U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Notice of Availability of Funds and Funding Opportunity Announcement for the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) National Grants for Program Year (PY) 2016.
Announcement Type: Initial
Funding Opportunity Number: FOA-ETA-16-04
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 17.235
Key Dates: The closing date for receipt of applications under this Announcement is [insert date 45 days after date of publication of the one page notice in the Federal Register]. We must receive applications no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Addresses: Address mailed applications to:
The U.S. Department of Labor
Employment and Training Administration, Office of Grants Management
Attention: Jimmie Curtis, Grant Officer
Reference FOA-ETA-16-04
200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716
Washington, DC 20210
For complete application and submission information, including online application instructions, please refer to Section IV.
Executive Summary: The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, or the Department, or we), announces the availability of approximately $338,520,000 in grant funds authorized by Title V of the Older Americans Act (OAA) as amended in 2006, Pub. L. No. 109-365 for the Community Service Employment for Older Americans program commonly referred to as the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), for National Grants for Program Year (PY) 2016.
SCSEP provides funding based on a formula for State grantees and funding based on a competition for grants to national organizations. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is for the purpose of selecting National Grantees for PY 2016 and provides an opportunity for applicants to compete for funding as identified under 20 CFR 641.400. SCSEP is the only Federally-sponsored employment and training program targeted specifically to low-income older individuals who are able to enter or reenter the workforce. Program participants receive paid work experience at local public or non-profit agencies and are paid the higher of the Federal, State, or local minimum wage, or the prevailing wage for similar employment, for approximately 20 hours per week while in community service and other job training (OAA Amendments § 502(b)(1)(J); 20 CFR 641.565(a)). The dual goals of the program are to promote useful opportunities in community service job training and to move SCSEP participants into unsubsidized employment.
To be eligible for funds under this grant program, an applicant MUST be a non-profit organization, Federal public agency, or Tribal organization consortium that has the ability to administer a multi-State program.
We anticipate awarding approximately 10-22 grants ranging from $2 million to $50 million each under this FOA. Awards made under this announcement are subject to the availability of Federal funds. Selection of grantees will be determined based on the strength of the proposal and on other pertinent factors, outlined in this announcement.
This is a four-year grant, renewable annually for each of those four years based on annual Departmental application requirements and subject to the availability of funds. The grant may be extended for a fifth year at the Department’s discretion, contingent upon the grantee meeting or exceeding the minimum negotiated performance measures as required by section 514(a) of the OAA Amendments and 20 CFR 641.700.
A Prospective Applicant webinar will be held at [insert link], on [insert date], at [insert time] Eastern Daylight Time. Interested prospective applicants must click on the link in advance of the webinar date to register for the event. You will receive a confirmation email message that contains detailed information about joining the event. While participation is encouraged, it is not mandatory.
This announcement solicits applications for National grantees for PY 2016. The purpose of this program is to foster and promote useful part-time work experiences in community service activities for unemployed low income individuals 55 years and older, as well as provide employment opportunities to these eligible individuals in the communities in which they live.
The Department will fund national organizations to serve individuals age 55 years and older who are unemployed, have incomes of no more than 125 percent of the Federal poverty level, and who are not job-ready, in order to foster economic self-sufficiency and to increase the numbers of individuals who enjoy the benefits of unsubsidized employment. Participants in these programs will be provided with a comprehensive assessment, career planning, job training, and supportive services.
The SCSEP provides priority of service in selecting eligible individuals for participation need as provided in 20 CFR 641.520. These individuals:
Are 65 years of age or older;
Have a disability;
Have limited English proficiency or low literacy skills;
Reside in a rural area;
Are veterans (or eligible spouses of veterans) for purposes of the Jobs for Veterans Act, Pub. L. No. 107-288 (38 USC 4215 (a));
Have low employment prospects;
Have failed to find employment after using services provided under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 (Pub. L. No. 113-128); or
Are homeless or at risk for homelessness.
Grantees will provide an integrated set of participant services that will enable eligible individuals to enter the program and actively engage in the SCSEP. Grantees must develop methods of recruitment and selections that assure the maximum number of eligible individuals have the opportunity to participate in the program, as well as a plan to recruit minorities and Indian/Native American eligible individuals. Grantees must provide orientation to the SCSEP participants, including information on project goals and objectives, community service assignments, training opportunities, available supportive services, the availability of a free physical examination, and participant rights and responsibilities. Additionally, grantees must conduct a comprehensive assessment that includes, but is not limited to, assessing work history, skills and interests, talents, physical capabilities, aptitudes, needs for supportive services, occupational preferences, training and/or vocational needs, potential for performing community service assignments, potential for transition to unsubsidized employment and that assessment will serve as the basis for the development of an Individual Employment Plan (IEP).
Grantees must assess each SCSEP participant to determine his or her skills and employment-related needs, and must develop a plan to improve the participant’s employability, as required in 20 CFR 641.535. The initial IEP must include an appropriate employment goal for each participant. The grantee must provide or arrange for training and other supportive services identified in a participant’s IEP that are consistent with SCSEP’s goal of unsubsidized employment. Grantees must monitor the participant’s IEP progress regularly and are required to do a reassessment for each participant at least twice during a 12-month period and, as necessary, update the IEP. If the grantee determines that the initial goal of unsubsidized employment is not feasible, the grantee must revise the IEP to reflect other approaches, including transitioning to other services or programs, to help the participant achieve maximum self-sufficiency and an enhanced quality of life after SCSEP participation has ended.
Participants are given Community Service Work-Based Training at host agencies, allowing them to build the skills needed for successful employment. Providing subsidized work-based training through community service is the core feature of the SCSEP service delivery model. Participants obtain income, as well as confidence and skills needed for successful employment; the organizations that host the participants are able to deliver more community service. Community service may include, but is not limited to, such activities as social, health, welfare and educational services; counseling services, including tax counseling; environmental efforts; weatherization efforts; and economic development, as required in 20 CFR 641.140. The training provided at these host agencies must be consistent with the participant’s IEP. Participants receive wages paid by the grantee while they are in work-based or other training, as provided in their IEP.
A community service assignment for a SCSEP participant is permissible only when specific maintenance of effort requirements are met. Each project funded must not: (1) reduce the number of employment opportunities or vacancies that would otherwise be available to individuals not participating in the program; (2) displace currently employed workers (including partial displacement, such as a reduction in the hours of non-overtime work, wages, or employment benefits); (3) impair existing contracts or result in the substitution of Federal funds for other funds in connection with work that would otherwise be performed; and (4) employ or continue to employ any eligible individual to perform the same work or substantially the same work as that performed by any other individual who is on layoff (OAA § 502(b)(1)(G)).
In order to ensure a seamless delivery of services, grantees will manage host agencies, and partner with American Job Centers (AJCs), State and Local Workforce Investment Boards, State Units on Aging, Area Agencies on Aging, and other grantees in order to best serve participants. Host agencies provide the work sites for program participants and must be public agencies or organizations exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, including community and faith-based organizations, authorized Federal agencies, State agencies, or local public agencies. See 20 CFR 641.140 for limits on the types of host agencies. Host agencies are an essential component of the program because they provide training and work experience for participants. Grantees must work with host agencies to identify appropriate training that does not lead to maintenance of effort violations. Grantees’ communication with the host agencies directly affects the value of the work-based training experience for the participants and the participants’ ability to obtain unsubsidized employment.
Training that is provided in addition to work-based community service training, is an important tool to improve the skills and talents of participants, to help them succeed in their community service assignments, and to facilitate their placement into unsubsidized employment. Grantees should offer practical training opportunities that are designed especially for the needs of older learners. Grantees must tailor their training to be consistent with the participants’ IEP and should refer to DOL Advisory Older Workers Bulletin No. 04-04 for permissible training activities for SCSEP which may be found at: http://www.doleta.gov/seniors/Other_docs/04-04.pdf
An important goal of the SCSEP is to help participants achieve self-sufficiency when they exit the program. Grantees must provide training opportunities that will enable participants to obtain the unsubsidized employment goal identified in each participant’s IEP. However, if an unsubsidized goal is not feasible for an individual participant, the goal must be changed to reflect another self-sufficiency goal. In addition, grantees must provide regular follow-up communication with former participants and their employers to ensure that the former participants retain employment. Grantees may also provide supportive services to successfully placed participants for up to 12 months to help them remain employed. Quality training efforts, appropriate placements, and good relationships between the program and the local employer community increase the likelihood of successful unsubsidized employment and job retention for SCSEP exiters.
The Department ensures that SCSEP services are provided equitably within each State through an Equitable Distribution (ED) plan, in accordance with Section 507 of the OAA. We use census data by county and annual program appropriations to calculate the number of authorized positions that are allocated to each county in each State. The number of authorized positions is proportional to the number of eligible people in the county compared to the eligible State population. For every authorized position, one or more individual can receive services during the program year. For instance, when a participant exits the program for employment, or other reasons, or when participants are on an approved break, a grantee may enroll a new individual based on remaining program funds. Grantees may only enroll participants who reside in a county in which they have authorized positions.
Program success will be measured by the extent to which grantees meet or exceed the performance measures outlined in 20 CFR part 641 subpart G: aggregate hours of community service employment compared to the number of hours funded by the grant; entry into unsubsidized employment; retention in unsubsidized employment for six months; average earnings; number of eligible individuals served compared to number of positions funded; and the number of most-in-need individuals served. These measures ensure that the individuals who are most in need of training assistance to obtain employment are enrolled, and that participants are placed in and retain unsubsidized jobs. Section VI explains how ETA will establish the performance goals for national grantees under this FOA.
For more information about the SCSEP program, please visit the following link: https://doleta.gov/seniors/
This program is authorized by Title V of the Older Americans Act (OAA) as amended in 2006, Pub. L. No. 109-365.
Funding will be provided in the form of a grant.
We expect availability of approximately $338,520,000 to fund approximately 10-22 grants including at least one award to an Indian/Native American organization and at least one award to an Asian and Pacific Islander organization, as required by section 506(a)(3) of the OAA Amendments. Applicants for these statutory set-asides will hereafter be referred to as “set-aside applicants” and applicants for other national grant funding will be referred to as “general applicants.” This year the Department has reduced the cap on the amount of funds an applicant may apply for in order to reduce the financial risk inherent in large grant sizes. You may apply for a ceiling amount of up to $50,000,000.00. Any awards made under this Announcement are subject to the availability of Federal funds. In the event that additional funds become available, we reserve the right to use such funds to select additional grantees from applications submitted in response to this Announcement.
Maximum Request for Funding
General Applicants may apply for up to $50 million and must apply to provide services in more than one State.
Set-Aside Applicants may apply for up to $6,107,847 or 630 authorized positions1.
General Applicants. In order to deliver services more efficiently, \we have instituted a minimum funding level2 for this FOA, consistent with the last SCSEP competition.
Applicants must apply for at least 10 percent of the State allocation or $1,600,170 (which equates to 165 positions; if the state has fewer than 165 positions, the applicant must apply for the entire state), whichever is greater. (See examples 1 and 2 below). We encourage applicants to apply for at least 20-25 percent of a State’s allocation for maximum operational efficiency.
Applicants must apply for all of the positions allocated in a county3, (see item 5 of this section for instructions on calculating funds based on positions).
Applicants may request positions in multiple counties in a State, but the counties requested must be contiguous. An applicant may apply for more than one cluster of counties in a State, such as in larger States, but each cluster must meet the minimum State funding requirements.
Applicants must list their requests for locations and number of positions by county and State through an online application. The online application and instructions are located at www.SCSEPapply.org, and will be available starting on February 25, 2016. The online application shows all national grantee authorized positions by county and provides a mechanism for grantees to bid electronically on those authorized positions. DOL will review each applicant’s final bid in SCSEPapply.org when making final determinations about the allotment of authorized positions between grantees.
