Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2020 ACF OPRE PE 1566
The Career Pathways Secondary Data Analysis Grants opportunity is a discretionary funding announcement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), managed through the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE). It is designed to fund rigorous, policy-relevant secondary analyses of major federal evaluation data sets on career pathways programs, with the goal of expanding what is known about how these programs operate, who they work best for, and which features appear most strongly linked to positive education and employment outcomes.
Career pathways programs, as framed in this announcement, are structured postsecondary education and training models that break progress into manageable steps. Participants can earn successively higher credentials tied to employment opportunities in growing occupations. Beyond instruction and training, these programs typically include financial, academic, and non-academic supports aimed at helping primarily low-income and non-traditional students enroll, persist, and advance. The grant program is essentially an invitation to researchers and organizations to use existing evaluation data to answer important questions that are not fully addressed by the primary studies alone.
The data sources at the center of this opportunity come from OPRE's career pathways research portfolio, especially the Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) Study and the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) evaluations. Specifically, the archived materials include data from the PACE study, the HPOG National Implementation Evaluation (NIE), and the HPOG Impact Study. These data are being made available for secondary analysis through ICPSR (the Inter-university Consortium on Political and Social Research) housed at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. The announcement notes that documentation files are available first, and that the data files themselves were expected to be downloadable in late Summer 2019. Importantly, the archived files are restricted-use, meaning applicants should be prepared to meet data security and access requirements typically associated with sensitive microdata.
The grant's purpose is not simply to re-run existing impact estimates, but to add value by asking focused questions that deepen understanding of implementation and effectiveness. OPRE highlights several priority directions: examining research questions that align with career pathways goals and objectives; strengthening OPRE's multi-pronged evaluation approach by drilling into specific topics; and studying key program implementation characteristics, as well as mediators and moderators that might explain how and why outcomes differ across sites, subgroups, or program designs. The opportunity also emphasizes improving measurement of key constructs relevant to career pathways, including innovative approaches to basic skills education and occupational training, the role and intensity of supportive services, indicators of career progress, and measures of job quality. A recurring theme is practical usefulness: analyses should be structured to inform program design and operations, support performance improvement, and address questions that matter to decision makers at the local, state, and national levels, especially those focused on TANF recipients and other low-income populations.
Funding is offered through a cooperative agreement, which typically implies ongoing federal involvement beyond a standard grant (for example, collaboration on study scope, deliverables, or dissemination). The opportunity number is HHS-2020-ACF-OPRE-PE-1566 and it falls under CFDA 93.595 in the Income Security and Social Services activity category. The expected number of awards is four, with an award ceiling of $75,000 per award. The announcement also makes clear that actual awards depend on available funds and continued government interest, which is a standard condition in federal discretionary opportunities.
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations that can credibly conduct secondary data analysis. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. This breadth signals that OPRE is primarily focused on analytic capability, rigor, and policy relevance rather than limiting participation to a narrow applicant class.
The timeline provided in the source indicates the opportunity was created June 17, 2019, with an original closing date of August 16, 2019, and electronic applications due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date. While those dates describe the original competition window, the core takeaway is the structure and intent of the program: small, targeted awards to leverage high-value federal evaluation data sets through restricted-access ICPSR archives, producing rigorous secondary analyses that can directly inform the design and improvement of career pathways strategies for low-income populations, including those connected to TANF.Apply for HHS 2020 ACF OPRE PE 1566
- The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families - OPRE in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Career Pathways Secondary Data Analysis Grants" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.595.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 17, 2019.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 16, 2019 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $75,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.
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Career Pathways Secondary Data Analysis Grants (HHS-2020-ACF-OPRE-PE-1566) - FAQs
What is the Career Pathways Secondary Data Analysis Grants opportunity?
It is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), managed by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE). It funds rigorous, policy-relevant secondary analyses of major federal evaluation data sets on career pathways programs to expand knowledge about how these programs operate, who they work best for, and which program features are most strongly linked to positive education and employment outcomes.
What is the main goal of this grant program?
The main goal is to support focused secondary analyses that go beyond what the original (primary) evaluations reported, generating practical evidence that can inform program design, operations, and performance improvement for career pathways initiatives serving low-income and non-traditional students, including populations connected to TANF.
