DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Office of Disability Employment Policy
[SGA 11-02]
Add Us In: Solicitation for Cooperative Agreements.
Announcement Type: New Notice of Availability of Funds and Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA) for Cooperative Agreements.
Funding Opportunity Number: SGA 11-02
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 17.720
Dates: Applications must be received by 30 days after the publication date in the Federal Register
Executive Summary: The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL” or “Department”), Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) announces the availability of approximately $1.65 million to be awarded to consortia to fund three cooperative agreements ranging from $500,000 to $550,000. The goal of the Add Us In initiative is to identify and develop strategies to increase the capacity of small businesses and communities, including underrepresented and historically excluded communities, to employ youth and adults with disabilities. Add Us In aims to achieve these goals through: 1) the development and evaluation of replicable models, strategies and policies1 that would ensure that youth and adults with disabilities from communities that include underrepresented and historically excluded communities have access to a broader range of employment and mentoring opportunities; 2) the development of active and sustainable partnerships between targeted businesses, diversity-serving organizations, youth-serving organizations and disability-serving organizations; and 3) the building of a national and local network of experts skilled in meeting the employment needs of individuals with disabilities and the hiring needs of targeted business owners. The goal of Add Us In will be accomplished through the competitive funding of consortia tasked to design, implement and evaluate innovative systems models that support competitive employment opportunities for people with disabilities within targeted businesses.
For the purpose of this solicitation, the inclusion of underrepresented and historically excluded communities, defined below, is a specific focus. The make-up of these communities may vary in different regions, and can include: ethnic and racial minorities including African American, Asian American (including Asian Americans of West Asian decent, e.g., India, and Asian Americans of East Asian decent, e.g., Japan and Korea); Latino or Hispanic American; Federally recognized Tribes and Native American communities (including American Indians; Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Native Pacific Islanders (including American Samoan Natives)); Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) individuals; women; veterans; and other similar groups. Historically excluded communities are areas or groups that face some or all of the following economic challenges: blight, underinvestment, low per capita income, high poverty, high unemployment, discrimination in housing, credit or the labor market, environmental or natural resource degradation, and mass layoffs. A targeted business is a small for-profit enterprise such as a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or joint venture of any kind, physically located in the United States or its trust territories that is at least 51 percent owned, operated and controlled on a daily basis by a United States citizen (or citizens) who are members of underrepresented and historically excluded communities.2
For the purposes of this solicitation, disability is defined as set forth in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and the ADA Amendments Act (ADAA) of 2008.
Add Us In addresses ODEP’s goal of building knowledge and advancing disability employment policies in a fast growing area of the American economy. In the United States today, there are approximately 4.1 million minority-owned firms3, accounting for more than $668 billion total annual gross receipts. Between 1997 and 2002 the growth of minority-owned firms outpaced the national rate; they increased by 30 percent compared to 10 percent for all classifiable firms.4
According to the American Community Survey (ACS) more than 10 million civilian, non-institutionalized Americans from ethnic and racial minorities have long-lasting disabling conditions or impairments.5 According to the 2008 ACS, among racial and ethnic groups, the highest overall estimated disability rate was for American Indians and Alaska Natives at 18.8 percent. Among Blacks or African Americans, the disability rate was 14.3 percent. Among persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, the disability rate was 8.4 percent.6 Among Asian Americans, the disability rate was 4.6 percent. Among white Americans, the disability rate was 10.2 percent.
The Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics released the first official data on the employment status of people with disabilities on February 6, 2009. As of February 2011, the percentage of individuals with disabilities age 16 to 64, participating in the labor force was 31.7 compared to 76.4 for individuals with no disability. The February 2011 employment rate for persons with disabilities age 16 to 64 was 26.3 percent compared to 69.1 percent for persons with no disability, not seasonally adjusted.7 Over 20 million people with disabilities ages 16 and over were not even in the labor force.8 The lower median household income for working-age people with disabilities compared to working-age people without disabilities ($39,600 vs. $61,200) is indicative of the obstacles to employment and participation in the labor market for individuals with disabilities, and the resulting unemployment and underemployment of these individuals.9 When looking at the relationship between disability and employment, researchers have found that minorities with disabilities are often at increased risk for unemployment.10 For people with severe disabilities, the labor force participation rate is about 30 percent for whites, 21.2 percent for Latinos or Hispanics, and 17.8 percent for Blacks or African Americans.
This solicitation provides background information, describes the application requirements, outlines the process that eligible entities must use to apply for funds covered by this solicitation, and outlines the evaluation criteria that will be used as a basis for selecting the grantees. There will be a Prospective Applicant Conference Call held for this grant competition. The date and access information for this Prospective Applicant Conference Call will be posted on ODEP’s Web site at: http://www.dol.gov/odep.
Part I. Funding Opportunity Description
1. Background
ODEP provides national leadership to employers and service delivery organizations by developing and influencing disability-related employment policies and practices. A five-year strategic plan guides ODEP in achieving its mission by identifying: annual performance goals and performance output measures; intermediate outcome goals and measures; long-term outcome goals and measures; and strategic outcome goals and measures. ODEP’s strategic plan requires the agency to develop policies and strategies that will:
Enhance the capacity of service delivery systems (e.g., workforce development, education, health care, housing, etc.) to provide appropriate and effective services and supports to youth and adults with disabilities
Increase planning and coordination within service delivery systems to develop and improve systems, processes, and services
Improve individualization of services to better assist youth and adults with disabilities in seeking, obtaining, and retaining employment or self-employment
Increase employer access to support and services to meet their employment needs
Increase the quality of competency-based training for service delivery systems
Increase the adoption of universal design strategies for service provision11
Develop partnerships with and among critical stakeholders (e.g., workforce development practitioners, educators, employers, community organizations, individuals with disabilities, policy makers, public agencies, etc.) to effectively leverage available resources and facilitate implementation of practices and policies that increase employment and self-employment opportunities and the recruitment, retention, and promotion of youth and adults with disabilities
ODEP's annual goal is to build knowledge and advance disability employment policy that affects and promotes service delivery system changes. The strategic plan not only sets forth a road map for prioritizing the formulation and dissemination of innovative employment policies and practices to service delivery systems, employers and people with disabilities, but measures agency performance, as required by GPRA. The following three output measures are used by ODEP to measure its progress in meeting this annual goal.
1. The number of policy-related outputs
2. The number of formal agreements
3. The number of effective practices
In addition, these performance measures contribute to the success of ODEP’s efforts to achieve Secretary Hilda L. Solis’ “Priority Outcome Goals.” For ODEP these goals include: increasing the labor market participation rate and earnings for people with disabilities; reducing barriers to fair and diverse workplaces for workers with disabilities; and reducing Federal system barriers to return to work for people with disabilities.
Typically, workplace diversity efforts have included race and gender, but not disability. At the same time, disability systems and disability advocacy groups often have not focused their outreach or public education efforts in minority communities to ensure people with disabilities in those communities are engaged. The result of these two practices is that people with disabilities from racial and ethnically diverse populations may not have benefited as much from the employment services outreach, or from employment opportunities available in their own communities.
The workforce development system is in a position to play a vital, twofold role: 1) addressing the need to develop talent pools of workers with disabilities from underrepresented and historically excluded communities who serve as a ‘‘supply pipeline,’’ and 2) creating best practices and encouraging effective employment strategies and supports for employers to increase employment opportunities for the hiring, retention and promotion of persons with disabilities from underrepresented and historically excluded communities. Increasing employment outcomes for youth and adults with disabilities will have a significant impact on the economic development of communities, states, regional economies and ultimately that of our Nation.
