(a) General authority

(1) In order to stimulate the development of new approaches to provide for greater self-sufficiency of the poor, to test and evaluate such new approaches, to disseminate project results and evaluation findings so that such approaches can be replicated, and to strengthen the integration, coordination, and redirection of activities to promote maximum self-sufficiency among the poor, the Secretary may make grants from funds appropriated under subsection (e) to eligible entities for the development and implementation of new and innovative approaches to deal with particularly critical needs or problems of the poor which are common to a number of communities. Grants may be made only with respect to applications which—

(A) involve activities which can be incorporated into or be closely coordinated with eligible entities’ ongoing programs;

(B) involve significant new combinations of resources or new and innovative approaches involving partnership agreements;

(C) are structured in a way that will, within the limits of the type of assistance or activities contemplated, most fully and effectively promote the purposes of the Community Services Block Grant Act [42 U.S.C. 9901 et seq.]; and

(D) contain an assurance that the applicant for such grants will obtain an independent, methodologically sound evaluation of the effectiveness of the activities carried out with such grant and will submit such evaluation to the Secretary.

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(2) No grant may be made under this section unless an application is submitted to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing or accompanied by such information, as the Secretary may require.

(3) Initial and subsequent grant awards may fully fund projects for periods of up to 3 years.

(b) Federal share; limitations

(1)(A) Subject to subparagraph (B), grants awarded pursuant to this section shall be used for programs and shall not exceed 50 per centum of the cost of such programs.

(B) After the first funding period for which an eligible entity receives a grant under this section to carry out a program, the amount of a subsequent grant made under this section to such entity to carry out such program may not exceed 80 percent of the amount of the grant previously received by such entity under this section to carry out such program.

(2) Non-Federal contributions may be in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, including but not limited to plant, equipment, or services.

(3) Not more than one grant in each fiscal year may be made to any eligible entity, and no grant may exceed $350,000. Not more than 2 grants may be made under this section to an eligible entity to carry out a particular program.

(4) No application may be approved for assistance under this section unless the Secretary is satisfied that—

(A) the activities to be carried out under the application will be in addition to, and not in substitution for, activities previously carried on without Federal assistance; and

(B) funds or other resources devoted to programs designed to meet the needs of the poor within the community, area, or State will not be diminished in order to provide the matching contributions required under this section.

(c) Programs directed to special populations

(1) In addition to the grant programs described in subsection (a), the Secretary may make grants to community action agencies for the purpose of enabling such agencies to demonstrate new approaches to dealing with the problems caused by entrenched, chronic unemployment and lack of economic opportunities for urban youth. Demonstrations shall include such activities as peer counseling, mentoring, development of job skills, assistance with social skills, community services, family literacy, parenting skills, opportunities for employment or entrepreneurship, and other services designed to assist such at-risk youth to continue their education, to secure meaningful employment, to perform community service, or to pursue other productive alternatives within the community.

(2) Such grants may be made only with respect to applications that—

(A) identify and describe the population to be served, the problems to be addressed, the overall approach and methods of outreach and recruitment to be used, and the services to be provided;

(B) describe how the approach to be used differs from other approaches used for the population to be served by the project;

(C) describe the objectives of the project and contain a plan for measuring progress toward meeting those objectives; and

(D) contain assurances that the grantee will report on the progress and results of the demonstration at such times and in such manner as the Secretary shall require.

(3) Notwithstanding subsection (b), such grants shall not exceed 80 percent of the cost of such programs.

(4) Such grants made under this subsection on a competitive basis shall be based on an annual competition determined by the Secretary. Grants made under this subsection shall not exceed $500,000.

(d) Dissemination of results

As soon as practicable, but not later than 180 days after the end of the fiscal year in which a recipient of a grant under this section completes the expenditure of such grant, the Secretary shall prepare and make available to each State and each eligible entity a description of the program carried out with such grant, any relevant information developed and results achieved, and a summary of the evaluation of such program received under subsection (a)(1)(D) so as to provide a model of innovative programs for other eligible entities.

(e) Replication of programs

(1) The Secretary shall annually identify programs that receive grants under this section that demonstrate a significant potential for dealing with particularly critical needs or problems of the poor that exist in a number of communities.

(2) Not less than 10 percent, and not more than 25 percent, of the funds appropriated for each fiscal year to carry out this section shall be available to make grants under this section to replicate in additional geographic areas programs identified under paragraph (1).

(f) Omitted

(g) Definitions

As used in this section—

(1) the term “eligible entity” has the same meaning given such term by section 673(1) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(1)), except that such term includes an organization that serves migrant and seasonal farm workers and that receives a grant under the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9901 et seq.) in the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which such organization requests a grant under this section; and

(2) the term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

(h) Authorization of appropriations

(1) There are authorized to be appropriated $30,000,000 for fiscal year 1995, and such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 1996, 1997, and 1998, to carry out this section.

(2) Of the amounts appropriated for this section, not less than 30 percent and not more than 40 percent shall be used to carry out the programs authorized under subsection (c).

(3) In addition to sums which are required to carry out the evaluation, reporting, and dissemination of results under subsections (a), (c), (d), and (f),¹ the Secretary is authorized to reserve up to 2 percent of the amounts appropriated pursuant to subparagraphs (1) and (2) for administration of the program as well as for planning and technical assistance.