Example 1: Organization A submits an application to provide services in a State with 165 or fewer available positions. For that part of its application, Organization A must apply for all of the available positions in the State.
Example 2: Organization B submits an application to provide services in a larger State with 4,080 available positions, and wants to operate in one particular county which has 158 positions. For the application to be considered responsive, Organization B must meet the minimum funding requirement, which in this case is 10 percent, or 408 positions ($3,956,784). Organization B must apply for the 158 positions in the county and another 250 positions in any contiguous counties to meet the minimum State funding requirement. In this example, three other contiguously-located counties are entitled to 81, 131, and 62 positions respectively. Therefore, Organization B would also apply for 81, 131, and 62 positions in those contiguous counties to meet (or exceed) the minimum State funding requirements.
b. Set-Aside Applicants. There is no minimum funding request and set-aside applicants are exempt from clustering requirements. However, set-aside organizations should consider program management and effectiveness when selecting States and counties to bid on.
Location of Authorized Positions. The number of authorized positions by county and State will be listed at www.SCSEPapply.org starting on February 25, 2016. We determine the allocation of authorized positions among the States4 and the proportion within each State allocated to national grantees by the process described in section 506 of the OAA Amendments. Because all counties in each state must receive an equitable share of SCSEP services through a combination of services provided by national grantees and State grantees, we suggest you consult with the State grantees in regards to which specific geographic areas you wish to serve. We may require you to serve one or more counties that you did not identify in your application, or to accept fewer or more positions in a county than you requested. We reserve the right to make final decisions on the grantees in an area and may take into consideration special local conditions and otherwise unforeseen circumstances, including combining metropolitan areas across State borders to ensure effective and efficient service delivery and to ensure that all counties are equitably served.
Submission of Application to Governor. All general applicants must submit SCSEP applications to the Governor of each State in which you propose to offer services before submitting your application to the Department (CFR 641.410; OAA 503(a)(5)). We require that you send your application to the Governor via certified mail. You must retain the certified mail receipt and provide a copy of it as an attachment to your application. We strongly encourage set-aside applicants to submit your SCSEP applications to the Governor of any State you plan to offer services in, even though the law does not require you to do so. Governors may make the recommendations described in CFR 641.480 either before or after the applicant sends the application to the Department.
Fund Calculation Formula. Applicants can calculate the estimated amount of funds allocated to a State by county using the “cost per authorized position” formula in section 506(g)(1) of the OAA Amendments. Calculations must be based on the number of authorized positions for PY 2016 as a result of equitable distribution, rather than the number of enrolled participants that currently exists in the county. The unit cost is roughly $9,698 per authorized position per 12-month period, based on the Federal minimum wage5.
Example: A county has 61 available authorized positions. Therefore, the amount of funding for a 12-month period would be $9,698 x 61 = $591,578. (Please note again that the cost per position is an estimate. However, it is a useful tool for applicants to determine their funding request under this proposal).
Disqualification. Failure to adhere to the requirements in paragraphs (1) through (5) above will result in the disqualification of the applicant to compete for the area(s) impacted.
The period of performance is four years, renewable annually for each of those four years based on annual Departmental application requirements and subject to the availability of funds, with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2016. This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities. We anticipate having a transition phase lasting from July 1, 2016 to September 30, 2016 in which SCSEP participants will be moved from previous grantees to PY16 grantees as necessary. The grant may be extended for a fifth year at the Department’s discretion, and contingent upon the grantee meeting or exceeding the minimum negotiated performance measures as required by section 514(a) of the OAA Amendments and 20 CFR 641.700.
The following organizations are eligible to apply:
Applicants must demonstrate their ability to administer a multi-State program that meets the eligibility and responsibility requirements outlined in 20 CFR part 641 subpart D, which are based on the statutory criteria listed in section 514(c) of the OAA. Requirements include providing evidence of legal authority to operate a multi-State program and applying to provide services in more than one State based on the award information requirements in Section II.A.2. After selection, grantees’ Statement of Work will consist of the Project Narrative submitted in response to this FOA, the number of positions assigned by county, and the signed programmatic assurances in Appendix A. We reserve the right to award a grant to only one applicant per State, and to award an applicant funds to serve only one State. This reservation does not, however, permit an applicant to apply to provide services in only one State.
Applicants may apply to receive a grant under one or more of the following three (3) categories:
(1) General National Grant Funds. The Department will accept applications for general SCSEP national grant funds from Federal public agencies and private nonprofit organizations. These include faith- and community-based organizations and tribal organizations9, consistent with section 502(b)(1) of the OAA Amendments and 20 CFR 641.400(a).
Applicants must indicate with the letter “G” on the abstract and explicitly state in the application that they are applying for general SCSEP national grant funds.
(2) Indian10/Native American Set-Aside Grant Funds. Public or nonprofit national Indian/ Native American aging organizations with the ability to provide community service work-based training to older Indian/Native American individuals, as required by section 506(a)(3) of the OAA Amendments, may apply.
Applicants must indicate with the letter “I” on the abstract and explicitly state in the application that they are applying for Indian/Native American SCSEP national grant funds.
(3) Asian and Pacific Islander11 Set-Aside Grant Funds. Applications for Asian and Pacific Islander national grant funds will be accepted from national public or nonprofit Asian and Pacific Islander aging organizations with the ability to provide community service work-based training to older Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, as required by section 506(a)(3) of the OAA Amendments.
Applicants must indicate with the letters “AP” on the abstract and explicitly state in the application that they are applying for Asian American and Pacific Islander SCSEP national grant funds.
Other Requirements. Applicants must also meet the responsibility and eligibility tests under section 514(b)-(d) of the OAA Amendments and 20 CFR 641.430 – 641.440 and the funding requirements in Section II above.
Applicants applying for more than one category must submit separate applications for each. Please note that regardless of the category selected, all successful applicants are required to serve any eligible individual within the awarded counties and States.
This program requires cost sharing or matching funds. Such funds may be in the form of cash or in-kind contributions and equal to a minimum of 10% of the total Federal share of costs. Any resources contributed to the project in addition to cost sharing or matching funds will be considered leveraged resources. Section IV.B.2 provides more information on leveraged resources. Applicants, including Federal agencies12, must identify the source of this non-Federal share in the required budget submission. Applicants seeking to apply in “economically depressed areas” as defined in OAA 502(c)(1)(B) may be exempted from the non-Federal share requirement and must attach a copy of the determination made by the Secretary of Labor in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Health and Human Services that the counties for which they are applying are economically depressed areas.
We will not accept proposals from the following applicants:
(1) Organizations described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying, which are prohibited from receiving Federal awards under Section 18 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, Pub. L. No. 104-65.
(2) Non-Federal public agencies, such as State agencies or local governments;
(3) Entities that have been debarred or suspended in accordance with 2 CFR 200.213; and
(4) Entities that have been convicted of a violation of 18 U.S.C. 665 or 666, and in default of any debt repayment agreement signed with the Department of Labor or any Federal agency.
You should use the checklist below as a guide when preparing your application package to ensure that the application has met all of the screening criteria. Note that this checklist is only an aid for applicants and should not be included in the application package. We urge you to use this checklist to ensure that your application contains all required items. If your application does not meet all of the screening criteria, it will not move forward through the merit review process.
Application Requirement |
Instructions |
Complete? |
The deadline submission requirements are met |
Section IV.C |
|
If submitted through Grants.gov, the components of the application are saved in the specified formats and are not corrupt. (We will attempt to open the document, but will not take any additional measures in the event of problems with opening) |
Section IV.C |
|
Application does not exceed the ceiling amount of $50,000,000 |
Section II.A |
|
General applicants have submitted their plans to the Governors of all States in which they intend to operate the SCSEP and have attached a copy of the certified mail receipt to the application. (Set-aside applicants do not have to meet this requirement) |
Section II.A.2 |
|
Applicant has submitted a bid for authorized positions on SCSEPapply.org |
Section IV.B.1 |
|
Applicant has registered with SAM and maintains an active account |
Section IV.B.1 |
|
Signed SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance |
Section IV.B.1 |
|
Signed SF-424 includes a DUNS Number |
Section IV.B.1 |
|
Signed SF-424 lists the cost sharing or match amount on line 18b. |
Section IV.B.2 |
|
SF-424A, Budget Information Form |
Section IV.B.2 |
|
Budget Narrative |
Section IV.B.2 |
|
Project Narrative |
Section IV.B.3 |
|
List of government grants and contracts |
Section IV.B.4 |
|
Signed programmatic assurances |
Section IV.B.4 |
|
Copy of statutory provision (Federal agencies only) |
Section IV.B.4 |
|
Audited financial statements and management letters |
Section IV.B.4 |
|
Memoranda of Understanding and Agreement |
Section IV.B.4 |
|
Applicants may submit applications in both the set-aside (Indian/Native American or Asian and Pacific Islander) and general categories; thus in these cases applicants may submit up to three separate applications to DOL. Multiple applications from an organization within a single category, however, are not allowed. If multiple applications in one category are received, the most recent application submitted will be accepted. If the most recent application in that category is disqualified for any reason, we will not replace it with an earlier application.
The intent of this FOA is to fund projects that provide services to the following type of SCSEP- eligible individuals: individuals that are unemployed at the time of enrollment, are age 55 or older, and have an income of no more than 125 percent of the Federal poverty guidelines. Eligible participants have poor employment prospects, would benefit from unsubsidized employment in the public or private sector, and are not job-ready13.
Grantees must give priority to eligible individuals who have one or more the characteristics listed in 20 CFR 641.520. (See Section I.A for more detail)
Veterans’ Priority for Participants
Title 38 U.S.C. 4215 requires grantees to provide priority of service to veterans and spouses of certain veterans for the receipt of employment, training, and placement services in any job training program directly funded, in whole or in part, by DOL. The regulations implementing this priority of service can be found at 20 CFR Part 1010. In circumstances where a grant recipient must choose between two qualified candidates for a service, one of whom is a veteran or eligible spouse, the veterans’ priority of service provisions require that the grant recipient give the veteran or eligible spouse priority of service by first providing him or her that service. To obtain priority of service, a veteran or spouse must meet the program’s eligibility requirements. Grantees must comply with DOL guidance on veterans’ priority. ETA’s Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 10-09 (issued November 10, 2009) provides guidance on implementing priority of service for veterans and eligible spouses in all qualified job training programs funded in whole or in part by DOL. TEGL No. 10-09 is available at http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2816.
This FOA, found at www.Grants.gov and http://www.doleta.gov/grants/find_grants.cfm, contains all of the information and links to forms needed to apply for grant funding.
Applications submitted in response to this FOA must consist of four separate and distinct parts: (1) the SF-424 “Application for Federal Assistance;” (2) Project Budget; (3) Project Narrative; and (4) attachments to the Project Narrative.
You must ensure that the funding amount requested is consistent across all parts and sub-parts of the application.
You must complete the SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance” (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF424_2_1-V2.1.pdf .
In the address field, fill out the nine-digit (plus hyphen) zip code. Nine-digit zip codes can be looked up on the USPS website at https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction!input.action .
The SF-424 must clearly identify the applicant and must be signed by an individual with authority to enter into a grant agreement. Upon confirmation of an award, the individual signing the SF-424 on behalf of the applicant is considered the Authorized Representative of the applicant. As stated in block 21 of the SF-424 form, the signature of the Authorized Representative on the SF-424 certifies that the organization is in compliance with the Assurances and Certifications form SF-424B (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF424B-V1.1.pdf ). You do not need to submit the SF-424B with the application.