The nation’s demographics are evolving. According to the 2010 Census, the Hispanic population accounted for more than half the total population growth in the United States between 2000 and 2010.12 The Asian population grew by 43.3 percent, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders grew by one-third, and the American Indian and Alaska Native population grew by 18 percent. While this changing population landscape provides an increasing diverse supply of workers, disparities between unemployment rates experienced by racial and ethnic minorities in the United States compared to the white majority are a significant and long-standing concern. From 1972 through 2008, the unemployment rate experienced by African Americans averaged 12 percent, or 2.2 times the unemployment rate experienced by white workers, and from 1973 through 2008 the unemployment rate experienced by Hispanic/Latino-Americans averaged 8.9 percent, or 1.6 times the rate for all whites.13
For women with disabilities (ages 21-64), only about one-third are employed. Women with physical disabilities earn a median income of $25,201 per year, which is substantially less than men with physical disabilities ($32,345) or women without disabilities ($28,164); they earn only 77 percent of the U.S. median income. More than a quarter of women with disabilities live below the poverty line. More than 2.5 times as many women with disabilities live in poverty as women without disabilities (26.4 percent versus 10.5 percent). In every age group, more women with disabilities live in poverty than men with disabilities.14
Currently, no large-scale, nationally representative data exist to indicate the percentage of LGBT individuals in the nation’s workforce. However, it should be noted that LGBT individuals may experience discrimination in many areas of their lives, including in the workplace; this marginalization exposes them to tremendous social and economic insecurity. As an example, a recent National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force survey highlighted that transgender individuals experience unemployment at twice the rate of the population as a whole; 97 percent of those surveyed reported experiencing harassment or mistreatment on the job and 47 percent had experienced an adverse job outcome such as being fired, not hired or denied a promotion.15
Youth (ages 16-24) are being disproportionately impacted by unemployment in the current economy. In early 2010, though they made up 13.5 percent of the workforce, young adults accounted for 26.4 percent of unemployed workers. Young men had a notably higher unemployment rate (22.5 percent) than young women (15 percent). African American youth had the highest unemployment rate (32.5 percent), followed by Latinos (24.2 percent); and then whites (15.2 percent).16 While there are no current data indicating the national unemployment rate of LGBT youth, it is legal in 29 states to discriminate against someone based on their sexual orientation in employment, and it is legal in 38 states to discriminate based on gender identity or expression. In addition, preliminary findings from a nationally representative sample of transgendered individuals show an unemployment rate that is double the unemployment rate of the general population.17
Work status is significant for youth. Research suggests paid work experience may improve educational and employment outcomes for at-risk youth.18 In addition, youth who are disconnected from the labor market miss out on the opportunity to develop applied or soft skills that are valuable to obtaining and retaining employment. Federal and state efforts to improve policies and practices to increase both preparation for employment and employment outcomes for all youth, including youth with disabilities, over the past decade have resulted in some positive gains, including increases in graduation rates, postsecondary education enrollments, and entrance of youth with disabilities into the workforce.19 Nonetheless, significant challenges remain. National studies and reports have shown that up to two years after leaving high school, about four in ten youth with disabilities are employed as compared to six in ten same-age out-of-school youth in the general population.20 21
Young people with disabilities also face obstacles to employment, although the effect of these obstacles varies depending on the type of disability the young person has. The National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS-2) indicates that employment rates vary considerably across disability categories for students with disabilities who were enrolled in special education. Youth with learning disabilities, emotional disturbances, other health impairments or speech impairments are the most likely to be employed in a 1-year period (50 percent to 60 percent) following high school. In contrast, youth with significant disabilities have significantly lower employment rates, e.g., 15 percent for youth with autism; 25 percent for youth with multiple disabilities, deaf-blindness, or orthopedic impairments; and 33 percent for youth with intellectual disabilities or visual impairments.22
2. Description and Purpose
A primary goal for this solicitation is to increase the capacity of targeted businesses to employ youth and adults with disabilities. A successful consortium will develop replicable models, strategies and policies that will ensure that youth and adults with disabilities from underrepresented and historically excluded communities have access to a broader range of employment opportunities.
The objectives and expected outcomes of Add Us In are:
1) Objective: To implement cross-sectoral capacity development strategies that leverage perspectives of entities including, but not limited to, targeted businesses, targeted business associations, diversity-serving organizations, youth-serving organizations, disability-serving organizations and disability advocacy organizations in order to form and strengthen connections with and build a network of disability, diversity, and business experts.
Expected Outcome(s):
Increased coordination of programs, processes, policies and services that are designed to sustain effective workforce development and increase competitive employment opportunities for youth and adults with disabilities, while ensuring both the supply side (employee) and demand side (employer) are positioned and equipped for success.
Refinement and dissemination of the business case for hiring people with disabilities in a manner that recognizes the unique perspectives of targeted businesses and communities.
2) Objective: To identify effective strategies and policies to improve the provision of culturally and linguistically sensitive practices among targeted businesses and communities.
Expected Outcome (s):
Increased involvement in, and support for, employment of people with disabilities
by targeted businesses in underrepresented and historically excluded communities.
Creation of models, practices and policies that may be applicable beyond underrepresented and historically excluded communities, and possibly scalable and replicable on a national level. This will require that consortia conduct detailed process evaluations to clearly document the implementation of project activities. It is also expected that consortia will leverage their partnerships and relationships with national affiliates, association members or business organizations to achieve this objective.
Development, adaptation and adoption of policy that promotes recruitment, hiring, retention and training strategies that address the needs of the targeted businesses and communities.
3) Objective: To ensure that youth and adults with disabilities from underrepresented and historically excluded communities have access to a broader range of employment and workforce preparation opportunities.
Expected Outcome (s):
Development, adaptation, and evaluation of replicable models that demonstrate an increase in the number of employers seeking to improve access to employment and workforce preparation activities (e.g., mentoring) for youth and adults with disabilities.
Consortia are expected to use resources available through ODEP Technical Assistance (TA) centers and reciprocate through an exchange of expertise to the centers with regard to diversity, individuals with disabilities and underrepresented and historically excluded communities. Consortia are also expected to share their expertise with regard to diversity, individuals with disabilities, and underrepresented and historically excluded communities with targeted businesses beyond the consortium.23
Consortia will be able to provide not only data related to increased employment opportunities for people with disabilities in their businesses and communities, but also products and documents reflecting both informational content and descriptions of their process for achieving the goals of Add Us In. ODEP expects consortia to work to address the goals of Add Us In on a national level through partnerships with national affiliates, partners or organizations to encourage dissemination of promising practices developed as a part of the project.
3. Definitions
Definitions for purposes of this solicitation include:
• Business Association is defined as a membership organization engaged in promoting the business interests of its members. These associations may perform activities that would be unduly costly or time-consuming for an individual company to perform by itself, but are beneficial and achievable in the aggregate, including lobbying, information gathering, research, education, peer support and setting industry standards.
• Consortium refers to a group formed to undertake a project. The consortium required for this solicitation must, at a minimum, have representation from each of the following four organization types: (1) a chamber of commerce, consortium of targeted businesses, association of targeted business-owners or other similar entity (including tribal, LGBT, women and veteran entities) that represents underrepresented and historically excluded communities; (2) a disability-serving organization; (3) a Local Workforce Investment Board (LWIB) or an organization with demonstrated experience providing employment and training services and employment-related support services; and (4) a youth-serving organization.
• Workforce development system is defined as a network of public and private organizations, agencies, services, programs and investments with a shared goal of improving and increasing competitive and sustainable employment. System partners collaborate to meet the current and emerging needs of employers for a globally competitive workforce and to ensure that current and future workers have access to a wide range of comprehensive workforce services. A successful workforce development system will: (1) build strong and vibrant communities with opportunities for economic growth; (2) build a skilled and productive workforce; (3) create an educated, engaged and self-sufficient citizenry and (4) generate business innovation, drive performance and support long-term success.
• Systems Change is defined as impacting systems (e.g., workforce development) in six focus areas: (1) capacity, which includes but is not limited to changing perceptions, attitudes and understanding of the issues related to disability, as well as improving the access and availability of people with disabilities to several different types of resources (e.g., funds, staff, time, resources, policies, procedures) and services; (2) coordination of programs, processes, and services; (3) consumer (e.g., employee) choice, accommodation and workplace/employer supports, or the extent to which the model enhances the individualization of services to the needs of the employees and employers; (4) development/adaptation/evaluation of new practices; (5) dissemination of effective practice; and (6) sustainability of effective project elements once ODEP funding has ended.
Part II. Award Information
1. Award Amount
Funding is expected to be provided for three cooperative agreements in the range of $500,000 to $550,000 for FY 2011. While these awards will be funded for a period of performance of 24 months from the date of execution of award documents, ODEP in its discretion may make available up to three (3) additional years of funding, after giving consideration to such factors as: the availability of funding, the demonstrated satisfactory performance of grant activities and other relevant factors. Applicants are required to submit budgets within this financial range.
The Department of Labor reserves the right to negotiate the amounts to be awarded under this competition. Please be advised that requests exceeding $550,000 will be considered non-responsive. Additionally, there will be no reimbursement of pre-award costs.
