U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Notice of Availability of Funds and Funding Opportunity Announcement for the Strengthening Working Families Initiative
Announcement Type: Initial
Funding Opportunity Number: FOA-ETA-16-05
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 17.268
Key Dates: The closing date for receipt of applications under this Announcement is [insert date 90 days after date of publication on Grants.gov]. Applications must be received no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Addresses: Mailed applications must be addressed to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Grants Management, Attention: Steven A. Rietzke, Grant Officer, Reference FOA-ETA-16-05, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716, Washington, DC 20210. For complete application and submission information, including online application instructions, please refer to Section IV.
Executive Summary:
Our businesses, communities, and families thrive when all Americans have the opportunity to master new skills and access to training that enables them to attain gainful employment and contribute fully to our economy. A growing policy concern is that certain barriers, such as balancing family obligations and access to reliable child care, can make it difficult for low-income and working parents to participate and succeed in education and training that support employment and career advancement.1
As a part of the Administration’s efforts to support working families, the U.S. Department of Labor (or USDOL) will make approximately $25 million in grant funds available for Strengthening Working Families Initiative (SWFI) grant program to address education and training barriers for low- to middle-skilled parents by prioritizing the needs of this targeted population; addressing child care needs for parents seeking education and training; increasing access to child care resources; and bridging the gap between the workforce development and child care systems. Applicants may propose projects up to $4 million. To accommodate a range of applicants and models, including rural single or consortium applicants, there is no designated minimum amount for which communities may apply.
SWFI grants will provide low- to middle- skilled parents opportunities to advance in their careers in high-growth or in-demand H-1B industries, addressing barriers to accessing training and employment faced by those with child care responsibilities. With the help of additional public or private funding that grantees will leverage, these grants will promote greater availability of activities that address barriers to accessing training and employment, such as co-location of training and child care services, increased access through unconventional training delivery times or locations, flexibilities related to scheduling and child care exigencies, and improved access to child care and other related participant supportive services. These grants will give more working parents a career pathway to secure higher wage jobs by addressing the significant barriers to participating in and completing training, and in trying to find and acquire affordable, quality child care—including emergency child care—while attending skills training programs. Evidence shows that single parents who receive child care services are much more likely to complete job training programs than those who do not have access to child care services. Therefore, this competition will aim to increase participation and completion rates of those in training by supporting sustainable and innovative approaches that increase workers’ access to child care and make their participation in training as seamless as possible.
An overarching goal of SWFI is to assist in the removal of child care barriers faced by working families in need of training to secure better jobs. To support this, the Department is interested in funding projects that will simultaneously address both the individual job training needs and child care barriers of workers while also developing or improving systems navigation services that will result in sustainable systemic changes for the applicant’s community or region. This combined approach will make it easier for working families to access child care resources, ensure that investments in supporting working families benefit the long-term success of both the parent(s) (current workforce) and child (future workforce).
These grants are financed by a user fee paid by employers to bring foreign workers into the United States under the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program. This program is authorized under Section 414(c) of the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 (ACWIA), as amended (codified at 29 USC 3224a). Grant awards will be made only to the extent that funds are available.
Grants will be awarded to the lead applicant of a public and private partnership of entities that includes:
The public workforce investment system;
Education and training providers, such as community colleges, community-based and faith-based organizations, and “bootcamp” style tech programs;
Child Care Service Provider(s), Child Care Program(s), or Local Human Services Providers; and
Business entities.
Applications must include significant employer engagement, including a minimum of at least three employer partners, or an employer or regional industry association consisting of at least three employers, with demonstrated engagement in the project. Additional partners that reflect the character and resources of the local or regional economy and the community are strongly encouraged. This funding opportunity announcement describes the application submission requirements that are listed in Section VI.B, Content and Form of Application Submission. Finally, the Department is committed to producing strong evidence on the effectiveness of the grantee programs; therefore, full participation in any national evaluation initiated by DOL is a condition of all grants awarded.
Table of Contents:
Funding Opportunity Description
Program Purpose
Program Authority
Program Design Elements
Award Information
Award Type and Amount
Period of Performance
Eligibility Information
Eligible Applicants
Required Partners
Optional Partners
Allowable Activities
Cost Sharing or Matching
Geographic Scope
Other Information
Application and Submission Information
How to Obtain an Application Package
Content and Form of Application Submission
Submission Date, Times, Process and Addresses
Intergovernmental Review
Funding Restrictions
Other Submission Requirements
Application Review Information
Criteria
Review and Selection Process
Award Administration and Information
Award Notices
Administrative and National Policy Requirements
Reporting
Agency Contacts
Other Information
Transparency
Web-Based Resources
Industry Competency-Model and Career Clusters
Workforce3one Resources
Office of Management and Budget Information Collection
Appendices
Appendix A: List of H-1B Industries and Occupations
Appendix B: Definition of Terms
Appendix C: Performance Projections Template
Appendix D: Related Resources and Links
Appendix E: Work Plan Template
Appendix F: Abstract Template
Appendix G: Definitions and Usual Characteristics of Sub-grants vs. Subcontracts and reporting template
Program Purpose
This announcement solicits applications for the Strengthening Working Families Initiative (SWFI) grant program. On June 23, 2014, President Obama convened the White House Summit on Working Families, which was jointly hosted by the Department of Labor, Center for American Progress and the White House Council on Women and Girls. During the Summit, participants (including businesses, economists, labor leaders, legislators, advocates, the media and ordinary citizens) discussed issues that working families face. The Summit was the beginning of a larger conversation about the changes necessary in society, business policies, and in our laws to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to have a job and a family.
Working parents, particularly those with low incomes and low skills, face significant barriers to employment. Six out of ten households with children have all parents working (married working or single working parents), increasing the need for affordable and quality child care.2 With more parents working, greater access to affordable, high-quality child care is needed but is difficult to find due to steadily increasing child care costs and relatively stagnant funding to cover the costs of child care3. Even where affordable child care exists, parents have to deal with unpredictable situations where child care may be unavailable, such as when their child is sick, the child care provider is closed, they are attending professional development sessions, and other emergencies that may result in parents needing alternative solutions. Additionally, an increasing number of families have employers who shift the family member’s work schedule with minimal notice, making stable child care harder to find. It can be difficult to handle these unexpected situations, particularly for low-wage workers who cannot afford to take unpaid leave and are less likely to have flexibility in the workplace.4
While training and education can help move parents into better paying jobs, some of the barriers to employment also serve as barriers to training and education. The lack of access to affordable and consistent child care can keep parents from attending training and educational programs. Of the 21 million low-income parents, only 1 in 10 participates in education and training.5 For those low-income parents participating in education and training, almost half were working at the same time6, resulting in the additional burden of arranging for and paying the cost of child care while at work, while in training, and while commuting.
As education and earnings are strongly linked7, this FOA supports providing access to education and training to help move parents along a career pathway that will lead to better paying jobs. This FOA also encourages applicants to develop an approach that provides skills training leading to family-supporting jobs for low- to middle-skilled parents while simultaneously developing and implementing a plan for the applicant’s community or region that helps families better navigate the existing complex systems of supportive services, including increased access to child care.
To help meet these objectives, the Department is interested in supporting evidence-based strategies or innovations based on these models that remove a range of barriers to training, including child care and other needs that working families face, by investing in education and skills training in combination with customized participant supportive services. Of particular interest are new promising ideas developed through human centered design methodology and behavioral insight research8. Program strategies must include moving lower- to middle-skilled individuals into middle- to high-skilled jobs, with the goals of increasing family-supporting wages and enabling the success of the parent.
In particular, the Department is interested in supporting parents – defined as custodial parent, legal guardian, foster parent, or other person standing in loco parentis9 – who face a barrier to training, including child care and other participant supportive service needs, and are in need of increasing skills and competencies that will either prepare them for entry into an H-1B-aligned career pathway or advancement along an H-1B-aligned career pathway and into middle- or high-skilled jobs.
Through this FOA, the Department aims to address education and training barriers for low- to middle-skilled parents by prioritizing the needs of this targeted population; addressing child care needs for parents seeking education and training; increasing access to child care resources; and bridging the gap between the workforce development and child care systems.
As applicants design their training strategies to meet the needs of working parents, they should consider the delivery methods and scheduling of training as important factors in providing the flexibility that working parents may require for participation in training. This may include adjusting curriculum design to provide flexible course offerings, expanding asynchronous learning options10, or providing online courses. It could also include delivering training through banded schedules to enable parents to accommodate their work schedules and make it easier for working parents to make child care arrangements. Another possibility is the inclusion of training onsite at the workplace, particularly if child care is provided in the same location.
An important element of this FOA is the need for communities to address how local areas will help parents navigate complex systems and access the child care services they need. The SWFI grants will provide the platform for strengthening partnerships between systems (workforce training providers and child care providers) to ensure consistency in care and flexibility in services. To support these efforts, applicants are required to leverage cash or in-kind resources amounting to at least 25 percent of the total award.
Program Authority
The SWFI grant program is authorized under Section 414(c) of the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 (ACWIA), as amended (codified at 29 USC 3224a). Grant awards will be made only to the extent that funds are available. SWFI grants are financed by a user fee paid by employers to bring foreign workers into the United States under the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program.
Program Design Elements
Through this FOA, applicants must design programs that comprise the following two primary types of activities: 1) Program Level Activities; and 2) Systems Level Activities. Program design elements of each of these activities are specified in greater detail below:
Program Level Activities
Program level activities must address individual training needs, provide customized participant supportive services, and lead to job placement in middle- to high-skilled jobs. Grantees must serve low- to middle-skilled individuals with child care needs by providing training and employment opportunities to advance in careers in high-growth and/or in-demand H-1B occupations and industries, including but not limited to Information Technology (IT), healthcare, and advanced manufacturing. Training for participants must either provide entry into, or promote movement along, a career pathway towards higher-wage, middle- to high-skilled jobs. Programs must provide customized participant supportive services, including child care, necessary to support the successful completion of skill enhancement and job placement for the targeted population.
Targeted Industries/Occupations
In line with the authority provided by Congress under the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act (ACWIA), grants under this program must focus on preparing and placing individuals into jobs within occupations for which H-1B visas have been certified, or other occupations in industries in which a significant number of H-1B visas are certified. Applicants should review the attached list (see Appendix A) of industries that are using H-1B visas to hire foreign workers.
Occupations at the H-1B skills level generally require a bachelor’s degree or comparable experience and are middle- to high-skill level. While program participants do not need to have these educational credentials or skill levels to enter the program, they should receive interventions that lead to job placement during the grant period in middle- and high-skill jobs and grantees must provide information about the career pathway to these jobs.
In addition, programs must propose education and training strategies that support middle- to high-skilled jobs that are high-growth and/or in-demand and:
Are projected to add substantial numbers of new jobs to the regional economy;
Have substantial job vacancies currently available;
Are undergoing transformation by technology and innovation that requires workers to obtain new skill sets; or
Have a significant impact on the regional economy overall or on the growth of other industries and occupations.
Outreach and Recruitment
Program level activities must include strategies for recruiting the proposed target population(s) including plans to provide a cohesive streamlined set of services tailored to meet the training and participant supportive service needs of each individual served.
Assessments
Fundamental to the SWFI approach is the incorporation of individual assessments that allow applicants to customize services that will lead program participants to training completion, employment and job retention. Assessments must provide a comprehensive evaluation of participant training needs and skill deficiencies, and the identification of child care barriers and employment needs that will lead towards a direct set of services, such as short-term, long-term or accelerated training and supportive and/or referral services.
Supportive and Referral Service(s)
Integral to this FOA’s goal is the inclusion of supportive and/or referral services that complement training activities for the targeted population. Applicants therefore must include strategies for incorporating a comprehensive set of supportive and/or referral services based on individual assessment and career counseling in support of family and individual needs. Supportive and referral service strategies should include at a minimum:
Access to and assistance with tuition or fees for child care services provided during training and job searching. This may include strategies such as non-standard hour care, emergency backup care when standard care options fall through, or care for children with disabilities to ensure safe, reliable and consistent child care services. To the extent practicable, services delivered by center-based and family child care homes must meet health and safety and other standards, of:
The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), provided the child and family are eligible for or receiving child care assistance through CCDF under the Child Care and Development Block Grant of 2014; or
Head Start, if the child and family are eligible for Head Start services or participating in the program.
Continuity of child care assistance to ensure stability for families to complete training, or
An assessment of other participant supportive service needs, such as transportation, financial aid or other resources necessary to attend and complete training including transportation to and from the child care provider site.
Program Model/Strategies
Career Pathways
Projects must provide individualized career plans for all participants that will help each participant navigate and assess their various career pathway options, identify skills and competencies needed for those occupations, and describe how the education and training provided will place individuals in or along a career pathway within the identified H-1B occupation or industry. Career Pathway programs integrate academic and occupational skills training aligned with employer validated work readiness standards and competencies. The clear sequence of coursework and/or credentials allows progression through a variety of post-secondary credentials that demonstrate marketable skills in various occupations in a particular industry sector. For a full description of Career Pathways please refer to Appendix B, “Definition of Terms.”
Employer engagement is strongly encouraged when developing career pathways for the targeted population, especially when assessing the current and projected job opportunities for training graduates. Engaging employer(s) and/or employer associations ensures that training prepares workers for a range of occupations along a career pathway of the targeted industry, making participants more employable and giving businesses a stronger employee pool. Under this FOA, training along a career pathway may start with entry-level occupations, but must lead to employment in middle- and high-skilled positions in H-1B occupations and industries.
In addition, projects must include viable ways for each participant to pursue a career pathway that may include paid work-based learning models such as Registered Apprenticeships, On-the-Job Training, paid work experience or paid internships, or post-secondary degree or certificate programs that are appropriately matched to the participant’s individual and family needs. (See Appendix B, “Definition of Terms” for expanded definitions of these models.)
Individual assessments provided by staff, such as career counselors, should include determining a customized career pathway to employment, career preparation as well as adequate training that will lead to the identified employment, and stackable and portable industry-recognized credentials, where appropriate. The Department encourages applicants to utilize required employer partnerships in identifying employment skills and opportunities for the targeted population and demonstrating how best to incorporate this into their program design.
Based on individual assessments, projects should provide strategies for placing individuals into training interventions that align with one or more of the following three strategies that also include participant supportive services that address child care and other needs:
Short-term Intensive Training - This strategy is intended to serve unemployed or underemployed parents who need short-term intensive training (such as bootcamp-style programs, online courses, or job specific technical training) that will refresh or upgrade their skills and competencies and may or may not result in an industry-recognized credential, but must provide a clear strategy that will result in job placement. The Department encourages applicants to consider accelerated or intensive competency-based training options that will rapidly train participants efficiently and effectively so they are ready for direct entry into employment. This strategy should aim to shorten the length of time to program completion, credential attainment, and reemployment, where appropriate. Projects may include:
Integrated employment and training programs that combine basic academic skills with occupational skills training to enable individuals to acquire skills at a faster pace;
Competency-based training programs designed to give participants credit for skills already developed and allows participants to move through coursework based on the mastery of a set of skills (See Appendix B, “Definition of Terms” for an expanded definition.);
Innovative programs, such as coding bootcamps or tech-based online course work that develop the mastery of a set of skills for those with minimal technical ability resulting in middle- to high-skilled Information Technology or other related high-growth technology-based occupations; or
Online course work, or distance learning modules, that builds work-based skills and competencies, accommodates working families, and results in industry-recognized credentials or college credit toward a stackable credential.
Credential-focused Intensive Training – This strategy is intended to serve parents who need intensive (long or short-term) training that improves skills and competencies needed to enter a career pathway, or move along an already-established career pathway, and results in a degree or industry-recognized credential and employment into a middle- to high-skilled H-1B occupation or industry. These strategies must combine education and training with intensive coaching and other specialized services necessary for participant success.
Upskilling Frontline Incumbent Workers – This strategy is intended to serve parents who are frontline incumbent workers (see Appendix B, “Definition of Terms”) in need of training that will lead to career advancement within the same (H-1B-aligned) industry.