Requirement for DUNS Number
All applicants for Federal grant and funding opportunities must have a DUNS number, and must supply their DUNS Number on the SF-424. The DUNS Number is a nine-digit identification number that uniquely identifies business entities. If you do not have a DUNS Number, you can get one for free through the D&B website: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do .
Grant recipients authorized to make subawards must meet these requirements related to DUNS Numbers
•Grant recipients must notify potential subawardees that no entity may receive a subaward from you unless the entity has provided its DUNS number to you.
•Grant recipients may not make a subaward to an entity unless the entity has provided its DUNS number to you.
(See, Appendix A to 2 CFR section 25.)
Requirement for Registration with SAM
Applicants must register with the System for Award Management (SAM) before submitting an application. Find instructions for registering with SAM can 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 after the initial registration, the applicant is required to review and update the registration at least every 12 months from the date of initial registration or subsequently update its information in the SAM database to ensure it is current, accurate, and complete. For purposes of this paragraph, the applicant is the entity that meets the eligibility criteria and has the legal authority to apply and to receive the award. If an applicant has not fully complied with these requirements by the time the Grant Officer is ready to make a Federal award, the Grant Officer may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant.
Requirement to Bid on Authorized Positions
All applicants must enter their requested authorized positions (bids) into an online tool14 available at www.SCSEPapply.org that will be available starting on February 25, 2016. (See Section II.A.2.a.iv for more information). Hard-copy requests for authorized positions will not be accepted.
You must complete the SF-424A Budget Information Form (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15). In preparing the Budget Information Form, you must provide a concise narrative explanation to support the budget request, explained in detail below.
Budget Narrative: The budget narrative must provide a description of costs associated with each line item on the SF-424A. It should also include a description of leveraged resources provided (as applicable) to support grant activities.
Use the following guidance for preparing the budget narrative:
Personnel – List all staff positions by title (both current and proposed). Give the annual salary of each position, the percentage of each position’s time devoted to the project, the amount of each position’s salary funded by the grant, and the total personnel cost for the period of performance.
Fringe Benefits – Provide a breakdown of the amounts and percentages that comprise fringe benefit costs such as health insurance, FICA, retirement, etc. for SCSEP staff.
Travel – Specify the purpose, mileage, per diem, estimated number of in-state and out-of-state trips, and other costs for each type of travel.
Equipment – Identify each item of equipment to be purchased which has an estimated acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit (or if your capitalization level is less than $5,000, use your capitalization level) and a useful lifetime of more than one year (see 2 CFR 200.33 for the definition of Equipment). List the quantity and unit cost per item. Items with a unit cost of less than $5,000 are supplies. In general, we do not permit the purchase of equipment during the last funded year of the grant.
Supplies – Supplies include all tangible personal property other than “equipment” (see 2 CFR 200.94 for the definition of Supplies). The detailed budget should identify categories of supplies (e.g. office supplies). List the quantity and unit cost per item.
Contractual – Identify each proposed contract and specify its purpose and estimated cost. If applicable, identify any subrecipient agreements, including purpose and estimated costs. See Section VI.B.2.f. for more information on the distinction between contractor and subrecipient.
Construction – Construction costs are not allowed and this line must be left as zero. Minor alterations to adjust an existing space for grant activities (such as a classroom alteration) may be allowable. We do not consider this as construction and the costs must be shown on other appropriate lines such as Contractual.
Other – List each item in sufficient detail for us to determine whether the costs are reasonable or allowable. List any item, such as stipends or incentives, not covered elsewhere here.
Indirect Costs – If indirect costs are included in the budget, then include either
a) the approved indirect cost rate with a copy of the Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), a description of the base used to calculate indirect costs along with the amount of the base, and the total indirect costs requested,
or
b) if you meet the requirements to use the 10% de minimis rate as described in 2 CFR 200.414(f), then include a description of the modified total direct costs base (see 2 CFR 200.68 for definition) used in the calculation along with the amount of the base, and the total indirect costs requested based on the 10% de minimis rate. See Section IV.B.4. and Section IV.E.1. for more information. Additionally, the following link contains DOL-specific information: http://www.dol.gov/oasam/boc/dcd/index.htm.
Note that the SF-424, SF-424A, and budget narrative must include the entire Federal grant amount requested for the four years of the grant (not just one year). Applicants (unless exempt) must also show cost sharing or match on the SF-424 (line 18b), SF-424A, and budget narrative.
Do not show leveraged resources on the SF-424 and SF-424A. You should describe leveraged resources in the budget narrative.
Applicants should list the same requested Federal grant amount on the SF-424, SF-424A, and budget narrative. If minor inconsistencies are found between the budget amounts specified on the SF-424, SF-424A, and the budget narrative, ETA will consider the SF-424 the official funding amount requested. However, if the amount specified on the SF-424 would render the application nonresponsive, the Grant Officer will use his or her discretion to determine whether the intended funding request (and match if applicable) is within the responsive range.
Preparing the Project Narrative
The Project Narrative must demonstrate your capability to implement the grant project in accordance with the provisions of this Announcement. It provides a comprehensive framework and description of all aspects of the proposed project. It must be succinct, self-explanatory, and well organized so that reviewers can understand the proposed project.
The Project Narrative is limited to 28 pages for current grantee applicants and 32 pages for new applicants (28 or 32 double-spaced single-sided) 8.5 x 11 inch pages with Times New Roman 12 point text font and 1-inch margins. You must number the Project Narrative beginning with page number 1.
We will not read or consider any materials beyond the specified page limit in the application review process.
The following instructions provide all of the information needed to complete the Project Narrative. Carefully read and consider each section, and include all required information in your Project Narrative. The agency will evaluate the Project Narrative using the evaluation criteria identified in Section V.A. You must use the same section headers identified below for each section of the Project Narrative:
(1) Statement of Need
Describe, in both quantitative and qualitative terms, the need for assistance for the SCSEP-eligible population in your chosen geographic area and incorporate demographic information whenever possible. Specifically:
Identify your proposed service area and describe the socio-economic characteristics of the intended SCSEP service population and the barriers to employment this population faces;
Describe the economic conditions and employment outlook of the proposed service area, including identification of the growth or high-demand industries or occupations you will target for employment opportunities for SCSEP participants; and
Describe the community service needs of the proposed service area and identify community service positions that you will target for SCSEP participants.
(2) Project Design
Provide a comprehensive plan of action that outlines the scope and detail of your SCSEP project and how you will accomplish the proposed employment and training activities. Describe how you will implement SCSEP by addressing the three program factors listed below. For each component, if you have had experience providing these or similar services, include a discussion of what you have done, what outcomes you have achieved, and what changes to your current program design(s), if any, you will make if awarded a grant under this competition. Describe your partnerships with AJCs, employers, host agencies, and other organizations and detail the specific roles played by each wherever possible. Include data on your prior experience wherever possible.
Working with Employers and Employer Associations
Describe how you will leverage existing partnerships and/or develop new partnerships with employers and organizations throughout the grant cycle that will support the participants’ employment and community service assignment goals. Provide at least one example of how you have done so in the past;
Describe how you will coordinate services with existing partnerships and/or develop new partnerships with agencies, organizations, etc. to help defray or provide at no cost, or at a fair and reasonable cost supportive services, such as transportation, health and medical services, special job-related or personal counseling, incidental such as work shoes, badges, uniforms, tools, etc., necessary to enable participants to engage in employment related activities. (See 20 CFR 641.545);
Explain how you will engage employers to determine their needs and how you will help them hire older workers from your SCSEP program; and
Identify the following employer-based activities that will be used in your SCSEP project as applicable:
On the job experience (OJE);
Inviting employers to have input on your SCSEP program design; and
Encouraging employers to prioritize hiring qualified SCSEP participants into job openings.
Recruiting and Managing Host Agencies
Describe your strategy to recruit host agencies to serve as community service training sites for older workers and describe how you will determine whether potential host agencies’ community service needs align with SCSEP’s stated goals and whether host agencies can provide appropriate training opportunities for participants;
Describe your existing relationships with host agencies or your plans to develop new relationships with host agencies and how you plan to leverage those relationships to provide placements for your SCSEP participants that prepare them for opportunities in in-demand industries and careers and assist them in becoming job-ready; and
Describe in detail the past contributions of your host agency partners to your SCSEP or similar project, their roles in preparing SCSEP participants for unsubsidized employment, and how you will ensure the community service positions provided are consistent with participants’ IEPs.
Providing Quality Service to Participants
Describe your plan to recruit SCSEP participants and the roles that AJCs and any other partners will play in the recruitment of participants. Cite factors that might promote or discourage the recruitment of eligible participants, including veterans, minorities, Indians or Native Americans, and others that possess at least one of the priority characteristics. Current grantees must cite performance data from the SCSEP Minority Report to support your description;
Explain how your selection of sub-recipients in areas with substantial populations of individuals with barriers to employment will result in special consideration to organizations with demonstrated expertise in serving minorities and individuals with barriers to employment, as defined by statute and listed in Section I.A. If you intend to provide services directly, indicate this and describe in detail how you will serve individuals with significant barriers to employment;
Describe in detail your choice of any general training, specialized training, or OJE that will be provided while the participants are engaged in the program, in addition to the community service training. Explain your choice of training and how it will help participants become self-sufficient and obtain unsubsidized employment. As an attachment, provide a work plan that includes a schedule of training activities and associated supportive services eligible participants will receive while engaged in the program, and any signed OJE contracts. Ensure that your budget narrative reflects these activities. See Section IV.B.4.i and j;
Identify and explain how the project will overcome any potential barriers to placement in community service assignments and unsubsidized employment faced by participants;
Describe your ability to move participants with barriers to employment from community service assignments into unsubsidized employment and include your proposed timeline for moving participants through the program before they meet their Individual Durational Limit (IDL) of 48 months (see CFR 641.570);
Describe how participants will be provided with a comprehensive assessment and how they will participate in the development their IEPs. Explain how you will ensure that participants’ training assignments and host agency rotations are consistent with their IEPs;
If you plan to request either an increase in administrative costs (see CFR 641.870) or to use additional funds for training and supportive services (see CFR 641.874), indicate this and explain in detail how you will use these funds15 to assist participants in gaining unsubsidized employment; and
Describe how you will serve diverse populations in your region(s), including individuals who have limited English proficiency.
(3) Organizational, Administrative, and Fiscal Capacity
Describe in detail your organization’s ability to administer SCSEP in the areas where you are requesting authority to provide service. Describe how your organizational, administrative, and fiscal capacity will support the SCSEP project by addressing the program factors below. For each component, include a comprehensive description of what you have done in the past and what outcomes you have achieved. Include data on your prior experience wherever applicable.
Capacity to manage core organizational functions and program operations
Describe how you will manage program operations internally and through sub-recipients and local staff, if applicable. Detail your methods of communication with internal program staff and sub-recipients regarding policies and procedures for SCSEP, data collection, and resolving any issues regarding program performance, participant services, and fiscal management that may emerge;
Describe the type and frequency of substantive training that internal program staff and sub-recipients will receive on program policy, DOL guidance and directives, performance, and fiscal reporting;
Describe your schedule for monitoring sub-recipients and/or local projects. Describe the monitoring tools and procedures you will use to track sub-recipients’ operations against performance objectives and financial requirements;
Describe how your system is consistent for prescribing corrective actions and resolving issues of performance, data collection, or fiscal management either internally or for sub-recipients and local projects. Describe at least one instance where you, a sub-recipient, and/or local project have needed to improve performance on a performance measure, a program requirement like service to minorities, data collection or reporting, or fiscal management, and what steps were taken to achieve that improvement. Detail what steps you took to address these situations and what results were achieved;
Describe your ability to coordinate activities with other organizations at the State and local levels and provide at least one example of when you have done so; and
Describe your ability to manage a disruption of services in community service assignments at host agencies, e.g., due to a natural disaster.
