and selection of a research topic that is suitable for secondary analysis with the available career pathways data. Proposals may merge additional secondary datasets, if feasible and appropriate, but analyses should be limited to secondary data.

• Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible. 
• Applications that request an award amount that exceeds the Award Ceiling per budget period or per project period will be disqualified from competitive review.

Award information: 
Secondary Data Analysis Grants recipients. 
Expected Number of Awards: 4 
Anticipated Project Start Date: 09/30/2023 
Length of Project Periods: 24-month project period with two 12-month budget periods

The Principal Investigator(s) must attend and present at two meetings with all Career Pathways. 

A webinar on how to access and use the data is available here.