DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Susan Harwood Training Grant Program, FY 2016
AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Labor
ACTION: Notice of availability of funds and funding opportunity announcement (FOA) for Capacity Building Developmental and Capacity Building Pilot grants
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: SHTG-FY-16-02
CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE NUMBER: 17.502
Table of Contents - Susan Harwood Training Grant Program, FY 2016
I. Executive Summary 5
II. Funding Opportunity Description 6
A. Overview of the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program 6
B. Grants Being Announced Under this Funding Opportunity Announcement 7
1. Capacity Building Developmental 7
2. Capacity Building Pilot 8
C. Target Audience and Language 8
III. Project Period and Maximum Funding Levels per Grant Categories 8
A. Length of Project Periods 9
B. Capacity Building Developmental 9
C. Capacity Building Pilot 9
IV. Program Components 9
V. Eligibility Information 9
A. Eligible Applicants 9
B. Cost Sharing or Matching 10
C. Transparency 10
D. Freedom of Information Act Request (FOIA) 12
E. Non-Viable Applications 12
F. Other Eligibility Requirements 12
G. Special Program Requirements 13
VI. Application and Submission Information 13
A. Required Content and Submission Format 13
B. Formatting Requirements 14
C. Application Checklist 15
D. Forms, Assurances, and Certifications 17
E. Application Summary 18
F. Program Abstract 20
G. Technical Proposal 20
1. Problem Statement/Need for Funds 20
a) Grant Category 20
b) Target Population 20
c) Topic 21
d) Organizational Capacity Needs 21
e) Training and Educational Materials 21
2. Administrative and Program Capability of the Organization 21
a) Organizational Experience 21
b) Occupational Safety and Health Experience 22
c) Grant Experience 22
d) Distribution Network 22
e) Needs Assessment Experience 22
f) Program Experience of the Organization 22
g) Evaluation of Training Activities Experience 22
h) Management and Internal Control Systems 23
i) Organizational Chart 23
3. Staff Experience 23
a) Occupational Safety and Health Experience 23
b) Training Experience 23
4. Work Plan 23
a) Work Plan Overview 23
b) Work Plan Activities 24
H. Attachments 35
I. Budget Information 36
1. Budget Information form (SF-424A) 36
2. Detailed Project Budget 36
3. Indirect Cost Allocation Agreement 37
4. Non-federal Resource Contribution 37
5. Evidence of Non-Profit Status 37
6. Funding Allocations, Restrictions, and Guidelines 38
a) Allowable Costs 38
b) Funding Restrictions 38Error! Bookmark not defined.
c) Funding Guidelines 39
d) Subcontracting Opportunities 40
J. Submission Date and Time 40
K. Intergovernmental Review 44
VII. Application Review Information 44
A. Evaluation Criteria 44
B. Review and Selection Process 45
C. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 46
VIII. Award Notification Information 46
A. Award Notification and Program Revisions 46
B. Request for Application Comments 46
IX. Post Award Administrative and National Policy Requirements 47
A. Applicable Federal Laws 47
B. Reporting 48
C. Grant Produced Training Materials 48
D. Public Reference to Grant 48
List of Tables
Table 1. Federal Quarters 23
Table 2. Example of Total Number Trained and Contact Hour Projections 30
Table 3. Types of Evaluations Required, per Grant Category 31
Table 4. Evaluation Criteria 44
Appendices
Appendix A – Administrative and Program Cost Information
Appendix B – Procedures for Submitting Electronic Copies of Grant-Funded Materials
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is soliciting applications from nonprofit organizations for grants to provide training and educational programs for workers and/or employers. Nonprofit organizations, including qualifying labor unions, community-based and faith-based organizations, and employer associations, that are not an agency of a state or local government, are eligible to apply. Indian tribes, tribal organizations, Alaska Native entities, Indian-controlled organizations serving Indians, and Native Hawaiian organizations are eligible to apply in accordance with Executive Order 13175. Additionally, state or local government-supported institutions of higher education are eligible to apply in accordance with OMB 2 CFR 200 and DOL exceptions in 2 CFR 2900. Grants are awarded under Section 21 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) to provide training and education programs for workers and employers on the recognition, abatement, and prevention of safety and health hazards in the workplace, and to inform workers of their rights and employers of their responsibilities under the OSH Act.
OSHA announces the availability of approximately $4.5 million for Susan Harwood Training Grant Program grants in FY 2016 and expects to award multiple grants. Two funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) offers not-for-profit organizations the opportunity apply for funding. This announcement offers two types for Capacity Building grant opportunities:
Capacity Building Developmental
Capacity Building Pilot
For a full description of each of these grant categories and their respective application components see Section II.B. Applications for Targeted Topic Training or Targeted Topic Training and Educational Materials Development grants must be submitted under FOA SHTG-FY-16-01.
All information and forms needed to apply for this funding opportunity announcement are published on the http://www.grants.gov Web site (hereinafter “Grants.gov Web site”).
Registration must be accurate and up-to-date in Grants.gov and with the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to submitting an application if the applicant has prior experience using Grants.gov. To remain registered in the SAM database, an applicant is required to review and update registration information at least every 12 months from the date of initial registration. Inaccurate or expired information could result in delays or rejection of the grant application.
For applicants using Grants.gov for the first time, it is strongly recommended that the organization immediately follow steps to “Register as an Organization” with Grants.gov at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html. The registration process generally takes between three to five business days but may be as long as four weeks if all steps are not completed in a timely manner This process must be factored into the applicant’s plans for electronic application submission to avoid delays that could result in the rejection of the application. Organizations new to SAM will need to allot an additional 14 days for registration in order to receive a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code through the Department of Defense’s Defense Logistics Agency.
DATES: Grant applications must be received electronically by the Grants.gov Web site no later than 11:59 p.m., ET, on Tuesday, June 28, 2016, the application deadline date.
OSHA strongly encourages organizations to submit the grant application in sufficient time to ensure that the application has been received and successfully validated by Grants.gov by the application deadline.
OSHA will offer a pre-recorded, pre-application webinar for all parties interested in applying for this grant opportunity. This pre-application webinar is intended to provide prospective applicants with an overview of this program announcement. The pre-application webinar will be posted on the OSHA Web site at http://www.osha.gov/dte/sharwood/index.html.
SUBMITTAL INFORMATION: Applications for grants submitted under this competition must be submitted electronically using the government-wide Grants.gov Web site at http://www.grants.gov. If applying online poses a hardship, applicants must contact the OSHA Directorate of Training and Education office listed in this announcement at least four weeks prior to the application deadline date, 11:59 p.m., ET, on Tuesday, June 28, 2016, to speak to a representative who can provide assistance to ensure that applications are submitted online by the closing date. Requests for extensions to this deadline will not be granted. Further information regarding submitting a grant application electronically may be found in Section VI.J.2.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions regarding this funding opportunity announcement for grant applications should be emailed to [email protected] or directed to Donna Robertson, Program Analyst, or Bob Murphy, Director, Office of Training Programs and Administration, at 847-759-7700 (note this is not a toll-free number). Personnel will not be available after 5:00 p.m., ET, on the application deadline, to answer questions. To obtain further information on the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program, visit the OSHA Web site at: http://www.osha.gov/dte/sharwood/index.html.
Questions regarding Grants.gov should be emailed to [email protected] or directed to the Grants.gov Contact Center, at 1-800-518-4726 (toll free number). The Contact Center is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Contact Center is closed on federal holidays.
The Susan Harwood Training Grant Program provides funds for non-profit organizations to develop training materials and train workers and/or employers to recognize, abate, and prevent safety and health hazards in their workplaces and provide related assistance. Applicants are encouraged but not required to develop training materials. The program emphasizes seven areas:
Training workers and/or employers on identifying and means of preventing serious safety and health hazards identified by OSHA through the DOL’s Strategic Plan, as part of an OSHA special emphasis program, or other OSHA priorities. (see http://www.osha.gov)
Educating workers on their rights and educating employers on their responsibilities under the OSH Act
Educating workers and/or employers in small businesses (for purposes of this grant program, a small business is one with 250 or fewer employees)
Training workers and/or employers about new OSHA standards
Training at-risk and/or low-literacy worker populations, including temporary and warehouse workers
Providing technical assistance to employers and workers
Developing and disseminating materials to train and educate workers
Under this funding opportunity announcement, OSHA will accept applications for Capacity Building Developmental grants. Capacity Building Developmental grants are longer-term grants that build organizational safety and health competency. The continuation and level of funding for follow-on grants are subject to annual appropriation of funds and a determination that the program is achieving the approved objectives.
Applications for Capacity Building Developmental grants should focus on developing and/or expanding the capacity of an applicant organization to provide safety and health training, education, and related assistance to the targeted audiences. Activities related to the Capacity Building Developmental Plan should be detailed as per Section VI.G.4.b)(1). Organizations will be expected to integrate their new organizational capacity for providing safety and health training, education, and related assistance services within the organization to assist workers and employers on an ongoing basis, and after the grant ends, ensures that services developed under the grant will continue. Capacity Building Developmental grants are funded for a 12-month period.
Two grant categories are being announced under this funding opportunity.
Capacity Building Developmental grants are intended to support and assist organizations who through past activities have established a capability to provide occupational safety and health training, education, materials development, and/or technical assistance. Based on a needs assessment, Applicants are expected to conduct a significant number of training programs addressing occupational safety and health hazards. Additionally, applicants are strongly encouraged to develop educational materials, and to provide technical assistance.
Each applicant must develop a comprehensive plan for becoming a resource center for safety and health including how they will become financially self-sufficient within the three to four years the organization needs to build this capacity. Based on satisfactory performance and Congressional funding, Capacity Building Developmental grants may be eligible for no more than three additional 12-month follow-on grants.
Capacity Building Pilot grants are intended to assist organizations who demonstrate a potential for meeting the objectives of the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program, but who need to assess their capabilities, needs and priorities as well as formulate their program objectives before moving forward into developing a full-scale program. Recipients of Capacity Building Pilot grants will be required to initiate limited program operations during the 12-month period. The program operations should be small-scale or pilot projects, used to complement the organization’s planning and pilot activities. Upon successful completion of its planning and pilot activities, an organization may apply for a Capacity Building Developmental grant in the next fiscal year cycle the grant opportunities are offered. Capacity Building Pilot grants are not eligible for follow-on grants.