Capacity to manage data
Describe your capacity to collect and manage data in a way that ensures consistent, accurate, and expeditious reporting as required by the Department. Include detailed information on:
Your past and current use of SCSEP Performance and Results Quarterly Performance Report System (SPARQ) or a similar performance tracking system;
Your plan to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of data entry. Current SCSEP grantees must describe in detail your history of timeliness and accuracy, including your rejection rate for the last three years; and
Your method of data validation. New applicants must explain how you will use SPARQ to track performance data, how you will ensure the accuracy and timeliness of data entry, your current process for ensuring the quality of the data you collected and reported for similar programs over the last three program years, and how you have used your past data collection to improve data reporting or program implementation. Current SCSEP Grantees must indicate whether or not you have completed data validation for the past three years and explain how you have used the results of data validation to improve data collection and reporting or program implementation.
Financial stability and ability to adjust to changes in funding
Describe your past experience in implementing a new program or handling an increase in funding for an existing program; and
Demonstrate your ability to respond to reductions in funding while minimizing disruption to participants. Provide an example if appropriate.
Describe your financial capacity to administer SCSEP by providing evidence of strong accounting systems, fiscal controls, and previous grant fund management, and a review of audited financial statements. Include detailed descriptions of:
Your capacity for early start-up of financial activities;
The status of your Fiscal Management Information Systems (MIS) and integrated data sets relative to the system;
The fiscal controls you have in place for auditing and accountability procedures;
Your accounting system’s present ability to handle multiple funding streams;
Your system to track planned expenditures that will allow you to compare actual expenditures and accrued expenses in real time to planned or estimated expenditures; and
Your system to track forecasted and actual enrollment and forecasted and actual participant wages and fringe benefits.
Reporting and audits
Describe your fiscal reporting procedures and audits. Include detailed descriptions of:
The timeliness of your quarterly fiscal and program reporting for SCSEP and/or other projects, if applicable;
Your ability to make participant financial data available to the Department (e.g., timesheets, receipts);
Your audit or monitoring findings and recommendations for the past three years;
The status of any corrective action(s);
How you ensure that all grant funds are spent throughout the program year in an efficient manner. Current SCSEP grantees must discuss your past experience with recaptured SCSEP funds and experience managing your spending in the final quarter of each program year;
The number and type of audit findings you have had in the past three years. Include your most recent audited financial statements and, if applicable, the accompanying management letter as attachments. See Section IV.B.4.e; and
Describe how you will prevent fraud or criminal activity within your organization; how you will prevent any serious administrative deficiencies, such as failure to maintain a financial management system, failure to correct deficiencies bought to your attention in writing as a result of monitoring activities, failure to return grant close-out packages within the Department’s designated timeframe, and failure to submit timely reports.
(4) Partnerships
Describe the relationships you have developed with key partners (e.g. employers, educational institutions, AJCs, Area Agencies on Aging and others within and outside the public workforce system) to support SCSEP or similar programs and how this coordination of workforce services supports the participants. Detail the specific roles played by each organization and tie them to your program activities and timeline. Include data on your prior experience where applicable. Specifically:
Clearly describe how you will collaborate with other organizations to support program implementation and operation throughout the life cycle of the grant, including their specific areas of expertise and training and activities for which they will be responsible;
Describe the types of agreements you have in place with partners, both mandated and other. Describe the types of contributions received through these partners, such as services16, materials17, and any money received from partners in the last three program years specified as funding, the dollar amount (both cash and in-kind), and the percent of your total proposed SCSEP budget that it represents. Include the following as attachments, as applicable:
Memoranda of Understanding that describe services, referrals and cost sharing;
Memoranda of Agreement that describe the relationship and obligations of each party;
Signed letters of commitment (not simply letters of support)
List the key partners with which you currently have a relationship in administering SCSEP or a similar program in size and scope and any additional partners with whom you will develop a relationship; and
Describe your ability to maintain and manage partnerships, including information about:
How you communicate with key partners in your SCSEP or similar project;
What, if any, changes you will make to your current method of forming and maintaining partnerships if awarded a grant under this competition; and
Any relevant joint achievements.
(5) Past Performance – Programmatic Capability
Section 514(c)(4) of the OAA requires that grants be awarded on the basis of prior performance. Current SCSEP grantees do not write a narrative about past performance as you will be evaluated based on SPARQ data in the following areas. New applicants must describe prior performance in a comparable program and provide detailed data on performance, in the following areas:
(a) Greatest number served and most-in-need (see definition below in sub-section a)
(b) Community service employment
(c) Unsubsidized employment
(d) SCSEP Core measures (entered employment rate; retention in unsubsidized employment; average earnings; service level; service to the most-in-need; and community service) and additional measures (customer satisfaction; retention at one year, and volunteerism). Refer to Section VI.C.2.c.2 of this FOA for a detailed description of these measures.
Criteria a, b, and c measure actual performance, while d addresses performance compared to negotiated goals for the core measures and actual performance on the additional measures. Detailed directions follow:
Greatest Number Served and Most-in-Need
We will determine your ability to serve the greatest numbers, with a focus on those with significant barriers to employment, based on past performance in administering a SCSEP grant in the case of current grantees, or a similar program in the case of all other applicants. For current SCSEP grantees, except where otherwise noted, we will use the relevant data from SPARQ for PY 2012-2014; PY 2015 data will not be used because the year is in progress.
As listed in 20 CFR 641.710(a)(6), participants are characterized as being most-in-need if they:
Have a severe disability;
Are frail, as defined in CFR 641.140;
Are age 75 or older;
Meet the eligibility requirements for, but do not receive, benefits under title II of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 401);
Live in an area with persistent unemployment and are individuals with severely limited employment prospects;
Have limited English proficiency;
Have low literacy skills;
Have a disability;
Reside in a rural area;
Are veterans;
Have low employment prospects;
Have failed to find employment after utilizing services provided under Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 (Pub. L. No 113-128); or
Are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Current SCSEP Grantees Only:
Do not submit any data. We will use the data in SPARQ to assess the following factors.
Ability to serve the greatest number of eligible individuals
The average actual performance on the service level measure.
Greatest economic need, greatest social need and individuals described above or in 20 CFR 641.710(a)(6)
The average percentage of participants whose incomes were at or below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level at the time of enrollment;
The average percentage of participants without a High School (HS) degree;
The average percentage of all possible instances where minorities were enrolled at a rate significantly less than their incidence in the population (for PY 2012-2014); and
The average actual performance on the most-in-need measure.
All Other Applicants Only:
Describe in detail your experience-serving individuals in a program that is comparable to SCSEP in its complexity and duration for each of the factors below. This description must provide the data specified under each factor and must identify the source of the data, the year(s) the data cover, and whether the data were filed with the project’s funder. Wherever the data exist, please answer with regard to the three most recently completed program years.
Ability to serve the greatest number of eligible individuals
Provide the number of individuals served under a comparable grant or program, compared to the numbers that the funding was designed to support.
Greatest economic need, greatest social need, and individuals described above or in 20 CFR 641.710(a)(6)
The average percentage of participants meeting eligibility or service requirements, if any, put in place by the funding source for participants with incomes at or near the Federal Poverty Level;
The average percentage of participants at applicable thresholds of the Federal Poverty Level18;
The average percentage of participants who were without a HS degree;
The average percentage of participants who were minorities, especially the percentage served in proportion to their incidence in the population; and
The average percent of individuals served who had each of the following barriers to employment, as described above or in 20 CFR 641.710(a)(6), or have other characteristics that the program defines as “most-in-need” (and the rationale for any additional characteristics).
Community Service Employment
We will consider your past performance in administering a SCSEP grant, in the case of current grantees, or a similar grant in the case of all other applicants with grant experience, or by whatever comparable evidence is provided by applicants without grant experience. For current SCSEP grantees, we will use the relevant data from SPARQ and from the customer satisfaction surveys for PY 2012-2014; PY 2015 data will not be used because that year is still in progress.
Current SCSEP Grantees Only:
Do not submit any data. We will use the data in SPARQ and from customer satisfaction surveys to assess the following factors.
Community service assignments that are geographically convenient and appropriate for participants
Participant customer satisfaction survey, average score on Question 10 (assignment convenient); and
Participant customer satisfaction survey, average score on Question 8 (assignment just right for me).
Ability to engage host agencies and contribute to the general welfare
Host agency customer satisfaction survey, average score on Question 10 (participants were a good match);
Host agency customer satisfaction survey, average score on Question 18 (ability to provide services); and
The average actual performance on the community service measure.
All Other Applicants Only:
Describe in detail your experience administering a program comparable to SCSEP in its complexity and duration that provides community service or employment and training assignments, such as on-the-job training or longer-term work experiences, for eligible individuals in the communities in which the individuals reside, or in nearby communities. Your description must provide the data specified under each factor and must identify the source of the data, the year(s) the data cover(s), and whether the data were filed with the project’s funder. Wherever the data exist, please answer with regard to the three most recently completed program years.
Community service or training site assignments which are geographically convenient and appropriate for participants
Responses to surveys of participants that indicate the opportunity provided was appropriate, e.g., questions about the utility of the opportunity, the appropriateness of the opportunity, or other questions of similar nature for the last three years if available;
Data showing the average distance from participant residence to the opportunity for the last three years, if available; and
Other relevant information.
Ability to engage training sites and contribute to the general welfare
Number of different training, community service, or similar opportunity sites for the last three years, if available;
Responses to surveys of organizations providing opportunities for training, community service, or similar opportunities that indicate helpfulness of the program operator, the utility of the program, and the satisfaction with program participants for the last three years, if available; and
Other
relevant information.
Unsubsidized Employment
We will consider your past performance in administering a SCSEP grant, in the case of current grantees, or a similar grant in the case of all other applicants or by whatever evidence applicants without grant experience can provide. For current SCSEP grantees, except where otherwise noted, we will use the relevant data from the SPARQ system for PY 2012-2014; PY 2015 data will not be used because the year is in progress.
Current SCSEP Grantees Only:
Do not submit any data. We will use the data in SPARQ to assess the following factors.
Placement into unsubsidized employment
The average actual performance on the common measure entered employment rate; and
The average actual performance on the common measure employment retention rate.
Placement into unsubsidized employment for participants who are most-in-need and minorities
The average percentage of individuals who entered employment who have at least one of the identified barriers to employment, or other characteristics that render them most-in-need (See list of barriers in sub-section a above); and
The average entered employment rate for minorities.
All Other Applicants Only:
Describe in detail your experience placing participants, including those who are hardest to serve, into unsubsidized employment. This description must provide the data specified under each factor and must identify the source of the data, the year(s) the data cover(s), and whether the data were filed with the project’s funder. Wherever the data exist, please answer with regard to the three most recently completed program years.
Placement into unsubsidized employment
The average actual performance on the common entered employment rate measure or a similar measure; and
The average actual performance on the common employment retention measure or a similar measure.
Placement into unsubsidized employment for participants who are most-in-need
The average percentage of individuals who entered employment who have at least one of the identified barriers to employment, or other characteristics that render them most-in-need. (See list of barriers in sub-section a above); and
The average entered employment rate for minorities.
Core Measures and Additional Indicators
We will consider your past performance in meeting or on your ability to meet the negotiated goals for the six SCSEP core measures and in addressing the additional measures for which there are no goals, or comparable performance measures applicable to your program. We will consider past performance in administering a SCSEP grant, in the case of current grantees, or a similar grant, in the case of all other applicants. For current SCSEP grantees, we will use the relevant data from SPARQ for PY 2012-2014; PY 2015 data will not be used because the year is in progress.