Up to 25 percent of individuals served through SWFI programs may be low-skilled frontline incumbent workers who are eligible participants as defined in section III.G.3 Eligible Participants. The purpose of this effort is to provide additional skills and/or credentials for workers to advance in their careers and to assist employers in strengthening the skills of their existing workforce. Applicants proposing to serve frontline incumbent workers must work with employer(s) and employer partners to develop individual skill advancement training or career pathways that are designed to fill existing or projected job vacancies in middle-high skill H-1B occupations and industries.
Applicants proposing incumbent worker training will also need to demonstrate strategies for how they will:
Collaborate with employers and/or training providers in identifying skill advancement strategies or career pathways; and
Set goals for each incumbent worker training participant for achieving outcomes such as credential attainment, skills gains, job retention, career advancement, and wage gains.
The Department encourages applicants serving this population to propose activities that include education/training, career counseling and coaching, onsite job experience/exposure, and commitment from employers to provide clear internal opportunities for advancement for incumbent workers.
The Department encourages applicants that propose this strategy to work closely with employer partners to offer a backfill component to be implemented where positions are left open by workers advancing through the upskilling training. This upskill/backfill partnership of training provider and employers should include a strong mutual understanding of the skills needed by entry-level workers, including developing strategies to find, train and place entry-level workers within the company/business and a commitment to share the costs of training existing workers.
Employment and Retention Strategies
Ensuring strong labor market attachment for unemployed, underemployed and frontline incumbent worker training participants is an essential component for a good training model. Applicants must propose program models that incorporate comprehensive plans to provide career pathways counselling, job matching and job placement services, as well as strategies for how each training intervention will lead to middle- or high-skilled jobs and how they will utilize strategic partnerships for the various activities needed to ensure strong labor market attachment upon training completion. If the applicant proposes serving incumbent workers, the applicant must also provide strategies for ensuring job advancement and job retention.
Employment outcomes targets must be included for all training participants, including incumbent workers. (See Section IV.2 for further details on program outcomes.) In addition to employment services for job seekers, applicants will need to propose strategies for tracking participant outcomes post-training as well as job retention for at least three programmatic quarters after they obtain a job.
Systems Level Activities
A fundamental goal of SWFI is to assist in the removal of child care barriers faced by working parents in need of training to secure better jobs. In support of those objectives, the Department is interested in funding projects that will simultaneously address both job training needs and child care barriers of low- to middle- skilled parents through individual services and by developing or improving systems navigation services that will result in sustainable systemic change. The Department will support a variety of proposed strategies that will further support local and regional public and private partnerships committed to addressing their identified challenges by implementing or strengthening connections between systems and services.
Systems level activities must simplify and increase access to services and resources that enable low- to middle-skilled individuals with child care needs to participate in and complete training. Grantees must address current systemic challenges by streamlining complex processes which families with child care needs often have to navigate (for example: workforce training services, child care providers and local health and human service agencies) or creating new linkages that increase access and expand child care and participant supportive service options. Applicants are encouraged to establish system navigator roles that will facilitate access to and receipt of services.
The Department is interested in supporting system level strategies that seek to:
Improve coordination and collaboration amongst workforce development training programs and child care and other early childhood education services (including services funded through TANF, the Child Care and Development Fund, Early Head Start and Head Start) at the local, state and/or Federal level, that foster collaborative efforts, share information and streamline intake for child care assistance and service delivery;
Build effective community partnerships that leverage public and private resources to better serve individuals with child care needs in overcoming barriers to training and improve employment outcomes;
Coordinate with existing child care consumer education and referral systems that can facilitate the streamlining of complex services for working families in need of training and child care services, and if no such systems exist, establish a referral system;
Ensure low-skilled families that are either already in established programs for a service, or need additional services simultaneously, are not put at risk of losing existing benefits and/or services, including child care assistance;
Encourage training providers, child care providers and employers to work together in assisting the needs of low-skilled and middle-skilled workers with training barriers and child care needs seeking to enter middle- to high-skilled jobs;
Provide a coordinated set of child care and workforce-related resources and services available at the local, state, and Federal level to ensure that training participants and job seekers with child care needs have access to all of the qualifying programs and services they need;
Provide linkages through data systems for streamlined referral to community services; and
Leverage Federal place-based partnerships such as Promise Zones, Rural Integration Models for Parents and Children to Thrive (IMPACT) Demonstration, and Investing in Manufacturing Partnership Communities, among others.
To facilitate and build effective community partnerships that leverage public and private resources to better serve parents with child care needs and improve employment outcomes, applicants must demonstrate that the proposed project will include coordination with a variety of partners that will significantly impact the removal of the identified barriers and provide a description of all partnerships and how they will be integrated into the project design, including a description of all leveraged services and braided funding proposed to address synchronized training and child care needs. (See Appendix B, “Definition of Terms”, for a definition of braided funding.)
Each applicant must coordinate, at a minimum, with the required partners listed in the required partners section (see Section III.A.2). Additional partners are also encouraged and are listed in Section III.A.3.
Funding will be provided in the form of a grant. Approximately $25 million is expected to be available to fund projects of up to $4 million each. Applicants should request funding that is commensurate with the scope and scale of the project proposed. Rural and smaller communities who may have a need for only moderate amounts of funds (the Department generally expects award amounts of $250,000 or more) are encouraged to apply.
Awards made under this announcement are subject to the availability of Federal funds. In the event that additional funds become available, we reserve the right to use such funds to select additional grantees from applications submitted in response to this announcement.
While this grant investment is intended to offset costs of support services and training, to help ensure a successful project, applicants must secure in leveraged resources an amount equal to at least 25 percent of the total requested funds to support the project’s overall goals and milestones. Leveraged resources are a critical component of the project design and applicants will be scored based on the strength of these leveraged resources as described in section IV.3.(6)(b), Project Narrative.
B. Period of Performance
The period of performance is 48 months with an anticipated start date of July 2016. This performance period includes: all necessary implementation and start-up activities; the completion of education/training activities and the award of employer- or industry-recognized credentials, if appropriate; placement activities; and participant follow-up for performance outcomes. The Department expects that start-up activities, such as hiring appropriate program staff, project design activities, negotiation and implementation of OJT contracts, paid work experiences, or paid internship opportunities, will begin immediately upon award and that grantees will begin serving participants no later than six months after the date of grant award. We strongly encourage grantees to develop their project work plans and timelines accordingly. Grantees must plan to expend fully all grant funds during the period of performance while ensuring full transparency and accountability for all expenditures.
III. Eligibility Information
In keeping with the authority provided by Congress under Section 414 (c) of ACWIA, grants under this FOA will be awarded to partnerships of public and private sector entities. Grants will be awarded to the lead applicant, which will serve as the grantee and have overall fiscal and administrative responsibility for the grant. To be eligible for funding under this FOA, the application must include the required partners specified below in Section III.A.1, and the lead applicant must meet the eligibility criteria specified in Section III.A.2.
Eligible Applicants
Required Partners
To be eligible for consideration under this FOA, the application must include at least one partner from each of the following four types of entities (the lead applicant may count as one of these partners if it meets one of the definitions below):
Workforce Entities: Entities involved in administering the public workforce system established under Title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act (WIOA), (including state and local Workforce Development Boards and American Job Center Operators under Section 121 of WIOA and Native American program entities eligible for funds under Section 166 of WIOA (29 U.S.C. 3221)). Any of these types of public or non-profit organizations are eligible to apply as the lead applicant for this FOA. These organizations have expertise in workforce development and may provide leadership in implementing the following types of activities: 1) understanding and analyzing the need for education and training in the local area, including identifying targeted industries, occupations, regional clusters, hiring needs, and populations to be served, and providing relevant sources of data, including the workforce development board’s strategic plan, labor market information, and other tools or reports; 2) assessing potential participants for the grant program; 3) identifying and referring candidates for education and training in the grant program; 4) providing additional participant supportive services; 5) connecting and placing participants with employers that have job openings; and 6) collecting, tracking, and reporting participant data to ETA.
Education and Training Providers: For the purposes of this FOA, education and training providers include institutions of higher education as defined in Section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002), joint labor-management training partnerships, non-profit and community-based organizations that offer job training, for-profit organizations that provide job training, and organizations that have been approved as WIOA Eligible Training Providers. While a for-profit education/training provider can be an entity included in the primary partnership, for-profit education/training providers cannot be the lead applicant. Eligible lead applicants must be a public or non-profit organization.
Other eligible training providers include joint labor-management training partnerships, non-profit and community-based and faith-based organizations that offer job training, for-profit organizations that provide job training, and organizations that have been approved as WIOA Eligible Training Providers, such as Registered Apprenticeship programs. These organizations provide a range of customizable and short-term training, competency-based training, and accelerated training (such as “bootcamp” style programs), as well as longer-term training programs that may result in industry-recognized credentials and may include basic skills training, technical skills training, participant supportive services, and workforce development services.
Business Entities: For the purposes of this FOA, the primary partnership must include at least one of the following:
business-related non-profit organization, which includes trade or industry associations such as local Chambers of Commerce, small business federations, and labor management organizations;
organization functioning as a workforce intermediary for the expressed purpose of serving the needs of businesses, which may include industry associations;
consortium of three or more businesses; or
one or more independent businesses.
While for-profit business entities can be a part of the primary partnership, they cannot be the lead applicant. Any of these organizations can provide expertise on the skills needs of the workplace.
In addition to the primary partnership applicants are required to include at least three employers or an industry association representing at least three employers. These employers or the industry association may also serve as the business entity in the required partnership, as appropriate. For additional information on this requirement, see section IV.B.4.a, Requested Attachments to the Project Narrative.
Businesses and business associations lend their expertise on skills development by: 1) defining the program goals and activities; 2) informing program design; 3) identifying necessary skills and competencies, including those necessary for upskilling their current workers; 4) identifying career pathways; 5) providing resources to support education/training (such as equipment, instructors, funding, internships, Registered Apprenticeship, or OJT and other work-based learning activities); 6) providing assistance with program design and implementation; 7) hiring qualified participants who complete grant-funded education and training programs; and 8) helping to solicit employer feedback on the skills and competencies of workers completing training and placed into employment. Organizations functioning as workforce intermediaries for the expressed purpose of serving the needs of businesses lend their expertise by: 1) having credibility with employers and workers; 2) serving as partner, coordinator, and management services organizations; and, 3) bringing together project partners to plan, govern, manage, and track performance of customized services to program participants and employers.
Child Care and Other Early Childhood Education Services: An agency or organization that administers or funds child care and other early childhood education services or programs, such as entities administering the Child Care and Development Fund, Head Start or Early Head Start (e.g., the Director of the Head Start Collaboration Office), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the state-funded prekindergarten program (if the state funds a preschool program), and child care resource and referral agencies. These entities have expertise regarding the child care needs of families, the availability of existing child care services to ensure coordination, and gaps in the existing supply and delivery of child care services that can be addressed.
Note that while a child care or other early childhood education service agency is a required partner included in the primary partnership, it cannot be the lead applicant.
Eligible Lead Applicants
For the purposes of this FOA, the lead applicant must be a public or non-profit entity from one of the following three categories:
Workforce Entities as defined in Section III.A.1.a
Education and Training Providers as defined Section III.A.1.b
Business Entities as defined in Section III.A.1.c
The lead applicant is the legal entity named on the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance form and will serve as the grantee and have overall fiscal and administrative responsibility for the grant, including responsibility for deliverables and monitoring of partners and sub-grantees. The lead grantee organization will be:
The point of contact with DOL to receive and respond to all inquiries or communications under this FOA;
The entity with authority to withdraw or draw down funds through the Department of Health and Human Services - Payment Management System (HHS-PMS);
The entity responsible for submitting to DOL all deliverables under the grant, including all technical, financial, and performance reports related to the program, regardless of which partner performed the work;
The entity that may request or agree to a revision or modification of the grant agreement or statement of work;
The entity with overall responsibility for carrying out the programmatic functions of the grant, as well as for the stewardship of all expenditures under the grant; and
The entity responsible for establishing subgrant or subcontract relationships with the identified program partners.
Optional Partners
Applicants are strongly encouraged to collaborate with some of the following entities in addition to the required partners:
State and local governments, including partnering with government agencies such as Vocational Rehabilitation agencies, Child Care agencies, etc.;
Associations representing child care, Head Start, and other early childhood education providers;
Economic development agencies;
Public Housing Authorities;
Foundations and philanthropic organizations; or
Community-based, faith-based, or advocacy organizations.
D. Allowable Activities
All proposed program costs must be necessary and reasonable and in accordance with applicable Federal regulations, including the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Uniform Guidance. Determinations of allowable costs will be made in accordance with the applicable OMB cost principles. Disallowed costs are those charges to a grant that the grantor agency or its representative determines not to be allowable in accordance with the applicable Federal cost principles or other conditions contained in the grant agreement. Applicants, whether successful or not, will not be entitled to reimbursement of pre-award costs.
Grant funds can be used in accordance with 29 U.S.C. 3224a to: 1) develop, implement, and provide education/job training services; 2) fund participant supportive services (with up to 25 percent of grant funds) that enable participation in such services; and 3) system level activities costs.
Please refer to Section VI of the FOA for a list of relevant regulations, cost principles, administrative and other requirements that apply to this Announcement and to Section IV.E for a discussion of costs that are not allowable under this Announcement.
Applicants may propose to use grant funds for a wide range of allowable program activities that support the direct education and training of eligible participants, including but not limited to the following:
Using individual customized assessments to determine the skills levels, aptitudes, abilities, competencies, integrated participant supportive services, and reemployment needs of the targeted population;
Providing direct education, training, and employment services;
Adapting existing industry-recognized curricula to support direct education and training provided through the grant;
Obtaining accreditation for employer- and/or industry-recognized credentials;
Using subject matter experts from industry, education, and/or other subject-related areas to assist in program design and delivery;
Accessing real-time Labor Market Information (LMI) as it relates to identifying labor market demand, skills transferability, and job openings;
Developing and implementing articulation agreements with Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) and other education and training partners (as appropriate) that allow for recognition of course credits in exchange for the education and/or training provided;
Targeting the proposed population using outreach and recruitment strategies;
Awarding certifications and credentials to participants as a result of the training provided;
Covering participant support service costs that enable a participant to enroll in and complete training, such as child care services; or
Coordinating with or enhancing consumer education or referral services to assist the development of system level activities.
Cost sharing or matching funds are not required for this program. Please note that any resources contributed to the project are considered leveraged resources and do not constitute cost sharing or matching funds. Cost sharing or match is not one of the application screening criteria. However, applicants will be scored based on the strength of leveraged resources and these leveraged resources should be considered a critical component of the Project Design. More information on leveraged resources may be found in Section IV.B.3.(6), Project Budget and Budget Justification.
F. Geographic Scope
Applicants may propose to serve a local, regional or multi-regional area within or across state lines. A local area is defined as part or all of a single local Workforce Development Area. A regional area is defined as two or more contiguous local Workforce Development Areas that may or may not cross state lines, such as rural communities collaborating as a partnership for this project. A multi-regional area is defined as two or more non-contiguous local Workforce Development Areas that may or may not cross state lines.
Rural communities are encouraged, though not required, to collaborate through regional partnerships or with other regions to support smaller-scale projects.
G. Other Information
1. Application Screening Criteria
You should use the checklist below as a guide when preparing your application package to ensure that the application has met all of the screening criteria. Note that this checklist is only an aid for applicants and should not be included in the application package. We urge you to use this checklist to ensure that your application contains all required items. If your application does not meet all of the screening criteria, it will not move forward through the merit review process.