Training materials developed and/or training conducted ideally should serve multiple small business employers with less than 250 employees and workers in one or more of the following target audiences:
small businesses (less than 250 employees)
new businesses
limited English proficiency workers
non-literate and low literacy workers
young workers
temporary workers
minority and other hard-to-reach workers
workers in high-hazard industries and industries with high fatality rates
Training must be conducted in both a language and vocabulary that the participants can understand.
Special consideration will be given to grant proposals that include training materials and training programs for limited English proficiency workers, including Spanish, and Asian American and Pacific Islander languages.
There is approximately $4.5 million available for FY 2016 Susan Harwood Training Grants.
All grants in this funding opportunity announcement will be awarded for a 12-month project performance period. The 12-month project period for these grants begins no later than September 30, 2016.
The maximum funding level is not to exceed $165,000 per 12-month project performance period. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit proposals that do not exceed the maximum funding level. Based on satisfactory performance and available funding, Capacity Building Developmental grants may be eligible for additional follow-on grants.
The applications for each of the two grant types announced in this funding opportunity have different requirements, as outlined in Section VI.G.4. Applicants should only propose activities specific to the grant category for which the application is being submitted.
Nonprofit organizations, including qualifying labor unions, community- based and faith-based organizations, and employer associations, that are not an agency of a state or local government are eligible to apply. Indian tribes, tribal organizations, Alaska Native entities, Indian-controlled organizations serving Indians, and Native Hawaiian organizations are eligible to apply in accordance with Executive Order 13175. Additionally, state or local government supported institutions of higher education are eligible to apply in accordance with OMB 2 CFR 200 and DOL exceptions in 2 CFR 2900.
Eligible organizations can apply independently for funding. For partnerships, each separate organization will be considered a prime grantee, but one organization must be designated as the lead organization for purposes of liaison with DOL and for receiving and disbursing funds. Sub-grants are not authorized. Subcontracts, if any, must be awarded in accordance with OMB 2 CFR 200 and DOL 2 CFR 2900 that require full and open competition for procurement transactions to the maximum extent practicable.
Applicants other than state or local government supported institutions of higher education will be required to submit evidence of nonprofit status as outlined in Section VI.I.5.
A 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, as described in 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(4), that engages in lobbying activities will not be eligible for the receipt of federal funds constituting an award, grant or loan. See 2 U.S.C. 1611.
Applicants are not required to contribute non-federal resources.
DOL is committed to conducting a transparent grant award process and publicizing information about program outcomes. Posting grant applications on public Web sites is a means of promoting and sharing innovative ideas. For this grant competition, DOL will publish the Program Abstract required by Section VI.F. and selected information from the SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance, for all applications on the Department’s public Web site, http://www.dol.gov/dol/grants/. Additionally, DOL will publish a version of the Technical Proposal required by Section VI.G., for all those applications that are awarded grants, on the Department’s Web site, http://www.dol.gov/dol/grants/. Except for the Program Abstract, none of the Attachments to the Technical Proposal will be published. Technical Proposals and Program Abstracts will not be published until after the grants are awarded. In addition, information about grant progress and results may also be made publicly available.
DOL recognizes that grant applications sometimes contain information that an applicant may consider proprietary or business confidential information, or may contain personally identifiable information. Proprietary or business confidential information is information that is not usually disclosed outside an organization and disclosing this information is likely to cause substantial competitive harm.
Personally identifiable information 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.1
Program Abstracts will be published in the form originally submitted, without any redactions. Applicants should not include any proprietary or confidential business information or personally identifiable information in this summary. In the event that an applicant submits proprietary or confidential business information or personally identifiable information, DOL is not liable for the posting of this information contained in the Program 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 Program Abstract. Additionally, the applicant is responsible for obtaining all authorizations from relevant parties for publishing all personally identifiable information contained within the Program Abstract. In the event the Program Abstract contains proprietary or confidential business or personally identifiable information, 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.
To ensure that proprietary or confidential business information or personally identifiable information is properly protected from disclosure when DOL posts the winning Technical Proposals, applicants who’s Technical Proposals will be posted, will be asked to submit a second redacted version of the Technical Proposal, with any proprietary or confidential business information and personally identifiable information 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 Technical Proposals will be published by letter or email, and provide further directions about how and when to submit the redacted version of the Technical Proposal.
Submission of a redacted version of the Technical Proposal will constitute permission by the applicant for DOL to make the redacted version publicly available. DOL will also assume that by submitting the redacted version of the Technical Proposal, 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 personally identifiable information is contained in the Technical Proposal. If an applicant fails to provide a redacted version of the Technical Proposal by the date requested in the instruction letter or email, DOL will publish the original Technical Proposal in full, after redacting only personally identifiable information. The application’s original version of the Technical Proposal will remain part of the complete application package, including an applicant’s proprietary and confidential business information and any personally identifiable information.
Applicants are encouraged to maximize the grant application information that will be publicly disclosed, and to exercise restraint and redact only information that clearly is proprietary, confidential commercial/business information, or capable of identifying a person. The redaction of entire pages or sections of the Technical Proposal 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 of 1974 (5 U.S.C. § 552a). If DOL receives a FOIA request for an application, the procedures in DOL’s FOIA regulations for responding to requests for commercial/business information submitted to the government will be followed, as well as all FOIA exemptions and procedures, 29 CFR § 70.26. Consequently, in response to a FOIA request the application of FOIA rules may result in the release of information that an applicant redacted in its redacted copy.
Applications that fail to satisfy the requirements stated below may be considered non-viable and not be given further consideration.
Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov as specified in Section VI.J.2. Applications not submitted electronically through Grants.gov will not be considered.
Applications must be submitted on or before 11:59 p.m., ET, on the due date as specified in Section VI.J.1. Applications that do not receive a date/time-stamp email indicating application submission was not submitted on or before 11:59 p.m., ET, on the due date, will be considered non-viable and will not be given further consideration.
Applications must be successfully validated by Grants.gov as specified in Section J.3. Applications that are not successfully validated by Grants.gov because the submission was not approved by the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR), or the organization does not have a current registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) at the time of application submission, will be considered non-viable and will not be given further consideration. Organizations new to SAM will need to allot an additional 14 days for registration in order to receive a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code through the Department of Defense’s Defense Logistics Agency.
Applications must provide current proof of nonprofit status as outlined in Section VI.I.5, with the exception of institutions of higher education. Applications that do not provide proof of nonprofit status may be considered non-viable and may not be given further consideration.
Applications must contain all of the required forms and documents identified in Section VI.C., Application Checklist. Applications that do not contain all of the required forms and documents may be considered non-viable and may not be given further consideration.
All grantees must comply with legal rules pertaining to inherently religious activities by organizations that receive federal financial assistance. The U.S. Government is generally prohibited from providing direct financial assistance for inherently religious activities. In this context, the term direct financial assistance means financial assistance that is provided directly by a government entity or an intermediate organization, as opposed to financial assistance that an organization receives as the result of the genuine and independent private choice of a beneficiary. In other contexts, the term “direct financial assistance” may be used to refer to financial assistance that an organization receives directly from the federal government (also known as “discretionary” assistance), as opposed to assistance that it receives from a state or local government (also known as “indirect” or “block” grant assistance). The term “direct” has the former meaning throughout this funding opportunity announcement.
The grantee may be a faith-based organization or work with and partner with religious institutions; however, “direct” federal assistance provided under grants with the U.S. DOL must not be used for religious instruction, worship, prayer, proselytizing or other inherently religious practices. 29 CFR Part 2, Subpart D governs the treatment in DOL government programs of religious organizations and religious activities; the grantee and any sub-contractors are expected to be aware of and observe the regulations in this subpart.
DOL may require that the program or project participate in an evaluation of overall performance of the Harwood grants and/or impacts on participants. Therefore, as a condition of award, the grantee is required to cooperate with any evaluation of the program DOL may undertake. This cooperation may include but is not limited to site visits, collection of programmatic administrative and performance data, and interviews with grant program personnel and program participants.
All information needed to apply for this funding opportunity is referenced as part of this announcement, and all forms are available on the Grants.gov Web site. Applicants must limit applications to one submittal per announcement. Therefore, organizations can only apply for either a Capacity Building Developmental or a Capacity Building Pilot grant. A different funding opportunity must be used to apply for a Targeted Topic Training or a Targeted Topic Training and Educational Materials Development grant.
An organization may operate only one Susan Harwood grant in any fiscal year, including a follow-on grant. A new proposal under this announcement will not be considered if a current grantee is awarded more than a three-month no-cost time extension on an active grant.
OSHA encourages the training of different workers each year. If an organization is awarded a grant for consecutive years to provide training on the same topic to a target population, the organization must show in its work plan a process to ensure that different workers will be trained, than received training in the previous years.
A grant application must be submitted electronically through the http://www.grants.gov Web site. To be considered responsive to this funding opportunity announcement, the application must contain all of the required information as outlined in Section V.C., Application Checklist. The application must be divided into clearly identified major sections and sub-sections. Forms are available through http://www.grants.gov and must be submitted electronically as a part of the grant application. Each Grants.gov application package has a cover sheet that contains instructions on how to open and use the forms in the application package. The Susan Harwood grant application package at http://www.grants.gov contains a menu of “Mandatory Documents” which must be completed and submitted online. The menu of “Mandatory Documents” can only be located after opening the grant package. A description of the application evaluation process is provided in Section VII.
All applicants for federal grants and funding opportunities are required to have a Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number, and must supply the DUNS number on the SF-424. The DUNS number is a nine-digit identification number that uniquely identifies business entities. To obtain a DUNS number, or access additional information, visit the Web site http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/.
Registration information with Grants.gov and System for Award Management (SAM) must be accurate and up-to-date prior to submitting an application. For applicants using Grants.gov for the first time, it is strongly recommended that the organization immediately follow steps to “Registering as an Organization” with Grants.gov at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html. The registration process generally takes between three to five business days but may be as long as four weeks if all steps are not completed in a timely manner. This process must be factored into the applicant’s plans for electronic application submission to avoid delays that could result in rejection of the application.
Instructions for registering with SAM can be found at https://www.sam.gov. 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, an applicant is required to review and update registration information at least every 12 months from the date of initial registration. Inaccurate or expired information could result in delays or rejection of the grant application. Organizations new to SAM will need to allot an additional 14 days for registration in order to receive a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code through the Department of Defense’s Defense Logistics Agency.
All application documents (application summaries, abstracts, technical proposals, etc.) must be submitted on 8 ½” x 11” white paper with one-inch margins, double-spaced in 12-point font format.