Current SCSEP Grantees Only:
Do not submit any data. We will use the data in SPARQ to assess the following factors.
Performance on SCSEP core measures
Average aggregate percent of goal on the SCSEP core measures.
Performance in addressing the additional SCSEP measures
Average actual performance on retention at one year;
Participant customer satisfaction survey, average score on American Customer Satisfaction Index;
Host agency customer satisfaction survey, average score on American Customer Satisfaction Index; and
Average actual performance on the measure for volunteerism.
All Other Applicants Only:
Describe in detail your ability to meet the SCSEP core measures of performance and additional measures by describing your performance on comparable performance measures applicable to your program. The description must present data on your past performance, if any, in administering any State- or Federally-funded employment and training, community service, or comparable program. The description must provide the data specified under each factor and must identify the source of the data, the year(s) the data cover(s), and whether the data were filed with the project’s funder. Wherever the data exist, please answer with regard to the three most recently completed program years.
Ability to address the SCSEP core measures
Data on measures of placement, entered employment, and employment retention at 6 months for the last three years, if available. Provide the definition of each measure provided, including the numerator and denominator;
Data on measures of average weekly wage for those being placed or entering employment for the last three years, if available. Provide the definition of each measure provided, including the numerator and denominator; and
Data on the dollar value of community service or similar community benefit provided by the program for the last three years, if available.
Ability to address the additional SCSEP measures
Customer satisfaction of program participants, organizations providing community service or similar opportunities, and employers who hire program participants for the last three years, if available;
Retention at one year or a comparable measure (Section VI.C.2.c.2) for a definition) for the last three years, if available. Provide the definition of each measure provided, including the numerator and denominator; and
The average percentage of individuals who begin volunteer work at nonprofit organizations after exiting from the program. Provide the definition of the measure provided, including the numerator and denominator.
Past performance in administering a State- or federally-funded employment and training, community service, or comparable program
Percentage of goals achieved for all reported performance measures for the last three years, if available.
(6) Budget and Budget Justification
Please see Section IV.B.2. for additional information on requirements related to the budget and budget justification.
Describe your budget and demonstrate how it supports the activities that you have described in the project narrative and that it meets the requirements in Section IV.B.2; and
Clearly demonstrate that key personnel have sufficient time to devote to your SCSEP project to achieve project results.
In addition to the Project Narrative, you must submit attachments. All attachments must be clearly labeled as Attachments. We will only exclude those attachments listed below from the page limit.
You must not include additional materials such as resumes or general letters of support. You must submit your application in one package because documents received separately will be tracked separately and will not be attached to the application for review.
Save all files with descriptive file names of 50 characters or less and only use standard characters in file names: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, and underscore (_). File names may not include special characters (e.g. &,–,*,%,/,#), periods (.), blank spaces or accent marks, and must be unique (i.e., no other attachment may have the same file name). You may use an underscore (example: my_Attached_File.pdf) to separate a file name.
Required Attachments
Abstract: You must submit an up to two-page abstract summarizing the proposed project, including, but not limited to, the scope of the project and proposed outcomes. The proposed project must include the applicant’s name, project title, a description of the area to be served, number of participants to be served, the total cost per participant, and the funding level requested. The Abstract is limited to two-page double-spaced single sided 8.5x11 inch pages with 12 point text font and 1 inch margins. When submitting in grants.gov, this document must be uploaded as an attachment to the application package and specifically labeled “Abstract.”
List of all government grants and contracts the applicant and its affiliates19 have had in the past 3 years: You must include your grant/contract officer’s name, telephone number and e-mail address, amount of award, summary of the work performed, period of performance, and performance record and/or accomplishments.
A copy of the programmatic assurances (Appendix A) signed by the grant signatory indicating acceptance of all assurances.
If the applicant is a Federal agency, a clearly identifiable copy of the statutory provision that permits it to receive other Federal funds and a clearly identifiable copy of any applicable exemptions from the non-Federal share requirements.
Your audited financial statements for the last three years and, if applicable, the accompanying management letters. This attachment will not count against the 28 page limit (or the 32 page limit for new applicants) for either the project narrative or attachments to the technical proposal. You must detail the number and type of audit findings you have had in the past three years.
A copy of the certified mail receipt from your submittal of your plan to the Governor(s) of the State(s) in which you plan to operate the SCSEP. See Section II.A.4.
Requested Attachments
We request the following attachments, but their omission will not cause us to screen out the application. Furthermore, if the omission of the attachment will impact scoring, the description of the attachment will note such an impact.
Project/Performance Site Location(s) Form: You should submit a Project/Performance Site Location(s) Form (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15). This form is in the grants.gov application package. Please note that this is a standard form used for many programs and has a check box for applying as an individual. Disregard this box on the form as individuals are not eligible to apply for this Announcement. This attachment does not impact scoring of the application.
Indirect Cost Rate Agreement: If you are requesting indirect costs based on a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement approved by your Federal Cognizant Agency, then attach the most recently approved Agreement. (For more information, see Section IV.B.2 and Section IV.E.1) This attachment does not impact scoring of the application.
If applicable, under Section V.4, “Partnerships,” Memoranda of Understanding that describe services, referrals and cost share with key partners; Memoranda of Agreement with key partners that describe the relationship and obligations of each party; signed letter(s) of commitment (not letters of support); and/or signed OJE contracts. Failure to attach these documents will impact scoring of the application.
Work plan and schedule of training activities. Provide a work plan that includes a schedule of training activities and associated supportive services eligible participants will receive while engaged in the program. Ensure that your budget narrative reflects these activities. See Section IV.B.2 above. Failure to attach these documents will impact scoring of the application.
Organizational chart and complete staffing plans. Provide an organizational chart that reflects how you will staff the program, the relationships between your national office and, if applicable, your sub-recipients or local projects. Provide a staffing plan that includes a description of each staff member’s roles and responsibilities on the project, relevant background, and experience with SCSEP or a similar program. Demonstrate that each individual’s time dedicated to SCSEP is sufficient to ensure effective program direction, fiscal management, and reporting for the program. Applicants without key staff already in place may describe the qualifications and experience that they will require for key positions. We strongly suggest that staffing plans identify all key tasks, the person(s) or days required to complete each task, and the percentage of time allocated to the program by individuals assigned to the task, including sub-contractors and consultants. We strongly suggest that you submit resumes of all key staff 20. Failure to attach these documents will impact scoring of the application.
Note: Before we make the final awards, winning applicants must submit audit reports for the past three years for the applicant and its affiliates. This is in addition to the audit information required in (e) above.
We will accept applications under this Announcement until [insert date 45 days after the date of publication on Grants.gov]. You must submit your application either electronically on http://www.grants.gov or in hard copy by mail or in hard copy by hand delivery (including overnight delivery) no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date.
Applicants are encouraged to submit their application before the closing date to ensure that the risk of late receipt of the application is minimized. We will not accept applications sent by e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (FAX).
Applicants submitting applications in hard copy by mail or overnight delivery must submit a ‘‘copy-ready’’ version free of bindings, staples or protruding tabs to ease in the reproduction of the application by DOL. Applicants submitting applications in hard copy must also include in the hard copy submission an identical electronic copy of the application on compact disc (CD). If we identify discrepancies between the hard copy submission and CD copy, we will consider the application on the CD as the official submission for evaluation purposes. Failure to provide identical applications in hardcopy and CD format may have an impact on the overall evaluation.
If an application is physically submitted by both hard copy and through http://www.grants.gov, a letter must accompany the hard-copy application stating which application to review. If no letter accompanies the hard copy, we will review the copy submitted through http://www.grants.gov.
We will grant no exceptions to the mailing and delivery requirements set forth in this notice. Further, we will not accept documents submitted separately from the application, before or after the deadline, as part of the application.
Address mailed applications to the
U.S. Department of Labor
Employment and Training Administration
Office of Grants Management
Attention: Jimmie Curtis, Grant Officer,
Reference FOA-ETA-16-04,
200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716,
Washington, DC 20210
Please note that mail decontamination procedures may delay mail delivery in the Washington DC area. We will receive hand-delivered applications at the above address. All overnight delivery submissions will be considered to be hand-delivered and must be received at the designated place by the specified closing date and time.
Applicants submitting applications through Grants.gov must ensure successful submission at http://www.grants.gov no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date. Grants.gov will subsequently validate the application.
Applicants must submit bids for their preferred authorized positions on SCSEPApply.org by no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern time on the closing date. You are strongly advised to initiate the process as soon as possible and to plan for time to resolve technical problems if necessary. We strongly recommend that you submit your final bids through SCSEPapply.org at least three business days prior to the deadline in case you encounter technical challenges with your equipment or the website. Your application will not be considered complete if your official final bid is not submitted through SCSEPapply.org by the deadline.
We describe the submission and validation process in more detail below. The process can be complicated and time-consuming. You are strongly advised to initiate the process as soon as possible and to plan for time to resolve technical problems. Note that validation does not mean that your application has been accepted as complete or has been accepted for review. Rather, grants.gov only verifies the submission of certain parts of an application.
We strongly recommend that before you begin to write the application, you immediately initiate and complete the “Get Registered” registration steps at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html.
You should read through the registration process carefully before registering. These steps may take as much as four weeks to complete, and this time should be factored into plans for timely electronic submission in order to avoid unexpected delays that could result in the rejection of an application. The site also contains the Step-By-Step Guide to Organization Registration to help applicants walk through the process.
We strongly recommend that you download the Guide at http://www.grants.gov/documents/19/18243/GrantsgovOrganizationRegistrationGuide.pdf/be70525d-59aa-45ee-b196-5e8951faca0a and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process. Reviewing and assembling required information before beginning the registration process will alleviate last minute searches for required information and save time.
As described earlier in Section IV.B.1., you must have a DUNS Number and you must register with SAM.gov before submitting an application.
The next step in the registration process is creating a username and password with Grants.gov to become an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR). AORs will need to know the DUNS Number of the organization for which they will be submitting applications to complete this process.
To read more detailed instructions for creating a profile on Grants.gov visit: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-3-username-password.html
After creating a profile on Grants.gov, the E-Biz point of Contact (E-Biz POC) - a representative from your organization who is the contact listed for SAM – will receive an email to grant the AOR permission to submit applications on behalf of their organization. The E-Biz POC will then log in to Grants.gov and approve an individual as the AOR, thereby giving him or her permission to submit applications.
To learn more about AOR Authorization visit: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-4-aor-authorization.html,
or to track AOR status visit: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-5-track-aor-status.html
An application submitted through Grants.gov constitutes a submission as an electronically signed application. The registration and account creation with Grants.gov, with E-Biz POC approval, establishes an AOR. When an application is submitted through Grants.gov, the name of the AOR on file will be inserted into the signature line of the application. You must register the individual who is able to make legally binding commitments for your organization as the AOR; this step is often missed and it is crucial for valid submissions.
When a registered applicant submits an application with Grants.gov, an electronic time stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by Grants.gov. Within two business days of application submission, Grants.gov will send the applicant two email messages to provide the status of the application’s progress through the system.
The first email, sent almost immediately, will contain a tracking number and will confirm receipt of the application by Grants.gov.
The second email will indicate the application has either been successfully validated or has been rejected due to errors.