Application Requirement |
Instructions |
Complete? |
The deadline submission requirements are met |
Section IV.C |
|
If submitted through Grants.gov, the components of the application are saved in any of the specified formats and are not corrupt. (We will attempt to open the document, but will not take any additional measures in the event of problems with opening.) |
Section IV.C. |
|
Application does not exceed the ceiling amount of $4,000,000 |
Section II.A |
|
SAM Registration |
Section IV.B.1 |
|
SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance |
Section IV.B.1 |
|
SF-424 includes a DUNS Number |
Section IV.B.1 |
|
SF-424A, Budget Information Form |
Section IV.B.2 |
|
Budget Narrative |
Section IV.B.2 |
|
Project Narrative |
Section IV.B.3 |
|
Abstract |
Section IV.B.4 |
|
Documentation of Required Partners Commitment in the Public and Private Partnership |
Section IV.B.4 |
|
2. Number of Applications To Be Submitted
Multiple applications from an organization are not allowed. If multiple applications are received, the most recent application submitted will be accepted. If the most recent application is disqualified for any reason, we will not replace it with an earlier application.
3. Eligible Participants
The intent of this FOA is to fund projects that provide education/job training services to low- and middle- skilled parents with child care responsibilities to help them pursue or advance in, middle- to high-skilled, full-time employment within the grant period of performance.
Applicants may only serve (100 percent of participants) parents with child care responsibilities, specifically custodial parents, legal guardians, foster parents, or other person standing in loco parentis (see Appendix B “Definition of Terms) with job training needs and training barriers including child care and other participant supportive services. For applicants proposing to serve frontline incumbent worker parents with child care responsibilities, no more than twenty five percent (25%) of the participants enrolled may be incumbent workers that meet the eligibility criteria.
Participants Eligible to Receive Training
All training participants served must be 17 years or older who are out-of-secondary school, eligible to work in the United States, and considered the custodial parent, legal guardian, foster parent, or other person standing in loco parentis (as defined in Appendix B, Definition of Terms) of:
At least one dependent that is 13 years of age or younger; or
At least one dependent with a disability or developmental delay that may exceed 13 years of age.
Among eligible participants, the Department is particularly interested in projects that provide direct services to the following categories of parents (See Appendix B, “Definition of Terms” and Appendix D, “Program Related Resources and Links” for additional information regarding these programs.):
Unemployed or underemployed low-skilled parents with training and child care needs;
Parents enrolled in or pre-qualified for one or more of the following programs:
WIOA Title I Adult and Dislocated Worker (including displaced homemakers);
WIOA Title I Youth;
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF);
Child Care Development Block Grant (Child Care Development Fund);
Head Start and Early Head Start;
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP);
Community Service Block Grant;
Community Development Block Grant; or
Child Care Access Means Parents in School program;
Military spouses with dependents in need of training and employment assistance;
Low-skilled frontline incumbent workers who are parents with child care responsibilities. Note: For applicants proposing to serve frontline incumbent worker parents with child care responsibilities, no more than twenty five percent (25%) of the participants enrolled may be incumbent workers that meet the eligibility criteria.
38 U.S.C. 4215 requires grantees to provide priority of service to 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 DOL. The regulations implementing this priority of service can be found at 20 CFR Part 1010. In circumstances where a grant recipient must choose between two qualified candidates for a service, one of whom is a veteran or eligible spouse, the veterans’ priority of service provisions require that the grant recipient give the veteran or eligible spouse priority of service by first providing him or her that service. To obtain priority of service, a veteran or spouse must meet the program’s eligibility requirements. Grantees must comply with DOL guidance on veterans’ priority. ETA’s Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 10-09 (issued November 10, 2009) provides guidance on implementing priority of service for veterans and eligible spouses in all qualified job training programs funded in whole or in part by DOL. TEGL No. 10-09 is available at: http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2816.
This FOA, found at www.Grants.gov and http://www.doleta.gov/grants/find_grants.cfm, contains all of the information and links to forms needed to apply for grant funding.
B. Content and Form of Application Submission
Applications submitted in response to this FOA must consist of four separate and distinct parts: (1) the SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance;” (2) Project Budget; (3) Project Narrative; and (4) attachments to the Project Narrative. It is your responsibility to ensure that the funding amount requested is consistent across all parts and sub-parts of the application.
You must complete the SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance” (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF424_2_1-V2.1.pdf. In the address field, fill out the nine-digit (plus hyphen) zip code. Nine-digit zip codes can be looked up on the USPS website at https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction!input.action. The SF-424 must clearly identify the applicant and must 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 is considered the Authorized Representative of the applicant. As stated in block 21 of the SF-424 form, signature of the Authorized Representative on the SF-424 certifies that the organization is in compliance with the Assurances and Certifications form SF-424B (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF424B-V1.1.pdf). The SF-424B is not required to be submitted with the application.
In addition, the applicant’s Authorized Representative’s signature in block 21 of the SF-424 form constitutes assurance by the applicant of compliance with the following requirements in accordance with 29 CFR 37.20.
Requirement for DUNS Number
All applicants for Federal grant and funding opportunities are required to have a DUNS number, and must supply their DUNS Number on the SF-424. The DUNS Number is a nine-digit identification number that uniquely identifies business entities. If you do not have a DUNS Number, you can get one for free through the D&B website: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do. Grant recipients authorized to make subawards must meet these requirements related to DUNS Numbers:
Grant recipients must notify potential subawardees that no entity may receive a subaward from you unless the entity has provided its DUNS number to you.
Grant recipients may not make a subaward to an entity unless the entity has provided its DUNS number to you. (See, Appendix A to 2 CFR section 25.)
Requirement for Registration with SAM - System for Award Management
Applicants must register with the System for Award Management (SAM) before submitting an application. Instructions for registering with SAM can be found at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/#1. A recipient must maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application under consideration. To remain registered in the SAM database after the initial registration, the applicant is required to review and update the registration at least every 12 months from the date of initial registration or subsequently update its information in the SAM database to ensure it is current, accurate, and complete. For purposes of this paragraph, the applicant is the entity that meets the eligibility criteria and has the legal authority to apply and to receive the award. If an applicant has not fully complied with these requirements by the time the Grant Officer is ready to make a Federal award, the Grant Officer may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant.
You must complete the SF-424A Budget Information Form (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF424A-V1.0.pdf). In preparing the Budget Information Form, you must provide a concise narrative explanation to support the budget request, explained in detail below.
Budget Narrative: The budget narrative must provide a description of costs associated with each line item on the SF-424A. It should also include a description of leveraged resources provided (as applicable) to support grant activities.
Use the following guidance for preparing the budget narrative:
Personnel – List all staff positions by title (both current and proposed). Give the annual salary of each position, the percentage of each position’s time devoted to the project, the amount of each position’s salary funded by the grant, and the total personnel cost for the period of performance.
Fringe Benefits – Provide a breakdown of the amounts and percentages that comprise fringe benefit costs such as health insurance, FICA, retirement, etc.
Travel – Specify the purpose, mileage, per diem, estimated number of in-state and out-of-state trips, and other costs for each type of travel.
Equipment – Identify each item of equipment to be purchased which has an estimated acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit (or if your capitalization level is less than $5,000, use your capitalization level) and a useful lifetime of more than one year (see 2 CFR 200.33 for the definition of Equipment). List the quantity and unit cost per item. Items with a unit cost of less than $5,000 are supplies. In general, we do not permit the purchase of equipment during the last funded year of the grant.
Supplies – Supplies include all tangible personal property other than “equipment” (see 2 CFR 200.94 for the definition of Supplies). The detailed budget should identify categories of supplies (e.g. office supplies). List the quantity and unit cost per item.
Contractual – Identify each proposed contract and specify its purpose and estimated cost. If applicable, identify any subrecipient agreements, including purpose and estimated costs. See Section VI.B.2.f. for more information on the distinction between contractor and subrecipient.
Construction – Construction costs are not allowed and this line must be left as zero. Minor alterations to adjust an existing space for grant activities (such as a classroom alteration) may be allowable. We do not consider this as construction and the costs must be shown on other appropriate lines such as Contractual.
Other – List each item in sufficient detail for us to determine whether the costs are reasonable or allowable. List any item, such as stipends or incentives, not covered elsewhere here.
Indirect Costs – If indirect costs are included in the budget, then include either, a) the approved indirect cost rate with a copy of the Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), a description of the base used to calculate indirect costs along with the amount of the base, and the total indirect costs requested, or b) if you meet the requirements to use the 10% de minimis rate as described in 2 CFR 200.414(f), then include a description of the modified total direct costs base (see 2 CFR 200.68 for definition) used in the calculation along with the amount of the base, and the total indirect costs requested based on the 10 percent de minimis rate. See Section IV.B.4. and Section IV.E.1. for more information. Additionally, the following link contains DOL-specific information: http://www.dol.gov/oasam/boc/dcd/index.htm.
Note that the entire Federal grant amount requested (not just one year) must be included on the SF-424, SF-424A, and budget narrative. Cost sharing or match must also be shown on the SF-424 (line 18b), SF-424A, and budget narrative.
No leveraged resources should be shown on the SF-424 and SF-424A. Leveraged resources should be described in the budget narrative.
Applicants should list the same requested Federal grant amount on the SF-424, SF-424A, and budget narrative. If minor inconsistencies are found between the budget amounts specified on the SF-424, SF-424A, and the budget narrative, ETA will consider the SF-424 the official funding amount requested. However, if the amount specified on the SF-424 would render the application nonresponsive, the Grant Officer will use his or her discretion to determine whether the intended funding request (and match if applicable) is within the responsive range.
The following instructions provide all of the information needed to complete the Project Narrative. You should carefully read and consider each section, and include all required information in your Project Narrative. The Project Narrative will be evaluated using the evaluation criteria identified in Section V.A. You must use the same section headers identified below for each section of the Project Narrative.
(1) Statement of Need (13 points)
Describe in both quantitative and qualitative terms the need for assistance, including the nature and scope of the problem, and the consequences of not addressing the need. Incorporate demographic data and participant/beneficiary information whenever possible.
Targeted Industries and Occupations (4 points)
Scoring under this criterion will be based on the extent to which the discussion of the following factors is clear and logical and is an accurate interpretation of labor market data. All factors must cite appropriate and credible data sources. Applicants must provide:
Clear identification and description of the high-growth H-1B industry(ies) or occupations targeted by the proposed program. (Refer to Appendix A to see a list of permissible industries. If proposing to target a specific occupation or occupations that fall outside of the identified industries, the application must provide data showing that the occupation is one for which H-1B visas have been certified.);
Detailed description of the current and future projected demand for employment in the selected high-growth H-1B occupations or industries, including how the demand coincides with the proposed project. Applicants must cite the source for the projected demand, such as Bureau of Labor Statistics or other DOL sources, state workforce agencies’ sources, employers, or other written labor market information provided by employers, or other knowledgeable parties. Applicants also must provide strong evidence with citations that identifies the average, current wages offered for the selected well-paying, high-growth H-1B industry(ies) or occupations, based on national, state, or local data. To the extent possible, data should reflect the service area proposed;
Complete description of the training, skills, competencies, and degrees/credentials necessary for entry into or retention of the selected high-growth H-1B occupations or industries; and
Clear assessment of the current training available to meet these needs and why it is not providing the needed capacity to prepare people within the proposed service area with barriers to training and employment opportunities for the identified occupations because of lack of scale, resources, support systems, etc.
Targeted Population (4 points)
Scoring under this criterion will be based on how well the applicant addresses the following factors:
Provide current and compelling evidence from credible regional, state, or local data sources that demonstrates the need to serve the targeted population, including identified barriers to training (including access to child care and other participant supportive service needs);
Describe a comprehensive and feasible plan for reaching the targeted population, including identifying partners that will help facilitate this outreach;
Provide a complete description of the effective process to be used to determine whether individuals are eligible to be served through the program and likely to be good candidates for successfully completing the program; and
Provide a comprehensive description of the participant outreach and recruitment plan for effectively engaging the targeted population, including incumbent workers if applicable. This should include a clear identification of partners and the process to ensure collaboration between the applicant, applicant’s partners, and other relevant partners in recruiting participants and co-enrolling in services. For incumbent workers, describe strategies to work with employers to establish recruitment of eligible frontline incumbent workers in need of skill upgrading for career pathway advancement within their current occupation/industry.
Required Partnerships (5 points)
Scoring under this criterion will be based on how well the applicant addresses the following factors (DOL will score this section based on the quality of partnerships, not the quantity):
Provide a full description of the roles and responsibilities required for all partners necessary to implement the program-level and system-level activities of the project design;
Clearly demonstrate the commitment of the required partners (as described in Section III.A.1) in the form of partnership agreements or letters of support that demonstrate the roles and responsibilities of each required partner for the project; indicate whether the partnership includes linkages with an existing Federal place-based project, such as Promise Zones, Rural IMPACT, Strong Cities, Strong Communities, or other demonstrable initiative.
Provide a detailed and thorough explanation regarding the systemic child care and training barriers that occur in the applicants’ service area, and a description of a feasible and effective approach applicants will use to address those barriers through the system level activities in coordination with an agency or organization that administers or funds child care and other early childhood education services or programs, such as entities administering the Child care and Development Fund, Head Start or Early Head Start, TANIF, the state-funded pre-kindergarten program, and child care resources and referral agencies;
Clearly demonstrate support of at least three employers or an industry association representing at least three employers in the form of partnership agreements, letters, evidence of designation as a “Manufacturing Community” through the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP), or other documentation (as described in Sections III.A.1.c, Business Entities and IV.B.4.a, Requested Attachments to the Project Narrative). The demonstration of employer commitment must include a detailed explanation of the employer roles included in the attached partnership agreements, letters, or other documentation (as described in Section IV.B.4.a, Requested Attachments to the Project Narrative). Applicants that fail to provide documentation identifying at least three employer partners will receive zero points for this rating factor for documentation of employer commitment; and
Clearly show how the applicant will leverage existing partnerships and develop new partnerships with employers and/or regional industry associations throughout the life of the grant.
(2) Expected Outcomes and Outputs (13 points)
Program Level Activities - Projected Outcomes (6 points)
Describe an effective strategy for how the program design will accomplish the outcome goals. Applicants must also provide a convincing explanation of how targets were established and justified.
Provide a detailed description that explains how the outcome projections are appropriate numerical targets for the program design by providing an explanation of how the targets were derived and how the targets fit into the overall timeline of grant implementation; and
Provide comprehensive numerical outcome projections for each of the eight outcome measures identified and defined in Appendix C “Performance Outcomes Template.” Applicants must present their information in a performance outcomes table (see Appendix C for a sample format) to be included as an attachment to the project narrative. The table should be formatted to include sub-totals for each type of targeted population group served for each outcome goal, as appropriate, as well as total sums for each outcome goal identified below:
Total Participants Served
Total Participants Enrolled in Education/Training Activities
(2.a) Total Number Enrolled Receiving Child Care Services
Total Participants Completing Education/Training Activities
Total Participants Who Complete Education/Training Activities and Receive a Degree or Other Credential
Total Number of Unemployed Participants who Obtain Employment After Training Completion
Total Number of Frontline Incumbent Worker Participants that Advanced into a New Position After Training Completion
Total Number of Those Participants Employed at Enrollment Who Received a Wage Increase After Training Completion
Median Earnings that reflect the programs expected results for participants
Capacity to Collect, Store and Protect Participant Data (3 points)
Provide a description of an effective strategy to use or develop reporting systems, which must include processes and procedures to regularly assess progress toward identified performance goals. The described strategy must be a feasible and effective way of maximizing the utility of the reporting systems to improve the grant outcomes;
Describe the reporting mechanisms for collecting and storing participant-level data, which must include a convincing description of how they will ensure this data is stored and transmitted safely without jeopardizing individual private information; and
Describe an effective strategy for collecting and tracking participant-level data from participants that have completed training but may still be receiving services.
Cost Effectiveness (2 points)
Provide a clear description of the proposed cost-per-participant. Applicants may provide an overall cost-per-participant for participants served through the program, or a cost-per-participant for each customized service and training strategy track. For either calculation, you must include the division of grant and leveraged funds used for direct training; and
Provide strong evidence that demonstrates how the cost(s)-per-participant proposed aligns with similar programs administered by the applicant’s organization or partner organization(s), including a justification for how costs may differ for the proposed program, based on the characteristics of the target population served.
