This funding is an opportunity to support staff.

Child support agencies often have innovative ideas for program improvement but lack the financial or human resources to carry them out. Under Section 1115(a) of the Social Security Act, the federal Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) can help those ideas become a reality.  

How the Process Works

Each year OCSS identifies topics for section 1115 demonstration grants. These grant opportunities are available to state and tribal child support agencies or their state umbrella agencies. Grants fund pilot or experimental activities or deliver services not otherwise allowable under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act. They must be used to improve the child support program and outcomes for children. All funded grants require a program evaluation. Recent demonstration grants have addressed the following: 

• Safe Access for Victims’ Economic Security (SAVES) 
• Charting a Course for Economic Mobility and Responsible Parenting 
• Intergovernmental Case Processing Innovation 
• Using Digital Marketing to Increase Participation in the Child Support Program 
• Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt (PJAC) 
• Behavioral Interventions in Child Support Services (BIC) 

OCSS has forecasted that the next round of section 1115 grants will focus on Next Generation Child Support Employment Services Demonstration. 

How We Can Support You

Child support agencies applying for Section 1115 grants may use internal staff to progress the proposed project or may decide to supplement agency staff with a contractor with the subject matter expertise to work collaboratively with the agency to meet the grant program’s goals. That’s where Public Knowledge® (PK) can help. Our child support subject matter experts can assist in designing and implementing more efficient case processing, developing equity-based policies and procedures, and creating tools and training to support staff. We also have expertise in conducting focus groups and developing evaluation plans using qualitative and quantitative data.  

Our Work with Section 1115 Grants

PK worked in partnership with state and tribal agencies on three of the intergovernmental demonstration grants. The grants involved innovations that ranged from providing parents with website information about intergovernmental forms and case processing to developing protocols for transferring cases between a state and a tribal agency to improving relationships and case processing with international partners. PK values supporting our clients in their commitment to improving outcomes for families. And we work in partnership with agencies to develop processes that empower staff.