Grantees must support the travel and associated costs of sending at least four representatives (one from each required partner) to an annual grantees’ meeting to receive administrative support, to discuss the national implications of Add Us In, and to assist in the creation of a national network necessary for collaboration, dissemination, and implementation of successful policies and practices. Monthly conference calls with ODEP, consortium members and eventually national network members will be a required component of consortium cooperative agreement activity. It is anticipated that during the first 12 months no more than $150,000 will be expended by the consortium, due to the expectation that with funding needs will increase as the project moves closer to implementation. Because of the Federal requirements in a cooperative agreement, close cooperation and coordination between ODEP and the grantees is required. It is expected that grantees will avail themselves of ODEP’s expertise and that of its TA centers. ODEP and its TA centers will provide grantees with significant assistance in creating a working collaboration to address the employment needs of youth and adults with disabilities in underrepresented and historically excluded communities. Grantees must also support resources for validating the models implemented.
Inasmuch as the award will be made in the form of a cooperative agreement, DOL will have substantial involvement in the administration of the agreement. This DOL involvement will consist of:
Approval of any sub-contract related to the cooperative agreement awarded by the grantee after the cooperative agreement award;
Participation in site visits to project areas;
Providing advice and consultation to the grantee on specific project criteria;
Providing the grantee(s) with technical and programmatic support, including training in DOL monitoring and evaluation systems, and standard procedures regarding DOL management of cooperative agreements;
Reviewing, at reasonable times, all documents related to the grant pertaining to the project, including status and technical progress reports, and financial reports. ODEP will provide the format for the reports;
Oversight and approval of all deliverables, including but not limited to fact sheets, training materials, press releases and publicity-related materials regarding the project;
Oversight and approval of all content for online resources developed through project activities, including clearing topics for material production and final document production; and
Reviewing project evaluation design, and participating with ODEP’s independent evaluator.
Part III. Eligibility Information and Other Cooperative Agreement Specifications
Period of Performance and Performance Requirements
While these cooperative agreements will be funded for a period of performance of 24 months from the date of execution of award documents, ODEP may, at its discretion, make available up to three (3) additional years of funding, after giving consideration to such factors as: the availability of funding, the demonstrated satisfactory performance of grant activities and other relevant factors. Consortia will be required to provide not only data related to increased employment opportunities for people with disabilities in targeted businesses and underrepresented and historically excluded communities, but also products and documents reflecting both informational content and the collaborative process for achieving the goals of “Add Us In.” These documents will then be disseminated through existing ODEP Technical Assistance Centers (http://www.dol.gov/odep/) and other national organizations.
Grantee Requirements
To be considered for an award, consortium applying for the cooperative agreement must have representation from each of the following four organization types:
1. An association of targeted businesses, a business association located in a target population community, targeted business entities, association of targeted businesses, association of targeted business owners or other similar entity that represents businesses in underrepresented and historically excluded communities;
2. A disability-serving organization;
3. A Local Workforce Investment Board (LWIB) or other organization with demonstrated experience in providing employment and training services and employment-related support services (e.g., One-Stop center); and
4. A Youth-serving organization.
All four required partners must be involved in the strategic planning and implementation activities. Consortia are encouraged to have additional community and service partners beyond the four required partners. Consortia partners may represent more than one of the four constituencies listed above; however, for the purposes of the Add Us In grant, four distinct consortia members with primary responsibility to represent one stakeholder group are required.
Selection of an organization as a grantee does not constitute approval of the cooperative agreement application as submitted. Before the actual cooperative agreement is awarded, DOL may enter into negotiations about such items as project components, staffing and funding levels and administrative systems in place to support cooperative agreement implementation. If the negotiations do not result in a mutually acceptable submission, the Grant Officer reserves the right to terminate the negotiation and decline to fund the application.
Specific Allowable Uses of Cooperative Agreement Funds:
Organizing and participating in strategic alliances with business groups and organizations
Bringing together local education and training programs and connecting them to Federal, State, tribal and local programs to address effectively the learning and employment needs of youth and adults with disabilities
Providing staff development and training to teachers, employers, mentors, counselors, community rehabilitation agency personnel, Social Security Work Incentive Specialists, State Medicaid support agencies, One-Stop staff and others critical to successful transition outcomes
Mentoring services, including peer mentoring and related activities, such as comprehensive guidance and counseling to other targeted businesses on the business case for hiring individuals with disabilities
Activities that support the Guideposts for Success (http://www.dol.gov/odep/categories/youth/) including career-related mentoring of youth and adults with disabilities by members of targeted business associations
Implementing strategies/activities to increase targeted businesses’ awareness of, interest in and support for hiring individuals with disabilities from their communities
Follow-up services and data gathering activities that focus on job retention, wage gains, and career progression through regular contact with participant employers; Activities can also include providing assistance in addressing work-related problems that arise; assisting youth and adults with disabilities secure better paying jobs, career development and further education; mentoring; and tracking of progress made by participants in employment after training
Creating and distributing materials that are culturally relevant to the communities the consortium is working with (this may include producing documents in languages other than English)
Researching, testing and evaluating the project model(s)
1. Eligible Applicants
Under this announcement only consortia may apply for and receive a cooperative agreement. Each consortium must, at a minimum, have representation from each of the following four organization types: (1) A an association of targeted businesses, association of targeted business owners or other similar entity that represents businesses in underrepresented and historically excluded communities; (2) A disability-serving organization; (3) A Local Workforce Investment Board (LWIB) or other organization with demonstrated experience in providing employment and training services and employment-related support services (e.g., One-Stop center but not limited to); and (4) a youth-serving organization. We encourage the participation of diverse consortia members including, but not limited to: national disability organizations, LGBT organizations, women-owned businesses, small business development centers, minority business development centers, veterans, community-based organizations, colleges and universities (including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs)), Federally recognized or state-recognized American Indian/Alaska Native tribal governments or American Indian/Alaska Native tribally designated organizations.
Consortia must be legal entities, or partnerships or joint ventures of legal entities. If a partnership or joint venture, then each partner will be individually responsible for the performance of the cooperative agreement, and for the funds awarded there under. All applications must clearly identify the lead cooperative agreement recipient and fiscal agent, as well as all other members of the consortium applying for the cooperative agreement. The fiscal agent must have proof of successful operation of Federal or other grants of this size and scope. In addition, the application must identify the relationship between all of the members of the consortium, and their respective roles in carrying out the project.
According to section 18 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, an organization, as described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, that engages in lobbying activities will not be eligible for the receipt of Federal funds constituting an award, grant, or loan. See 2 U.S.C. 1611; 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(4). Funding restrictions apply.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching
Cost sharing, matching funds, and cost participation are not required under this SGA. The leveraging of public and private resources to foster inclusive service delivery and achieve project sustainability is highly encouraged and included under evaluation criteria.
Leveraged resources can come from a variety of sources, including but not limited to: public sector (e.g., Federal, State, or local governments); non-profit sector (e.g., community organizations, faith-based organizations, or education and training institutions); private sector (e.g., businesses or industry associations); investor community (e.g., angel networks); philanthropic community; and the economic development community. Applicants must describe in detail how such leveraged funds will be used and demonstrate how these funds will contribute to the goals of the project.
3. Priority of Service for Veterans and Eligible Spouses
The Jobs for Veterans Act (Pub. L.107–288) requires priority of service for veterans and spouses of certain veterans for the receipt of employment, training, and placement services in any job training program directly funded, in whole, or in part, by the Department of Labor. On December 19, 2008, the Department published a Final Rule (at 20 CFR Part 1010) implementing this statutory requirement to provide priority of service, effective January 19, 2009. A copy of these regulations can be accessed at: http://www.dol.gov/vets/E8-30166.pdf. Section 1010.220 of these regulations requires all recipients of Department job training funds to agree to implement priority of service as a condition for the receipt of funds and also requires all recipients of funds to ensure that priority of service is implemented by all of their sub-recipients. Employment and Training Administration Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 5–03 (September 16, 2003), which was issued prior to publication of the regulations, provides guidance on the scope of the Jobs for Veterans Act and its implications for employment and training programs. TEGL No. 5–03, along with additional guidance, is available at the ‘‘Jobs for Veterans Priority of Service’’ Web site (http://www.doleta.gov/programs/vets).
Part IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package
This announcement contains all of the information and links to forms needed to apply for this funding opportunity. Additional application packages and amendments to this SGA may be obtained from the ODEP Web site address at www.dol.gov/odep, and the Federal Grant Opportunities Web site address at http://www.grants.gov.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
The three required sections of the application are titled below and described thereafter:
Part I: The Cost Proposal/Budget (No page limit).
