Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Performance Measures and Additional Data Collection
Revision of a currently approved collection
No
Regular
05/04/2026
Requested
Previously Approved
36 Months From Approved
03/31/2027
176,756
251,536
45,122
78,263
0
0
For decades, various organizations and agencies (including community- and faith-based organizations, local governments, and universities) have been developing and operating programs to strengthen families through healthy marriage and relationship education and responsible fatherhood programming. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has had administrative responsibility for federal funding of such programs since 2006 through the Healthy Marriage (HM) and Responsible Fatherhood (RF) Grant Programs. The authorizing legislation for the programs may be found in Section 403(a)(2) of the Social Security Act.
ACF requires HMRF grant recipients to collect and report performance measures about program operations, services, and clients served, using a performance measures data collection system called nFORM (Information, Family Outcomes, Reporting, and Management). ACF provides this system to grant recipients to improve the efficiency of data collection and reporting and the quality of data. This system allows for streamlined and standardized submission of grant recipient performance data through regular progress reports, and it also supports grant recipient-led and federal research projects.
Grant recipients are required by ACFâs Office of Grants Management (OGM) to submit a Performance Progress Report (PPR) once during each grant year (in October), reporting on the programmatic activities conducted by the grant recipient in the prior year and activities planned for the next year. The annual PPR (Instrument 5) fulfills these requirements for the HMRF grant recipients.
The performance measures data collection and reporting instruments for the 2020 cohort were approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB #0970-0566) in 2021 and renewed in 2024. The instruments have been used as planned. Through September 29, 2025 (the end of the 2020 cohort), grant recipients had enrolled 193,993 clients, administered the OMB-approved survey instruments, and submitted the OMB-approved reports to ACF to meet reporting requirements. In addition, the data have been used to support numerous federal and grant recipient-led evaluations of the HMRF programs.
This request from ACF is for a revision to its approved collection and reporting of performance measures about program operations, services, and client services through the HMRF Grant Programs. ACF proposes to continue performance measure data collection and reporting for the 2025 cohort of HMRF grant recipients that received five-year awards in September 2025. For the 2025 cohort, ACF revised the instruments used by the 2020 cohort to reflect its current priorities, better align the data with the characteristics of HMRF programs and clients, and reduce respondent burden.
US Code:
42 USC 603
Name of Law: Sec. 403; Social Security Act
The overall reduction in burden from the 2024 renewal of the original OMB approval reflects the removal of the applicant characteristics survey, quarterly performance reports, and CQI planning instruments, and reduced frequency of Instruments 2 and 5 in Table A.3. The reduction in burden per response for Instruments 1b, 3, and 4 reflects a systematic assessment of the survey and services measures and removal of questions that were not frequently analyzed or aligned with ACFâs goals for the 2025 cohort. The change in burden also reflects the number of grant recipients and participants that ACF expects for the 2025 cohort.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
1: Program Application and Enrollment - Program staff (1b: entrance survey data entry)