If an application exceeds the cited page limitation for double-spaced pages in the technical proposal, the extra pages will not be reviewed. In addition, if a technical proposal is single-spaced and/or one-and-a-half spaced (in whole or in part) the total number of these lines will be doubled. This adjustment may result in an increased total number of pages. The extra pages will not be reviewed. Only graphs and numerical tables as part of the technical proposal may be single-spaced.
Attachments should be submitted in the order specified in Section VI.C., Application Checklist. Please use the file naming nomenclature where indicated, and the checklist title if it is not indicated. File attachment names should be no longer than 50 characters to avoid submission and processing errors. Applicants are limited to using the following characters in all attachment file names: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, underscore (_), hyphen (-), parenthesis (()), curly brackets ({}), square brackets ([]), tilde (~), exclamation point (!), comma (,), dollar sign ($), percent sign (%), plus sign (+), equal sign (=), space, and period. While Grants.gov may accept more characters, DOL E-Grants may not accept characters other than what is listed above. Use the appropriate characters to ensure OSHA can view the file attachments.
Text documents, including the application summary, program abstract and technical proposal, should be submitted in Microsoft Office format. Forms, assurances, and certifications should be submitted in Adobe Reader (PDF) format. Files must not be locked or password protected.
Applicants may use the checklist below as a guide when preparing the application package. All required documents on the Application Checklist below must be submitted by the application due date and time specified in Section VI.J.1.
When applying for a grant, the application package must be downloaded; the forms within the application package must be completed and submitted in their entirety. Note: The forms found on the Grants.gov Forms tab are for information only and cannot be submitted with the grant application package. Grants.gov sample forms are located at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html.
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What to Submit |
Where Found |
How to Submit |
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SF-424 – Application for Federal Assistance |
Referenced in Section VI.D.1. and found at Grants.gov Forms Repository |
This is a required form. Complete in the downloaded application package at Grants.gov. |
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SF-424A – Budget Information – Non-Construction Programs
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Referenced in Section VI.D.2. and found at Grants.gov Forms Repository |
This is a required form. Complete in the downloaded application package at Grants.gov. Note: Allocated costs must match the detailed budget support narrative. |
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SF-424B – Assurances – Non-Construction Programs |
Referenced in Section VI.D.3. and found at Grants.gov Forms Repository |
This is a required form. Complete in the downloaded application package at Grants.gov. |
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Combined Assurance Form (ED 80-0013) |
Referenced in Section VI.D.4. and found at Grants.gov Forms Repository |
This is a required form. Complete in the downloaded application package at Grants.gov. |
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Project/Performance Site Location(s) |
Referenced in Section VI.D.5. and found at Grants.gov Forms Repository |
This is a required form. Complete in the downloaded application package at Grants.gov. |
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SF-LLL – Disclosure of Lobbying Activities |
Referenced in Section VI.D.6. and found at Grants.gov Forms Repository |
This form is required only when the applicant meets the requirements in the Combined Assurance Form. If required, complete in the downloaded application package at Grants.gov. |
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Application Summary |
Referenced in Section VI.E. of the announcement under “Application Summary.” |
The application summary is a required document created by the applicant and uploads it as an attachment to the grant application. |
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Program Abstract |
Referenced in Section VI.F. of the announcement under “Program Abstract.” |
The program abstract is a required document created by the applicant and uploads it as an attachment to the grant application. |
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Technical Proposal |
Referenced in Section VI.G. of the announcement under “Technical Proposal.” |
The technical proposal is a required document created by the applicant and uploads it as an attachment to the grant application |
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Organizational Chart |
Referenced in Section VI.G.2.i) of the announcement under “Organizational Chart.” |
An organizational chart is a required document created by the applicant and uploads it as an attachment to the grant application. |
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Detailed Project Budget |
Referenced in Section VI.I.2. of the announcement under “Detailed Project Budget.” |
The detailed project budget summary and narrative is a required document created by the applicant and uploads it as an attachment to the grant application. It must support the costs allocated on the SF-424A. |
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Indirect Cost Allocation Agreement |
Referenced in Section VI.I.3. of the announcement under “Indirect Cost Allocation Agreement.” |
An indirect cost allocation agreement is required when an applicant includes indirect charges to the budget. If required, a copy of the agreement must be uploaded as part of the grant application. |
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Evidence of Non-Profit Status |
Referenced in Section VI.I.5. of the announcement under “Evidence of Non-Profit Status.” |
Evidence of Non-Profit Status must be uploaded as an attachment to the grant application. Applicants must submit one of the documents specified in Section VI.I.5. as current evidence of non-profit status. This does not apply to state and local government-supported institutions of higher education. |
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Non-federal Resource Contribution |
Referenced in Section VI.I.4. of the announcement under “Non-federal Resource Contribution.” |
This document is required when the applicant includes non-federal resource contribution as part of the grant application. The applicant develops the non-federal resource contribution document and uploads it as an attachment to the grant application. |
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Other Attachments |
Referenced in Section VI.A. of the announcement under “Other Attachments.” |
Applicants may submit additional attachments that are not required as part of the grant application. Attachments may not exceed 20 pages. These documents may be uploaded as an attachment to the grant application. |
Applicants seeking financial assistance under this funding opportunity announcement must submit the first five forms listed and described below. The sixth form, which relates to the disclosure of lobbying activities, may also be required as described below. All of the following forms are part of the Grants.gov application package:
SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance;
SF-424A Budget Information – Non-Construction Programs;
SF-424B Assurances – Non-Construction Programs;
Combined Assurances Form (ED-80-0013);
Project/Performance Site Location; and
SF-LLL – Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.
The SF-424 Application for Federal assistance must clearly identify the applicant and must be signed by the individual with the authority to enter into the grant agreement. The government may elect to award the grant(s) with or without negotiations with the applicant. Should a grant be awarded without negotiations, 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. As stated in block 21 of the SF-424 Form, signature of the Authorized Representative on the SF-424 certifies to the statements contained in the certifications, the required assurances are provided, and the organization agrees to comply with any resulting terms if an award is accepted.
The budget must provide information on the 12-month project performance period, allocated into the itemized cost categories and shown as either a program or administrative cost (described in Appendix A.)
Electronic signature on the Grants.gov application provides assurances to comply with federal laws, executive orders, regulations, and policies governing this program.
This form covers the lobbying certificate as required by 31 U.S.C. § 1352, and implemented at 34 CFR Part 82, for persons entering into a grant or cooperative agreement over $100,000, as defined at 34 CFR Part 82, Sections 82.105 and 82.110; the debarment, suspension and other responsibility matters certification as required by Executive Order 12549, Debarment and Suspension, and implemented at 34 CFR Part 85, for prospective participants in primary covered transactions, as defined at 34 CFR Part 85, Sections 85.105 and 85.110; and drug-free workplace certification as required by the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988, and implemented at 34 CFR Part 85, Subpart F, for grantees, as defined at 34 CFR Part 85, Sections 85.605 and 85.610.
Applicants should include as many site locations as known at the time of application. Please note that this standard form is used for many programs and has a check box for applying as an individual. Disregard this box since individuals are not eligible to apply to this announcement.
The Application Summary must be submitted electronically in Grants.gov and may not exceed two double-spaced typed pages on 8 ½” x 11” white paper with one-inch margins, 12-point font in Microsoft Office format. Files may not be locked or password protected. The file name of the document should mimic the following nomenclature:
Organization Name Application Summary.doc
Organization Name Application Summary.docx
The Application Summary must include the following sections:
Applicant organization’s full legal name as listed on the Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) in Section 8a.
Project Director’s name, title, street address for overnight delivery service, and mailing address if it is different from the street address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address. The Project Director is the person who will be responsible for the day-to-day operation and administration of the program. Note: The Project Director’s name must be the same name listed on the Application for Federal Assistance Form (SF-424) in Section 8f: name and contact information of person to be contacted on matters involving this application.
Authorized Representative/Certifying Representative’s name, title, street address for overnight delivery service, and mailing address if it is different from the street address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address. An Authorized Representative/Certifying Representative is the official in the organization authorized to enter into grant agreements. Note: The Authorized Representative/Certifying Representative’s name must be the same name listed on the Application for Federal Assistance Form (SF-424) in Section 21 for Authorized Representative.
Financial Certifying Representative’s name, title, street address for overnight delivery service, mailing address if it is different from the street address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address. The Financial Certifying Representative will be authorized by the organization to submit and sign off on the Federal Financial Report Form (SF-425), which is submitted quarterly during the grant period, as per Section VI.G.4.b)(7)(b)(ii).
Funding Amount. List the amount of federal funding being requested to perform work plan and administrative activities for the 12-month project performance period. Section III. describes the maximum funding limits. If the organization is contributing non-federal resources, list the amount and source of non-federal funds. These amounts should be consistent with the amounts listed on the Application for Federal Assistance Form (SF-424) Section 18.
Grant Category. All applicants must indicate the grant category (Section II.B.) for which the organization is applying: Capacity Building Developmental or Capacity Building Pilot. Capacity Building Developmental applicants must state the number of years the organization expects it will take to complete the capacity building activities.
Grant Topic. List occupational safety and health training topic(s) to be addressed by this year’s grant. Additional topics may be listed for possible future follow-on grants, indicating the year the expected topic will be addressed.
Target Audience. Identify the target audience(s) to be served, as listed in Section II.C.
Affiliations. Please list the organization’s relationship to a parent organization, if applicable, and any affiliations with other organizations that are included in the application.
Congressional Districts. Please include the Congressional District in which the organization resides. If possible, please include those in which training is proposed and/or materials will be disseminated. The Congressional Districts must be the same as those listed on the Application for Federal Assistance Forms (SF-424) in Section 16 for Congressional Districts.
Provide a brief abstract of the proposed grant. The Program Abstract must be submitted electronically in Grants.gov and may not exceed one double-spaced typed page using 8 ½” x 11” white paper with one-inch margins, 12-point font in Microsoft Office format. Files may not be locked or password protected. The file name of the document should mimic one of the following nomenclature:
Organization Name Program Abstract.doc
Organization Name Program Abstract.docx
The abstract should include the organization’s name, grant category, target audience, proposed occupational safety and health training topic(s), key grant activities, and geographical areas that will be impacted.
The Technical Proposal must be submitted electronically in Grants.gov and may not exceed twenty double-spaced typed pages using 8 ½” x 11” white paper with one-inch margins, 12-point font in Microsoft Office format. Files may not be locked or password protected. The file name of the document should mimic the fo the following nomenclature:
Organization Name Technical Proposal.doc
Organization Name Technical Proposal.docx
The technical proposal must address each section listed below as it applies to the applicants grant category.