System Level Activities - Projected Outcomes (2 points)
All applicants must identify clear goals and demonstrate how the proposed systems level activities will provide substantial gains towards reducing training barriers and addressing child care needs for the targeted population. Applicants will be scored in this section based on the demonstration of the following objectives:
Applicants must demonstrate how they will implement effective and efficient systems navigation functions across both workforce and child care systems that will improve the outcomes for training participants, and they must provide an effective plan to measure this progress, including timeframe of expected results and how you will use the metric for continuous improvement; and
Applicants must identify clear targets the project will use to measure systemic changes for the proposed activities and provide both interim and long-term progress measures that will indicate success towards reaching those goals.
(3) Project Design (56 points)
All proposed program models for program level activities proposed under this strategy must incorporate the following program design elements that will address the unique needs of the targeted population.
1. Program Level Activities (32 points)
Applicants must propose effective strategies for interventions designed to address the needs of lower-skilled parents with training barriers including child care needs and will be scored based on the applicants’ ability to demonstrate the following criteria.
A. Customized Assessments (2 points)
Provide a detailed description of the effective assessment process that will be used after eligibility determination has been made to determine individual needs for education/training activities and supportive and referral services.
B. Supportive and Referral Service(s) (6 points)
Provide an effective strategy for how the project will navigate multiple service providers that will facilitate referral(s) to quality, affordable child care and related services for individuals enrolled in training with demonstrated child care needs;
Describe the types of services the applicants anticipate will be needed;
Provide a description of how the program will successfully accommodate those needs;
Describe the applicant’s plan to efficiently and effectively utilize existing qualifying programs for support services;
Provide an effective plan identifying how funds will be used for participants in education/training to access child care, which may include paying for child care services; and
Describe a strong plan for addressing other training-related barriers for the targeted population, including clear strategies for assessing the needs of each participant.
C. Program Model/ Strategies (18 points)
Provide a clear and complete description of the education and training strategies/models that will be used to serve participants following completion of the individual assessment, including incumbent workers if applicable. If strategies are based on evidence-based models, applicants must describe and detail the demonstrated outcomes that justify using this strategy for the targeted individuals served;
Clearly explain how the project will effectively use earn-and-learn models, including each factor considered when determining and matching models for the targeted individuals and why these factors are considered;
Clearly identify how education and training strategies will be matched to current employer skill gaps and, where appropriate, leverage existing standards, assessments, curricula, etc. that have proven effectiveness;
Clearly demonstrate how the proposed education and training strategies are appropriate for the targeted population, including incumbent workers if applicable, and will address the barriers to employment, skills, training gaps, and other needs of participants identified in the Statement of Need;
Clearly describe how training strategies will incorporate, where appropriate:
Flexible and/or structured training times and locations to accommodate participants with child care responsibilities; or
Creation or expansion of asynchronous learning and online options.
Describe a strong plan for how the project will prepare participants for placement into, or re-establishment along, a career pathway within the selected occupations for which H-1B visas have been certified, or other occupations in industries in which a significant number of H-1B visas are certified, and if appropriate, how the project plan will help frontline incumbent workers advance in their career;
Clearly demonstrate how the project will determine the skills and competency needs for the targeted population within the selected occupations for which H-1B visas have been certified, or other occupations in industries in which a significant number of H-1B visas are certified;
Clearly describe how individual components of career pathways (as described in Section I.C.1.v) will be incorporated into training plans for each participant; and
Provide a detailed description of a career pathway for the proposed occupations for which H-1B visas have been certified, or other occupations in industries in which a significant number of H-1B visas are certified, including identification of the career pathway entry point(s), as well as all stackable and portable credentials that will be obtained during grant-funded program activities and services.
D. Employment and Retention Strategies (6 points)
Describe a strong plan for proposed job placement strategies that will ensure the targeted population obtains employment in middle- to high-skilled H-1B industry/occupations upon completion of the project’s intervention, and how frontline incumbent workers will advance in their career, if appropriate;
Clearly identify the organization(s) that will be responsible for job placement services/activities and the rationale for why that organization is well-positioned to serve this role; and
Clearly describe strategies for establishing strong sustainable communication with employers that will facilitate tracking the progress and outcomes of all training participants placed in employment inclusive of incumbents that advance or receive wage increases.
2. System Level Activities (18 points)
Applicants will be required to establish or enhance system functions that will further assist working families overcome training barriers and child care needs. Applicants will be scored in this section based on the demonstration and incorporation of the following criteria into the overall program design:
Describe a strong plan for coordination with existing child care consumer education and referral systems, and if necessary, staff that will be hired or leveraged to assist with systems navigation functions that will facilitate and strengthen child care and other support services for training participants;
Clearly describe strategies for how the project will train appropriate staff to build expertise in the navigation of both the child care and workforce systems;
Describe a comprehensive plan to identify and map existing systems of services that can meet the needs of parents in education and training with child care and other participant supportive service needs, including a description of how the project will use the fund the costs of child care services and the costs associated with linkages to child care consumer education and referral systems;
Provide a compelling explanation of how the project will assist participants with the removal of child care barriers and minimize the loss of existing benefits and services;
Clearly describe strategies that will encourage cross-system linkages with partners that promote the braiding of child care resources and that will minimize barriers for participants with child care needs to participant in education and job training;
Provide a clear explanation of how data systems will be linked to support the referral of individuals to appropriate services;
Describe a comprehensive plan for how the project will support systemic change by strengthening partnerships across a range of stakeholders, including Federal, state, local, and at the program level addressing child care needs and access issues broadly;
Clearly describe strategies for expanding the capacity of the workforce investment system to serve customers with child care needs; and
Clearly identify how the project will serve as a resource for employers in support of the training needs of their employees to address child care-related issues.
Project Management and Work Plan (6 points)
Applicants must present a comprehensive project management work plan. Scoring under this criterion will be based on how well the work plan:
Clearly demonstrates a cohesive, well-designed plan to implement the project as a whole, including program level and systems level activities as described in Section I.C;
Clearly demonstrates the capacity of the lead applicant to manage the project and partnerships; and
Demonstrates the feasibility of the proposed activities and timeframes by clearly identifying: activities, timeframes, deliverables, and key implementers required to implement the training and service strategies described in this Project Design section within the grant period of performance. Include timeframes for accomplishing all start-up activities immediately following the start of the grant period of performance and serving participants no later than 6 months after the grant start date (for guidance on the suggested format please refer to Appendix E “Program Work Plan Template”).
(4) Organizational, Administrative, and Fiscal Capacity (10 points)
Applicants must describe and demonstrate the capacity of the lead applicant to effectively manage the programmatic, fiscal, and administrative aspects of the project, as well as demonstrate experience and/or capacity to bring together strategic partnerships that will support the project’s goals. Scoring under this criterion will be based upon how well applicants address the following factors:
Lead applicant capacity: Describe the capacity of the lead applicant to manage the project, including identifying a plan for efficient and effective communication between staff at all levels of the project, including partners.
Partnership structure: Describe the capacity of all entities involved in the project to effectively implement each of the components of the program, as appropriate, and in the required partnership commitment documentation (submitted as an attachment as described in Section IV.4.a Required Attachments and IV.4.a. Requested Attachments. of this FOA), applicants have fully described the role and commitment of each partner as required in Section IV.4.a Required Attachments and IV.4.a. Requested Attachments above.
Staffing plan: Describe the professional qualifications that will be required of the full-time project manager and explain why these qualifications are sufficient to ensure that performance reporting, fiscal reporting, and procurement are conducted in accordance with grant requirements.
Management structure: Describe a management structure that enables efficient and effective communication between project staff and partner organizations at all levels of the project. Provide an organizational chart that identifies all relevant leadership, program, administrative, and advisory positions and demonstrates a strong and complete management structure.
Systems and practices: Explain how the proposed project will use systems and processes that enable timely and accurate financial and performance reporting, and allow for expedient procurement procedures that comply with Federal, state (if applicable), and other relevant laws and requirements, including across consortium members, as applicable.
(5) Past Performance – Programmatic Capability (3 points)
If you have received Federally and/or non-Federally funded assistance agreements (assistance agreements include Federal grants and cooperative agreements but not Federal contracts) similar in size, scope, and relevance to the proposed project that have been completed within the last five years, as of the closing date of this Announcement, then you must submit a list of 3 such agreements and include a grantor contact name and telephone number for each. If you have received any ETA agreements, then those agreements must be included on the list. For each agreement, provide two significant performance goals and the outcomes of those goals in order to demonstrate if and how the applicant successfully completed and managed each agreement. The outcomes must clearly demonstrate in numerical form if, in fact, the goals were met or exceeded. In evaluating applicants under these factors in Section V, we will consider the information you provided and may also consider relevant information from other sources, including information from our files and from current/prior grantors (e.g., to verify and/or supplement the information you provided).
If you have not received any Federally and/or non-Federally funded assistance agreements or have received fewer than 3 agreements, then you must describe and document past accomplishments achieved operating a comparable program. Explain how your experience operating a comparable program prepared you to undertake the complexities of operating the proposed project. Describe how long the comparable program has been in operation, and include a grantor or third party contact name and telephone number for each, as applicable.
Provide a full description of the programmatic capability of the applicant to administer Federally and/or non-Federally funded assistance agreements similar in size, scope, and relevance to the proposed project or past accomplishments achieved operating a comparable program. In addition, identify experience serving the target population and/or administering a program with similar design elements to the project proposed in the application; and
Describe at least two examples of multi-partner, multi-service employment and training programs led by an entity in the primary partnership, or other partner(s).
(6) Budget and Budget Justification (5 points)
Applicants must provide a budget narrative (as described in Section IV.B.2) based on the activities outlined in the project narrative.
Applicants will be scored based on the following factors:
Budget Narrative (1 point)
The Budget Narrative clearly describes how proposed expenditures will support service, training, and job placement for the targeted population.
The Budget Narrative clearly identifies appropriate and reasonable costs associated with each line item on the SF-424A.
Leveraged Resources (4 points)
Provide a detailed description to demonstrate that 25 percent or more in leveraged resources will be provided for the project.
Provide a full description of any leveraged funds and other resources that will be provided to support grant activities and how these funds and other resources will be used to contribute to the projected outcomes for the project, including any leveraged resources related to the provision of participant supportive services for program participants. This includes funds and other resources leveraged from businesses, labor organizations, education and training providers, and/ or Federal, state, and local government programs. Applicants will be scored based on the extent to which they fully demonstrate the leveraged resources provided, the type(s) of leveraged resources provided, the strength of commitment to provide these resources, the breadth and depth of the resources provided, and how well these resources support the proposed grant activities. Detailed description of which costs will be paid by the grant and which costs will be covered by leveraged resources. This includes cash or in-kind support (e.g., Pell/Title IV financial aid, Federal work study, GI Bill benefits, WIOA Title I Adult and Dislocated Worker, WIOA Title I Youth, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Child Care Development Block Grant (Child Care Development Fund), Head Start and Early Head Start, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP), etc.), state and local funding, (e.g., On-the-job training funds, state workforce dollars, funding for participating community colleges, etc.), and private sector investment funds (e.g., training investment funds, social impact bonds, industry association or labor organization funds, etc.).
Please see Section IV.B.2, Project Budget for information on requirements related to the budget and budget justification.
4. Attachments to the Project Narrative
In addition to the Project Narrative, you must submit attachments. All attachments must be clearly labeled as Attachments. Only those attachments listed below will be excluded from the page limit. Additional materials such as resumés or general letters of support must not be included. You must submit your application in one package because documents received separately will be tracked separately and will not be attached to the application for review. Save all files with descriptive file names of 50 characters or less and be sure to only use standard characters in file names: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, and underscore (_). File names may not include special characters (e.g. &,–,*,%,/,#), periods (.), blank spaces or accent marks, and must be unique (i.e., no other attachment may have the same file name). An underscore (example: my_Attached_File.pdf) may be used to separate a file name.
Required Attachments
The following attachments must be included with the application package.
Documentation of Required Partners Commitment in the Public and Private Partnership: Applicants will be scored on the documentation of commitment that describes the role and responsibilities of each required partner (as described in Section II.A.1 of the FOA) for each of the three following required partners: Workforce Entities; Education and Training Providers; Child Care Service Providers, Child Care Program, or Local Human Services Providers; and Business Entity. To demonstrate the commitment of required partners in the public and private partnership, applicants should provide signed documentation of commitment such as, a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or a partnership agreement.
Abstract: The applicant must submit an up to two-page abstract summarizing the proposed project. The Abstract is limited to two-page double-spaced single sided 8.5x11 inch pages with 12 point text font and 1 inch margins.
The following information must be included in the abstract (see Appendix F Abstract Template):
Lead applicant name, entity type and location
Project name
Service location(s)
Total funding request amount (this must match all other budget-related forms)
Target populations served
Targeted H-1B occupation(s) and/or Industry(ies)
Project Summary: Provide a summary description of the overall program design including the overall goals of the project and the targeted intervention and strategies for both the program and systems level activities.
Project Goals and Projected Outcomes: Provide a brief description of the proposed outcomes:
For the targeted population – include descriptions of the skills and credential attainment outcomes and how they are H-1B aligned.
Provide proposed outcomes for career pathway plans and job placement strategies
Brief overview of system level outcomes the project aims to achieve
List all required partners (Workforce Entities; Education and Training Providers; Child Care Service Providers, Child Care Program, or Local Human Services Providers; and Business Entity)
List all proposed optional partners
Public point of contact (POC) information
When submitting in grants.gov, this document must be uploaded as an attachment to the application package and specifically labeled “Abstract.”
Requested Attachments
The following attachments are requested, but their omission will not cause the application to be screened out.
Documentation of Employer Commitment: To satisfy this commitment, applicants must include at least three employers or a business entity that represents at least three employers. These employers may also serve as the business entity in the required partnership, if appropriate. To demonstrate the commitment of employers, applicants should provide signed documentation of employer commitment such as, a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), a partnership agreement, or documentation of commitment that includes designation as a “Manufacturing Community” through the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP).
To demonstrate the active involvement of employers, applicants should provide signed documentation of employer, employer consortium or regional industry association commitments – such as signed memoranda of understanding, an organizational charter, a partnership agreement, or other types of signed agreements – which demonstrate the engagement of each employer or regional industry association. Applicants will be scored based on the inclusion of this documentation, as well as the level and quality of employer involvement in the project in Section IV.B.3, Project Narrative.
Performance Outcomes Table: Applicants will be scored on the completion and detail of the projected performance information in a performance outcomes table as described in Section IV.3.2.i. For an example, see Appendix C “Performance Outcomes Template.” This table should be formatted to include sub-totals for each type of targeted population group served for each outcome goal.
Documentation of Commitment to Participate in Evaluation, if selected: Applicants awarded a grant under this FOA are required to participate in a Federal evaluation of the Strengthening Working Families Initiative grant program (see Section VI.B.4a). Applicants must submit a statement of commitment to participate in a national evaluation initiated by DOL, on behalf of the applicant and all partners, including employers and/or regional industry associations. The Federal evaluation may involve making available records on participants, employers and funding; providing access to program and partner personnel, as well as participants; and following evaluation procedures as specified by the evaluator(s) under the direction of DOL ETA and the Chief Evaluation Office, including after the period of grant operation.
Organizational Chart: Lead applicants must provide an organizational chart that identifies all relevant leadership, program, administrative, and advisory positions allocated for the project. Important Note: If using http://www.grants.gov for submission of this application, this document must be attached under the Mandatory Other Attachment section and labeled Organizational Chart.
Career Pathways Overview: Applicants proposing career pathways strategies must provide an overview of the career pathways along which participants will be trained and/or provided services. Career pathways must integrate academic and occupational skills training aligned with employer-validated work readiness standards and competencies. The clear sequence of training and/or credentials should demonstrate a progression of marketable skills in various occupations within a particular industry sector.