Part II: Executive Summary--Project Synopsis (Not to exceed three pages).
Part III: Project Narrative (Not to exceed 25 pages excluding timeline, organizational chart, and resumes).
Applications that fail to adhere to the instructions in this section will be considered non-responsive and may not be given further consideration.
A. Part I is the Cost Proposal/Budget and must include the following three items:
• The Standard Form (SF) 424, ‘‘Application for Federal Assistance’’ (available at http://www07.grants.gov/agencies/approved_standard_forms.jsp). The SF-424 must clearly identify the applicant and be signed by an individual with authority to enter into a grant agreement. Upon confirmation of an award, the individual signing the SF-424 on behalf of the applicant shall be considered the representative of the applicant.
• The SF-424–A Budget Information Form (available at: http://www07.grants.gov/agencies/approved_standard_forms.jsp). In preparing the Budget Information Form, the applicant must provide a concise narrative explanation to support the request. The budget narrative should break down the budget and leveraged resources by the activities specified in the technical proposal. The narrative should also discuss precisely how the administrative costs support the project goals.
Applicants that fail to provide a SF-424, SF-424–A and/or a budget narrative will be removed from consideration prior to the technical review process. Leveraged resources should not be listed on the SF-424 or SF-424–A Budget Information Form, but must be described in the budget narrative and in Part II of the proposal. The amount of Federal funding requested for the entire period of performance must be shown on the SF- 424 and SF-424–A Budget Information Form.
Applicants are also required to submit OMB control number 1890–0014 Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants, which can be found at: http://www.doleta.gov/grants/find_grants.cfm and a completed Assurance and Certification signature page must be submitted.
• Dun and Bradstreet (DUNS) number. All applicants for Federal grant and funding opportunities are required to have a DUNS number. See OMB Notice of Final Policy Issuance, 68 FR 38402 (June 27, 2003). Applicants must supply their DUNS number on the SF-424. The DUNS number is a nine-digit identification number that uniquely identifies business entities. Obtaining a DUNS number is easy and there is no charge. To obtain a DUNS number, access the Web site: http://www.dnb.com/us/ or call 1–866–705–5711. If no DUNS number is provided then the grant application will be considered non-responsive and it will not be evaluated. Requests for exemption from the DUNS number requirement must be made to the Office of Management and Budget.
B. Part II is the Executive Summary of the technical proposal that will be shared publicly and must contain the following information:
•A Project Synopsis, of no more than three single-spaced, single-sided pages on 8 1/2” x 11” paper with standard margins throughout that identify the following:
1) The lead entity;
2) The list of consortium members, and additional members; and
3) An overview of how the applicant will carry out strategies, models and policies, described in this solicitation.
C. Part III is the Project Narrative, which must satisfy the requirements outlined below:
•The Project Narrative is limited to 25 double-spaced single-sided with a 12-point font and one-inch margins. Any pages submitted in excess of this 25 page limit will not be reviewed.24
•The Project Narrative includes the applicant’s capability to plan, implement, and evaluate a pilot project in accordance with the provisions of this solicitation. Following the outline provided in Section V (Significance of the Proposed Project, Project Design, Organizational Capacity and Quality of Key Personnel, Budget and Resource Capacity, Quality of the Management Plan, and Quality of the Project Evaluation), successful applicants will describe in the Project Narrative their innovative and comprehensive plan for accomplishing the strategies, models and policies described in Part (1), Description and Purpose and Part I (2) Background. The Project Narrative must:
1) Identify members of the consortium (including the lead entity, the required partners and any other members) and provide documentation (such as letters of intent and memorandum of agreement, which must be included in an Appendix) of a formal agreement of participation; discuss what role and tasks the entities will perform and identify members of consortia leadership who are individuals with disabilities or members of underrepresented and historically excluded communities;
2) Demonstrate each of the consortium members' relevant experience and expertise;
3) Describe in detail the key features of the project model that will be developed and tested for effectiveness using these cooperative agreement funds. (In addition to the narrative, a detailed logic model documenting how project activities will lead to the development of project outputs and achievement of short-term and log-term outcome goals is recommended but not required for inclusion in the Appendices). Specify the communities that will be the focus of the program; how any disability-related needs of participants will be addressed; and the potential contribution of the proposed project to a) increase the capacity of targeted businesses to employ adults and youth with disabilities and b) increase the quality and availability of employment opportunities to people with a full range of disabilities in targeted businesses in underrepresented and historically excluded communities
4) Identify the number of individuals that will be served by this project when fully operational;
5) Describe how participants (both business and individuals with disabilities) will be identified and selected for the project;
6) Describe the characteristics of the participants the project expects to serve (i.e., age, gender, LGBT status, number of participants, types of disabilities, educational level, ethnicity, business type);
7) Provide a detailed description of how the consortium will address the development of a network through collaboration with the larger association or national partners to take the model to scale. This would include the creation of materials and dissemination and replication of successful policies and practices nationally;
8) Describe the types of employment or disability-related training, support, and follow-up services (if any) that will be provided to assist project participants (both business and individuals with disabilities) and how they will be funded;
9) Describe what efforts will be undertaken to establish workforce system, community, business, disability and youth-based partnerships sufficient to support project implementation and sustainability;
10) Describe the efforts that will be undertaken to encourage the active involvement of community members, especially those from underrepresented and historically excluded communities;
11) Identify additional Federal, State and other resources beyond those specifically mentioned in this solicitation, that will be leveraged and used to support and sustain the overall objectives of the cooperative agreement;
12) Describe in detail the design and analysis that will be used to validate the strategies, models and policies being tested and the methods and procedures that will be used for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data in order to evaluate the project. It must also state the project’s commitment to work with ODEP’s independent evaluator; and
13) Describe the procedures and approaches that will be used to work with multiple Federal, State, and local public agencies, and business, disability, youth and other entities to sustain, replicate, and expand the workforce systems model being tested.
• Each Project Narrative must also include:
1) A detailed 24 month management plan for project goals, objectives, activities and expected outcomes;
2) A detailed 24 month timeline for project activities, including producing and submitting a final report;
3) A detailed outline for an evaluation of the project that references the applicant’s commitment to working with ODEP on all evaluation activities;
4) A description of procedures and approaches that will be used to provide ongoing communication, collaboration with, and input from ODEP's Project Officer on all cooperative agreement-related activities;
5) A detailed description of how the consortia will work with multiple Federal, State and local public and private partners in carrying out project activities; and
6) A detailed description of measures that will be taken during the cooperative agreement period to ensure the sustainability of the model implemented after Federal funding ceases.
• The Project Narrative must describe the proposed staffing for the project and must identify and summarize the qualifications of the personnel who will carry it out. In addition, the applicant must provide an organizational chart for staff that will operate the proposed project. In instances where the project is part of the work of a larger organization (e.g., a lead human services agency), please include a diagram that indicates where the proposed project will fit within the larger organization. (The organizational chart does not count toward the 25 page limit for the Project Narrative.)
• In addition, the evaluation criteria listed in Section V, below, include consideration of the qualifications, including relevant education, training and experience of key project personnel, as well as the qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of project consultants or subcontractors. Resumes must be included in the appendices. Key personnel, which need not all be from the same consortium organization, include: Principal Investigator, Project Director, Project Coordinator, Project Manager, Research Analyst, and any other individual playing a substantial role in the project. In addition, the applicant must specify in the application, the percentages of time to be dedicated by each key person on the project. ODEP strongly encourages diversity in key personnel participating as a part of a consortium.
• For each staff person named in the application, please provide documentation of all internal and external time commitments. In instances where a staff person is committed on a Federally supported project, please provide the project name, Federal office, program title, the project Federal Award Number, and the amount of committed time by each project year. This information (e.g., Staff: Jane Doe; Project Name: Succeeding in the General Curriculum; Federal Office: Office of Special Education Programs; Program Title: Field Initiated Research; Award Number: H324C980624; Time Commitments: Year 1- 30 percent; Year 2- 25 percent, and Year 3- 40 percent) can be provided as an appendix to the application.
In general, ODEP will not reduce time commitments on currently funded grants from the time proposed in the original application. Therefore, we will not consider for funding any application where key staff are bid above a time commitment level that staff have available to bid (i.e. 100 percent). Further, the time commitments stated in newly submitted applications will not be negotiated down to permit the applicant to receive a new grant award.
• The Project Narrative should also describe how the applicant plans to comply with the employment discrimination and equal employment opportunity requirements of the various laws listed in the assurances section.