A problem statement, including the need for funding, should be included in each grant application. Clearly describe the following in the problem statement.
Please identify the grant category for which the organization is applying: Capacity Building Developmental or Capacity Building Pilot.
Describe the occupational safety and health hazards to be addressed during FY 2016, and if applicable, for each follow-on year. Applicants should pick occupational safety and health topics or industries that relate to the needs of the identified target audience and describe the impact. Applications that address multiple target audiences (Section II.C.) in a high hazard or high fatality occupation may receive special consideration.
In addition to the occupational safety and health training topics, all trainings must include information regarding employer responsibilities and worker rights under OSHA law, including the right to raise health and safety concerns, file a complaint free from retaliation. All applicants must provide training on the anti-retaliation provisions under Section 11(c) of the OSH Act, including employee rights and employer responsibilities, additional whistleblower laws enforced by OSHA as applicable, and whistleblower complaint procedures (including required time constraints).
Applicants should include a brief statement about the capacity their organization plan to develop during the 12-month performance period. Include how many years of funding will be needed to fully develop and establish capacity, the amount of funding needed each year, and plans to continue the activities after the grant ends. Include how the organization plans to financially support the capacity built during prior grants as grant funds decline and end.
Describe the types of training and educational materials to be developed and/or obtained. The statement should address how the proposed training and educational materials fill an unmet need and have a broad applicability. Applicants should not propose the development of training or educational materials that duplicate existing material. A detailed description of the training materials, including training objectives, training topics, and source of training materials (if obtaining) should be included as part of Section VI.G.4.b)(3). Existing Susan Harwood training materials can be accessed at: http://www.osha.gov/dte/grant_materials/index.html. Materials feature various topics and languages, and include items such as PowerPoint presentations, instructor guides, student manuals, student exercises, and tests.
Briefly describe the organization’s functions and activities. Relate this description of functions to the organizational chart included in the application, as discussed below.
The applicant must describe its current organization and experience with the target audience.
Describe the occupational safety and health experience of the organization. Organizations, including community- and faith-based organizations, that do not have prior experience in safety and health may partner with an established safety and health organization to demonstrate safety and health expertise.
If the organization is conducting, or has conducted any other government (federal, state, or local) grant programs, within the last five years, include an attachment listing information on previous grants including the organization for which the work was done, and the dollar value of the grant. If the organization has no previous grant experience, it may partner with an organization that has grant experience to manage the grant. If this approach is used, the management organization must be identified and its grant program experience discussed. While grant experience is not required for application submission, it is highly desirable. If the applicant is a prior Susan Harwood grant awardee, special consideration will be given to those past grant awardees that completed the work plans in a satisfactory and timely manner.
Describe the organization’s current relationships with the target audience. Show how the distribution network will be used to disseminate materials and/or provide training to the target audience. If the organization has no relationships with the target audience, describe how those relationships will be developed. Please note the Recruiting plan should be described under Section VI.G.4.b)(4).
Describe the experience of the organization in conducting needs assessments for training activities. Include a brief description on how the assessment was conducted.
Describe the organization’s experience conducting the proposed type of program. Include program specifics such as program titles, the type(s) of training materials developed, the number of trainee contact hours provided, and the numbers trained. Experience includes safety and health experience, training experience with adults or young workers, and programs operated specifically for the selected target population(s).
Describe the organization’s experience conducting evaluations of training activities and the levels of training evaluations conducted as it relates to the evaluations described in Section VI.G.4.b)(6).
The applicant organization must demonstrate it has sufficient financial management processes and internal control systems. Describe the organization’s financial management process and internal systems of control.
The applicant must include an organizational chart of the staff that will be working on the grant and their positions within the applicant organization.
Describe the occupational safety and health qualifications and relevant project experience of the professional staff as it pertains to the work activities proposed in the application, including resumes. If some positions are vacant or being proposed, include position descriptions and/or minimum hiring qualifications instead of resumes.
Describe the experience the project staff has in training and/or developing materials for adult learners within the proposed target population.
Develop a 12-month work plan that is broken out by federal calendar year quarters as shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Federal Quarters
Federal Quarter |
Activity Period |
Projected Number Trainees |
Projected Contact Hours |
Quarter 1 |
October 1 to December 31 |
|
|
Quarter 2 |
January 1 to March 31 |
|
|
Quarter 3 |
April 1 to June 30 |
|
|
Quarter 4 |
July 1 to September 30 |
|
|
Specific items required in the work plan are outlined below.
The work plan must describe the plan for grant activities and the anticipated outcomes for the 12-month project period. The overall work plan must describe planned project components, such as the needs assessment, development of training materials or the plan to use existing training materials, the training content, the number of trainees and the number of contact hours per trainee for each training program being proposed, recruiting of trainees, where or how training will take place, and the anticipated benefits to workers and/or employers receiving the training. Also, describe planned activities relating to conducting Level 1, 2, and 3 training evaluations and capacity building activities.
Applicants should describe what Organizational capacity building activities will be conducted during the 12-month performance period. The plan should include how the organization plans to assess its progress in accomplishing the grant work activities and goals (planned vs. actual), and who in the organization will be responsible for taking corrective action.
Needs Assessments are conducted to identify safety and health hazards encountered on-the-job by the target audience, identify the training currently received by the target audience, and propose training and related services that will meet the target audience’s needs. The applicant should describe how it will conduct the needs assessment by identifying the safety and health hazards to which the target audience is currently exposed, collecting training information on training which the target audience has received, analyzing the data to determine current training gaps, and proposing training that will be developed under the grant.
Applicants should not propose the development of training or educational materials that duplicate existing training materials. OSHA posts training materials developed by previous grantees on its public Web site at http://www.osha.gov/dte/grant_materials/index.html. These materials feature various topics and languages, and include items such as PowerPoint presentations, instructor guides, student manuals, student exercises and tests.
If the development and production of training and educational materials are proposed, describe all training and educational materials to be produced. Describe how the proposed training and educational materials will fill unmet needs as well as have a broad applicability. Provide a timetable for developing and producing the materials.
Grantees are expected to follow the guidance provided in the OSHA publication entitled “Best Practices for the Development, Delivery, and Evaluation of Harwood Training Grants” [OSHA 3686-09 2010]. The document addresses needs assessments, proven adult learning techniques, effective models for worker training, and training evaluation documentation. A copy of the publication can be downloaded at http://www.osha.gov/dte/sharwood/best-practices.html.
Grantees must follow all copyright laws and provide written certification that all materials used are free from copyright infringements.
All applicants that develop training and educational materials are expected to submit classroom quality products that follow the commonly accepted Instructional Systems Design (ISD) process that OSHA has adopted as a quality measure for all of its education and training products. The five ISD steps are: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. Provide a timetable for developing, evaluating, validating and producing the material. Validation should include at least one training session for content feedback and content revision. More information on the ISD process can be found http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/sat.html.
Applicants may revise existing Susan Harwood grant materials or obtain training materials from a third party. Obtained materials should have been developed under commonly accepted instructional design processes, and be free from copyright infringements. Existing Susan Harwood grant materials are found at http://www.osha.gov/dte/grant_materials/index.html.
The training materials must address the recognition, abatement, and prevention of safety and health hazards. Training materials (obtained or developed) must include information regarding worker rights under OSHA law, including the right to file a complaint free from discrimination and the elements for a valid complaint. If an organization plans to develop training materials for training workers or employers in any of the 27 states operating OSHA-approved State Plans, state OSHA requirements for that state must be included in the training materials.
The training materials must include information on the whistleblower protection provisions that OSHA administers under Section 11(c) of the OSH Act. Training materials should cover employer and employee rights and responsibilities, whistleblower laws enforced by OSHA, and OSHA’s Complaint Investigation Procedures. See http://www.whistleblowers.gov/ for additional information.
Organizations proposing to develop materials and/or deliver training in languages other than English must provide an English version of the materials. The English version of the materials must be approved by OSHA prior to translation. Organizations proposing to develop Spanish-language training materials must utilize the OSHA Dictionaries (English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English) for terminology.
The dictionaries are available on the OSHA Web site at http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/compliance_assistance/spanish_dictionaries.html.
All training materials must be reviewed and approved (e.g., promotional flyers, advertising, training materials, evaluation instruments) for technical accuracy and suitability of content before the materials may be used. Therefore, the timetable must include provisions for an OSHA review of both draft and final products. Allow two to three weeks for an OSHA review of draft materials. Any changes to the training and educational materials, at any time during the grant period, must be reviewed and approved by OSHA before use.
All training and educational materials developed or used by grantees will be required to be updated to reflect any changes to OSHA standards and policies that occur during the performance period. This includes any materials that may have been previously approved by OSHA.
Any training materials created under a prior-year grant and subsequently updated must be reviewed and approved by OSHA (all changes to the materials should be highlighted). Any changes to the training and educational materials, at any time during the grant period, must be reviewed and approved by OSHA before use. If no changes to OSHA standards or policies occurred since the educational materials were last approved by OSHA, and no other changes were made by the grantee, the materials do not need to be reviewed.
Two (2) electronic and two (2) hard copies of the materials are to be submitted to OSHA prior to or along with the closeout report. Electronic copies should be submitted per the Grant-Funded Material Submittal Procedures outlined in Appendix B.
Grant recipients will be required to post all final training materials on its Web site in a free downloadable format for three years. Electronic copies provided to OSHA should include a copy of what will be posted on the grantees’ Web sites, including videos. Grantees must provide OSHA with the URL addresses of all final materials posted. OSHA may list the grantees’ URL addresses to access these materials or directly link to the materials on the grantees’ Web sites from the OSHA Web site.
Any applicant proposing online training or posting materials on the Web must produce training materials that are compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended http://www.section508.gov/Section-508-Of-The-Rehabilitation-Act. Specific compliance checklists can be found at http://www.hhs.gov/web/508/checklists/index.html.
In all circumstances, all approved grant-funded materials developed by a grantee shall contain the following disclaimer:
This material was produced under grant number _____________ from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
Applicants using previously approved Susan Harwood training materials should retain the original grant number in the disclaimer. If revisions are made to the materials, OSHA must approve the revisions. Once OSHA approves the revisions, the applicant may add a sentence after the disclaimer stating that the materials were revised under the applicant’s grant number.