Grants.gov will reject applications if the applicant’s registration in SAM is expired. Only applications that have been successfully submitted by the deadline and later successfully validated will be considered. It is your sole responsibility to ensure a timely submission. While it is not required that an application be successfully validated before the deadline for submission, it is prudent to reserve time before the deadline in case it is necessary to resubmit an application that has not been successfully validated. Therefore, enough time should be allotted for submission (two business days) and, if applicable, additional time to address errors and receive validation upon resubmission (an additional two business days for each ensuing submission). It is important to note that if enough time is not allotted and a rejection notice is received after the due date and time, DOL will not consider the application.
To ensure consideration, the components of the application must be saved as .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .rtf or .pdf files. If submitted in any other format, the applicant bears the risk that compatibility or other issues will prevent DOL from considering the application. We will attempt to open the document, but will not take any additional measures in the event of problems with opening.
We strongly advise applicants to use the various tools and documents, including FAQs, which are available on the “Applicant Resources” page at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html .
We encourage new prospective applicants to view the online tutorial, “Grant Applications 101: A Plain English Guide to ETA Competitive Grants,” available through Workforce3One at: http://www.workforce3one.org/page/grants_toolkit.
To receive updated information about critical issues, new tips for users and other time sensitive updates as information is available, you may subscribe to “Grants.gov Updates” at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/manage-subscriptions.html .
If you encounter a problem with Grants.gov and do not find an answer in any of the other resources,
call 1-800-518-4726 or 606-545-5035 to speak to a Customer Support Representative or
email [email protected] .
The Grants.gov Contact Center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, it is closed on Federal holidays.
Late Applications
For applications submitted on Grants.gov, we will consider only applications successfully submitted no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date and then successfully validated. You take a significant risk by waiting to the last day to submit through Grants.gov.
We will not consider any hard copy application received after the exact date and time specified for receipt at the office designated in this notice, unless we receive it before awards are made, it was properly addressed, and it was: (a) sent by U.S. Postal Service mail, postmarked no later than the fifth calendar day before the date specified for receipt of applications (e.g., an application required to be received by the 20th of the month must be postmarked by the 15th of that month); or (b) sent by professional overnight delivery service to the addressee not later than one working day before the date specified for receipt of applications. ‘‘Postmarked’’ means a printed, stamped or otherwise placed impression (exclusive of a postage meter machine impression) that is readily identifiable, without further action, as having been supplied or affixed on the date of mailing by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service. Therefore, you should request the postal clerk to place a legible hand cancellation ‘‘bull’s eye’’ postmark on both the receipt and the package. Failure to adhere to these instructions will be a basis for a determination that the application was not filed timely and will not be considered. Evidence of timely submission by a professional overnight delivery service must be demonstrated by equally reliable evidence created by the delivery service provider indicating the time and place of receipt.
This funding opportunity is not subject to Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.”
All proposed project costs must be necessary and reasonable and in accordance with Federal guidelines. Determinations of allowable costs will be made in accordance with the Cost Principles, now found in the Office of Management and Budget’s Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance), codified at 2 CFR Part 200. Disallowed costs are those charges to a grant that the grantor agency or its representative determines not to be allowed in accordance with the Cost Principles or other conditions contained in the grant. Applicants, whether successful or not, will not be entitled to reimbursement of pre-award costs.
As specified in the Uniform Guidance Cost Principles, indirect costs are those that have been incurred for common or joint objectives and cannot be readily identified with a particular final cost objective. An indirect cost rate is required when an organization operates under more than one grant or other activity, whether Federally-assisted or not. You have two options to claim reimbursement of indirect costs.
Option 1: You may use a NICRA or Cost Allocation Plan (CAP) supplied by the Federal Cognizant Agency. If you do not have a NICRA/CAP or have a pending NICRA/CAP, and in either case choose to include estimated indirect costs in your budget, at the time of award the Grant Officer will release funds in the amount of 10% of salaries and wages to support indirect costs. Within 90 days of award, you are required to submit an acceptable indirect cost proposal or CAP to your Federal Cognizant Agency to obtain a provisional indirect cost rate. (See Section IV.B.4. for more information on NICRA submission requirements.)
Option 2: Any organization that has never received a negotiated indirect cost rate, with the exceptions noted at 2 CFR 200.414(f) in the Cost Principles, may elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs (see 2 CFR 200.68 for definition) which may be used indefinitely. If you choose this option, this methodology must be used consistently for all Federal awards until such time as you choose to negotiate for an indirect cost rate, which you may apply to do at any time. (See 2 CFR 200.414(f) for more information on use of the de minimis rate.)
An entity that receives a SCSEP grant to carry out a project or program may not use more than 13.5 percent of the SCSEP funds received to pay associated administrative costs. Subject to Departmental approval, administrative costs may be increased up to 15 percent based on the requirements in 20 CFR 641.870. Administrative costs could be direct or indirect costs, and are defined at 20 CFR 641. Administrative costs do not need to be identified separately from program costs on the SF-424A Budget Information Form. However, they must be tracked through the recipient’s accounting system. To claim any administrative costs that are also indirect costs, the applicant must obtain an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement from its Federal Cognizant Agency as specified above.
Under Public Law 109-234, none of the funds appropriated under the heading “Employment and Training” in the appropriation statute(s) may be used by a recipient or subrecipient of such funds to pay the salary and bonuses of an individual, either as direct costs or indirect costs, at a rate in excess of Executive Level II. This limitation does not apply to contractors providing goods and services as defined in the Audit Requirements of the OMB Uniform Guidance (see 2 CFR 200 Subpart F). See Public Law 113-76, Division H, Title I, section 105, and Training and Employment Guidance Letter number 05-06 for further clarification: http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2262.
Grantees must spend a minimum of 75 percent of their SCSEP Federal grant funds on participant wages and fringe benefits21. Subject to Departmental approval, a grantee may use up to 10 percent of SCSEP Federal Grant funds to provide additional training and supportive services to participants (see 20 CFR 641.874). Participant wages are based on the higher of the Federal, State, or local minimum wage, or the comparable wage for similar employment, for time spent in approved program activities only (e.g., community service training, other permissible training, orientation). See Section II.A.2 and 5 of this FOA for funding calculation information. Generally, grantees pay participants’ wages every two weeks.
Pursuant to 2 CFR 2900.13, to ensure that the Federal investment of DOL funds has as broad an impact as possible and to encourage innovation in the development of new learning materials, the grantee will be required to license to the public all work created with the support of the grant under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY) license. Work that must be licensed under the CC BY includes both new content created with the grant funds and modifications made to pre-existing, grantee-owned content using grant funds.
This license allows subsequent users to copy, distribute, transmit and adapt the copyrighted Work and requires such users to attribute the Work in the manner specified by the grantee. Notice of the license shall be affixed to the Work. For general information on CC BY, please visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0. Instructions for marking your work with CC BY can be found at http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Marking_your_work_with_a_CC_license.
Questions about CC BY as it applies to this specific funding opportunity should be submitted to the ETA Grants Management Specialist specified in Section VII.
Only work that is developed by the recipient in whole or in part with grants funds is required to be licensed under the CC BY license. Pre-existing copyrighted materials licensed to, or purchased by the grantee from third parties, including modifications of such materials, remain subject to the intellectual property rights the grantee receives under the terms of the particular license or purchase. In addition, works created by the grantee without grant funds do not fall under the CC BY license requirement.
The purpose of the CC BY licensing requirement is to ensure that materials developed with funds provided by these grants result in work that can be freely reused and improved by others. When purchasing or licensing consumable or reusable materials, the grantee is expected to respect all applicable Federal laws and regulations, including those pertaining to the copyright and accessibility provisions of the Federal Rehabilitation Act.
Separate from the CC BY license to the public, the Federal Government reserves a paid-up, nonexclusive and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use, and to authorize others to use for Federal purposes: i) the copyright in all products developed under the grant, including a subaward or contract under the grant or subaward; and ii) any rights of copyright to which the recipient, subrecipient or a contractor purchases ownership under an award (including, but not limited to, curricula, training models, technical assistance products, and any related materials). Such uses include, but are not limited to, the right to modify and distribute such products worldwide by any means, electronically or otherwise. The grantee may not use Federal funds to pay any royalty or license fee for use of a copyrighted work, or the cost of acquiring by purchase a copyright in a work, where the Department has a license or rights of free use in such work. If revenues are generated through selling products developed with grant funds, including intellectual property, DOL treats such revenues as program income. Such program income is added to the grant and must be expended for allowable grant activities.
If applicable, the following needs to be on all products developed in whole or in part with grant funds:
“This workforce product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The product was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The U.S. Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it.”
Withdrawal of Applications: Applications may be withdrawn by written notice to the Grant Officer at any time before an award is made.
Submission to Governors: General applicants must submit a copy of the project narrative (including the abstract and chart of service areas for which the applicant is bidding) and the SF-424 to the Governor or highest government official in each State that it proposes to serve before submitting an application to the Department as required by section 503(a)(5) of the OAA Amendments and 20 CFR 641.410. Under this provision, the Governor of each State may submit a recommendation to the Secretary of DOL relating to the anticipated effect of an applicant's proposal on the overall distribution of positions within the State; recommendations for redistribution of positions to under-served areas (i.e., equitable distribution); and recommendations for distribution of any newly available positions. The Department will review all recommendations submitted by governors related to this provision, but the Department will not consider comments that are outside the scope of this provision.
Please note that although governors have the option to provide comments to the Department, either before or after the rating of the application by DOL, we do not require governors to provide comments to applicants. Therefore, applicants should not wait for communication from the Governor(s) before submitting the application to the Department. As noted in Section II.B.4, applicants must provide the Department with a copy of a certified mail receipt serving as proof that your application has been submitted to the Governor(s) of all State(s) in which you plan to operate the SCSEP.
We do not require applicants submitting a Pacific Islander and Asian-American or Indian/Native American set-aside grant application to submit copies of their applications to the Governors under this section, but we encourage them to voluntarily comply with this provision. All other applicants must comply with this provision.
We have instituted procedures for assessing the technical merit of applications to provide for an objective review of applications and to assist you in understanding the standards against which your application will be judged. The evaluation criteria are based on the information required in the application as described in Sections IV.B.2. (Project Budget) and IV.B.3. (Project Narrative), and reflect the statutory criteria for the selection of SCSEP grantees listed in section 514(c) of the OAA Amendments. Reviewers will award points based on the evaluation criteria described below:
Criteria |
Section |
Points (maximum) |
Statement of Need |
IV.B.3(1) |
5 |
Project Design
|
IV.B.3(2) |
25 |
Organizational, Administrative, and Fiscal Capacity
|
IV.B.3(3) |
25 |
Partnerships |
IV.B.3(4) |
10 |
Past Performance
|
IV.B.3(5) |
30 |
Budget and Budget Justification
|
IV.B.3(6) |
5 |
TOTAL |
|
100 |
Points will be awarded based on the extent to which the application demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the needs of the SCSEP eligible population in your chosen geographic area, well supported by quantitative and qualitative information and including:
The clear identification of your proposed service area and full description of the socio-economic characteristics of the intended SCSEP service population and the barriers to employment this population faces;
A description of the economic conditions and employment outlook of the proposed service area, including identification of the growth or high-demand industries or occupations you will target for employment opportunities for SCSEP participants; and
A description of the community service needs of the proposed service area and specific identification of community service positions that you will target for SCSEP participants.
We will evaluate the quality and comprehensiveness of your plan of action that outlines the scope and detail of your SCSEP project and how you will accomplish the proposed employment and training activities and the quality of your description of how you will implement SCSEP using the program factors listed below and your inclusion of evidence of past experience, outcomes you have achieved, and explanation of any changes you will make to your current program design and why.
