SSBG-IM-2025-01 Limitations and Allowable Used of SSBG Funds for Education-Related Programs and Services
Social Services Block Grant
Information Memorandum
IM#: SSBG-IM-2025-01
DATE: April 29, 2025
TO: SSBG States and Territories
SUBJECT: Limitations and Allowable Used of SSBG Funds for Education-Related Programs and Services
ATTACHMENT(S): Attachment 1: Examples of Potential Education-Related Voucher Support for K-12 Readiness and Success
PURPOSE
This Information Memorandum (IM) provides guidance to clarify statutory limitations and allowable uses of Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) funds for education-related programs and services, including vouchers for ancillary services.
RELATED REFERENCES
Title XX of the Social Security Act (SSA), 42 U.S.C. § 1397 et seq. ; 45 CFR Part 96 ; Executive Order 14191: Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families .
OFFICIAL POLICY
Consistent with the administration’s policy to support parents in choosing and directing the upbringing and education of their children, states may support education-related services either in voucher form or comparable delivery approaches that empower parents.
BACKGROUND
Statutory limitations on grants specifically prohibit the use of SSBG funds “for the provision of any educational service which the State makes generally available to its residents without cost and without regard to their income.” 42 U.S.C. § 1397d(a)(6). Accordingly, these funds cannot be used to provide vouchers for K-12 public or private education.
However, the statute allows the use of SSBG funds for education-related expenses (e.g., school-readiness, after-school programs, or workforce training) that could be distributed through vouchers. States may use SSBG funds to provide vouchers for services to families directed at achieving specific goals, such as aiding families who have become ineligible for assistance under a related state program due to a durational limit on the provision of such . Grant recipients must ensure that all SSBG-funded services are directed at one of the five program goals permitted by the statute as noted in Section 2001 of the Act. 42 U.S.C. § 1397. Those program goals are:
- Achieving or maintaining economic self-support to prevent, reduce, or eliminate dependency
- Achieving or maintaining self-sufficiency, including reduction or prevention of dependency
- Preventing or remedying neglect, abuse, or exploitation of children and adults unable to protect their own interests, or preserving, rehabilitating or reuniting families
- Preventing or reducing inappropriate institutional care by providing for community-based care, home-based care, or other forms of less intensive care
- Securing referral or admission for institutional care when other forms of care are not appropriate, or providing services to individuals in institutions
RESPONDING TO COMMUNITY NEEDS
While SSBG funds granted to states do not support daily K-12 instruction, resources can support vouchers for a variety of educational support, school enrichment, career and life skills, social and emotional development, and family and community engagement programs directly connected to educational success. By offering vouchers, states can give families flexibility in choosing programs that best fit their children’s needs while ensuring access to quality enrichment opportunities. The examples in Attachment 1 are provided for technical assistance purposes only on potential categories for consideration. Identification and approval of specific community-based strategies must be consistent with eligibility criteria established by states and must be consistent with underlying statutory obligation and liquidation timeframes.
Thank you for your attention to these matters. OCS looks forward to continuing to provide high-quality services to OCS partners.
/s/
J. Janelle George
Acting Director
Office of Community Services