The recruiting plan should include what methods the applicant plans to utilize to recruit workers from the targeted audience for the proposed training. Past success in reaching the target audience as well as any plans to work with other organizations during the recruiting efforts should be described in detail. All materials developed for recruiting must be reviewed and approved by OSHA.
When describing the proposed occupational safety and health training, include the topics to be taught, the projected number of trainees, and the number of contact hours per trainee for each proposed training course, the proposed training sites (classroom, worksites), and geographical locations.
The specific methodology for projecting trainee numbers must be described.
OSHA encourages the training of different workers each year. If an organization is awarded a grant for consecutive years to provide training on the same topic to a target population, the organization must show in its work plan a process to ensure that different workers will be trained, than received training in the previous years.
The cost per trainee must be less than $500 and the cost per training hour must not exceed $125. Estimates for cost per trainee and cost per training hour should be clearly identified in the grant application. Calculations should be based on the total projected number trained and total contact hours as presented in the applicant’s work plan (Section VI.G.4.b)(5)(g)). Note: This restriction does not apply to Capacity Building Pilot grants. Please use the following formulas to calculate these costs.
Cost per trainee = total grant cost (include federal and non-federal) / the total projected number trained
Cost per training hour = total grant cost (include federal and non-federal) / the total projected number of contact hours for all training
Training must include training on the required training and educational material content as indicated in Section VI.(G)(4)(3)(c).
The Susan Harwood Training Grant Program’s primary focus is worker-level training. Training should be designed as a minimum of 1/2 hour and a maximum of 7 1/2 contact hours per day, for every day of training.
Contact hours include instructor-led contact minutes used to train on the training learning objectives. Instructor lead minutes used for administrative activities such as presenting training certificates cannot be counted toward the contact hours. Break time and lunchtime cannot be counted toward contact hours.
Training should be limited to eligible trainees. Only eligible trainees may be counted toward the training numbers and contact hours under this award. Eligible trainees are those workers that are currently covered under the OSH Act of 1970, SEC. 4, codified at 29 U.S.C. 653.
OSH Act of 1970, SEC. 4. Applicability of This Act |
(a) This Act shall apply with respect to employment performed in a workplace in a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Wake Island, Outer Continental Shelf Lands defined in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, Johnston Island, and the Canal Zone. The Secretary of the Interior shall, by regulation, provide for judicial enforcement of this Act by the courts established for areas in which there are no United States district courts having jurisdiction. |
(b) (1) Nothing in this Act shall apply to working conditions of employees with respect to which other Federal agencies, and State agencies acting under section 274 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2021), exercise statutory authority to prescribe or enforce standards or regulations affecting occupational safety or health. |
In addition, currently unemployed persons that plan to return to or are about to enter the workforce in a position that is covered by the OSH Act may be trained. Some state and local governments are not covered under the OSH Act.
To facilitate participatory learning, the recommended class size is from 10 to 30 trainees. The recommended minimum and maximum limits are from 3 to 40 trainees per training.
All training should be participatory in nature and actively involve workers in the training. Specific details on how participatory learning will be achieved should be included. Applicants are encouraged to use the methods described in OSHA’s document entitled “Best Practices for the Development, Delivery, and Evaluation of Susan Harwood Training Grants” [OSHA 3686-09 2010]. A copy of the publication may be downloaded at http://www.osha.gov/dte/sharwood/best-practices.html.
Train-the-trainer training may be proposed under this grant announcement, but is not required. As a train-the-trainer component may lead to wider distribution of the training, the applicant will receive additional consideration for inclusion of a train-the-trainer component. To ensure that training provided to trainers is subsequently used to train workers (second tier training), a plan to conduct second tier training directly to workers must be included as outlined below.
Only one level of train-the-trainer training may be proposed. In other words, the trainers trained as part of these grant activities can only train workers (second tier training); not additional levels of trainers.
If the proposal contains a train-the-trainer component, the following information must be provided:
Specify the type of ongoing support the grantee will provide to new trainers.
Specify the worker population that the new trainers will train.
If the newly trained trainers will provide training to workers under the work plan for this grant period, estimate the number of courses to be conducted for workers by the new trainers during the grant period.
The applicant must include a description of how the organization will obtain data, via a reporting system, from the new trainers to document the second tier training during the grant period. The description should include a system whereby training documentation (sign-in sheets, training agenda, course evaluations, etc.) and trainee numbers are submitted to the applying organization within a short time after the completed training.
All the above information must be included in the application for the train-the-trainer component to be evaluated.
Describe the training to be conducted and quantify the projected total number trained and projected total contact hours. Include the following items:
Describe the target audience(s) (Section II.C.) for each proposed type of training.
Identify the type(s) of training that will be conducted: worker, train-the-trainer, or employer.
Describe how each type of training will reach multiple employers and/or their workers.
Indicate the projected number trained (workers and/or employers) per type of training and target audience (Section II.C.).
Indicate the number of contact hours for each type of training (workers, train-the-trainer, and/or employer) and target audience (Section II.C.). Training contact hours are defined in Section VI.G.4.b)(5)(c). See Table 2 as an example.
Substantiate the methodology used to develop the projections for total number trained and total contact hours for each type of training (train-the-trainer, worker, or employer).
Table 2. Example of Total Number Trained and Contact Hour Projections
Audience |
Type of Training |
Length of training (contact hours) |
Projected Number Trained |
Total Contact hours per training* |
Temporary Worker |
Worker |
4 |
500 |
2,000 |
Hard-to-Reach Worker Limited English Proficiency/ Low-Literacy |
Worker |
2 |
300 |
600 |
Hard-to-Reach Worker Limited English Proficiency/ Low-Literacy |
Train-the Trainer |
8 |
10 |
80 |
Small Business |
Employer |
5 |
30 |
150 |
Total |
|
|
840 |
2,830 |
*Total contact hours per training = (length of training x projected number trained)
Constitution Day and Citizenship Day is required of educational institutions only. These activities should be addressed in the work plan. Section 111 of Division J of Public Law 108-447, the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005,” December 8, 2004; 118 Stat. 2809, 3344-45, requires “educational institutions” that receive federal funds to hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17 (“Constitution Day and Citizenship Day”) of each fiscal year for which the institution receives funds. The Office of Personnel Management has placed relevant materials on its Web site at the following address: http://archive.opm.gov/constitution_initiative/. The U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Register Notice of the Implementation of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day on September 17 of Each Year, published on May 24, 2005, can be found at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2005-05-24/pdf/05-10355.pdf. Please note that this Web site primarily addresses educational institutions that receive funds from the U.S. Department of Education. However, it also discusses other materials that may be helpful.
Varying levels of evaluations must be conducted based on the grant category, as identified in Table 3 below.
Table 3. Types of Evaluations Required, per Grant Category
Evaluations |
Capacity Building - Developmental |
Capacity Building - Pilot |
Level 1 |
yes |
yes |
Level 2 |
yes |
yes |
Level 3 |
yes |
no |
Capacity Building Developmental grantees shall perform Level 1, 2, and 3 evaluations. Capacity Building Pilot grantees shall perform only Level 1 and 2 evaluations. Additional guidance on developing and implementing evaluations, and reporting evaluation results will be provided at the Orientation Meeting. The types of required training evaluations are described below.
Level 1 – Training Session Reaction Evaluation
Training session reaction evaluations measure how trainees in a training session react to the training including trainees’ perceptions of the quality and usefulness of the training. The results should be used for the improvement of the training program. This assessment can be accomplished through trainee satisfaction surveys, in written or oral format, regarding both the relevancy of the information taught and the teaching style of the instructor. This type of evaluation should be conducted for all training.
Level 2 – Learning Evaluation
Learning evaluations measure the skills, knowledge, or attitude that the trainee retains because of the training. This evaluation could be accomplished for example through pre- and post-assessments, in written or oral format, administered in the training. Alternatively, trainees could be required to perform a new task or complete interactive activities that were taught during the training and the result assessed. This type of evaluation should be conducted for all training.
Level 3 – Training Impact Evaluation
Training impact evaluations gauge the effect of the training on workers’ ability to participate in safety and health activities in the workplace. Grantees should specify at least one measure that is closely linked to the expected outcomes of the planned activities.
Training impact evaluations are typically conducted three to six months after the training and could be conducted by written/electronic surveys or by focus groups. Training impact evaluations may be conducted in less time if the training was relatively short in duration and there is a knowledge retention concern.
Grantees should conduct training impact evaluations, regardless of the length of training. This assessment could be accomplished for example by phone, in person, through a focus group, or by survey, in written or oral format.
Examples of such measures could include but are not limited to:
increases in workers’ involvement in workplace safety
increases in the number of hazards reported
increases in the number of workers participating on safety committees
increases in the number of reported accident near misses
positive impacts of training activities on work practices
In addition to the evaluation activities grantees will conduct, the Department of Labor may conduct a separate evaluation of the impacts of training. In accepting grant funding under this program, grantees agree to fully cooperate with and provide any data needed by federally-sponsored evaluation(s) of the training.
Reporting and documentation will be required of grant awardees and as such should be included in the proposed grant activities and accompanying budget. Additional information on the reporting requirements can be found in Administering OSHA Discretionary Grant Programs (TED 03-00-002)
http://www.osha.gov/dte/sharwood/grant_requirements.html.
Orientation Meeting
A mandatory two-day grantee orientation meeting will be conducted in Washington, D.C. All grantees should budget for two staff members, one program and one financial, to attend this meeting.
Grantee Exchange
Following the mandatory two-day grantee orientation meeting, a Grantee Exchange will be open to the awardee program representatives. The program representatives may attend the Grantee Exchange, and the awardees may send a trainer to attend the Grantee Exchange only. The financial representatives are not expected to attend the Grantee Exchange. These meetings are considered administrative and costs should be allocated in the budget accordingly.
Program Reports
The grantee is required to submit a quarterly progress report to their OSHA Regional Office within 30 days following the end of each fiscal quarter. The report includes a completed OSHA Form 171 Progress Report and an accompanying narrative of all grant activities conducted during the quarter.
OSHA Form 171 is a one page fillable spreadsheet used to document training sessions. Conferences do not count as training sessions. Training sessions for the same group of trainees that are conducted on more than one day may not to be reported until the training is completed. Reminder for grants with multiple topics, a student may be counted towards the training numbers only once after they have completed the course of multiple topics. Students may not be counted under each separate topic. Sessions are to be reported in the quarter in which they end. A separate OSHA Form 171 is required to be submitted for each type (or tier) of training conducted in a quarter.