Working with Employers and Employer Associations. (Up to 10 points). Points will be awarded based on the quality, detail, and persuasiveness of your:
Description of how you will leverage existing partnerships and/or develop new partnerships with employers and organizations throughout the grant cycle that will support the participants’ employment and community service assignment goals; provide a brief description of at least one example of how you have done so in the past;
Description of how you will coordinate services with existing partnerships and/or develop new partnerships with agencies, organizations, etc. to help defray or provide at no cost, or at a fair and reasonable cost supportive services, such as transportation, health and medical services, special job-related or personal counseling, incidental such as work shoes, badges, uniforms, tools, etc., necessary to enable participants to engage in employment related activities. (See 20 CFR 641.545);
Explanation of how you will engage employers to determine their needs and how you will help them hire older workers from your SCSEP program; and
Identification of the following employer-based activities that will be used in your SCSEP project as applicable:
On the Job Experience (OJE);
Inviting employers to have input on your SCSEP program design; and
Encouraging employers to prioritize hiring qualified SCSEP participants into job openings.
Recruiting and Managing Host Agencies. (Up to 5 points). Points will be awarded based on the quality, detail, and persuasiveness of your:
Strategy to recruit host agencies to serve as community service training sites for older workers and how you will determine whether potential host agencies’ community service needs align with SCSEP’s stated goals and whether host agencies can provide appropriate training opportunities for participants;
Description of your existing relationships with host agencies, or any new relationships with host agencies you plan to develop, that you will leverage to provide placements for your SCSEP participants that prepare them for opportunities in in-demand industries and careers and assist them in becoming job-ready; and
Description of the past contributions of your host agency partners to your SCSEP or similar project, their roles in preparing SCSEP participants for unsubsidized employment, and how you ensure that the community service positions provided are consistent with participants’ IEPs.
Providing Quality Service to Participants. (Up to 10 points). Points will be awarded based on the quality, detail, and persuasiveness of your:
Plan to recruit SCSEP participants and the roles that AJCs and any other partners will play in the recruitment of participants; citation of factors that might promote or discourage the recruitment of eligible participants, including veterans, minorities, Indians or Native Americans, and others that possess at least one of the priority characteristics. Current SCSEP grantees must also include performance data from the SCSEP Minority report to support your plan;
Explanation of how your selection of sub-recipients in areas with substantial populations of individuals with barriers to employment will result in special consideration to organizations with demonstrated expertise in serving minorities and individuals with barriers to employment, or, if you intend to provide services directly, your description of how you will serve individuals with significant barriers to unemployment;
Description of your choice of any general training, specialized training, or OJE that will be provided while the participants are engaged in the program, in addition to the community service training, your explanation of your choice of training and how it will help participants become self-sufficient and obtain unsubsidized employment, your attached work plan that includes a schedule of training activities and associated supportive services eligible participants will receive while engaged in the program, and any signed OJE contracts. See Sections IV.B.4.i and j;
Identification and explanation of how the project will overcome any potential barriers to placement in community service assignments and unsubsidized employment faced by participants;
Description of how you will move participants with barriers to employment from community service assignments into unsubsidized employment and your proposed timeline for moving participants through the program before they meet their IDLs;
Description of how participants will be provided with a comprehensive assessment and will participate in developing their IEPs and explanation of how you will ensure that participants’ training assignments and host agency rotations are consistent with their IEPs; and
Description of how you will serve diverse populations in your region(s), including individuals who have limited English proficiency.
We will evaluate your organization’s ability to administer SCSEP in the areas where you are requesting to provide service through your description of how your organizational, administrative, and fiscal capacity will support the SCSEP project by addressing the program factors below and the extent to which the evidence you provide of your past experience supports this description.
Capacity to manage core organizational functions and program operations. (Up to 9 points). Points will be awarded based on the quality, detail, and persuasiveness of your:
Description of how you will manage program operations internally and through sub-recipients and local staff, if applicable, and your methods of communication with internal program staff and sub-recipients or local projects regarding policies and procedures for SCSEP, data collection, and resolving any issues regarding program performance, participant services, and fiscal management;
Description of the type and frequency of substantive training internal program staff and sub-recipients will receive on program policy, DOL guidance and directives, performance, and fiscal reporting;
Listed schedule for monitoring sub-recipients and/or local projects and description of the monitoring tools and procedures you will use to track sub-recipients’ operations against performance objectives and financial requirements;
Description of how your system is consistent for prescribing corrective actions and resolving issues of performance, data collection, or fiscal management either internally or of sub-recipients and/or local projects. Provide a description of at least one instance where you, a sub-recipient, and/or local project needed to improve performance on a performance measure, the steps taken to achieve that improvement and the results you achieved;
Description of your ability to coordinate activities with other organizations at the State and local levels and provide at least one example of when you have done so; and
Description of your ability to manage a disruption of services in community service assignments at host agencies.
Capacity to manage data. (Up to 5 points). Points will be awarded based on the quality, detail, and persuasiveness of your:
Description of your capacity to collect and manage data in a way that ensures consistent, accurate, and expeditious reporting as required by the Department and inclusion of detailed information on:
Your past and current use of SPARQ or a similar performance tracking system;
Your plan to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of data entry. Current SCSEP Grantees must describe in detail your history of timeliness and accuracy, including your rejection rate for the last three years; and
Your method of data validation. Explain how you will use SPARQ to track performance data, how you will ensure the accuracy and timeliness of data entry, your current process for ensuring the quality of the data you collected and reported for similar programs over the last three program years, and how you have used your past data collection to improve data reporting or program implementation. Current SCSEP Grantees must also indicate whether or not you have completed data validation for the past three years and explain how you have used the results of data validation to improve data collection and reporting or program implementation.
Financial stability and ability to adjust to changes in funding. (Up to 6 points). Points will be awarded based on the quality, detail, and persuasiveness of your:
Description of your past performance in implementing a new program or handling an increase in funding for an existing program; and
Demonstration of your ability to respond to reductions in funding while minimizing disruption to participants and inclusion of an example if possible.
Description of your financial capacity to administer SCSEP by providing evidence of strong accounting systems, fiscal controls, and previous grant fund management, and a review of audited financial statements and include:
The credentials and qualifications of key fiscal staff;
Your capacity for early start-up of financial activities;
The status of your Fiscal Management Information Systems (MIS) and integrated data sets relative to the system;
The fiscal controls you have in place for auditing and accountability procedures;
Your accounting system’s present ability to handle multiple funding streams;
Your system to track planned expenditures that will allow you to compare actual expenditures and accrued expenses in real time to planned or estimated expenditures; and
Your system to track forecasted and actual enrollment and forecasted and actual participant wages and fringe benefits.
Reporting and audits. (Up to 5 points). Points will be awarded based on the quality, detail, and persuasiveness of your:
Description of your fiscal reporting procedures and audits and the following:
The timeliness of your quarterly fiscal and program reporting for SCSEP and/or other projects, if applicable;
Your ability to make participant financial data available to the Department (e.g., timesheets, receipts);
Your audit or monitoring findings and recommendations for the past three years;
The status of any corrective action(s);
How you ensure that all grant funds are spent throughout the program year in an efficient manner. Current SCSEP Grantees must also discuss your past experience with recaptured SCSEP funds and experience managing your spending in the final quarter of each program year;
The number and type of audit findings you have had in the past three years. Include your most recent audited financial statements and, if applicable, the accompanying management letter as attachments. See Section IV.B.4.e; and
Description of how you will prevent fraud or criminal activity within your organization; how you will prevent any serious administrative deficiencies, such as failure to maintain a financial management system, failure to correct deficiencies bought to your attention in writing as a result of monitoring activities, failure to return grant close-out packages within the Department’s designated timeframe, and failure to submit timely reports.
We will evaluate your application based on the relationships you have developed with key partners to support SCSEP or similar programs and how this coordination of workforce services supports the participants and detailed description of the specific roles played by each organization and how they are tied to your program activities and timeline. Points will be awarded based on the quality, detail, and persuasiveness of the:
Description of how you will collaborate with other organizations to support program implementation and operation throughout the life cycle of the grant, including their specific areas of expertise and training and activities for which they will be responsible;
Description of the types of agreements you have in place with partners, both mandated and other, and the types of contributions received through these partners, such as services; materials; and any money received from partners in the last three program years specified as funding, the dollar amount (both cash and in-kind), and the percent of your total proposed SCSEP budget that it represents, and inclusion of the following attachments, as applicable:
Memoranda of Understanding that describe services, referrals and cost sharing;
Memoranda of Agreement that describe the relationship and obligations of each party;
Signed letters of commitment (not simply a letter of support);
Signed contracts for OJE;
Listing of the key partners with which you currently have a relationship in administering SCSEP or a similar program in size and scope and any additional partners with whom you will develop a relationship; and
Description of your ability to maintain and manage partnerships, including information about:
How you communicate with key partners in your SCSEP or similar project;
What, if any, changes you will make to your current method of forming and maintaining partnerships if awarded a grant under this competition; and
Any relevant joint achievements.
Separate instructions for current grantees and new applicants.
We will determine scores based on past performance in administering a SCSEP grant in the case of current grantees, or based on past performance in administering a similar grant in the case of all other applicants. All proposals will be reviewed based on the same criteria; however, different factors and instructions may apply depending on whether or not the applicant is a current grantee. For questions that rely on past performance, we will rate current SCSEP grantees based on data from their current SCSEP grant. We will rate applicants with non-SCSEP grant experience based on data from similar programs22 they have administered over the last three years.
Points will be awarded based on the quality of your description of your prior performance, in SCSEP or in comparable programs, in the following areas: greatest number served and most-in-need; community service employment; unsubsidized employment; core measures and additional measures. Separate instructions for current grantees and new applicants.
Greatest Number Served and Most-in-Need (Up to 7 points)
Points will be awarded based on the extent to which you describe your ability to administer a project that serves the greatest number of eligible individuals, giving particular consideration to individuals with greatest economic need, individuals with greatest social need, and individuals described in Section IV.B.5.a or in 20 CFR 641.710(a)(6).
We will determine your ability to serve the greatest numbers, with a focus on those with significant barriers to employment, based on past performance in administering a SCSEP grant in the case of current grantees, or a similar program in the case of all other applicants. For current SCSEP grantees, except as otherwise noted, we will use the relevant data from the SPARQ system for PY 2012-2014; PY 2015 data will not be used because the year is in progress.
Current SCSEP Grantees Only:
Do not submit any data. We will use the data in SPARQ to assess the following factors:
Ability to serve the greatest number of eligible individuals
The average actual performance on the service level measure.
Greatest economic need, greatest social need and individuals described in Section IV.B.5.a or in 20 CFR 641.710(a)(6)
The average percentage of participants whose incomes were at or below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level at the time of enrollment;
The average percentage of participants without a HS degree;
The average percentage of all possible instances where minorities were enrolled at a rate significantly less than their incidence in the population; and
The average actual performance on the most-in-need measure.
All Other Applicants Only:
Describe in detail your experience serving individuals in a program that is comparable to SCSEP in its complexity and duration for each of the following factors. This description must provide the data specified under each factor and must identify the source of the data, the year(s) the data cover, and whether the data were filed with the project’s funder. Wherever the data exist, please answer with regard to the three most recently completed program years.
Ability to serve the greatest number of eligible individuals
Provide the number of individuals served under a comparable grant or program, compared to the numbers that the funding was designed to support.
Greatest economic need, greatest social need and individuals described in Section IV.B.5.a or in 20 CFR 641.710(a)(6)
The average percentage of participants meeting eligibility or service requirements, if any, put in place by the funding source for participants with incomes at or near the Federal Poverty Level;
The average percentage of participants at applicable thresholds of the Federal Poverty Level23;
The average percentage of participants who were without a HS degree;
The average percentage of participants who were minorities, especially the percentage served in proportion to their incidence in the population; and
The average percent of individuals served who had each of the barriers to employment, as described in Section IV.B.5.a or in 20 CFR 641.710(a)(6), or have other characteristics that the program defines as “most-in-need” (and the rationale for any additional characteristics).