Applications may be submitted electronically on http: www.grants.gov or in hard-copy via U.S. mail, professional delivery service, or hand delivery. These processes are described in further detail in Section IV (3). Applicants submitting proposals in hard-copy must submit an original signed application (including the SF-424) and two (2) ‘‘copy-ready’’ versions free of bindings, staples or protruding tabs to ease in the reproduction of the proposal by DOL. Applicants submitting proposals in hard-copy are also requested, though not required, to provide an electronic copy of the proposal on CD–ROM.
3. Submission Date, Times, and Addresses
The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is 30 days after the publication date in the Federal Register. Applications must be received at the address below no later than 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time). Applications submitted electronically through Grants.gov, must be successfully submitted http://www.grants.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on that same date, and then subsequently validated by Grants.gov. The submission and validation process is described in more detail below. The process can be complicated and time-consuming. Applicants are strongly advised to initiate the process as soon as possible and to plan for time to resolve technical problems if necessary.
Applications sent by e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (fax) will not be accepted.
If an application is submitted by both hard-copy and through www.grants.gov a letter must accompany the hard-copy application stating why two applications were submitted and the differences between the two submissions. If no letter accompanies the hard-copy we will review the copy submitted through www.grants.gov. For multiple applications submitted through www.grants.gov, we will review the latest submittal.
Applications that do not meet the conditions set forth in this notice will not be honored. No exceptions to the mailing and delivery requirements set forth in this notice will be granted.
Mail/overnight mail/hand delivery—To apply by mail, please submit one blue-ink signed, typewritten original of the application and two signed photocopies in one package to the U.S. Department of Labor, Procurement Services Center, Attention: Cassandra Mitchell, Reference SGA (11-02), 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room S-4307, Washington, D.C. 20210. Information about applying online through www.grants.gov can be found in Section IV.B of this document. Applicants are advised that mail delivery in the Washington, D.C. area may be delayed due to mail decontamination procedures. Hand delivered proposals will be received at the above address.
Electronic submission—Applicants may apply online through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov). It is strongly recommended that before the applicant begins to write the proposal, applicants should immediately initiate and complete the ‘‘Get Registered’’ registration steps at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp. These steps may take multiple days or weeks to complete, and this time should be factored into plans for electronic submission in order to avoid unexpected delays that could result in the rejection of an application. It is highly recommended that applicants use the ‘‘Organization Registration Checklist’’ at http://www.grants.gov/assets/Organization_Steps_Complete_Registration.pdf to ensure the registration process is complete.
Within two business days of application submission, Grants.gov will send the applicant two e-mail messages to provide the status of application progress through the system. The first e-mail, almost immediate, will confirm receipt of the application by Grants.gov.
The second e-mail will indicate the application has either been successfully validated or has been rejected due to errors. Only applications that have been successfully submitted and successfully validated will be considered. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to ensure a timely submission, therefore sufficient time should be allotted for submission (two business days), and if applicable, subsequent time to address errors and receive validation upon resubmission (an additional two business days for each ensuing submission). It is important to note that if sufficient time is not allotted and a rejection notice is received after the due date and time, the application will not be considered. The components of the application must be saved as either .doc, .xls or .pdf files. Documents received in a format other than .doc, .xls or .pdf will not be read. If submitted in any other format, applicants assume the risk that compatibility or other issues will prevent our ability to consider the application. ODEP will attempt to open the document, but will not take any “corrective” measures in the event of issues with opening the document. In such cases, the nonconforming application will not be considered for funding.
The Grants.gov helpdesk is available 24 hours per day 7 days per week. Applicants are strongly advised to utilize the plethora of tools and documents, including FAQs, that are available on the ‘‘Applicant Resources’’ page at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/app_help_reso.jsp#faqs. To receive updated information about critical issues, new tips for users and other time sensitive updates as information is available, applicants may subscribe to ‘‘Grants.gov Updates’’ at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/email_subscription_signup.jsp. If applicants encounter a problem with Grants.gov and do not find an answer in any of the other resources, call 1–800–518–4726 to speak to a customer support representative or e-mail [email protected].
Late Applications: For applications submitted on Grants.gov, only applications that have been successfully submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on the closing date will be considered. For applicants not submitting on Grants.gov, any application received after the exact date and time specified for receipt at the office designated in this notice will not be considered, unless it is received before awards are made, was properly addressed, and: (a) was sent by U.S. Postal Service registered or certified mail not later than the fifth calendar day before the date specified for receipt of applications (e.g., an application required to be received by the 20th of the month must be postmarked by the 15th of that month) or (b) was sent by professional overnight delivery service to the addressee not later than one working day prior to the date specified for receipt of applications.
‘‘Postmarked’’ means a printed, stamped or otherwise placed impression (exclusive of a postage meter machine impression) that is readily identifiable, without further action, as having been supplied or affixed on the date of mailing by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service. Therefore, applicants should request the postal clerk to place a legible hand cancellation ‘‘bull’s eye’’ postmark on both the receipt and the package. Failure to adhere to the above instructions will be a basis for a determination of non-responsiveness. Evidence of timely submission by a professional overnight delivery service must be demonstrated by equally reliable evidence created by the delivery service provider indicating the time and place of receipt.
4. Withdrawal of Applications
Applications may be withdrawn by written notice or telegram (including mailgram) received at any time before an award is made. Applications may be withdrawn in person by the applicant or by an authorized representative thereof, if the representative’s identity is made known and the representative signs a receipt for the proposal.
5. Intergovernmental Review
This funding opportunity is not subject to Executive Order (EO) 12372, ‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.’’
6. Funding Restrictions
All proposed costs must be necessary and reasonable in accordance with Federal guidelines. Determinations of allowable costs will be made in accordance with the applicable Federal cost principles, e.g., Non-Profit Organizations—OMB Circular A–122. Disallowed costs are those charges to a cooperative agreement that the grantor agency or its representative determines not to be allowed in accordance with the applicable Federal Cost Principles or other conditions contained in the cooperative agreement. Applicants will not be entitled to reimbursement of pre-award costs.
7. Indirect Costs
As specified in OMB Circulars on Cost Principles, indirect costs are those that have been incurred for common or joint objectives and cannot be readily identified with a particular cost objective. In order to utilize cooperative agreement funds for indirect costs incurred, the applicant must obtain an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement with its Federal Cognizant Agency either before or shortly after the cooperative agreement award. The Federal Cognizant Agency is generally determined based on the preponderance of Federal dollars received by the recipient.
8. Administrative Costs
An entity that receives a cooperative agreement to carry out a project or program may not use more than 15 percent of the amount of the cooperative agreement to pay administrative costs associated with the program or project, excepting tribal entities which require a 25 percent cap due to the unavailability of taxation resources. Administrative costs could be both direct and indirect costs and are defined at 20 CFR 667.220. Administrative costs do not need to be identified separately from program costs on the SF-424A Budget Information Form. They should be discussed in the budget narrative and tracked through the grantee’s accounting system. To claim any administrative costs that are also indirect costs, the applicant must obtain an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement from its Federal Cognizant Agency as specified above.
9. Transparency
DOL is committed to conducting a transparent grant award process and publicizing information about program outcomes. Posting grant applications on public websites is a means of promoting and sharing innovative ideas. For this grant competition, we will publish the Executive Summary as required in Part IV for all applications on the Department’s website or similar location. Additionally, we will publish a version of the Project Narrative required by Part IV, for all those applications that are awarded grants, on the Department’s website or a similar location. No other parts of or attachments to the application will be published. The Project Narratives and Executive Summaries will not be published until after the grants are awarded. In addition, information about grant progress and results may also be made publicly available.
DOL recognizes that grant applications sometimes contain information that an applicant may consider proprietary or business confidential information, or may contain personally identifiable information. Information is considered proprietary or confidential commercial/business information when it is not usually disclosed outside your organization and when its disclosure is likely to cause you substantial competitive harm. Personally identifiable information is information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual‘s identity, such as name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother‘s maiden name, or biometric records, or other information that is linked or linkable to an individual, such as medical, educational, financial, and employment information.25
Executive Summaries will be published in the form originally submitted, without any redactions. However, in order to ensure that confidential information is properly protected from disclosure when DOL posts the winning Project Narratives, applicants whose Project Narratives will be posted will be asked to submit a second redacted version of their Project Narrative, with proprietary, confidential commercial/business, and personally identifiable information redacted. All non-public information about the applicant’s staff should be removed as well. The Department will contact the applicants whose Project Narratives will be published by letter or email, and provide further directions about how and when to submit the redacted version of the Project Narrative. Submission of a redacted version of the Project Narrative will constitute permission by the applicant for DOL to post that redacted version. If an applicant fails to provide a redacted version of the Project Narrative, DOL will publish the original Project Narrative in full, after redacting personally identifiable information. (Note that the original, unredacted version of the Project Narrative will remain part of the complete application package, including an applicant’s proprietary and confidential information and any personally identifiable information.)