Each quarterly progress report should contain information on all work performed during the quarter. The evaluation of work plan activities is required to evaluate the progress made on work plan activities and to assess how well program activity goals are being met. It involves collecting, analyzing, and using information to determine whether program benchmarks for the quarter were attained and to point out unanticipated developments.
The Progress Report Narrative should address the following areas:
An evaluation of progress towards meeting the quarter’s work plan activities, identifying successes, challenges, and if needed present a plans to rectify deficiencies in achieving the work plan goals
Needs assessment
Training materials development
Recruiting activities
Training conducted
Training evaluation summary presented as an aggregate for the type of training conducted and the type of evaluation completed during the quarter
Technical assistance activities, as applicable
Continuous program activity progress monitoring is recommended. Describe the plan to evaluate the progress in accomplishing grant work activities listed in the application including comparing planned vs. actual accomplishments. Discuss who in the organization is responsible for taking corrective action if plans are not being met.
Training program evaluation (Level 1, 2, and 3) activities shall include a description of the current status of instructor effectiveness (Level1), trainee retention of knowledge and skills (Level2), and positive impacts of training activities on work practices, workplace safety and health conditions, overall worker protection from on the job hazards, and long-term impacts of the training (Level3). Results of evaluations could include survey results or notable achievements. To the extent possible, such evaluations shall include quantitative as well as qualitative results.
Financial Reports
A grantee is required to submit an electronic quarterly financial report through DOL E-Grants within 30 days following the end of each fiscal quarter (December 31, March 31, June 30, or September 30). The Standard Form (SF-425), Federal Financial Reports (FFR) are due within 30 days of the end of the reporting period are not later than January 30, April 30, July 30, and October 30.
Program Closeout Report
A program closeout report is required to be submitted within 90-days of the end of the grant performance period. The cumulative report must summarize all activities conducted under the grant, explain how these activities enabled the grantee to accomplish the goals of the grant, discuss successes and problems encountered, and provide the results of the evaluations. Results and findings from Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 evaluations must be summarized in the annual closeout report. Results of evaluations could include survey results or notable achievements. Only activities that occurred during the performance year may be reported. Further guidance for preparing a program closeout report will be provided after receipt of a grant award.
As part of the program closeout report, all applicants are required to include the following:
A written self-certification that the grant-funded programs and materials were not provided to ineligible audiences
A written self-certification that any materials developed with grant funds are free from copyright infringements
Financial Closeout Report
A financial closeout report, SF-425, shall be submitted electronically through DOL E-Grants no later than 90 days following completion of the grant period. For the grant ending on September 30, 2017, the electronic closeout report must be submitted no later than December 29, 2017.
Additional documentation of grant activities may be requested throughout the grant cycle. Requests may include, but are not limited to training sign-in sheets and training evaluation results, including tier 2 training by the train-the-trainers. Grantees are required to respond to the requests within the time schedule established as part of the request.
For training and other quantifiable activities, estimate how many activities (number of advisory committee meetings, classes to be conducted, workers and/or employers to be trained (select one number, not a range of numbers, e.g. 500 rather than 300 – 600), trainee training contact hours to be provided, evaluation activities, unique Web site hits for training materials, etc.) will be accomplished each quarter of the grant (grant quarters match calendar quarters, i.e., January to March, April to June). Quarterly projections should include all activities related to developing, evaluating, validating, translating newly developed training materials, or researching and identifying existing training materials to be used. Provide the work plan activity totals for the grant year and substantiate the methodology used to develop the projections.
Grantees are accountable for accomplishing the activities listed in the work plans and meeting quarterly projections. Any deviations from the work plan must be discussed with OSHA. Quarterly projections are used to measure actual performance against the work plan and are reported to the Secretary of Labor at the end of each quarter. Organizations selected for funding may be asked to establish monthly milestones and submit them to the Regional Office.
If the work plan includes a train-the-trainer program, estimate the number of individuals to be trained during the grant period in second tier training by those who received the train-the-trainer training (select one number, not a range of numbers, e.g. 500 rather than 300 – 600), and estimate the planned trainee training contact hours. To count second tier training numbers, the organization must formally follow-up with the trainers during the grant project performance period to obtain the training documentation records.
Attachments to the application include other relevant organizational experiences, information on prior government grants, resumes of key personnel and/or position descriptions, and signed letters of commitment to the project. Limit the number of attachments to essential documents only, with a maximum of 20 pages. Budget information, as required in the following section, does not count toward the attachment page total. Acceptable formats for document attachments submitted as a part of a Grants.gov grant application include Microsoft Office, or Adobe Reader (PDF) format.
Applicants must include the following required grant project budget information.
The budget must provide information on the 12-month project performance period, allocated into the itemized cost categories and shown as either a program or administrative cost (described in Appendix A.)
A Detailed Project Budget Support and Narrative must clearly detail the costs of performing all of the requirements of this funding opportunity announcement. The detailed project budget must support the costs shown on the SF‑424A, Budget Information Form and support the break out the costs for the 12-month project performance period. Applicants should plan for a funding level based on funds needed to perform work plan and administrative activities for the 12-month project performance period. If training or professional development for staff is proposed, the detailed project budget must explain the purpose of the planned training. Only staff or professional development trainings taken expressly for the purpose of providing Harwood training to workers is allowable, as outlined in Section VI.I.6.b.). Applicants should not submit proposals that exceed the maximum funding levels per grant categories as specified in Section III.
The Detailed Project Budget Support and Narrative must break out administrative costs separately from programmatic costs for both federal and non-federal funds. Administrative costs include the direct costs of personnel who support the management and administration of the project, but do not provide direct services to the program (e.g., Authorizing and Financial Representative, administrative assistants). Travel costs to attend the OSHA required meetings, supplies and materials needed to complete administrative tasks, and costs to meet the reporting and closeout requirements as described in Section VI.G.4.b)(7)(c) are also administrative costs. Indirect costs are additional administrative costs that are allocated from a cost pool that has been approved by a federal cognizant agency and supported with a copy of a current approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement. Total administrative costs cannot exceed 25% of the total grant budget (federal and non-federal funding). Examples of administrative and program costs are identified in Appendix A, Administrative and Program Cost Information. The project budget narrative should clearly demonstrate the total amount and distribution of funds is sufficient to cover the cost of all major project activities (Section VI.G.4.) identified by the applicant in its proposal, and must comply with federal cost principles that can be found in the Uniform Guidance, 2 CFR 200 and 2 CFR 2900.
Applicants are reminded to budget for compliance with the administrative requirements set forth. Copies of all regulations that are referenced in this funding opportunity announcement are available online at no cost at https://www.osha.gov/dte/sharwood/grant_requirements.html. This may also include activities such as a financial audit, project closeout costs, document preparation (e.g., quarterly progress reports, project documents), and ensuring compliance with procurement and property standards.
Capacity Building Developmental applicants must also include a summary of grant funds requested for each year beyond the initial 12-month project performance period.
If indirect costs are included as part of the program budget, a current Indirect Cost Rate Agreement approved by a federal cognizant agency must be included with the application. If the organization does not have a current approved agreement, indirect cost may be estimated on the application. If the organization is awarded a grant, proof of an approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement must be provided. If an effective Indirect Cost Rate Agreement cannot be obtained, indirect costs will not be allowed as a program cost. Indirect costs shall be included under the Administration section of the budget.
Additional consideration will be given to applicants proposing to include non-federal resource contribution as part of the grant application.
Provide a description of any voluntary non-federal resource contributions to be provided by the applicant, including source of funds, estimated amount, and use of funds consistent with the goals and objectives of the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program. Non-federal resource contributions must meet the same criteria for allowability as other costs incurred and paid with federal funds.
All applicants must be a non-profit organization at the time of application submission and include current evidence of non-profit status from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or state. An applicant can show it is a nonprofit organization through any of the following means:
Proof that the Internal Revenue Service currently recognizes the applicant as tax exempt under the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3);
A statement from a State taxing body or the State Secretary of State certifying that:
The organization is a nonprofit organization operating within the State; and
No part of its net earnings may lawfully benefit any private shareholder or individual;
A certified copy of the applicant’s certificate of incorporation or similar document that clearly establishes the nonprofit status of the applicant; or
Any item described in paragraphs (1) through (3) of this section, if that item applies to a State or national parent organization, together with a statement by the State or national parent organization that the applicant is a local nonprofit affiliate of the organization.
Indian tribes and other tribal organizations can submit equivalent documentation to show evidence of non-profit status. This does not apply to state and local government-supported institutions of higher education.
Grant funds may be spent on the following:
Conducting a needs assessment
Developing and/or purchasing training and educational materials for use in training
Conducting training
Conducting other activities that reach and inform workers and/or employers about workplace occupational safety and health hazards and hazard abatement
Conducting outreach and recruiting activities to increase the number of workers and/or employers participating in the program
b). Funding Restrictions
Under the terms of the grant agreement, grant funds may not be used for the following activities
Any activity that is inconsistent with the goals and objectives of the OSH Act of 1970.
Activities for the benefit of state and local government employees unless the employees have occupational safety and health responsibilities, examples of such responsibilities include: occupational safety and health training; safety and health program management; membership on an employer, union or joint safety and health committee; and responsibilities for abatement of unsafe and unhealthful working conditions
Program activities predominately involving self-employed workers or workplaces that are largely precluded from enforcement action by OSHA under section 4(b)(1) of the Act, codified at 29 U.S.C. 653(b)(1)
Training on topics that do not cover the recognition and prevention of unsafe or unhealthy working conditions, examples of unallowable costs include workers’ compensation, first aid, and publication of materials prejudicial to labor or management
Assisting workers in arbitration cases or other actions against employers, or assisting workers and/or employers in the prosecution of claims against federal, state or local governments
Duplicating services offered by OSHA, a state under an OSHA-approved State Plan, or consultation programs provided by state designated agencies under section 21(d) of the OSH Act, codified at 29 U.S.C. 670(d)(1)
Conducting any of the OSHA Outreach Training Program courses
Conducting courses that are presented by the OSHA Training Institute or its OSHA Training Institute Education Centers
Providing staff development training to grantee employees or contractors unless it is expressly for the purpose of providing Harwood training to workers
Conducting or providing training through any pre-existing, proprietary, or industry training or certification programs
Generating membership in the grantee’s and/or partner’s organization including activities to acquaint nonmembers with the benefits of membership, inclusion of membership appeals in materials produced with grant funds, and membership drives
Reimbursing the cost of lost-time wages paid to trainees while attending grant-funded training
Providing any compensation or stipends to trainees prior to, during, or after attending grant-funded training for any grant related activities
Providing food and beverages
Exceeding 25% of the total grant budget for direct and indirect administrative costs
Duplicating services of other federal and/or state agencies
Proposing training required by other federal and/or state agencies
While the activities described above may be part of an organization’s regular programs, the costs of these activities cannot be paid for by grant funds, whether the funds are from non-federal matching resources or from the federally funded portion of the grant.