Who is offering and managing this funding opportunity?
The opportunity is offered by HHS/ACF and managed through OPRE (Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation).
What type of funding mechanism is used?
Funding is offered through a cooperative agreement. This generally implies ongoing federal involvement beyond a typical grant, such as collaboration related to study scope, deliverables, and/or dissemination.
What is the opportunity number and CFDA number?
The opportunity number is HHS-2020-ACF-OPRE-PE-1566. It is listed under CFDA 93.595 in the Income Security and Social Services activity category.
How many awards are expected, and what is the maximum award amount?
The expected number of awards is four. The award ceiling is $75,000 per award.
Are awards guaranteed?
No. The announcement states that actual awards depend on available funds and continued government interest, which is a standard condition for federal discretionary funding opportunities.
What kinds of projects does OPRE want to fund?
OPRE is looking for rigorous and policy-relevant secondary analyses that add value, rather than simply re-running existing impact estimates. Priority directions include analyses that align with career pathways goals, drill into specific topics that strengthen OPRE's broader evaluation approach, and examine implementation characteristics as well as mediators and moderators that may explain how and why outcomes differ across sites, subgroups, or program designs.
What are examples of priority research topics mentioned in the announcement?
The announcement emphasizes topics such as key program implementation characteristics, mediators and moderators of impacts, and improved measurement of career pathways constructs. It specifically points to measurement and analysis related to innovative approaches to basic skills education and occupational training, the role and intensity of supportive services, indicators of career progress, and measures of job quality.
What is meant by "secondary analysis" in this opportunity?
Secondary analysis means using existing data from prior federal evaluations (rather than collecting new primary data) to answer additional questions that were not fully addressed by the original studies.
Which data sets are central to this grant opportunity?
The opportunity centers on archived materials from OPRE's career pathways research portfolio, especially the Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) Study and the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) evaluations. The specific archived materials include data from the PACE Study, the HPOG National Implementation Evaluation (NIE), and the HPOG Impact Study.
Where are the data archived and accessed?
The data are made available for secondary analysis through ICPSR (the Inter-university Consortium on Political and Social Research) at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research.
Are the data publicly available?
No. The archived files are described as restricted-use, meaning access is limited and typically requires meeting specific security and access requirements associated with sensitive microdata.
What does "restricted-use" imply for applicants?
It implies that applicants should be prepared to meet data security and access requirements typically associated with sensitive microdata in restricted-use archives.
What was the status of documentation and data availability in the announcement?
The announcement notes that documentation files were available first. It also states that the data files themselves were expected to be downloadable in late Summer 2019.
How are "career pathways programs" defined in this announcement?
Career pathways programs are described as structured postsecondary education and training models that break progress into manageable steps, allowing participants to earn successively higher credentials tied to employment opportunities in growing occupations. These programs typically combine instruction and training with financial, academic, and non-academic supports to help primarily low-income and non-traditional students enroll, persist, and advance.
Who is the intended population of interest for these analyses?
The opportunity emphasizes usefulness for decision makers serving low-income populations, including TANF recipients and other low-income participants commonly targeted by career pathways initiatives.
What makes a proposed analysis a good fit for OPRE's goals?
A strong fit is an analysis that is focused, rigorous, and clearly policy-relevant, with findings that can inform program design and operations, support performance improvement, and address questions that matter to local, state, and national decision makers.
Is this opportunity about producing new impact estimates?
Not primarily. The purpose is not simply to re-run existing impact estimates, but to add value by answering focused questions that deepen understanding of implementation and effectiveness.
What types of organizations are eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes: state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses.
Does eligibility depend on being a nonprofit or a university?
No. The eligible applicant list includes government entities, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), higher education institutions (public and private), tribal governments and organizations, public housing authorities, for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses.
What is the application deadline and submission time noted in the source information?
The timeline provided indicates the opportunity was created on June 17, 2019, with an original closing date of August 16, 2019. Electronic applications were due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date.
What is the practical takeaway from the timeline information?
The dates describe the original competition window, while the core takeaway is the program structure and intent: small, targeted awards to leverage high-value federal evaluation data sets via restricted-access ICPSR archives to produce rigorous secondary analyses that can directly inform career pathways strategies for low-income populations.
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