Applicants are encouraged to maximize the grant application information that will be publicly disclosed, and to exercise restraint and redact only information that truly is proprietary, confidential commercial/business information, or capable of identifying a person. The redaction of entire pages or sections of the Project Narrative is not appropriate, and will not be allowed, unless the entire portion merits such protection. Should a dispute arise about whether redactions are appropriate, DOL will follow the procedures outlined in the Department’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regulations (29 CFR part 70).
Redacted information in grant applications will be protected by DOL from public disclosure in accordance with federal law, including the Trade Secrets Act (18 U.S.C. § 1905), FOIA, and the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. § 552a). If DOL receives a FOIA request for your application, the procedures in DOL’s FOIA regulations for responding to requests for commercial/business information submitted to the government will be followed, as well as all FOIA exemptions and procedures. 29 CFR § 70.26. Consequently, it is possible that application of FOIA rules may result in release of information in response to a FOIA request that an applicant redacted in its “redacted copy.”
V. Application Review Information
1. Evaluation Criteria
A technical panel will review cooperative agreement applications against the criteria listed below, on the basis of the maximum points indicated.
(a) Significance of the Proposed Project (25 points)
In determining the significance of the proposed research, the Department will consider the following factors:
The potential of the project to increase knowledge of targeted businesses and communities to develop strategies, and policies that lead to increased employment of youth and adults with disabilities (5 points)
The extent to which the proposed project is likely to result in systems change, as defined in the definitions section of this solicitation, replicable models or demonstrable improvement in the workforce development system (5 points)
The extent to which the proposed project is likely to build capacity to provide, improve or expand services that address the hiring needs of target business owners and the employment needs of people with disabilities from underrepresented and historically excluded communities (5 points)
The extent to which the proposed project involves the development or demonstration of promising new strategies that build upon, or are alternatives to, existing strategies and the extent to which the project builds upon prior work done by ODEP and its partners around youth in transition, including the Guideposts for Success and related policies and practices (5 points)
The extent to which the proposed project is replicable, sustainable and able to be used in other settings (5 points)
(b) Project Design (30 points)
This demonstration tests the assumption that the impetus for targeted businesses to assess their hiring practices and increase opportunities for people with disabilities will come from their business peers as represented by business associations and institutions (e.g., churches and civic associations) based in underrepresented and historically excluded communities. The assumption that business peer relationships and revealed community/customer preferences will leverage change in disability employment practices is a strategic underpinning of the Add Us In initiative.
The discussion of strategy should include the applicant’s plan for 1) engaging the key participants (e.g., targeted businesses associations and community institutions/leaders) in understanding the value to the community of addressing the issue, and 2) how the consortium partners will facilitate dialogue between an association of targeted businesses, community organization and targeted business owners to increase the employment of youth and adults with disabilities. The discussion of strategy should also indicate how employment and training service providers as well as experts and other knowledge resources will be used to leverage engagement of the community and an association of targeted businesses and community -- and a positive business response – as part of applicant’s strategic approach.
In evaluating the quality of the proposed project design, the Department will consider the following factors:
The extent to which the objectives, and expected outcomes to be achieved by the proposed project (as described in Part I, 2.) are clearly specified and measurable (5 points)
The extent to which the proposed project will effectively contribute to increased knowledge and understanding by building upon current theory, research, and effective practices in the employment needs of youth and adults with disabilities and the hiring needs of targeted business owners (5 points)
The extent to which the proposed project explains how individuals with disabilities, community-based organizations, disability organizations and underrepresented and historically excluded community members, youth-serving organizations, employers, industry, relevant experts, organizations and groups are going to be engaged in the work of the Add Us In initiative and benefit from its efforts (4 points)
The extent to which the plan details the type of trainings and activities to be undertaken by the consortia in support of increasing the knowledge development and awareness of underrepresented and historically excluded community members around the employment needs of people with disabilities and the hiring needs of small business (4 points)
The adequacy of the documentation submitted in support of the proposed project to demonstrate the commitment of each entity or individual included in project implementation, including any national partners, to aid in national policy development and dissemination (3 points)
The extent to which the proposed project: (1) incorporates the use of funds and expertise leveraged across several systems; and (2) leverages other public and private resources to create a collaborative network that is integrated into the community, fosters inclusive service delivery and is designed to build capacity and yield results that will extend beyond the cooperative agreement period. Including appropriate letters of support included in the appendices is encouraged. (5 points)
The extent to which the proposed evaluation design and implementation will provide valid and reliable information on the project’s models; implementation of activities (e.g., project inputs and strategies); development of outputs; achievement of planned outcomes; and commitment to work with ODEP in all evaluation activities, including the national evaluation of Add Us In. (4 points)
(c) Organizational Capacity and Quality of Key Personnel (20 points)
Applications will be evaluated based on the extent to which the applicant demonstrates organizational capacity and quality of key personnel to implement the proposed project, including:
Demonstrated experience with similar projects that plan, develop, implement and evaluate new strategies and produce replicable models (3 points)
Demonstrated experience of fiscal agent in managing projects of this complexity (3 points)
Qualifications and experience of the applicant's key personnel and experience and commitment of any proposed consultants or subcontractors (3 points)
Inclusion of diverse personnel, including individuals with disabilities, in key positions (3 points)
Existing collaborations or networks with national employment, business or disability systems and organizations (3 points)
Appropriateness of the organization's structure to carry out the project. The structure and staffing of the organization align with the project’s requirements, vision, and goals and are designed to assure responsible general management of the project (3 points)
Letters of Commitment. Applicants can include letters of support if they provide specific commitments. Such letters can increase an applicant's score by demonstrating the type of additional resources or support that will enable the applicant to meet the commitments the applicant makes in the text of the proposal. Form letters will not be considered (2 points)
(d) Management and Outcomes (25 points)
The purpose of the Management and Outcomes criteria is to determine whether the applicant has developed an adequate management plan to effectively carry out the objectives and scope of the proposed project on time and within budget; to describe the predicted outcomes resulting from activities funded under this SGA; and to identify the methods of quantitatively assessing whether the grantee has been able to implement the intended activities and whether the intended activities led to the intended changes in outcomes. Applicants should provide a detailed management plan that identifies critical activities, time frames, and responsibilities for effectively implementing the project, including the monitoring process for assuring successful implementation of cooperative agreement objectives. In addition, applicants should outline the strategy for documenting and reporting the activities undertaken during the life of the cooperative agreement.
In evaluating the management and outcomes criteria, the DOL considers the factors below to be of particular importance. The DOL will assess the extent to which:
The methods of evaluation are thorough and : a) include the objective use of performance measures that are clearly related to the intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and qualitative data; b) measure in both quantitative and qualitative terms, project results and satisfaction of customers, both people with disabilities and employers; c) inform ODEP's long-term strategic goals of increasing labor market participation of people with disabilities; and d) will lead to findings that provide information about effective strategies suitable for testing and additional research in future settings (5 points)
The management plan for project implementation appears likely to achieve the objectives of the proposed project on time and within budget. This should include clearly defined staff responsibilities, time allocation to project activities, time lines, milestones for accomplishing project tasks, project deliverables and information on adequacy of other resources necessary for project implementation, (5 points)
The time commitments of the principal investigator and other key personnel are appropriate and adequate to meet the proposed objectives of the project (4 points)
The management plan demonstrates a commitment to work with ODEP and its technical assistance centers in the implementation of project activities and the development of project deliverables during the period of a grant (4 points)
The management plan appears likely to result in sustainable activities beyond the period of direct Federal investment (4 points)
The adequacy of mechanisms for ensuring performance feedback and continuous improvement and high-quality in the delivery of products and services high-quality products, services and relating to the scope of work for the proposed project (3 points)
2. Review and Selection Process
Proposals that are timely and responsive to the requirements of this SGA will be rated against the criteria listed above by a panel comprised of representatives from DOL, other peers and members of the public. The ranked scores will serve as the primary basis for selection of applications for funding, in conjunction with other factors such as varied representation of underrepresented and historically excluded communities; urban, rural, and geographic balance; the availability of funds; and which proposals are most advantageous to the Government. The panel results are advisory in nature and not binding on the Grant Officer, and the Grant Officer may consider any information that comes to his/her attention. The Department may elect to award the grant(s) with or without discussions with the applicants.