Indirect Cost Rate Agreement: If you are requesting indirect costs based on a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement approved by your Federal Cognizant Agency, then attach the most recently approved Agreement. (For more information, see Section IV.B.2. and Section IV.E.1.) This attachment does not impact scoring of the application.
The closing date for receipt of applications under this Announcement is [insert date XX days after date of publication on Grants.gov]. Applications must be submitted either electronically on http://www.grants.gov or in hard copy by mail or in hard copy by hand delivery (including overnight delivery). Hard copy applications must be received at the address below no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date. Applications submitted on grants.gov must also be successfully submitted (as described below) no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date. You are cautioned that applications should be submitted before the deadline to ensure that the risk of late receipt of the application is minimized. Applications sent by e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (FAX) will not be accepted.
Applicants submitting applications in hard copy by mail or overnight delivery must submit an original signed application (including the SF-424) and one (1) ‘‘copy-ready’’ version free of bindings, staples or protruding tabs to ease in the reproduction of the application by DOL. Applicants submitting applications in hard copy are also required to include in the hard copy submission an identical electronic copy of the application on compact disc (CD). If discrepancies between the hard copy submission and CD copy are identified, the application on the CD will be considered the official applicant submission for evaluation purposes. Failure to provide identical applications in hardcopy and CD format may have an impact on the overall evaluation.
If an application is physically submitted by both hard copy and through http://www.grants.gov, a letter must accompany the hard-copy application stating which application to review. If no letter accompanies the hard copy, we will review the copy submitted through http://www.grants.gov.
No exceptions to the mailing and delivery requirements set forth in this notice will be granted. Further, documents submitted separately from the application, before or after the deadline, will not be accepted as part of the application.
Mailed applications must be addressed to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Grants Management, Attention: Steven A. Rietzke, Grant Officer, Reference FOA-ETA-16-05, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716, Washington, DC 20210. Mail delivery in the Washington DC area may be delayed due to mail decontamination procedures. Hand-delivered applications will be received at the above address. All overnight delivery submissions will be considered to be hand-delivered and must be received at the designated place by the specified closing date and time.
Applications that are submitted through Grants.gov must be successfully submitted at http://www.grants.gov no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing 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. You are strongly advised to initiate the process as soon as possible and to plan for time to resolve technical problems if necessary. Note that validation does not mean that your application has been accepted as complete or has been accepted for review. Rather, grants.gov only verifies that certain parts of an application have been submitted.
We strongly recommend that before you begin to write the application, you should immediately initiate and complete the “Get Registered” registration steps at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register. You should read through the registration process carefully before registering. These steps may take as much as four weeks to complete, and this time should be factored into plans for timely electronic submission in order to avoid unexpected delays that could result in the rejection of an application. The site also contains the Step-By-Step Guide to Organization Registration checklists to help applicants walk through the process. We strongly recommend that you download the the Guide at http://www.grants.gov/documents/19/18243/GrantsgovOrganizationRegistrationGuide.pdf/be70525d-59aa-45ee-b196-5e8951faca0a
and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process. Reviewing and assembling required information before beginning the registration process will alleviate last minute searches for required information and save time.
As described earlier in Section IV.B.1., you must have a DUNS Number and you must register with SAM before submitting an application.
The next step in the registration process is creating a username and password with Grants.gov to become an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR). AORs will need to know the DUNS Number of the organization for which they will be submitting applications to complete this process. To read more detailed instructions for creating a profile on Grants.gov visit: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-3-username-password.html
After creating a profile on Grants.gov, the E-Biz point of Contact (E-Biz POC) - a representative from your organization who is the contact listed for SAM – will receive an email to grant the AOR permission to submit applications on behalf of their organization. The E-Biz POC will then log in to Grants.gov and approve an individual as the AOR, thereby giving him or her permission to submit applications. To learn more about AOR Authorization visit: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-4-aor-authorization.html, or to track AOR status visit: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-5-track-aor-status.html
An application submitted through Grants.gov constitutes a submission as an electronically signed application. The registration and account creation with Grants.gov, with E-Biz POC approval, establishes an AOR. When an application is submitted through Grants.gov, the name of the AOR on file will be inserted into the signature line of the application. You must register the individual who is able to make legally binding commitments for your organization as the AOR; this step is often missed and it is crucial for valid submissions.
When a registered applicant submits an application with Grants.gov, an electronic time stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by Grants.gov. Within two business days of application submission, Grants.gov will send the applicant two email messages to provide the status of the application’s progress through the system. The first email, sent almost immediately, will contain a tracking number and will confirm receipt of the application by Grants.gov. The second email will indicate the application has either been successfully validated or has been rejected due to errors. Grants.gov will reject applications if the applicant’s registration in SAM is expired. Only applications that have been successfully submitted by the deadline and later successfully validated will be considered. It is your sole responsibility to ensure a timely submission. While it is not required that an application be successfully validated before the deadline for submission, it is prudent to reserve time before the deadline in case it is necessary to resubmit an application that has not been successfully validated. Therefore, enough time should be allotted for submission (two business days) and, if applicable, additional 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 enough time is not allotted and a rejection notice is received after the due date and time, the application will not be considered.
To ensure consideration, the components of the application must be saved as .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .rtf or .pdf files. If submitted in any other format, the applicant bears the risk that compatibility or other issues will prevent DOL from considering the application. We will attempt to open the document, but will not take any additional measures in the event of problems with opening.
We strongly advise applicants to use the various tools and documents, including FAQs, which are available on the “Applicant Resources” page at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html.
We encourage new prospective applicants to view the online tutorial, “Grant Applications 101: A Plain English Guide to ETA Competitive Grants,” available through Workforce3One at: http://www.workforce3one.org/page/grants_toolkit.
To receive updated information about critical issues, new tips for users and other time sensitive updates as information is available, you may subscribe to “Grants.gov Updates” at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/manage-subscriptions.html
If you encounter a problem with Grants.gov and do not find an answer in any of the other resources, call 1-800-518-4726 or 606-545-5035 to speak to a Customer Support Representative or email [email protected]. The Contact Center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is closed on Federal holidays.
Late Applications: For applications submitted on Grants.gov, only applications that have been successfully submitted no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date and then successfully validated will be considered. You take a significant risk by waiting to the last day to submit through Grants.gov.
Any hard copy 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, it was properly addressed, and it was: (a) sent by U.S. Postal Service mail, postmarked 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) sent by professional overnight delivery service to the addressee not later than one working day before 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, you 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 these instructions will be a basis for a determination that the application was not filed timely and will not be considered. 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.
This funding opportunity is not subject to Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.”
All proposed project costs must be necessary and reasonable and in accordance with Federal guidelines. Determinations of allowable costs will be made in accordance with the Cost Principles, now found in the Office of Management and Budget’s Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance), codified at 2 CFR Part 200 and at 2 CFR Part 2900 (Uniform Guidance-DOL specific). . Disallowed costs are those charges to a grant that the grantor agency or its representative determines not to be allowed in accordance with the Cost Principles or other conditions contained in the grant. Applicants, whether successful or not, will not be entitled to reimbursement of pre-award costs.
1. Indirect Costs
As specified in the Uniform Guidance Cost Principles, indirect costs are those that have been incurred for common or joint objectives and cannot be readily identified with a particular final cost objective. An indirect cost rate is required when an organization operates under more than one grant or other activity, whether Federally-assisted or not. You have two options to claim reimbursement of indirect costs.
Option 1: You may use a NICRA or Cost Allocation Plan (CAP) supplied by the Federal Cognizant Agency. If you do not have a NICRA/CAP or have a pending NICRA/CAP, and in either case choose to include estimated indirect costs in your budget, at the time of award the Grant Officer will release funds in the amount of 10% of salaries and wages to support indirect costs. Within 90 days of award, you are required to submit an acceptable indirect cost proposal or CAP to your Federal Cognizant Agency to obtain a provisional indirect cost rate. (See Section IV.B.4. for more information on NICRA submission requirements.)
Option 2: Any organization that has never received a negotiated indirect cost rate, with the exceptions noted at 2 CFR 200.414(f) in the Cost Principles, may elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10 percent of modified total direct costs (see 2 CFR 200.68 for definition) which may be used indefinitely. If you choose this option, this methodology must be used consistently for all Federal awards until such time as you choose to negotiate for an indirect cost rate, which you may apply to do at any time. (See 2 CFR 200.414(f) for more information on use of the de minimis rate.)
2. Intellectual Property Rights
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 grant, including a subaward or contract under the grant or subaward; and ii) any rights of copyright to which the recipient, subrecipient 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. The recipient may not use Federal funds to pay any royalty or license fee for use of a copyrighted work, or the cost of acquiring by purchase a copyright in a work, where the Department has a license or rights of free use in such work. If revenues are generated through selling products developed with grant funds, including intellectual property, these revenues are program income. Program income is added to the grant and must be expended for allowable grant activities. Additionally, the Federal government has the right to require intellectual property developed under a competitive Federal award process to be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. This license allows subsequent users to copy, distribute, transmit and adapt the copyrighted Work and requires such users to attribute the Work in the manner specified by the recipient.
If applicable, and a Creative Commons Attribution license is not required, the following needs to be on all products developed in whole or in part with grant funds:
“This workforce product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The product was created by the recipient and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The U.S. Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it.”
4. Use of Grant Funds for Participant Wages
For the purposes of grants awarded under this FOA, the following will apply: Organizations may only use grant funds to pay for the wages of participants in three specific activities: OJT, paid work experience, and paid internships.
For applicants who are implementing other training strategies, incumbent worker salaries paid by the employer are NOT allowable costs to be reimbursed under this grant.
5. Work Experience and Internships
Work experience and internships are defined as a planned, structured learning experience that takes place in a workplace for a limited period of time and for the purposes of this Announcement must be paid. Labor standards apply in any work experience where an employee/employer relationship, as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), exists. For more information on the FLSA, applicants may visit http://www.dol.gov/whd/ .
For a work experience or internship that supports training, applicants will need to document how the work experience or internship is connected to and supports the education and training activities included in the grant. Grantees have flexibility in the design and implementation of work experience and internships; however, they must meet the following parameters:
Provide an individual with monitored or supervised work or service experience in his or her expected career field where the individual has prescribed learning goals and reflects actively on what he or she is learning throughout the experience. These learning goals can include: a) academic learning, career development, and skill development; and b) the attainment of credentials in the individual’s expected career field;
Are part of structured programs where the grantee established the criteria for determining who will participate in these programs; and
Are for a set period of time.
Incumbent Worker Salary
6. On-the-Job Training
Under this Announcement, incumbent workers are not eligible for OJT under this FOA and grantees are specifically prohibited from spending grant funds on payment of wages of incumbent workers. OJT is provided under a contract with an employer in the public, private-nonprofit, or private sector. Under the OJT contract, the employer pays wages to the participant and occupational training is provided for the participant in exchange for the reimbursement to the employer of a percentage of the participant’s wage rate to compensate for the employer’s extraordinary costs of training the individual (subject to the policy exceptions described below). The OJT contract must not be with an employer who has previously exhibited a pattern of failing to provide OJT participants with continued long-term employment with wages, benefits, and working conditions that are equal to those provided to regular employees who have worked a similar length of time and are doing the same type of work. The OJT contract must be limited to the period of time required for a participant to become proficient in the occupation for which the training is being provided. Funds provided to employers for OJT must not be used to directly or indirectly assist, promote, or deter union organizing.
The following are additional restrictions for OJT:
Eligible participants cannot be currently employed by the employer;
Participant placements may only occur in private for-profit and non-profit sectors (i.e., the grant does not allow for public sector placements);
No placement may be made in staffing agencies providing workers on a temporary basis to employers for which the agency receives compensation from an employer;
The period of reimbursement should be an adequate length to ensure the participant has acquired the technical skills needed for employment but no longer than 12 months. Individuals may not be co-enrolled in other ETA programs for the purpose of extending OJT beyond 12 months. Twelve months exceeds the average length of time for current OJT activities, so grantees should negotiate contracts with employers that lead to transitioning participants to permanent employment as soon as possible. Grantees may establish contracts that will be longer than 12 months; however, the reimbursement for each individual that participates in OJT cannot be longer than 12 months.
Typically, the negotiated reimbursement percentage for OJT may be as high as 50 percent of the participant’s hourly wage. However, for grants awarded under this Announcement, the negotiated reimbursement percentage may be as high as 90 percent of the participant’s hourly wage based on employer size, as follows: up to 90 percent of the participant’s wage rate for employers with 50 or fewer employees; up to 75 percent of the participant’s wage rate for employers with 51-250 employees; and up to 50 percent for employers with more than 250 employees. We also encourage grantees to negotiate lower rates or variable rates (such as starting at the maximum allowable reimbursement rate and reducing the subsidy over time) where possible to ensure that the maximum number of participants will be served by the project.
Finally, grantees must develop sound OJT contracts. The contract process sets the ground-rules for an OJT with an employer and assists in making the determination if an employer is eligible to provide an OJT opportunity. The contract must include the Federally-required elements of an OJT agreement; however, states, counties or municipalities may have additional OJT contract requirements. Contracts also outline the terms and conditions that the employer and OJT provider agree to provide for an OJT experience. Contracts with an employer can be set up for a specific period of time but need not necessarily specify the individual trainees to whom they apply. This allows the employer to provide training to more than one trainee. If an employer only has one position or plans to limit the training experience to one employee, then a contract must also include the individual trainee’s information. For these grants, contracts must provide that the employer is responsible for documenting skills gained by participants during the training period. It should also include a description of how the reimbursement level was determined. For sample templates and other resources, grantees may access ETA’s on-line technical assistance related to an OJT contract at the following web address: https://ojttoolkit.workforce3one.org/page/contracts_and_mods
7. Use of Funds for Participant Support Service Costs
Grantees may use up to 25 percent of grant funds to provide quality, affordable child care and other support services to individuals who are participating in education and training activities provided through the grant. Under this FOA, support services for training participants include child care related services such as child care, aftercare, transportation, and housing that are necessary to enable an individual to participate in education and training activities funded through this grant. Participant Support service costs may include, but are not limited to, provision of the actual supportive service (i.e. child care); providing participants with a voucher for the service (i.e. public transportation cards or tokens); or providing a stipend directly to the participant. Where stipends for participant support services are provided, the stipend amount must be for costs of a specific support service (i.e. childcare), rather than simply based on an unidentified need.
For the purposes of this FOA, grantees may use grant funds, up to the percentage specified above to provide support services only to individuals who are participating in education and training activities provided through the grant when: 1) the grantee is unable to provide these services through referral to other programs or with other funds; and 2) such services are necessary to enable individuals to participate in education and training activities under the grant. Grantees may establish limits on the provision of support services or provide their subrecipients with the authority to establish such limits, including a maximum amount of funding and maximum length of time for support services to be available to participants. Grantees must ensure that their use of grant funds on support services is consistent with their organization’s established written policy on the provision of support services. Additionally, we encourage grantees to leverage other sources of funding for support services, including formula funds.
9. Use of Funds for Incentive Payments to Collect Employment Outcomes
For purpose of this FOA, grantees may use up to 1.5% of grant funds for the provision of gift cards or other payments to participants for providing information on their employment status after they leave the program, for the purposes of increasing reported employment and retention outcomes to the Department. These incentive payments must be tied to the goals of the grant. Grantees must have policies and procedures in place governing the awarding of incentive payment and the incentives provided under the grant must comply with these organizational policies.
10. Prohibition on Use of Funds for Economic Development
General economic development projects do not meet the requirements for training and development of job opportunities in high-growth H-1B occupations and industries. Examples of general economic development that may not meet this standard include but are not limited to infrastructure investments in businesses, increases in inventory, participation in trade shows, revolving loan accounts, new or additional equipment used for purposes other than training activities, capital asset purchases, and other costs not specifically related to increases in actual job opportunities. However, nothing in this Announcement is intended to discourage coordination of grant activities with economic development projects, so long as the funds from this grant are not used for the infrastructure and other investments detailed above.