All proposed costs must be necessary, reasonable, and in accordance with federal guidelines. Determinations of allowable costs will be made in accordance with the Cost Principles found in the Uniform Guidance 2 CFR 200 and in 2 CFR 2900. Disallowed costs are those charges to a grant that the grantor agency or its representative determines to not be allowed in accordance with the applicable federal cost principles or other conditions contained in the grant.
No applicant at any time will be entitled to reimbursement of pre-award costs.
The cost per trainee must be less than $500 and the cost per training hour must not exceed $125. Estimates for cost per trainee and cost per training hour should be clearly identified in the grant application. Calculations should be based on the total projected number trained and total course hours as presented in the applicant’s work plan (Section VI.G.4.b)(5)(h)). This restriction does not apply to Capacity Building Pilot grants.
Please use the following formulas to calculate these costs:
Cost per trainee = total grant cost (include federal and non-federal) / the total projected number trained
Cost per training hour = total grant cost (include federal and non-federal) / the total projected number of contact hours for all training
The intent of the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program is to provide training and/or training products that support additional training. Applications should focus on the development and delivery of training and educational materials. Budgeting for equipment should be minimal and supported with a justification as to how the equipment will support the program. Capital equipment purchases will not be considered under this funding opportunity. Capital equipment has a useful life of more than one year, exceeds the threshold of $5000, and may be depreciation for tax purposes.
In keeping with the policies outlined in Executive Orders 13256, 12928, 13230, and 13021 as amended, the grantee is strongly encouraged to provide subcontracting opportunities to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities.
The deadline date for receipt of applications is Tuesday, June 28, 2016. Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m., ET, on the closing date at http://www.grants.gov. Any application received after the deadline will not be accepted.
OSHA strongly encourages organizations to submit the grant application in sufficient time to ensure that the application has been received and successfully validated by Grants.gov by the application deadline.
Applications for Susan Harwood grants under this funding opportunity announcement must be submitted electronically using the government-wide Grants.gov Apply site at: http://www.grants.gov. Through this site, organizations will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit the full application. Acceptable formats for document attachments submitted as a part of a Grants.gov grant application include Microsoft Office and the Adobe Reader (PDF) format. The Susan Harwood grant application package at: http://www.grants.gov contains a menu of “Mandatory Documents” that must be completed and submitted online. The menu of “Mandatory Documents” can only be located after opening the grant package. Applications sent by mail or other delivery services, e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (FAX) will not be accepted. Applications that do not meet all of the conditions set forth in this notice may be considered non-viable and may not be given further consideration as specified in Section V.E.
For applicants with prior experience using Grants.gov, registration must be accurate and up-to-date in Grants.gov and with the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to submitting an application. If the organization is already registered with Grants.gov and there have been any changes to the organization users, such as the E-Biz POC or AORs, please be sure the necessary updates are made with Grants.gov to prevent a delay in submission of the electronic application. Please note that registered organizations must also renew with SAM at least every 12 months and ensure the information is kept current. This process takes a minimum of five days to complete. This additional time should be factored into an applicant’s plans for electronic application submission to avoid unexpected delays that could result in the rejection of the application.
For applicants using Grants.gov for the first time, it is strongly recommended that the organization immediately register with Grants.gov at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html. Organizations new to SAM will need to allot an additional 14 days for registration in order to receive a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code through the Department of Defense’s Defense Logistics Agency.
The five steps in registering an organization in Grants.gov are as follows:
Obtain a DUNS Number for the Organization. Information about obtaining a DUNS Number is available from the Grants.gov Web site at: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html.
Register with the System for Award Management (SAM). SAM is a government-wide application for trading partners doing business with the federal government. During this process there will be a prompt to identify the organization’s E-Business Point of Contact (E-Biz POC). It is the E-Biz POC within the organization who must register with SAM. The E-Biz POC will be responsible for authorizing members of the organization, Authorized Organization Representatives (AORs) to submit applications at Grants.gov.
Grants.gov Username and Password. To become an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) a profile must be created. Subsequently, a username and password will be created. The organization’s DUNS number is needed to complete this process.
Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) Authorization. When an AOR registers with Grants.gov, the organization’s E-Biz POC will receive an email notification. The E-Biz POC must then login to Grants.gov (using the organization’s DUNS number for the username and the “MPIN” password obtained in Step 2.) and approve the AOR, thereby giving permission to submit applications. This safeguards the organization from individuals who may attempt to submit grant application packages without permission. Only one E-Biz POC is assigned for each of an organization’s DUNS number. If the organization only has one DUNS number, then there will be only one E-Biz POC for the organization.
Track AOR Status. The purpose of this step is to verify that the organization’s E-Biz POC has approved an AOR. AORs can track the status at any time by clicking the Applicant Login link on the home page under “Quick Links” using the username and password (obtained in Step 3.) to check if they have been approved. Organizations cannot apply for grants without an approved AOR.
These steps require multiple days for completion. This additional time must be factored into an applicant’s plans for electronic application submission to avoid unexpected delays that could result in the rejection of the application.
The Grants.gov Web site has several tools and documents available online to assist organizations with the Grants.gov process. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the Grants.gov user guide. The link to the guide is located under “Applicant Resources,” just click on Grants.gov Applicant User Guide (pdf). An Organization Registration Checklist is also available in the Applicant Resources section. Further information is available from the Applicant Resources section at: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-resources.html.
NOTE: In some organizations, a person may serve as both an E-Biz POC and an AOR. In this case the same individual will need to perform this step of approving themselves as an AOR. E-Biz POC’s who want to submit applications through Grants.gov, will need to register with Grants.gov as an AOR, using an alternate email than the one used in correlation with the E-Biz POC, and authorize themselves as an AOR.
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.
If there are questions regarding the process for updating the organization users or submitting the application through Grants.gov, or problems are experienced with electronic submissions, contact the Grants Program Management Office via one of the methods below:
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone the Grants.gov Contact Center Phone: 1‑800‑518-4726. The Contact Center is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week except on federal holidays.
When contacting the Grants Program Management Office, the following information will help expedite the inquiry:
Funding Opportunity Number (FON)
Name of Agency to which the Organization is Applying
Specific Area of Concern
If applying online poses a hardship, applicants must contact the OSHA Directorate of Training and Education office listed in the announcement at least four weeks prior to the application deadline date of 11:59 p.m., ET, Tuesday, June 28, 2016, to speak to a representative who can provide assistance to ensure that applications are submitted online by the closing date. Requests for extensions to the grant application deadline will not be granted.
Applicants are limited to using the following characters in all attachment file names: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, underscore (_), hyphen (-), parenthesis (()), curly brackets ({}), square brackets ([]), tilde (~), exclamation point (!), comma (,), dollar sign ($), percent sign (%), plus sign (+), equal sign (=), space, and period. File attachment names should be no longer than 50 characters to avoid submission and processing errors. While Grants.gov may accept more characters, DOL E-Grants may not accept characters other than what is listed above. Use the appropriate characters to ensure OSHA can view the file attachments.
The Susan Harwood Training Grant Program is not subject to Executive Order 12372 Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.
Grant applications will be reviewed by OSHA staff. The results of the grant reviews will be presented to the Assistant Secretary of OSHA, who will make the selection of organizations to be awarded grants. OSHA may award grants for some or all of the categories. It is anticipated that the grant awards will be announced no later than September 30, 2016.
Technical panels will review applications against the criteria, Table 4, on the basis of 100 maximum points. Details on each required component can be found in Section VI.G.
Table 4. Evaluation Criteria
Required Component |
Capacity Building - Developmental |
Capacity Building - Pilot |
10 pts |
10 pts |
|
|
|
30 pts |
35 pts |
10 pts |
10 pts |
|
40 pts |
35 pts |
|
10 pts |
10 pts |
|
Total |
100 pts |
100 pts |
OSHA will screen all applications to determine whether they were viable based on the criteria outlined in Section V.E. Applications not complying with one or more of the requirements identified in Section V.E., will be deemed non-responsive and may not be evaluated. A technical panel will objectively rate each complete application against the criteria described in Section VII.A. of this announcement. The panels’ recommendations to the Assistant Secretary are advisory in nature. The Assistant Secretary may establish a minimally acceptable rating range for the purpose of selecting qualified applicants. The Assistant Secretary will make a final selection determination based on what is most advantageous to the government, considering factors such as panel findings, geographic presence of the applicants, Agency priorities, the best value to the government, cost, and other factors. The Assistant Secretary’s determination for award under this funding opportunity announcement is final.
Announcement of these awards is expected to occur no later than September 30, 2016.
Organizations selected as grant recipients will be notified by a representative of the Assistant Secretary. An applicant whose proposal is not selected will be notified in writing.
Notice that an organization has been selected as a grant recipient does not constitute approval of the grant application as submitted. Before the actual grant award, OSHA will enter into negotiations concerning such items as program components, staffing and funding levels, and administrative systems. If the negotiations do not result in an acceptable submittal, the Assistant Secretary reserves the right to terminate the negotiation and decline to fund the proposal. All application revisions must be provided no later than October 14, 2016.
The government may elect to award the grant(s) with or without negotiations with the applicant. Should a grant be awarded without negotiations, the award will be based on the applicant’s signature on the SF-424, Section 21, including electronic signature via E-Authentication on http://www.grants.gov, which constitutes a binding offer by the applicant.
NOTE: Except as specifically provided, OSHA’s acceptance of a proposal and an award of federal funds to sponsor any program(s) does not provide a waiver of any grant requirement or procedures. For example, if an application identifies a specific sub-contractor to provide services, but does not provide the justification or basis to sole-source, costs associated with this cost may not be allowed.