Should a cooperative agreement be awarded without discussions, the award will be based on the applicant’s signature on the SF- 424, which constitutes a binding offer by the applicant (including electronic signature via E-Authentication on http://www.grants.gov).
3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates
The anticipated date of announcement and award is September 30, 2011.
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices
All award notifications will be posted on the ODEP homepage at http://www.dol.gov/odep/. Applicants selected for award will be contacted directly before the cooperative agreement’s execution. The notice of award signed by the Grants Officer will serve as the authorizing document. Applicants not selected for award will be notified by mail.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements – Administrative Program Requirements
All grantees, including faith-based organizations, will be subject to all applicable Federal laws (including provisions of appropriation laws), regulations, and the applicable OMB Circulars. The cooperative agreement(s) awarded under this SGA must comply with all provisions of this solicitation and will be subject to the following statutory and administrative standards and provisions, as applicable to the particular grantee:
20 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 667.220, administrative costs;
Non-Profit Organizations—OMB Circular A–122 (cost principles) and 29 CFR part 95 (administrative requirements);
Educational Institutions—OMB Circular A–21 (cost principles) and 29 CFR part 95 (administrative requirements);
State, local and Indian Tribal—OMB Circular A–87 (cost principles) and 29 CFR part 97 (administrative requirements);
All entities must comply with 29 CFR parts 93 and 98 and, where applicable, 29 CFR parts 96 and 99;
In accordance with Section 18 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, Public Law 104–65 (2 U.S.C. 1611),non-profit entities incorporated under Internal Revenue Service Code section 501(c)(4) that engage in lobbying activities are not eligible to receive Federal funds and grants;
29 CFR part 2, subpart D—Equal Treatment in Department of Labor Programs for Religious Organizations; Protection of Religious Liberty of Department of Labor Social Service Providers and Beneficiaries;
29 CFR part 31—Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs of the
Department of Labor—Effectuation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964;
29 CFR part 32—Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap in Programs and Activities Receiving or Benefiting from Federal Financial Assistance;
29 CFR part 33—Enforcement of Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap in Programs or Activities Conducted by the Department of Labor;
29 CFR part 35—Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Age in Program or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance from the Department of Labor;
29 CFR part 36—Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Program or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance;
29 CFR part 37—Implementation of the Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity Provisions of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA);
29 CFR part 1926, Safety and Health Regulations for Construction of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA); and
29 CFR part 570, Child Labor Regulations, Orders and Statements of Interpretation of the Employment Standard Administration’s Child Labor Provisions.
Note: Except as specifically provided in this Notice, DOL/ODEP’s acceptance of proposal and award of Federal funds to sponsor any program(s) do not provide a waiver of any cooperative agreement requirements and/or procedures. For example, OMB Circulars require that an entity’s procurement procedures must ensure that all procurement transactions are conducted, as much as practical, to provide open and free competition. If a proposal identifies a specific entity to provide services, the DOL/ODEP award does not provide the justification or basis to sole source the procurement, i.e., avoid competition, unless the activity is regarded as the primary work of an official partner to the application.
3. Travel
Any travel undertaken in performance of this cooperative agreement shall be subject to and in strict accordance with Federal travel regulations.
4. Acknowledgement of DOL Funding
Printed Materials:
In all circumstances, the following shall be displayed on printed materials prepared by the grantee under the cooperative agreement: “Preparation of this item was funded by the United States Department of Labor under Cooperative agreement No. 11-02.”
All printed materials must also include the following notice: “This document does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.”
Public reference to cooperative agreement: When issuing statements, press releases, requests for proposals, bid solicitations, and other documents describing projects or programs funded in whole or in part with Federal money, all grantees receiving Federal funds must clearly state:
The percentage of the total costs of the program or project, which will be financed with Federal money;
The dollar amount of Federal financial assistance for the project or program; and
The percentage and dollar amount of the total costs of the project or program that will be financed by non-governmental sources.
Use of DOL and ODEP Logo: In consultation with DOL/ODEP, the grantee must acknowledge DOL's role as described. The DOL and/or ODEP logo may be applied to DOL-funded material prepared for world-wide distribution, including posters, videos, pamphlets, research documents, national survey results, impact evaluations, best practice reports, and other publications of global interest. The grantee must consult with DOL on whether the logo may be used on any such items prior to final draft or final preparation for distribution. In no event shall the DOL and/or ODEP logo be placed on any item until DOL has given the grantee written permission to use the logo on the item.
5. Intellectual Property
The Federal Government reserves a paid-up, nonexclusive and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish or otherwise use, and to authorize others to use for Federal purposes: (i) The copyright in all products developed under the cooperative agreement, including a subgrant or contract under the cooperative agreement or subgrant; and (ii) any right to copyright to which the grantee, subgrantee or a contractor purchases ownership under an award (including but not limited to curricula, training models, technical assistance products and any related materials). Such uses include, but are not limited to, the right to modify and distribute such products worldwide by any means, electronically or otherwise. Federal funds may not be used to pay any royalty or licensing fee associated with such copyrighted material, although they may be used to pay costs for obtaining a copy which is limited to the developer/seller costs of copying and shipping.
If revenues are generated through selling products developed with cooperative agreement funds, including intellectual property, these revenues are program income. Program income is added to the cooperative agreement and must be expended for allowable cooperative agreement activities.
6. Approval of Key Personnel and Subcontractors
The recipient shall notify the Grant Officer at least 14 calendar days in advance if any key personnel are to be removed or diverted from the cooperative agreement, shall supply written justification as part of this notice as to why these persons are to be removed or diverted, shall provide the names(s) of the proposed substitute or replacement, and shall include information on each new individual's qualifications such as education and work experience.
Part VII. Monitoring and Reporting
1. Monitoring
The Add Us In cooperative agreements will be subject to performance measures based upon project focus. ODEP is responsible for ensuring effective implementation of this cooperative agreement, in accordance with the provisions of this announcement and the terms of the cooperative agreement award document.
Applicants should assume that ODEP staff, or their designees, will conduct on-site project reviews periodically. Reviews will focus on timely project implementation, performance in meeting the cooperative agreement's objectives, tasks and responsibilities, expenditures of cooperative agreement funds on allowable activities, administration of project activities and integration and coordination with other resources, businesses or organizations locally and nationally. ODEP will conduct periodic independent assessments of all projects. Projects may be subject to other additional reviews, at the discretion of the ODEP.
2. Reporting
Grantees will be required to submit quarterly financial and narrative progress reports, beginning 90 days from the award, as prescribed by OMB Circular A-110, codified at 2 CFR part 215 and 29 CFR part 95. In addition, all grantees will be expected to provide information on individuals with disabilities securing employment in businesses, or in underrepresented and historically excluded communities (including information on employers—including whether they are targeted employers, types of jobs, wages, and benefits) and other areas addressed through the linkages and networks facilitated by project activities including developing replicable models.
Grantees will be required to submit periodic financial and participation reports. Specifically the following reports will be required:
Quarterly reports: The quarterly report is estimated to take ten hours to complete. The quarterly reports must include the performance monitoring metrics.. The form for the Quarterly Report will be provided by the ODEP. The ODEP will work with the grantee to help refine the requirements of the report, which will, among other things, include measures of ongoing analysis for continuous improvement and customer satisfaction requiring grantees to contact employers and customers quarterly. The form will be submitted within 30 days of the close of the quarter.
Standard Form 425; Federal Financial Form (FFR) will be completed on a quarterly basis, using the on-line electronic reporting system unless ODEP provides different instructions.
Final Project Report: The final report will include an assessment of project performance and outcomes achieved. The final report is estimated to take 20 hours to complete. This report will be submitted in hard copy and on electronic disk using a format and following instructions, which will be provided by ODEP.
A draft of the final report is due to ODEP 45 days before the end of the period of performance of the cooperative agreement. The final report is due to ODEP and the DOL Grants Office ten days before the end of the period of performance of the cooperative agreement.