11. Sub-Grant Profit
For commercial organizations, the earning of profit is not an allowable cost item. For governmental, non-profit, and public or non-profit educational institutions, earnings above actual costs incurred are to be treated as program income. Any program income earned must be used for program purposes.
Withdrawal of Applications: Applications may be withdrawn by written notice to the Grant Officer at any time before an award is made.
USDOL has instituted processes and procedures for assessing the technical merit of applications to provide for an objective review of applications and to assist applicants in understanding the standards against which applications are judged. Sections IV.B.3 (Project Narrative) identifies and describes the criteria which will be used to evaluate applications for this competition. In order to receive the maximum points for each criterion or sub-criterion described in this FOA, applicants must demonstrate a quality approach by providing a reasonable and justifiable response to each section described.
Panelists reviewing applications will evaluate the quality of each applicant’s responses to each individual requirement as described in Section IV.B.3. Scores will then be calculated based on the ratings assigned to each requirement as described in the chart(s) below.
Standards for Evaluating the Applicant’s Response to each Requirement
Section IV.B.3 of this FOA provides a detailed explanation of the information an application must include (i.e. a comprehensive work plan for the whole period of performance with feasible and realistic dates). Panel reviewers will rate each “rating factor” based on how fully and convincingly the applicant responds. For each “rating factor” under each “criterion,” panelists will determine whether the applicant thoroughly meets, partially meets, or fails to meet the “rating factor,” based on the definitions below:
Standard Rating |
Definition |
Thoroughly Meets |
The application thoroughly responds to the rating factor, and fully and convincingly satisfies all of the stated specifications. |
Partially Meets |
The application responds incompletely to the rating factor or the application convincingly satisfies some, but not all, of the stated specifications. |
Fails to Meet |
The application does not respond to the rating factor or the application does respond to the rating factor but does not convincingly satisfy any of the stated specifications. |
Standards for Calculating Point Values
Within each “criterion,” each “rating factor” is weighted equally. For example, if a “criterion” is worth 5 points and has 5 “rating factors,” each “rating factor” is worth 1 point. Scores for each “rating factor” will be calculated based on the panelist’s assigned rating as explained in the table below:
If a rating factor is rated… |
…the rating factor will receive: |
Thoroughly Meets |
Full points |
Partially Meets |
Half points |
Fails to Meet |
Zero points |
Scores for each “criterion” will be calculated automatically by totaling the points received for each “rating factor” listed under that “criterion.” For example, if a “criterion” is worth 5 points and has 5 “rating factors,” and the panelist rates 2 “rating factors” at thoroughly meets, 2 “rating factors” at partially meets, and 1 “rating factor” as fails to meet, the applicant would receive 3 out of a possible total 5 points (1x2 + 0.5x2 + 0) for that “criterion.” The following table provides the maximum points available under each “criterion.”
Table 2. Evaluation Criteria
Criterion |
Points (maximum) |
(See Section IV.B.3(1) Statement of Need) |
13 |
|
4 |
|
4 |
|
5 |
(See Section IV.B.3(2) Expected Outcomes and Outputs) |
13 |
|
6 |
|
3 |
|
2 |
|
2 |
|
|
(See Section IV.B.3.(3) Project Design) |
56 |
|
(32) |
|
2 |
|
6 |
|
18 |
|
6 |
|
(18) |
|
(6) |
(See Section IV.B.3.(4) Organizational, Administrative, and Fiscal Capacity) |
10 |
(See Section IV.B.3.(5) Past Performance – Programmatic Capability) |
3 |
(See Section IV.B.3.(6) Project Budget) |
5 |
TOTAL POINTS |
100 |
Merit Review and Selection Process
A technical merit review panel will carefully evaluate applications against the selection criteria to determine the merit of applications. These criteria are based on the policy goals, priorities, and emphases set forth in this FOA. Up to 100 points may be awarded to an applicant, depending on the quality of the responses provided. The final scores (which may include the mathematical normalization of review panels) will serve as the primary basis for selection of applications for funding. The panel results are advisory in nature and not binding on the Grant Officer. The Grant Officer reserves the right to make selections based solely on the final scores or to take into consideration other relevant factors when applicable. Such factors may include the geographic balance, distribution among H-1B industries and occupations, and/or other relevant factors. The Grant Officer may consider any information that comes to his/her attention.
The government may elect to award the grant(s) with or without discussions with the applicant. Should a grant be awarded without discussions, the award will be based on the applicant’s signature on the SF-424, including electronic signature via E-Authentication on http://www.grants.gov, which constitutes a binding offer by the applicant.
Risk Review Process
Prior to making an award, ETA will review information available through any OMB-designated repository of governmentwide eligibility qualification or financial integrity information, such as Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), Dun and Bradstreet, and “Do Not Pay.” Additionally, ETA will comply with the requirements of 2 CFR Part 180 codified by DOL at 29 CFR Part 98 (Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement)). This risk evaluation may incorporate results of the evaluation of the applicant’s eligibility (application screening) or the quality of its application (merit review). If ETA determines that an award will be made, special conditions that correspond to the degree of risk assessed may be applied to the award. Criteria to be evaluated include:
(1) Financial stability;
(2) Quality of management systems and ability to meet the management standards prescribed in the Uniform Grant Guidance;
(3) History of performance. The applicant’s record in managing awards, cooperative agreements, or procurement awards, if it is a prior recipient of such Federal awards, including timeliness of compliance with applicable reporting requirements and if applicable, the extent to which any previously awarded amounts will be expended prior to future awards;
(4) Reports and findings from audits performed under Subpart F – Audit Requirements of the Uniform Grant Guidance or the reports and findings of any other available audits and monitoring reports containing findings, issues of non-compliance or questioned costs;
(5) The applicant’s ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements imposed on recipients.
All award notifications will be posted on the ETA Homepage (http://www.doleta.gov). Applicants selected for award will be contacted directly before the grant’s execution. Non-selected applicants will be notified by mail or email and may request a written debriefing on the significant weaknesses of their application.
Selection of an organization as a recipient does not constitute approval of the grant application as submitted. Before the actual grant is awarded, we may enter into negotiations about such items as program components, staffing and funding levels, and administrative systems in place to support grant implementation. If the negotiations do not result in a mutually acceptable submission, the Grant Officer reserves the right to terminate the negotiations and decline to fund the application. We reserve the right to not fund any application related to this FOA.
Administrative Program Requirements
All grantees will be subject to all applicable Federal laws, regulations—including the OMB Uniform Guidance, and the terms and conditions of the award. The grant(s) awarded under this FOA will be subject to the following administrative standards and provisions:
Non-Profit Organizations, Educational Institutions, For-Profit Organizations and State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments – 2 CFR Part 200 (Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards) and 2 CFR 2900 (DOL’s Supplement to 2 CFR Part 200)
Appeal – This program is authorized under section 414(c) of the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 (ACWIA), as amended (codified at 29 USC 3224a). Therefore, appeal under sections 186 of the Workforce Investment Act or the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act is not available.
All entities must comply with 29 CFR Part 93 (New Restrictions on Lobbying), 29 CFR Part 94 (Governmentwide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Financial Assistance)), 29 CFR Part 98 (Governmentwide Department and Suspension, and drug-free workplace requirements), and, where applicable, 2 CFR Part 200 (Audit Requirements).
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 or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance.
29 CFR Part 35— Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Age in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance from the Department of Labor.
29 CFR Part 36—Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance.
29 CFR Part 38 – Implementation of the Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity Provisions of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.
29 CFR Parts 29 and 30—Labor Standards for the Registration of Apprenticeship Programs, and Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship and Training, as applicable.
General Terms and Conditions of Award— http://www.doleta.gov/grants/pdf/2015template.pdf
3. Other Legal Requirements:
Religious Activities
The Department notes that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), 42 U.S.C. Section 2000bb, applies to all Federal law and its implementation. If an applicant organization is a faith-based organization that makes hiring decisions on the basis of religious belief, it may be entitled to receive Federal financial assistance under this grant solicitation and maintain that hiring practice. If a faith-based organization is awarded a grant, the organization will be provided with more information.
Lobbying or Fundraising the U.S. Government with Federal Funds
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. No activity, including awareness-raising and advocacy activities, may include fundraising for, or lobbying of, U.S. Federal, State or Local Governments (see 2 CFR 200.450 for more information).
Transparency Act Requirements
You must ensure that you have the necessary processes and systems in place to comply with the reporting requirements of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Pub. Law 109-282, as amended by section 6202 of Pub. Law 110-252) (Transparency Act), as follows:
Except for those excepted from the Transparency Act under sub-paragraphs 1, 2, and 3 below, you must ensure that you have the necessary processes and systems in place to comply with the subaward and executive total compensation reporting requirements of the Transparency Act, should they receive funding.
Upon award, you will receive detailed information on the reporting requirements of the Transparency Act, as described in 2 CFR Part 170, Appendix A, which can be found at the following website: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-22705.pdf
The following types of awards are not subject to the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act:
Federal awards to individuals who apply for or receive Federal awards as natural persons (i.e., unrelated to any business or non-profit organization he or she may own or operate in his or her name);
Federal awards to entities that had a gross income, from all sources, of less than $300,000 in the entities' previous tax year; and
Federal awards, if the required reporting would disclose classified information.
Safeguarding Data Including Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
Applicants submitting applications in response to this FOA must recognize that confidentiality of PII and other sensitive data is of paramount importance to the Department of Labor and must be observed except where disclosure is allowed by the prior written approval of the Grant Officer or by court order. By submitting an application, you are assuring that all data exchanges conducted through or during the course of performance of this grant will be conducted in a manner consistent with applicable Federal law and TEGL NO. 39-11 (issued June 28, 2012). All such activity conducted by ETA and/or recipient/s will be performed in a manner consistent with applicable state and Federal laws.
By submitting a grant application, you agree to take all necessary steps to protect such confidentiality by complying with the following provisions that are applicable in governing their handling of confidential information:
1. You must ensure that PII and sensitive data developed, obtained, or otherwise associated with DOL/ETA funded grants is securely transmitted.
To ensure that such PII is not transmitted to unauthorized users, all PII and other sensitive data transmitted via e-mail or stored on CDs, DVDs, thumb drives, etc., must be encrypted using a Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 compliant and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) validated cryptographic module. You must not e-mail unencrypted sensitive PII to any entity, including ETA or contractors.
You must take the steps necessary to ensure the privacy of all PII obtained from participants and/or other individuals and to protect such information from unauthorized disclosure. You must maintain such PII in accordance with the ETA standards for information security described in TEGL NO. 39-11 and any updates to such standards we provide to you. Grantees who wish to obtain more information on data security should contact their Federal Project Officer.
You must ensure that any PII used during the performance of your grant has been obtained in conformity with applicable Federal and state laws governing the confidentiality of information.
You further acknowledge that all PII data obtained through your ETA grant must be stored in an area that is physically safe from access by unauthorized persons at all times and the data will be processed using recipient issued equipment, managed information technology (IT) services, and designated locations approved by ETA. Accessing, processing, and storing of ETA grant PII data on personally owned equipment, at off-site locations e.g., employee’s home, and non-recipient managed IT services, e.g., Yahoo mail, is strictly prohibited unless approved by ETA.
Your employees and other personnel who will have access to sensitive/confidential/proprietary/private data must be advised of the confidential nature of the information, the safeguards required to protect the information, and that there are civil and criminal sanctions for noncompliance with such safeguards that are contained in Federal and state laws.
You must have policies and procedures in place under which your employees and other personnel, before being granted access to PII, acknowledge their understanding of the confidential nature of the data and the safeguards with which they must comply in their handling of such data as well as the fact that they may be liable to civil and criminal sanctions for improper disclosure.
You must not extract information from data supplied by ETA for any purpose not stated in the grant agreement.
Access to any PII created by the ETA grant must be restricted to only those employees of the grant recipient who need it in their official capacity to perform duties in connection with the scope of work in the grant agreement.
All PII data must be processed in a manner that will protect the confidentiality of the records/documents and is designed to prevent unauthorized persons from retrieving such records by computer, remote terminal or any other means. Data may be downloaded to, or maintained on, mobile or portable devices only if the data are encrypted using NIST validated software products based on FIPS 140-2 encryption. In addition, wage data may only be accessed from secure locations.
PII data obtained by the recipient through a request from ETA must not be disclosed to anyone but the individual requestor except as permitted by the Grant Officer or by court order.
You must permit ETA to make onsite inspections during regular business hours for the purpose of conducting audits and/or conducting other investigations to assure that you are complying with the confidentiality requirements described above. In accordance with this responsibility, you must make records applicable to this Agreement available to authorized persons for the purpose of inspection, review, and/or audit.
You must retain data received from ETA only for the period of time required to use it for assessment and other purposes, or to satisfy applicable Federal records retention requirements, if any. Thereafter, you agree that all data will be destroyed, including the degaussing of magnetic tape files and deletion of electronic data.
Record Retention
You must be prepared to follow Federal guidelines on record retention, which require you to maintain all records pertaining to grant activities for a period of at least three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report. See 2 CFR 200.333-.337 for more specific information, including information about the start of the record retention period for awards that are renewed quarterly or annually, and when the records must be retained for more than three years.
Use of Contracts and Subawards
You must abide by the following definitions of contract, contractor, subaward, and subrecipient:
Contract: Contract means a legal instrument by which a non-Federal entity (defined as a state, local government, Indian tribe, institution of higher education (IHE), nonprofit organization, for-profit entity, foreign public entity, or a foreign organization that carries out a Federal award as a recipient or subrecipient) purchases property or services needed to carry out the project or program under a Federal award. The term as used in this FOA does not include a legal instrument, even if the non-Federal entity considers it a contract, when the substance of the transaction meets the definition of a Federal award or subaward (see definition of Subaward below).
Contractor: Contractor means an entity that receives a contract as defined above in Contract.
Sub award: Subaward means an award provided by a pass-through entity (defined as a non-Federal entity that provides a subaward to a subrecipient to carry out part of a Federal program) to a subrecipient for the subrecipient to carry out part of a Federal award received by the pass-through entity. It does not include payments to a contractor or payments to an individual that is a beneficiary of a Federal program. A subaward may be provided through any form of legal agreement, including an agreement that the pass-through entity considers a contract.
Subrecipient: Subrecipient means a non-Federal entity that receives a subaward from a pass-through entity to carry out part of a Federal program; but does not include an individual that is a beneficiary of such program. A subrecipient may also be a recipient of other Federal awards directly from a Federal awarding agency.
You must follow the provisions at 2 CFR 200.330-.332 regarding subrecipient monitoring and management. Also see 2 CFR 200.308(c)(6) regarding prior approval requirements for subawards. When awarding subawards, you are required to comply with provisions on governmentwide suspension and debarment found at 2 CFR Part 180 and codified by DOL at 29 CFR Part 98.
Closeout of Grant Award
Any entity that receives an award under this Announcement must close its grant with ETA at the end of the final year of the grant. Information about this process may be found in ETA’s Grant Closeout FAQ located at http://www.doleta.gov/grants/docs/GCFAQ.pdf.
Other Administrative Standards and Provisions
Except as specifically provided in this FOA, our acceptance of an application and an award of Federal funds to sponsor any programs(s) does not provide a waiver of any grant requirements and/or procedures. For example, the OMB Uniform Guidance requires that an entity’s procurement procedures ensure that all procurement transactions are conducted, as much as practical, to provide full and open competition. If an application identifies a specific entity to provide goods or services, the award does not provide the justification or basis to sole source the procurement, i.e., avoid competition.
