Community Mentors for Moms Act

To amend title V of the Social Security Act to establish a grant program for community-based maternal mentoring programs. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Community Mentors for Moms Act 2. Grants for community-based maternal mentoring programs Title V of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 701 et seq. 514. Grants for community-based maternal mentoring programs (a) In general In addition to any other payments made under this title to a State, the Secretary shall make grants to eligible entities to conduct demonstration projects for, and enable such entities to deliver services under, community-based mentoring programs that satisfy the requirements of subsection (c) to eligible mothers in order to promote improvements in maternal and child well-being, financial stewardship, child development, parenting, and access to social services and other community resources. (b) Application The Secretary may not award funds made available under this subsection on a noncompetitive basis, and may not provide any such funds to an entity for the purpose of carrying out a community-based mentoring program unless the entity has submitted an application to the Secretary that includes— (1) a description of how the programs or activities proposed in the application will improve maternal mental and physical health outcomes in a service area identified by the entity, substantially increase the number of eligible mothers in a service area with access to a community-based mentoring relationship, utilize community volunteer mentors, and supplement, including by avoiding duplication with, existing social services and community resources; (2) a description of how the program will partner with other community institutions, including private institutions, in identifying eligible mothers in need of a mentor and, as applicable, creating support communities among eligible mothers; (3) a description of the populations to be served by the entity, including specific information on how the entity will serve eligible mothers who belong to high-risk populations as identified in subsection (d); (4) a description of the maternal and child health indicators, financial well-being, and other needs of populations to be served by the entity as described in paragraph (3), including, to the extent practicable, the prevalence of mentoring opportunities for such populations; (5) the quantifiable benchmarks that will be used to measure program success; (6) a commitment by the entity to consult with experts with a demonstrated history of mentoring and case management success in achieving the outcomes described in subsection (c)(2)(A) in developing the programs and activities; (7) a commitment by the entity to ensure mentors to not refer or counsel in favor of abortions; and (8) such other application information as the Secretary may deem necessary, with the goal of minimizing the application burden on small nongovernmental organizations that would otherwise qualify for the grant. (c) Requirements (1) Core components A community maternal mentoring program conducted with a grant made under this section shall include the following core components: (A) Provision of community-based mentoring relationships for eligible mothers, which may include dedicated individual mentors and networks of peer and community support groups. (B) An individualized needs assessment for each eligible mother participating in the program, to be administered at the outset of the program. (C) Recruitment and utilization of community-based, volunteer mentors. (D) Provision of training to participating mentors to equip them with mentoring best practices and knowledge of public and private resources available to eligible mothers (including public social services). (2) Measurable improvements in benchmark areas (A) In general The eligible entity shall establish, subject to the approval of the Secretary, quantifiable, measurable 3- and 5-year benchmarks demonstrating the program results in improvements for eligible mothers participating in the program in the following areas: (i) The number of eligible mothers in the eligible entity’s service area with access to a community-based mentoring relationship. (ii) Improved maternal and child health, including mental and behavioral health. (iii) Improved financial literacy. (iv) Improved family economic self-sufficiency. (v) Improved coordination and referrals for other community resources and supports, including public and private resources. (B) Demonstration of improvement (i) Report to the Secretary Not later than 30 days after the end of the third year in which the eligible entity conducts the program, the entity shall submit to the Secretary a report describing the program's results in the areas specified in subparagraph (A). (ii) Improvement plan If the report submitted to the Secretary fails to demonstrate improvements in at least 3 of the areas outlined in subparagraph (A), the eligible entity shall develop and implement a plan to improve outcomes in each of the areas specified in subparagraph (A), subject to approval by the Secretary. (iii) No improvement or failure to submit report If, 1 year after an eligible entity submits an improvement plan under clause (ii), the Secretary determines that the entity has failed to demonstrate any improvement in the areas specified in subparagraph (A), or if the Secretary determines that an eligible entity has failed to