(1) The Legislature recognizes that families are stronger when both parents act responsibly in caring for their children. It is the intent of the Legislature to recognize and support the important and unique role that fathers play in ensuring the physical, emotional, and economic well-being of their children and families.
(2) The department shall award grants to not-for-profit community-based organizations to address the needs of fathers. The department shall award the following types of grants:(a) Grants that comprehensively address the needs of fathers, such as assisting them in finding employment, managing child support obligations, transitioning from a period of incarceration, accessing health care, understanding child development, and enhancing parenting skills. Services provided must be tailored to the needs of the father being served. Case management services must be provided by the grant recipient, either directly or by subcontract, to the fathers who are served by the grants under this paragraph. If the father receiving case management services through a grant awarded under this paragraph has a child receiving case management services from a community-based care lead agency because the child is the subject of a dependency proceeding under chapter 39, the case management services may be coordinated.
(b) Grants that provide evidence-based parenting education specifically for fathers. The grants under this paragraph do not require case management services.
(3) The department shall prioritize applicants for a grant specified under subsection (2) based on:(a) Need in a geographic area and the population to be served by the grant as indicated by, at a minimum:1. Unemployment rates.
2. Incarceration rates.
3. Housing instability.
4. The number of single-parent households.
5. The number of public benefit recipients.
6. Graduation rates.
7. Levels of academic achievement.
(b) If an applicant has a primary mission of, or a history of a significant focus on and effective work towards, addressing the needs of men in their role as fathers.
(c) Applicant involvement, current and historical, in the community being served.
(d) Applicant commitment and capability to employ competent staff who can effectively engage with the fathers being served, including at a minimum, those individuals who share a similar background as the fathers being served.
(e) The number of individuals the applicant plans to serve through the grant and the projected costs for the program.
(f) Applicant organizational capacity to effectively meet the requirements of the grant and to deliver the programs proposed by the applicant. The department may offer technical assistance to applicants and grant recipients that have lower organizational capacity as long as such organizations have, or the organization’s leadership has, significant experience serving fathers.
(4) Grants shall be awarded for no more than 3 years, with subsequent year funding contingent on compliance with grant requirements and adequate performance. Grant recipients must submit reports to the department in a format and at intervals, which must be at least annually, prescribed by the department.
(5) The department may adopt rules to implement this section.