5. Special Program Requirements
a. ETA Evaluation
As a condition of grant award, the Strengthening Working Families Initiative (SWFI) grantees are required to participate in a national evaluation. The national evaluation may include an implementation assessment across grantees as well as an impact and/or outcomes analysis of all or selected sites within or across grantees. Conducting an impact analysis could involve random assignment (which involves random assignment of eligible participants into a treatment group that would receive program services or enhanced program services, or into control group(s) that would receive no program services or program services that are not enhanced). The Department may require applicants to collect elements to aid the SWFI evaluation, assess the Return on Investment to employers, and assess the overall project impact. As a part of the national evaluation, grantees must agree to: (1) make records on participants, employers, and funding available; (2) provide access to program operating personnel, participants and operational and financial records and any other pertaining documents to calculate program costs and benefits; and (3) facilitate the assignment by lottery of participants to program services (including the possible increased recruitment of potential participants) and follow evaluation procedures as specified by the national evaluator under the direction of USDOL including after the grant period of performance.
Additionally, grantees must ensure compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232G; 34 CFR Part 99). The grantees must establish policies for compliance, including policies for accessing student education records when connected with audit or evaluation of Federal or State programs and enforcement of or compliance with Federal legal requirements of those programs, standard practices or agreements for disclosing PII through written agreements, and other PII and records management practices.
In addition to any required national evaluation, a select number of grantees may be asked to volunteer to participate in a demonstration of a particular recruitment and/or retention strategy. The demonstration may focus on testing the following non-exhaustive list of topics: improving or refining existing recruitment techniques; expanding recruitment efforts by testing new modes of recruitment; better targeting recruitment for specific populations; and offering new services or enhancing existing services that could improve the retention of the targeted population.
Please note that applicants will be held to outcomes provided and failure to meet those outcomes may result in technical assistance or other intervention by ETA, and may also have a significant impact on decisions about future grants with ETA. While grantees are required to propose goals for the outcome categories identified in Section IV.B.3.(2) Expected Outcomes and Outputs, which are specific to this FOA, you will also be required to report outcomes in alignment with outcomes identified in WIOA, as applicable.
Please see Section I.V.B.3.2.a for performance outcomes grantees will need to meet for this FOA application.
Applicants must agree to meet DOL reporting requirements. Quarterly financial reports, quarterly progress reports, and MIS data must be submitted by the recipient electronically. You must agree to provide the reports and documents listed below:
1. Quarterly Financial Reports
A Quarterly Financial Status Report (ETA 9130) is required until such time as all funds have been expended or the grant period has expired. Quarterly reports are due 45 days after the end of each calendar year quarter. On the final Financial Status Report, you must include any subaward amounts so we can calculate final indirect costs, if applicable. You must use DOL’s Online Electronic Reporting System and information and instructions will be provided to grantees.
2. Quarterly Performance Reports
You must submit a quarterly progress report within 45 days after the end of each calendar year quarter. This report includes a quarterly narrative report that details all grant activities that occurred during the quarter, as well as a quarterly performance report which is produced online using a data file upload function that contains participant records. In order to submit these quarterly reports, the grantee will be expected to track participant-level data on all individuals who are provided grant-funded services and enrolled in education/training and other services provided through the grant. Performance reporting for these grants will align with the WIOA performance reporting requirements.
The last quarterly progress report will serve as the grant’s Final Performance Report. This report must provide both quarterly and cumulative information on the grant activities. It must summarize project activities, employment outcomes and other deliverables, and related results of the project, and must thoroughly document the training or labor market information approaches that you used.
We will provide you with an online reporting system along with detailed formal guidance about the data and other information that is required to be collected and reported on either
a regular basis or special request basis. As noted above, these grants will align with WIOA performance reporting requirements, including the online reporting system. Grantees must agree to meet DOL reporting requirements.
Additionally, grantees must ensure compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232G; 34 CFR Part 99). Grantees must establish policies for compliance, including policies for accessing student education records when connected with audit or evaluation of Federal or State programs and enforcement of or compliance with Federal legal requirements of those programs, standard practices or agreements for disclosing personally identifiable information (PII) through written agreements, and other PII and records management practices. PII is any 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, and any other information that is linked or linkable to an individual, such as medical, educational, financial, and employment information.11
For further information about this FOA, please contact Liz DeHart, Grants Management Specialist, Office of Grants Management, at (202) 693-3341. Applicants should e-mail all technical questions to [email protected] and must specifically reference FOA-ETA-16-05, and along with question(s), include a contact name, fax and phone number. This Announcement is being made available on the ETA Web site at http://www.doleta.gov/grants and at http://www.grants.gov.
A. 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 all applications in this grant competition, we will publish the Abstracts required by Section IV.B.4., and selected information from the SF-424 for all applications on the Department’s public website or similar publicly accessible location. Additionally, we will publish a version of the Project Narrative required by Section IV.B.3. for all those applications that are awarded grants, on the Department’s website or a similar location. No other attachments to the application will be published. The Project Narratives and Abstracts will not be published until after the grants are announced. 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 (PII). Proprietary or business confidential information is information that is not usually disclosed outside your organization and disclosing this information is likely to cause you substantial competitive harm.
PII is any 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, and any other information that is linked or linkable to an individual, such as medical, educational, financial, and employment information.12
Abstracts will be published in the form originally submitted, without any redactions. Applicants should not include any proprietary or confidential business information or PII in this summary. In the event that an applicant submits proprietary or confidential business information or PII, DOL is not liable for the posting of this information contained in the Abstract. The submission of the grant application constitutes a waiver of the applicant’s objection to the posting of any proprietary or confidential business information contained in the Abstract. Additionally, the applicant is responsible for obtaining all authorizations from relevant parties for publishing all PII contained within the Abstract. In the event the Abstract contains proprietary or confidential business information or PII, the applicant is presumed to have obtained all necessary authorizations to provide this information and may be liable for any improper release of this information.
By submission of this grant application, the applicant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the United States, the U.S. Department of Labor, its officers, employees, and agents against any liability or for any loss or damages arising from this application. By such submission of this grant application, the applicant further acknowledges having the authority to execute this release of liability.
In order to ensure that proprietary or confidential business information or PII is properly protected from disclosure when DOL posts the winning Project Narratives, applicants who’s Project Narratives will be posted will be asked to submit a second redacted version of their Project Narrative, with any proprietary, confidential commercial/business information, and PII redacted. All non-public information about the applicant’s and consortium members’ staff (if applicable) 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 make the redacted version publicly available. We will also assume that by submitting the redacted version of the Project Narrative, the applicant has obtained the agreement to the applicant’s decision about what material to redact of all persons and entities whose proprietary, confidential business information, or PII is contained in the Project Narrative. If an applicant fails to provide a redacted version of the Project Narrative within 45 days of DOL’s request, DOL will publish the original Project Narrative in full, after redacting only PII. (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 business information and any PII.)
Applicants are encouraged to maximize the grant application information that will be publicly disclosed, and to exercise restraint and redact only information that clearly is proprietary, confidential commercial/business information, or PII. 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. See 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.”
Web-Based Resources
DOL maintains a number of web-based resources that may be of assistance to applicants. For example, the CareerOneStop portal (http://www.careeronestop.org), which provides national and state career information on occupations; the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) Online (http://online.onetcenter.org) which provides occupational competency profiles; and America's Service Locator (http://www.servicelocator.org), which provides a directory of our nation's One-Stop Career Centers.
Industry Competency Models and Career Clusters
ETA supports an Industry Competency Model Initiative to promote an understanding of the skill sets and competencies that are essential to an educated and skilled workforce. A competency model is a collection of competencies that, taken together, define successful performance in a particular work setting. Competency models serve as a starting point for the design and implementation of workforce and talent development programs. To learn about the industry-validated models visit the Competency Model Clearinghouse (CMC) at http://www.careeronestop.org/CompetencyModel. The CMC site also provides tools to build or customize industry models, as well as tools to build career ladders and career lattices for specific regional economies.
Workforce3One Resources
1. We encourage you to view the information gathered through the conference calls with Federal agency partners, industry stakeholders, educators, and local practitioners. The information on resources identified can be found on Workforce3One.org at: https://www.workforce3one.org/find/?sr=1&ps=20&sort=5.
2. We encourage you to view the online tutorial, “Grant Applications 101: A Plain English Guide to ETA Competitive Grants,” available through Workforce3One at: http://www.workforce3one.org/page/grants_toolkit.
3. We created Workforce System Strategies to make it easier for the public workforce system and its partners to identify effective strategies and support improved customer outcomes. The collection highlights strategies informed by a wide range of evidence such as experimental studies and implementation evaluations, as well as supporting resources such as toolkits. We encourage you to review these resources by visiting http://strategies.workforce3one.org/.
4. We created a technical assistance portal at https://etareporting.workforce3one.org/page/financial that contains online training and resources for fiscal and administrative issues. Online trainings available include, but are not limited to, Introduction to Grant Applications and Forms, Indirect Costs, Cost Principles, and Accrual Accounting.
OMB Information Collection No 1225-0086, Expires January 31, 2016.
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 about 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 the Departmental Clearance Officer, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Room N1301, Washington, DC 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 ANNOUNCEMENT.
This information is being collected for the purpose of awarding a grant. The information collected through this “Funding Opportunity Announcement” will be used by the Department of Labor to ensure that grants are awarded to the applicants 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 a grant.
Signed ______________, in Washington, D.C. by:
Steven A. Rietzke
Grant Officer, Employment and Training Administration
Appendix A: H-1B Industries and Occupations
The Department will fund Strengthening Working Families Initiative projects that support well-paying, middle- and high-skilled, and high-growth jobs across a diversity of H-1B industries.
To meet the legislative intent of positioning American workers to reduce the need for skilled foreign workers under the H-1B visa program, applicants must design their programs to support occupations for which H-1B visas have been certified, or other occupations in industries in which a significant number of H-1B visas are certified.
The H-1B industries that are acceptable for applications under this FOA are listed below. This list of allowable H-1B industries was determined by analyzing H-1B visas that have been certified, along with corresponding NAICS codes. Applicants can propose to target an industry(ies) or an occupation(s) included within the industries identified in the list below.
H-1B Industries
Information Technology (including cyber security and broadband)
Healthcare
Advanced Manufacturing
Financial Services
Educational Services
In addition, applicants can propose to target occupations that do not fall within the above list of H-1B industries that are acceptable for applications under this FOA, but are occupations for which one or more H-1B visas have been certified. To view occupations for which H-1B visas have been certified, visit the Department of Labor’s Foreign Labor Certification (http://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/performancedata.cfm) for the latest database of occupations approved under H-1B petitions.
Appendix B: Definition of Terms
Braided Funding: Braided funding involves multiple funding streams utilized to pay for all of the services needed by a given population, with careful accounting of how every dollar from each stream is spent. The term braiding is used because multiple funding streams are initially separate, brought together to pay for more than any one stream can support, and then carefully pulled back apart to report to funders on how the money was spent. Consequently, when multiple funding streams are paying for a single program or system, the system will need to be carefully designed to allow for sufficient reporting to ensure each funding stream is only paying for activities eligible under that stream.
Career Pathways: For the purposes of this FOA, a career pathway is defined as a combination of rigorous and high-quality education, training, and other services that:
Aligns with the skill needs of industries in the economy of the State or regional economy involved;
Prepares an individual to be successful in any of a full range of secondary or postsecondary education options, including registered apprenticeships;
Includes counseling to support an individual in achieving the individual’s education and career goals;
Includes, as appropriate, education offered concurrently with and in the same context as workforce preparation activities and training for a specific occupation or occupational cluster;
Organizes education, training, and other services to meet the particular needs of an individual in a manner that accelerates the educational and career advancement of the individual to the extent practicable;
Enables an individual to attain a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent and at least 1 recognized postsecondary credential; and
As a sequence of education and training courses or career options which allows opportunities for professional growth and upward mobility.
Individual components of a career pathways include: (1) Integrated education and career-focused training programs that offer accelerated and/or contextualized remediation; (2) Multiple entry and exit points that allow individuals with varying levels of skills enter or advance within the industry, including through assessment and credits for prior learning; (3) Technology-based or enhanced solutions that provide personalized student support services and career guidance; (4) Competency-based courses and programs that include performance-based assessments and direct assessment training courses; and (5) Stacked and latticed credentials.
Child Care Provider: This term refers to:
(A) A center-based child care provider, a group home child care provider, a family child care provider, or other provider of child care services for compensation that:
(i) Is licensed, regulated, or registered under State law; and
(ii) Satisfies the State and local requirements applicable to the child care services it provides; or
(B) Child Care Provider: A child care provider that is 18 years of age or older who provides child care services only to eligible children who are, by affinity or consanguinity, or by court decree, the grandchild, great grandchild, sibling (if such provider lives in a separate residence), niece, or nephew of such provider, if such provider complies with any applicable requirements that govern child care provided by the relative involved.
Family Child Care Provider: The term ‘family child care provider’ refers to one individual who provides child care services for fewer than 24 hours per day, as the sole caregiver, and in a private residence.
Competency-based Education: An outcomes-oriented approach in which student mastery of learning outcomes is assessed and certified through observational methods, such as task performance, exams, demonstrations, or other direct measures of proficiency. Credentials are awarded based on the mastery of specific competencies as demonstrated through performance-based assessments.
Dislocated Workers: This term refers to individuals who were terminated or laid-off or have received a notice of termination or lay-off from employment; or were self-employed but are now unemployed.
Employed Workers: This term refers to individuals who are employed (full or part-time) and need training to secure full-time employment or upgrade skills that will lead to career advancement and wage increase(s) within the identified H-1B aligned industry or occupation. Training provided to employed workers through this FOA is not developed by the individual’s current employer or employer associations.
Frontline Incumbent Workers: Frontline incumbent workers are typically considered workers who are employed in lower-skilled and/or entry level positions and where attaining new skills and competencies could help advance them into middle- and high-skilled jobs.
High-Growth Industry/Occupation – An industry and/or occupation that meets one or more of the following factors: 1) it is projected to add substantial numbers of new jobs to the economy; 2) it is being transformed by technology and innovation requiring new skill sets for workers; 3) it is a new and emerging industry or occupation that is projected to grow; or 4) it has a significant impact on the economy overall or on the growth of other industries and occupations.
Industry-Recognized Credentials – The term credential refers to certification of an individual’s attainment of measurable technical or occupational skills necessary to obtain employment or advance within an occupation. Industry-recognized credentials are either developed or endorsed by a nationally-recognized industry association or organization or are sought or accepted by employers within the industry sector for purposes of hiring or recruitment. The credential must be awarded by a third party, such as an educational institution or a professional, industry, or employer organization. Industry-recognized credentials demonstrate core competencies and meet industry standards for specific industry occupations. Examples of industry-recognized credentials include: Associates and Bachelor’s degrees; Registered Apprenticeship certificates; occupational licenses (typically, but not always, awarded by State government agencies); industry-recognized or professional association certifications, also known as personnel certifications; and other certificates of skills completion for specific skill sets or competencies within one or more industries or occupations. For more information on credential, degree, and certificate attainment, please refer to Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 15-10, “Increasing Credential, Degree, and Certificate Attainment by Participants of the Public Workforce System,” particularly Attachment 2 of the TEGL (http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/attach/TEGL15-10.pdf).
Incumbent Workers: This term refers to individuals who are employed but need training to upgrade skills to secure full-time employment with their current employer or need to upgrade skills that will lead to career advancement within the identified H-1B aligned industry/occupation. Training provided to incumbent workers through this FOA is developed in partnership with the individual’s current employer or employer association.
Job Readiness Skills: Also referred to as Employability Skills, Soft Skills, or Work Readiness Skills; a set of skills and behaviors that are necessary for any job such as, social competence, job seeking and interview skills, workplace norms, conflict resolution, and communication skills, to name a few.
Low-Skilled Individuals: This term refers to individuals with a high school diploma/equivalent or less and little to some work experience. Low skilled individuals seeking a career (at entry-level) within an H-1B aligned industry/occupation need training to prepare entry into the identified occupation. The Department encourages applicants serving this population to propose training activities that result in industry-recognized credentials or degrees, provide on the job skills experience including paid work experience, and incorporate soft skills that prepare graduates with tools for job seeking, job placement and job retention.
Low-skilled Incumbent Workers: This term refers to incumbent workers (as defined above) and considered front-line workers in need of additional education/training that leads to career progression.