submit the report required under clause (i), and has not agreed to a reasonable timeline to submit such report under such conditions as may be determined by the Secretary, the Secretary shall terminate the entity’s grant and may reallocate any unpaid grant funds toward future grants provided under this section. (3) Improvements in participant outcomes (A) In general The program is designed, with respect to an eligible mother participating in the program, to result in the participant outcomes described in subparagraph (B) that are relevant to the mother (as determined pursuant to an individualized needs assessment administered to the mother). (B) Participant outcomes The participant outcomes described in this subparagraph are the following: (i) Improvements in prenatal and maternal health, including mental and behavioral health and improved pregnancy outcomes. (ii) Improvements in child health and development, including the prevention of child injuries and maltreatment. (iii) Higher levels of engagement between mothers, children, and their health providers. (iv) Reductions in mothers' stress and anxiety. (v) Improvements in parenting skills. (vi) Improvement in financial literacy skills. (vii) Improvements in child's school readiness and academic achievement. (viii) Improvements in family economic self-sufficiency. (ix) Improvements in the coordination of referrals for, and the provision of, other community resources, including private and public resources, and supports for eligible families. (d) Prioritization An eligible entity receiving a grant under this section shall identify and prioritize high-risk populations in provision of services, including— (1) low-income eligible mothers; (2) eligible mothers who are pregnant women who have not attained the age of 21; (3) eligible mothers from populations with a high risk of maternal morbidity; (4) eligible mothers with a history of substance abuse or victims of domestic abuse; (5) eligible mothers with children with developmental disabilities; and (6) eligible mothers residing in a qualified opportunity zone, as designated under section 1400Z–1 (e) Maintenance of effort Funds provided to an eligible entity under a grant awarded under subsection (a) shall supplement, and not supplant, funds from other sources for maternal mentorship or case management services. (f) Evaluation (1) Ongoing research and evaluation The Secretary shall engage in ongoing research and evaluation activities in order to increase knowledge about the implementation and effectiveness of community maternal mentoring programs. The Secretary may carry out such activities directly, or through grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts, and shall submit a report to Congress not less than annually on the research and evaluation steps being taken to measure the impact and effectiveness of programs funded under this section, as well as any interim outcomes that may be available. (2) Report requirement Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress on the effectiveness of programs funded with grants under subsection (a) in producing the outcomes described in subsection (c)(3)(B), and shall include in such report recommendations for improving program design and implementation. (g) Technical assistance The Secretary shall provide an eligible entity required to develop and implement an improvement plan under subsection (c)(2)(B) with technical assistance to develop and implement the plan. The Secretary may provide the technical assistance directly or through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements. (h) No funds to prohibited entities No prohibited entity shall be eligible to receive a grant under subsection (a), or any other funds made available by this section. (i) Protections for participating religious organizations A religious organization shall be eligible to apply for and receive funding for a program under this section on the same basis as a non-religious organization, and a religious organization’s exemptions, in title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (including exemption from prohibitions in employment discrimination in section 702(a) of that Act ( 42 U.S.C. 2000e–1(a) (j) Authorization of appropriations (1) In general For purposes of carrying out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2026. (2) Reservations Of the amounts appropriated under this subsection for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall reserve 3 percent for purposes of carrying out subsections (f) and (g). (3) Availability Funds made available to an eligible entity under this section shall remain available for expenditure by the eligible entity through the end of the third fiscal year following the fiscal year in which the funds are awarded to the entity. (k) Definitions In this section: (1) Community-based mentoring relationship The term community-based mentoring relationship (2) Eligible entity The term eligible entity (3) Eligible mother The term eligible mother (A) a woman who is pregnant; or (B) a woman who has primary caregiving responsibilities for a child under the age of 6. (4) Prohibited entity The term prohibited entity .

Summary: Community Mentors for Moms Act This bill requires the Health Resources & Services Administration to make grants for demonstration projects that provide community-based maternal mentoring, which may include dedicated individual mentors and networks of peer and community support groups.