All grantees must agree to cooperate with an independent evaluation to be conducted by ODEP. ODEP will arrange for and conduct this independent evaluation of the outcomes, impacts, and accomplishments of each funded project. Grantees must agree to make available records on all parts of project activity, including participant employment and wage data, available data on specific models being evaluated, and to provide access to personnel, as specified by the evaluator(s), under the direction of ODEP. This evaluation is separate from the process evaluation required of the grantee for project implementation.
VIII. Agency Contacts
Any questions regarding this SGA should be directed to Cassandra Mitchell, email
address: [email protected], tel: 202-693-4570 (note that this is not a toll-free number). To obtain further information about the Office of Disability Employment Policy of the U.S. Department of Labor, visit the DOL Web site of the Office of Disability Employment Policy at http://www.dol.gov/odep.
IX. Additional Information
OMB Information Collection No. 1225-0086. Expires November 30, 2012.
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 hours per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden estimated or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the U.S. Department of Labor, to the attention of Michel Smyth, Departmental Clearance Officer, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room N-1310, Washington, D.C. 20210. Comments may also be emailed to [email protected]. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN THE COMPLETED APPLICATION TO THIS ADDRESS. SEND IT TO THE SPONSORING AGENCY AS SPECIFIED IN THIS SOLICITATION.
This information is being collected for the purpose of awarding a grant. The information collected through this SGA will be used by the Department to ensure that grants are awarded to the applicant best suited to perform the functions of the grant. Submission of this information is required in order for the applicant to be considered for award of this grant. Unless otherwise specifically noted in this announcement, information submitted in the respondent’s application is not considered to be confidential, and will be available to the public. Applications filed in response to this SGA may be posted on the Department’s Web site.
Signed at Washington, D.C., this day of (insert date).
Grant Officer
1 Replicable models, strategies and policies are methods of connecting people with disabilities to employment and might include, but are not limited to, mentoring, entrepreneurial activities, internships, training and leadership opportunities.
2 For the purposes of this solicitation, the definition of a “small” (with regard to the size of the business) is as determined by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) regulations addressing business size standards (13 CFR Part 121).
3 Minority business firms in this statistics are classified in terms of the race and ethnicity, and/or gender of ownership. These firms are owned by African Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asians, Hispanics, and Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders.
4 U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency. (2006). The state of minority business enterprises: An overview of the 2002 survey of business owners. Retrieved from http://www.mbda.gov/pressroom/publications/executive-summary-disparities-capital-access-between-minority-and-non-minority-businesses.
5 Erickson, W., Lee, C., von Schrader, S. (2010, March 17). Disability Statistics from the 2008 American Community Survey (ACS). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Demographics and Statistics (StatsRRTC). Retrieved from www.disabilitystatistics.org.
6 “Hispanic or Latino” refers to a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race. Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. (1997). U.S. Department of Commerce. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/race/racefactcb.html
7 Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey, New monthly data series on the employment status of people with a disability. http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsdisability.htm (Last viewed, March 9, 2011).
8“Not in the labor force” includes persons aged 16 years and older in the civilian noninstitutional population who are neither employed nor unemployed. The Current Population Survey collects information on their desire for and availability for work, job search activity in the prior year, and reasons for not currently searching.
9 Erickson, W., Lee, C., von Schrader, S. (March 2010). Disability Statistics from the 2008 American Community Survey (ACS). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Demographics and Statistics (StatsRRTC). Retrieved March 8, 2011 from www.disabilitystatistics.org.
10 Smith Randolph, D. & Andresen, E.M. (2004). Disability, gender and unemployment relationships in the United States from the behavioral risk factor surveillance system. Disability & Society, 19, 403-413.
11 Universal design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. The intent of universal design is to simplify life for everyone by making products, communications, and the built environment more usable by as many people as possible at little or no extra cost. Universal design benefits people of all ages and abilities Center for Universal Design. Retrieved April 28, 2010 from http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/about_ud/about_ud.htm.
12An Overview: Race and Hispanic Origin and the 2010 Census (2010). U.S. Department of Commerce. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2011: http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-02.pdf
13 Hispanics may be of any race. For the more recent data referenced in this report, comparisons are made to non-Hispanic whites. Prior to 1995, however, the available data do not facilitate desegregation of racial categories by Hispanic or non-Hispanic ethnicity. Because white Hispanics generally experience higher unemployment rates than other whites, comparisons of unemployment rates between whites and other racial groups are slightly understated if white Hispanics are not removed from the comparison data. Over time, as the Hispanic proportion in the labor force has grown, this effect in the data has become more pronounced. Since 1995, the Current Population Survey (a primary data source for analysis of minority unemployment rate disparities) has included data items that facilitate distinguishing racial groups by Hispanic or non-Hispanic ethnicity.
14 Center for Research on Women with Disabilities, Baylor College of Medicine, Characteristics of the U.S. Population of Women with Disabilities. Last accessed: March 8, 2011 at http://www.bcm.edu/crowd/?PMID=1330.
15 National Transgender Discrimination Survey, National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. http://transequality.org/Resources/NCTE_prelim_survey_econ.pdf Last accessed: March 8, 2011.
16 Edwards, K. A., & Fernandez, A. H. (2010, April). The kids aren’t alright-A labor market analysis of young workers. (EPI Briefing No. 258). Retrieved from the Economic Policy Institution Web site: http://www.epi.org/publications/entry/bp258/.
17 National Transgender Discrimination Survey (2009) Retrieved from the National Center for Transgender Equity and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Web site http://transequality.org/Resources/NCTE_prelim_survey_econ.pdf.
18 Sum, A. et al. 2008. “Out With the Young and in With the Old: U.S. Labor Markets 2000-2008 and the Case for an Immediate Jobs Creation Program for Teens and Young Adults.” Boston, Mass.: Center for Labor Market Studies.
19 United States Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Data Analysis System (DANS), 2006 Wagner, M., Newman, L., Cameto, R., Garza, N., & Levine, P. (April 2005). After High School: A First Look At The Post-school Experiences Of Youth With Disabilities: A Report from The National Longitudinal Transition Study-2. Prepared For: Office Of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department Of Education, SRI Project P11182. Menlo Park, CA: SRI International.
20 National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). (2000). Digest of Education Statistics, 2000. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education.
21 Wagner, M., Newman, L., Cameto, R., & Levine, P., (June 2005). Changes Over Time In The Early Post-school Outcomes Of Youth With Disabilities. A Report from The National Longitudinal Transition.
Study-2. Prepared For: Office Of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department Of Education, SRI Project P11182. Menlo Park, CA: SRI International.
22 National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) www.nlts2.org.
23 Among ODEP’s technical assistance centers are the National Technical Assistance, Policy and Research Center for Employers on Employment of People with Disabilities (EARN) , the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), the National Collaborative on Workforce and Youth (NCWD/Youth), and the National Technical Assistance and Research Center (NTAR). EARN (www.earnworks.com) provides employers with free consulting services and resources to support the recruitment and hiring of people with disabilities. EARN assists employers in understanding the practical business reasons for, as well as the practices that facilitate the recruitment, hiring and retention of people with disabilities. EARN also offers assistance to employment service providers and jobseekers with disabilities through its Web site and a toll-free call center. JAN (http://askjan.org/) is a free consulting service designed to increase the employability of people with disabilities by: (1) providing individualized worksite accommodations solutions; (2) providing technical assistance regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act and other disability related legislation; and (3) educating callers about self-employment options. NCWD/Youth (www.ncwd-youth.info) assists state and local workforce development systems to better serve youth, including minority youth with disabilities, as they transition to the workforce. NTAR’s (http://www.ntarcenter.org/) mission is to build capacity and leadership at the Federal, state and local levels to enable change across workforce development and disability specific systems that will increase employment and economic self-sufficiency for adults with disabilities.
24 Any Appendices, including letters of cooperation and resumes are not included in the 25 page limit. The Timeline and Organizational Chart are also not included in this page limit. A page is 8 1/2'' x 11'' (on one side only) with one-inch margins (top, bottom, and sides). All text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, and captions must be double-spaced (no more than three lines per vertical inch); and, if using a proportional computer font, use no smaller than a 12-point font, and an average character density no greater than 18 characters per inch (if using a non-proportional font or a typewriter, do not use more than 12 characters per inch).
25 Memorandums 07-16 and 06-19. GAO Report 08-536, Privacy: Alternatives Exist for Enhancing Protection of Personally Identifiable Information, May 2008, http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08536.pdf.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | DEPARTMENT OF LABOR |
| Author | mikulski_j |
| Last Modified By | Michel Smyth |
| File Modified | 2011-07-12 |
| File Created | 2011-07-12 |