Middle Skilled Individuals: This term refers to individuals with a minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent; some post-secondary education and some paid work experience, and is determined to be either at the beginning of a career pathway (see appendix B for definition of career pathway) or seeking a career within the H-1B aligned industry/occupation at the middle skill level.
On-the-Job Training (OJT): OJT is distinguished from other types of workplace training, including customized training, in several ways: (1) participants are hired (or employed) and earn wages from employers during training; (2) it is based on an individualized training plan that reflects the results of an individual skills assessment and analysis of job requirements; (3) training is conducted in the workplace under the direction of one or more of the employer’s supervisory personnel; and (4) the grantee pays the employer a reimbursement to cover the extraordinary costs of the training. Under this FOA, OJT has specific requirements which are detailed in Section IV.E.6 Funding Restrictions. One of these restrictions specifies that incumbent worker training does not qualify for OJT.
OJT can bridge the divide between unemployment and employment by addressing gaps in an individual’s skills and what is required for a particular occupation. Individuals who participated in OJT in the past have demonstrated improved labor market attachment and enhanced job tenure, as illustrated by higher rates of job placement and retention. OJT also offers participants a “learn and earn” training option, allowing individuals to learn new skills while earning a regular paycheck.
Paid Work Experience
Work experience is defined as a planned and structured learning experience that takes place in a workplace for a limited period of time. For the purposes of this FOA, work experiences are required to be paid work experiences and the specific requirements of these paid work experience are detailed in Section I.V.E.5 Funding Restrictions. One of these restrictions specifies that incumbent worker training does not qualify for paid work experience.
Paid Internships
Internships provide a monitored or supervised work or service experience in an individual’s career field where he or she has intentional learning goals and reflects actively on what is learned throughout the experience. These learning goals can include: academic learning, career development, and skill development. Internships are part of a structured program where the grantee establishes the criteria for determining who will participate in these programs; are for a set period of time that is generally limited in duration, but may be flexible to allow interns to spend limited time in the classroom; support the attainment of credentials in the individual’s expected career field (where such credentials exist); relate to training provided through the grant and help participants prepare for employment opportunities on which the grant focuses; and, do not necessarily carry an offer of regular employment upon successful completion of the internship.
For the purposes of this FOA, internships are required to be paid internships and have specific requirements which are detailed in Section I.V.E.5, Funding Restrictions. One of these restrictions specifies that incumbent worker training does not qualify for paid internships.
Parent: For the purposes of this FOA, the term ‘parent’ eligible for grant-funded services is defined as a custodial parent, legal guardian, foster parent, or other person standing in loco parentis.
Portable Credentials – Credentials that are recognized and accepted in a field as verifying the qualifications of an individual in other settings – either in other geographic areas, at other educational institutions, or by other industries or employing companies.
Quarters – The calendar year can be divided into 4 quarters. The first quarter is from the first day of January through the last day of March; the second quarter is from the first day of April through the last day of June; the third quarter is from the first day of July through the last day of September; and the fourth quarter is from the first day of October through the last day of December.
Registered Apprenticeships - Registered Apprenticeship programs combine job-related technical instruction with structured on-the-job learning experiences. Registered Apprenticeships are innovative work-based learning and post-secondary earn-and- learn models that meet national standards for registration with the U.S. Department of Labor or Federally recognized State Apprenticeship Agencies (SAAs). Most Registered Apprenticeship opportunities include On-the-Job training and classroom instruction that is provided through apprenticeship training centers, technical schools, community colleges, and even distance learning. Often Registered Apprenticeship sponsors work directly with community colleges that ultimately provide college credit for American Apprenticeships. 21st century apprenticeship approaches are flexible and can be easily customized to meet the needs of the employer and apprentice. Apprentices are hired and earn a wage upon registration, and receive progressive wages commensurate with their skill attainment throughout the training program.
After completion of a Registered Apprenticeship program, the apprentice earns a nationally recognized credential from the Department of Labor that is portable and stackable. Registered Apprenticeship training is distinguished from other types of workplace training by several factors: (1) participants who are newly hired (or already employed) earn wages from employers during training; (2) programs must meet national standards for registration with the U.S. Department of Labor (or Federally-recognized SAAs); (3) programs provide on-the-job learning and job-related technical instruction; (4) on-the-job learning is conducted in the work setting under the direction of one or more of the employer’s personnel; and 5) training results in an industry-recognized credential and/or college credit.
Soft Skills – Also referred to as Employability Skills, Job Readiness Skills, or Work Readiness Skills; a set of skills and behaviors that are necessary for any job such as, social competence, job seeking and interview skills, workplace norms, conflict resolution, and communication skills, to name a few.
Stackable Credentials – Credentials that can be earned in sequence and build upon previously-learned content as individuals progress along a career pathway or up a career ladder. They allow individuals the ability to build a portfolio of credentials as they transition from learning to work or to different and potentially higher-paying jobs.
Underemployed Workers: This term refers to individuals who lost their job but have not yet reconnected with a full-time job commensurate with the individual’s level of education, skills, and previous wage or salary earned prior to the individual’s loss of permanent employment. Or, individual’s that have obtained only episodic, short-term, or part-time employment for long periods of time and have not yet connected with a full-time job commensurate with experience.
Upskilling: Strategies that aim to increase skills of incumbent workers while creating entry level opportunities for new entrants in H-1B occupations and industries.
Work-Based Learning – Educational training that combines rigorous academic preparation with hands-on career development experiences to connect classroom instruction to the world of work and future career opportunities.
Wrap-Around Participant Support Services – Services that are designed to address needs and ensure participant success. Services may include, but are not limited to, child care, transportation, tools, or work clothes.
Appendix C: Performance Outcomes Template
|
Outcome Measure |
Targets for all Participants |
|
1 |
Total Participants Served Number of all participants served (receiving a grant-funded service and/or grant-funded education/training). Figures provided for total participants that receive services and total participants enrolled in Education/Training Activities should not exceed total participants served. |
Year 1: Year 2: Year 3: Year 4: |
Total: |
2 |
Total Participants Enrolled in Education/Training Activities Number of participants enrolled in a grant-funded education/training activity. |
Year 1: Year 2: Year 3: Year 4: |
Total: |
3 |
Total Participants Completing Education/Training Activities Number of participants that enroll and complete the grant-funded education/training activity. |
Year 1: Year 2: Year 3: Year 4: |
Total: |
4 |
Total Participants Who Complete Education/Training Activities AND Receive a Degree or Other Credential Number of participants that complete the grant-funded education/training activity and receive a degree or other credential. |
Year 1: Year 2: Year 3: Year 4: |
Total: |
5 |
Total Number of Unemployed Participants who Obtain Employment After Training Completion Number of all unemployed participants (non-incumbents workers only) who complete education/training activities and obtain employment. NOTE: Incumbent Workers should not be included in this outcome. |
Year 1: Year 2: Year 3: Year 4: |
Total: |
6 |
Total Number of Incumbent Worker Participants that Advanced into a New Position After Training Completion This includes incumbent workers that advanced into a new position with their current employer or a new employer following the completion of the grant-funded education/training program. Incumbent workers that did not advance into a new position (i.e. retained their existing position or layoff aversion) following the completion of a training program should not be included in this outcome. |
Year 1: Year 2: Year 3: Year 4: |
Total: |
7 |
Total Number of Those Participants Employed at Enrollment Who Received a Wage Increase After Training Completion Number of participants who are incumbent workers and who enrolled in a grant-funded program of study who received an increase in wages after enrollment.
|
Year 1: Year 2: Year 3: Year 4: |
Total: |
8 |
Median Earnings Upon Training Completion for Targeted Population
|
Year 1: Year 2: Year 3: Year 4: |
Total: |
Appendix D: Related Resources and Links
Child Care Development Block Grant (Child Care Development Fund): The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014 reauthorizes the child care program for the first time since 1996 and represents an historic re-envisioning of the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/occ
Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program: This program supports the participation of low-income parents in postsecondary education through the provision of campus-based child care services. http://www2.ed.gov/programs/campisp/index.html
Community Service Block Grant: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/programs/csbg
Community Development Block Grant: The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program is a flexible program that provides communities with resources to address a wide range of unique community development needs. Beginning in 1974, the CDBG program is one of the longest continuously run programs at HUD. The CDBG program provides annual grants on a formula basis to 1209 general units of local government and States. http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/comm_planning/communitydevelopment/programs
Head Start and Early Head Start: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ohs/about/head-start
Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP): The Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) program is an initiative designed to revolutionize the way Federal agencies leverage economic development funds. It encourages communities to develop comprehensive economic development strategies that will strengthen their competitive edge for attracting global manufacturer and supply chain investments. Through IMCP, the Federal government is rewarding best practices – coordinating Federal aid to support communities’ strong development plans and synchronizing grant programs across multiple departments and agencies. Non-designated communities nationwide can learn from the best practices employed by these designated communities to strengthen American manufacturing. http://www.eda.gov/challenges/imcp/ and http://manufacturing.gov/imcp/
Promise Zone: The Promise Zone designation partners the Federal government with local leaders who are addressing multiple community revitalization challenges in a collaborative way and have demonstrated a commitment to results. http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/comm_planning/economicdevelopment/programs/pz
Rural Integration Models for Parents and Children to Thrive (IMPACT) Demonstration: Federally designated Rural IMPACT communities are seeking to intentionally combine intensive, high-quality, adult-focused services with intensive, high-quality, child-focused programs, with a goal of improving outcomes for rural families.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP): SNAP offers nutrition assistance to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families and provides economic benefits to communities. SNAP is the largest program in the domestic hunger safety net. The Food and Nutrition Service works with State agencies, nutrition educators, and neighborhood and faith-based organizations to ensure that those eligible for nutrition assistance can make informed decisions about applying for the program and can access benefits. FNS also works with State partners and the retail community to improve program administration and ensure program integrity. http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is designed to help needy families achieve self-sufficiency. States receive block grants to design and operate programs that accomplish one of the purposes of the TANF program. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofa/programs/tanf/about
The Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA): The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), signed into law on July 22, 2014, supersedes the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, the Wagner-Peyser Act, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) reaffirms the role of the American Job Center (AJC) system, a cornerstone of the public workforce investment system, and brought together and enhanced several key employment, education, and training programs. Title I of WIOA contains the program-specific requirements of the WIOA Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth programs. http://www.doleta.gov/WIOA/Docs/WIOA-Factsheet.pdf
Appendix E: Sample Project Work Plan Template
Project Work Plan Template |
|||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PROGRAM LEVEL/SYSTEMS LEVEL ACTIVITY: |
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Implementer(s) Contractor, sub-awardee or partner name implementing strategy or providing activity/service |
Costs |
|
Time |
|
|
Activity #1 |
|
|
Strategy Total: |
$ |
Start Date: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
End Date: |
|
|
|
|
|
Year 1: |
$ |
Milestones: |
|
|
|
|
|
Year 2: |
$ |
Outcomes Anticipated: |
|
|
|
|
|
Year 3: |
$ |
Challenges: |
|
|
|
|
|
Year 4: |
$ |
|
|
|
Deliverable #1 |
|
|
Strategy Total: |
$ |
Start Date: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
End Date: |
|
|
|
|
|
Year 1: |
$ |
Milestones: |
|
|
|
|
|
Year 2: |
$ |
Outcomes Anticipated: |
|
|
|
|
|
Year 3: |
$ |
Challenges: |
|
|
|
|
|
Year 4: |
$ |
|
|
|
Appendix F: Abstract Template
Lead Applicant Name, Entity Type and Location:
Project Name:
Service Location(s):
Total Funding Request Amount: $ (*This must match all other budget-related forms such as the SF424)
Target Populations Served: (Describe the targeted population)
Targeted H-1B Industry(ies) and/or Occupations:
Project Summary: (Provide a summary description of the overall program design including the overall goals of the project and the targeted intervention and strategies for both the program and systems level activities)
Program Level Design Description:
Systems Level Strategy Description:
Projected Goals and Outcomes: (Provide a brief description of the proposed outcomes)
For the targeted population – include descriptions of the skills and credential attainment outcomes and how they are H-1B aligned
Provide proposed outcomes for career pathway plans and job placement strategies
Brief overview of system level outcomes the project aims to achieve
List Required Partners:
List Optional Strategic Partners:
Public Point of Contact (POC): Name, Title, Public Contact (email and/or phone)
Appendix G: Definitions and Usual Characteristics of Sub-grants vs. Subcontracts
DEFINITIONS |
Sub-grants |
Subcontracts |
General Purpose* |
An agreement that provides for the transfer of money or property to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation through the grant, as authorized under statute. |
Legal contract in which the purpose is to provide supplies and/or services. |
Focus* |
Carries out one or more major programmatic functions in support of the goals of the grant. |
Does not support the goals of the grant directly; instead the subcontractor provides supplies and/or services that are ancillary or supportive to the operation of the grant. |
Recipient Responsibility* |
Has responsibility for programmatic decision making, adherence to applicable Federal program compliance requirements, and is able to determine which participants are eligible to receive Federal financial assistance. |
Provides supplies and/or services for use by the prime grantee that is supportive to the operation of the grant. Subcontractor is subject to procurement regulations, but not programmatic compliance requirements and does not have decision-making authority pertaining to the grant. |
USUAL CHARACTERISTICS |
Sub-grants |
Subcontracts |
Terms and Performance Standards |
Less rigorous to their terms and conditions than contracts. Performance is measures against whether the objectives of the Federal grant are met. |
More rigorous to their terms and conditions. Performance is measures against the delivery of goods and services. The terms will define the deliverables and indicate when they are due. |
Monitoring |
Less regulated. If the task is not accomplished, there may be fewer legal and financial ramifications. |
More heavily regulated and more likely to carry substantial legal or financial risk. |
Scope of work |
Scope of work, deliverables, and delivery schedule are more flexible and easier to amend when changes are necessary. |
Scope of work may be less flexible and more difficult to amend. Firm delivery schedule with deliverables subject to rigorous inspection. |
Payment Schedule |
Fund usually drawn down by recipient or paid in lump sum. Payments are based on budgeted amounts rather than the unit cost of services. |
Payment is usually made by invoice only after goods are delivered and services rendered. Advances are made under specific, limited circumstances. Payment is related to goods delivered or services rendered. |
*The distinction between sub-grants vs. subcontracts should be made primarily based on these three definitions. Even if an agreement has some or many of the “usual characteristics” of a sub-grant, project managers and auditors should closely examine its purpose, focus, and recipient responsibilities (using the definitions provided above) before determining whether it meets the definition of a sub-grant or subcontract.
1 Eyster, Lauren, Tom Callan, and Gina Adams. 2014. “Balancing School, Work, and Family: Low-Income Parents’ Participation in Education and Training.” Washington, DC: Urban Institute.
2 The Council of Economic Advisors, Nine Facts About American Families and Work, (June 2014), https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/nine_facts_about_family_and_work_real_final.pdf.
3 Eyster, Lauren, Tom Callan, and Gina Adams. 2014. “Balancing School, Work, and Family: Low-Income Parents’ Participation in Education and Training.” Washington, DC: Urban Institute. http://www.urban.org/research/publication/balancing-school-work-and-family-low-income-parents-participation-education-and-training
4 Ibid
5 Ibid
6 Ibid
7 Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2015. “Earnings and Unemployment Rates by Educational Attainment.” Washington,
DC: US Department of Labor. http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_001.htm
8 Human centered design and customer-centered methodologies are approaches to systems design that consider usability and particularly, the needs and limitations of a system’s users and or customers.
9 The term in loco parentis, "in the place of a parent" refers to the legal responsibility of a person or organization to take on some of the functions and responsibilities of a parent.
10 Asynchronous learning options allow students to learn the same material at different times and locations. Asynchronous Learning is also called Location Independent Learning, and is opposite to synchronous learning where students all learn at the same time through activities such as attending a lecture or laboratory.
11 OMB Memorandum 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.
12 OMB Memorandum 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.
Page
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Title | DEPARTMENT OF LABOR |
| Author | frugoli.pam |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-30 |