After the eventual selections are announced, applicants may request feedback comments from OSHA. To receive comments on the grant application, the organization's authorized representative must send a written request no later than March 31, 2016 that includes the following:
Grant Category and OSHA Topic (if applicable)
Grants.gov Tracking Number
Complete Mailing address, including zip + 4
Phone number
The request may be sent by email or mail. The organization’s authorized representative must send an email request to [email protected] or mail the request, on organization letterhead, to
Attn: Donna Robertson
U.S. Department of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Directorate of Training and Education
2020 S. Arlington Heights Road
Arlington Heights, IL 60005-4102
All grantees, including faith-based organizations, will be subject to applicable federal laws and regulations (including provisions of appropriations law) and the applicable OMB Uniform Guidance. Grantees are required to cooperate with all federal, state, and local requirements. The grant award(s) awarded under this funding opportunity announcement will be subject to the following administrative standards and provisions, as applicable to the particular grantee:
29 CFR 2, Subpart D, new equal treatment regulations
29 CFR Parts 31, 32, 35 and 36 as applicable
29 CFR 93, restrictions on lobbying
2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance), which covers grant requirements for nonprofit organizations, including universities and hospitals. (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-12-26/pdf/2013-30465.pdf)
2 CFR 2900, Department of Labor exceptions to the OMB Uniform Guidance. (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-12-19/pdf/2014-28697.pdf)
General Terms and Conditions of Award – See the following link: http://www.osha.gov/dte/sharwood/grant_requirements.html
Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 or Transparency Act – Public Law 109-282, as amended by section 6202(a) of Public Law 110-252 (31 U.S.C. 6101). (http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-22705.pdf)
2 CFR 25, Financial Assistance Use of Universal Identifier. (http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-22706.pdf)
2 CFR 170, Reporting Subaward and Executive Compensation Information.
Grantees are required by Departmental regulations to submit program and financial reports each calendar quarter. All quarterly reports are due no later than 30 days after the end of the fiscal quarter. In addition, grantees are required to submit grant program and financial closeout reports within 90 days after the grant termination or expiration date. Detailed information on the report requirements are included in Section VI.G.4.b)(7).
OSHA has a lending program that circulates grant‑produced audiovisual materials. Audiovisual materials produced by the grantee as a part of its grant program may be included in this lending program. Two copies of all final product materials produced by grantees must be provided to OSHA in bound and clearly labeled hard copies as well as two copies in a digital format (CD Rom/DVD/flash drive), per Section VI.G.4.b)(3)(f) for possible publication on the Internet by OSHA. All final product materials must be submitted following guidelines established in Appendix B, Procedures for Submitting Electronic Copies of Grant-Funded Materials.
When issuing statements, press releases, requests for proposals, bid solicitations, and other documents describing projects or programs funded in whole or in part with federal money, all grantees receiving federal funds must clearly state:
the percentage of the total costs of the program or project that will be financed with federal money;
the dollar amount of federal financial assistance for the project or program; and
the percentage and dollar amount of the total costs of the project or program that will be financed by non-governmental sources.
Use of the DOL or OSHA Logo
Neither the DOL nor OSHA logo may be applied to any grant products developed with grant funds.
Appendix A – Administrative and Program Cost Information
As described in the funding opportunity announcement (FOA), the Detailed Project Budget must break out administrative costs separately from programmatic costs for both federal and non-federal funds. Administrative costs include direct and indirect costs. Indirect costs are from the costs pool and the cost of activities, materials, meeting closeout requirements, and personnel (e.g., administrative assistants) who support the management and administration of the project, but do not provide direct services to project beneficiaries. Indirect cost charges, which are considered administrative costs, must be supported with a copy of a current approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement. The total direct and indirect administrative costs allocated to the program may not exceed 25% of the total grant budget (federal and non-federal funding).
ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS
General administrative functions and coordination of functions:
accounting
audits
budgeting
financial and cash management
general legal services functions
payroll functions
personnel management
procurement
property management
purchasing
report preparation
review resolution
Development of systems and procedures for administrative functions
Costs of goods and services required for administrative functions of the program, including goods and services such as:
advertising and outreach services targeted to the general public
internet services
office supplies
postage
rental and maintenance of office space
rental/leasing and maintenance of equipment (copiers, printers, etc.)
utilities
Travel costs incurred for official business in carrying out administrative activities or the overall management of the grant.
The purchase, systems development, and operating costs of information systems related to administrative functions. For example:
personnel
procurement
purchasing
property management
accounting and payroll systems
The portion of awards to subrecipients or vendors that is for the performance of administrative functions.
PROGRAM COSTS
All costs incurred directly for functions and training activities including salaries for personnel providing direct training to workers and employers.
The purchase, systems development, and operating costs (e.g. data entry costs) of the following information systems are charged as a program cost:
Tracking or monitoring of participant information including basic worker information, employer information, and other statistical information relevant to program evaluations
Performance and program cost information on training services and activities
Costs of goods and services required for direct program functions, including goods and services such as:
advertising and outreach services specific to recruiting the target audience to attend training
training supplies, including local reproduction
rental or purchase of training equipment
rental and maintenance of training space
Travel costs incurred for official business in carrying out training activities.
The portion of awards to subrecipients or vendors that is for the performance of program functions.
The portion of indirect costs determined as a proportionate share of the indirect costs in the indirect cost pool which are the costs of program functions, not administrative functions (see indirect costs below).
SHARED ADMINISTRATIVE AND PROGRAM COSTS
Personnel and related non-personnel costs of staff that perform both administrative functions and programmatic services are to be allocated as administrative costs or program to the benefitting cost objectives/categories based on documented distributions of actual time worked and other equitable cost allocation methods.
INDIRECT COSTS
As specified in the Uniform Guidance 2 CFR 200, indirect costs are those that have been incurred for common or joint purpose benefitting more than one cost objective and not be readily assignable 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.
Indirect costs represent the expenses of doing business that are not readily identified with a particular grant, contract, project function or activity, but are necessary for the general operation of the organization and the conduct of activities it performs.
An indirect cost rate is a mechanism for determining fairly and conveniently within the boundaries of sound administrative principle, what proportions of organization administration costs each program should bear.
Indirect costs are only allowable with an approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (ICRA). ICRAs are negotiated and approved by the cognizant federal agency. An agreement from any federal agency is applicable to all federal grant programs. The ICRA will include a rate (percentage) and a base. The allowable amount of indirect costs is simply the rate times the base. Rates and bases depend on the size and number of cost pools, and organization structure.
Appendix B – Procedures for Submitting Electronic Copies of Grant-Funded Materials
As described in the funding opportunity announcement (FOA), any materials (training, marketing, etc.) distributed during the grant period are required to be reviewed by OSHA. In addition, electronic and paper copies are required to be submitted by the end of the grant period. The purpose of the electronic copies is to be able to share the materials to the general public via the OSHA Web site. These instructions were developed to standardize submittal procedures for the grant-funded training materials.
Material Requirements. When submitting grant-funded training materials make a note of the following:
The word “draft” must not appear on any materials (print or electronic) submitted to OSHA as the final version. If the materials were produced in a non-English language, a final English version must also be submitted.
Training materials must be generic and appropriate for all audiences. References to training of specific groups, members of a group, or individuals should not be included in the final submittal. This includes personal information such as the instructor names, addresses, cell phone numbers, email addresses, etc.
Promotional materials can include the grantee organizational information including phone numbers, email addresses, etc.
If a test is included ensure that the test and test answers are provided.
In all circumstances, all approved grant-funded materials developed by a grantee shall contain the following disclaimer:
This material was produced under grant number _____________ from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
Applicants using previously approved Susan Harwood training materials should retain the original grant number in the disclaimer. If revisions are made to the materials, OSHA must approve the revisions. Once OSHA approves the revisions, the applicant may add a sentence after the disclaimer stating that the materials were revised under the applicant’s grant number.
Required Programs: Grant-funded training materials must be provided in a format that is widely accessible to the public. Microsoft Office 2003, 2007, or 2010 formats, as indicated below, meet this requirement. Currently there is no preferred program for providing media files.
Word Files: Manuals and other print materials must be submitted as Word 2003, 2007 or 2010 documents.
PowerPoint Files:
Must be submitted as .ppt or .pptx files. “Show” format is not acceptable.
Photographs and other images must be compressed in JPEG format.
If the presentation includes linked or embedded audio or video files, two copies of the presentation must be provided. One copy must not contain any linked or embedded files.
Presenter notes or a transcript of the presenter notes must be included.
Media Files (Only for online courses): Must be ADA compliant.
Images such as photographs must have descriptive captions.
Audio files must have transcripts.
Video files must be captioned and have transcripts.
Submitting Materials. All grant-funded training materials must be submitted in both print and electronic format. Review the FOA for the appropriate number of copies that are required to be submitted. Please note the following:
A list of materials being submitted by the grantee should be provided.
Printed documents must be submitted in a bound format, for example spiral-bound or 3-ring binder.
Produced materials that are not practical for mailing, banners, etc. should be photographed and photo included with the submitted materials.
All electronic files of grant-funded materials must be test-based. Electronic files are restricted to those smaller than 15MB. This may require the grantee to split files.
The CD, DVD, or USB flash drive must be clearly labeled with the grantee’s organization and the grant number (SH-XXXXX-SHX), where XXXXX is the 5-digit grant number and the last X is the last digit of the fiscal year for which the grant was awarded.
The electronic files on the CD, DVD, or USB must be clearly labeled by type of material (examples):
Instructor Manual
Student Manual
Pre-Test
Post-Test
Evaluation Form
Check the CD, DVD, or USB flash drive before sending to ensure that all of the files will open.
Check the CD, DVD, or USB flash drive before sending to ensure that all grant-funded materials are included.
Files should be provided in a readily usable format. Therefore, files must not be password protected, “read only” format, or encrypted.
___________________
Authority: Section 21 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. (29 U.S.C. 670), Public Law 111-117, and Public Law 112-10.
OMB Approval No.: 1225-0086
Expiration Date: 05/31/2016
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET INFORMATION COLLECTION REQUIREMENTS.
This FOA requests information from applicants. This collection of information is approved under OMB Control No. 1225-0086 (Expires 05/31/2016).
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no person is required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. Public reporting burden for the grant application is estimated to average 56 hours per response, for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden estimated or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the U.S. Department of Labor-OASAM, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Attn: Departmental Information Compliance Management Program, Room N1301, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210; or by email: [email protected]. A copy of your comments may be sent electronically to the Susan Harwood Grant Coordinator at [email protected] , or by mail to Susan Harwood Grant Coordinator, 2020 S. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60005.
This information is being collected for the purpose of awarding a grant. Unless otherwise specifically noted in this announcement, information submitted in the respondent’s application is not considered to be confidential.
Billing Code 4510-26-P
1 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.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Title | Billing Code: |
| Author | OSHA_User |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-24 |