Community Service Employment (Up to 6 Points)
We will consider your past performance in administering a SCSEP grant, in the case of current grantees, or a similar grant in the case of all other applicants with grant experience, or by whatever comparable evidence is provided by applicants without grant experience. For current SCSEP grantees, we will use the relevant data from SPARQ and from the customer satisfaction surveys for PY 2012-2014; PY 2015 data will not be used because the year is in progress.
Current SCSEP Grantees Only:
Do not submit any data. We will use the data in SPARQ and from customer satisfaction surveys to assess the following factors.
Community service assignments that are geographically convenient and appropriate for participants
Participant customer satisfaction survey, average score on Question 10 (assignment convenient); and
Participant customer satisfaction survey, average score on Question 8 (assignment just right for me).
Ability to engage host agencies and contribute to the general welfare
Host agency customer satisfaction survey, average score on Question 10 (participants were a good match);
Host agency customer satisfaction survey, average score on Question 18 (ability to provide services); and
The average actual performance on the community service measure.
All Other Applicants Only:
Describe in detail your experience administering a program comparable to SCSEP in its complexity and duration that provides community service or employment and training assignments, such as on-the-job training or longer-term work experiences, for eligible individuals in the communities in which the individuals reside, or in nearby communities. Your description must provide the data specified under each factor and must identify the source of the data, the year(s) the data cover(s), and whether the data were filed with the project’s funder. Wherever the data exist, please answer with regard to the three most recently completed program years.
Community service or training site assignments which are geographically convenient and appropriate for participants
Responses to surveys of participants that indicate the opportunity provided was appropriate, e.g., questions about the utility of the opportunity, the appropriateness of the opportunity, or other questions of similar nature for the last three years if available;
Data showing the average distance from participant residence to the opportunity for the last three years, if available; and
Other relevant information.
Ability to engage training sites and contribute to the general welfare
Number of different training, community service, or similar opportunity sites for the last three years, if available;
Responses to surveys of organizations providing opportunities for training, community service, or similar opportunities that indicate helpfulness of the program operator, the utility of the program, and the satisfaction with program participants for the last three years, if available; and
Other relevant information.
Unsubsidized Employment (Up to 10 Points)
We will consider your past performance in administering a SCSEP grant, in the case of current grantees, or a similar grant in the case of all other applicants or by whatever evidence applicants without grant experience can provide. For current SCSEP grantees, except where otherwise noted, we will use the relevant data from the SPARQ system for PY 2012-2014; PY 2015 data will not be used because the year is in progress.
Current SCSEP Grantees Only:
Do not submit any data. We will use the data in SPARQ to assess the following factors.
Placement into unsubsidized employment
The average actual performance on the common measure entered employment rate; and
The average actual performance on the common measure employment retention rate.
Placement into unsubsidized employment for participants who are most-in-need and minorities
The average percentage of individuals who entered employment who have at least one of the identified barriers to employment, or other characteristics that render them most-in-need (Section IV.B.5.a); and
The average entered employment rate for minorities.
All Other Applicants Only:
Describe in detail your experience placing participants, including those who are hardest to serve, into unsubsidized employment. This description must provide the data specified under each factor and must identify the source of the data, the year(s) the data cover(s), and whether the data were filed with the project’s funder. Wherever the data exist, please answer with regard to the three most recently completed program years.
Placement into unsubsidized employment
The average actual performance on the common entered employment rate measure or a similar measure; and
The average actual performance on the common employment retention measure or a similar measure.
Placement into unsubsidized employment for participants who are most-in-need
The average percentage of individuals who entered employment who have at least one of the identified barriers to employment, or other characteristics that render them most-in-need. (See list of barriers in sub-section a above); and
The average entered employment rate for minorities.
Core Measures and Additional Indicators (Up to 7 Points)
We will consider your past performance in meeting or on your ability to meet the negotiated goals for the six SCSEP core measures and in addressing the additional measures for which there are no goals, or comparable performance measures applicable to your program. We will consider past performance in administering a SCSEP grant, in the case of current grantees, or a similar grant, in the case of all other applicants. For current SCSEP grantees, we will use the relevant data from SPARQ for PY 2012-2014; PY 2015 data will not be used because the year is in progress.
Current SCSEP Grantees Only:
Do not submit any data. We will use the data in SPARQ to assess the following factors.
Performance on SCSEP core measures
Average aggregate percent of goal on the SCSEP core measures.
Performance in addressing the additional SCSEP measures
Average actual performance on retention at one year;
Participant customer satisfaction survey, average score on American Customer Satisfaction Index;
Host agency customer satisfaction survey, average score on American Customer Satisfaction Index; and
Average actual performance on the measure for volunteerism.
All Other Applicants Only:
Describe in detail your ability to meet the SCSEP core measures of performance and additional measures by describing your performance on comparable performance measures applicable to your program. The description must present data on your past performance, if any, in administering any State- or Federally-funded employment and training, community service, or comparable program. The description must provide the data specified under each factor and must identify the source of the data, the year(s) the data cover(s), and whether the data were filed with the project’s funder. Wherever the data exist, please answer with regard to the three most recently completed program years.
Ability to address the SCSEP core measures
Data on measures of placement, entered employment, and employment retention at 6 months for the last three years, if available. Provide the definition of each measure provided, including the numerator and denominator;
Data on measures of average weekly wage for those being placed or entering employment for the last three years, if available. Provide the definition of each measure provided, including the numerator and denominator; and
Data on the dollar value of community service or similar community benefit provided by the program for the last three years, if available.
Ability to address the additional SCSEP measures
Customer satisfaction of program participants, organizations providing community service or similar opportunities, and employers who hire program participants for the last three years, if available;
Retention at one year or a comparable measure (see Section VI.B.4.c.2 for a definition) for the last three years, if available. Provide the definition of each measure provided, including the numerator and denominator; and
The average percentage of individuals who begin volunteer work at nonprofit organizations after exiting from the program. Provide the definition of the measure provided, including the numerator and denominator.
Past performance in administering a State- or federally-funded employment and training, community service, or comparable program
Percentage of goal achieved for all reported performance measures for the last three years, if available.
Points will be awarded based on the following:
The extent to which the budget is reasonable based on the activities outlined in the project narrative and meets the requirements in Section IV.B.2; and
The extent to which key personnel have adequate time devoted to the project to achieve project results.
1. Merit Review and Selection Process
A technical merit review panel will carefully evaluate applications against the selection criteria to determine the merit of applications. These criteria are based on the policy goals, priorities, and emphases set forth in this FOA. Up to 100 points may be awarded to an applicant, depending on the quality of the responses provided. The final scores (which may include the mathematical normalization of review panels) will serve as the primary basis for selection of applications for funding. The panel results are advisory in nature and not binding on the Grant Officer. The Grant Officer reserves the right to make selections based solely on the final scores or to take into consideration other relevant factors when applicable. Such factors may include the geographic distribution of funds and/or other relevant factors. [If program would like to add additional factors, then discuss with the Grant Officer.] The Grant Officer may consider any information that comes to his/her attention.
The government may elect to award the grant(s) with or without discussions with the applicant. Should a grant be awarded without discussions, the award will be based on the applicant’s signature on the SF-424, including electronic signature via E-Authentication on http://www.grants.gov, which constitutes a binding offer by the applicant.
2. Risk Review Process
Prior to making an award, ETA will review information available through any OMB-designated repository of government-wide eligibility qualification or financial integrity information, such as Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), Dun and Bradstreet, and “Do Not Pay.” Additionally, ETA will comply with the requirements of 2 CFR Part 180 codified by DOL at 29 CFR Part 98 [Government-wide Debarment and Suspension (Non-procurement)]. This risk evaluation may incorporate results of the evaluation of the applicant’s eligibility (application screening) or the quality of its application (merit review). If ETA determines that an award will be made, special conditions that correspond to the degree of risk assessed may be applied to the award. Criteria to be evaluated include:
(1) Financial stability;
(2) Quality of management systems and ability to meet the management standards prescribed in the Uniform Grant Guidance;
(3) History of performance. The applicant’s record in managing awards, cooperative agreements, or procurement awards, if it is a prior recipient of such Federal awards, including timeliness of compliance with applicable reporting requirements and, if applicable, the extent to which any previously awarded amounts will be expended prior to future awards;
(4) Reports and findings from audits performed under Subpart F – Audit Requirements of the Uniform Grant Guidance or the reports and findings of any other available audits and monitoring reports containing findings, issues of non-compliance or questioned costs;
(5) The applicant’s ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements imposed on recipients.
All award notifications will be posted on the ETA Homepage (http://www.doleta.gov). Applicants selected for award will be contacted directly before the grant’s execution. Non-selected applicants will be notified by mail or email and may request a written debriefing on the significant weaknesses of their application.
Selection of an organization as a recipient does not constitute approval of the grant application as submitted. Before the actual grant is awarded, we may enter into negotiations about such items as program components, counties awarded, and the number of Authorized Positions assigned to grantees, staffing and funding levels, and administrative systems in place to support grant implementation. If the negotiations do not result in a mutually acceptable submission, the Grant Officer reserves the right to terminate the negotiations and decline to fund the application. We reserve the right to not fund any application related to this FOA.
All grantees will be subject to all applicable Federal laws, regulations—including the OMB Uniform Guidance, and the terms and conditions of the award. The grant(s) awarded under this FOA will be subject to the following administrative standards and provisions:
a. Non-Profit Organizations, Educational Institutions, For-profit entities and State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments – 2 CFR Part 200 (Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards) and 2 CFR 2900 (DOL’s Supplement to 2 CFR 200)
b. All recipients must comply with the applicable provisions of Title V of The Older Americans Act as amended in 2006
c. All entities must comply with 29 CFR Part 93 (New Restrictions on Lobbying), 29 CFR Part 94 (Governmentwide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Financial Assistance)), 29 CFR Part 98 (Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension, and drug-free workplace requirements), and, where applicable, 2 CFR Part 200 (Audit Requirements).
d. 29 CFR Part 2, subpart D—Equal Treatment in Department of Labor Programs for Religious Organizations, Protection of Religious Liberty of Department of Labor Social Service Providers and Beneficiaries.
e. 29 CFR Part 31—Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs of the Department of Labor—Effectuation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
f. 29 CFR Part 32—Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance.
g. 29 CFR Part 35— Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Age in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance from the Department of Labor.
h. 29 CFR Part 36—Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance.
i. 29 CFR Part 36 – Implementation of the Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity Provisions of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
j. 29 CFR Parts 29 and 30—Labor Standards for the Registration of Apprenticeship Programs, and Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship and Training, as applicable.
k. General Terms and Conditions of Award—See the following link: https://www.doleta.gov/grants/resources.cfm
a. Religious Activities
The Department notes that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), 42 U.S.C. Section 2000bb, applies to all Federal law and its implementation. If an applicant organization is a faith-based organization that makes hiring decisions on the basis of religious belief, it may be entitled to receive Federal financial assistance under Title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and maintain that hiring practice even though Section 188 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act24 contains a general ban on religious discrimination in employment. If a faith-based organization is awarded a grant, the organization will be provided with information on how to request such an exemption.
b. Lobbying or Fundraising the U.S. Government with Federal Funds
In accordance with Section 18 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (Public Law 104-65) (2 U.S.C. 1611), non-profit entities incorporated under Internal Revenue Service Code Section 501(c) (4) that engage in lobbying activities are not eligible to receive Federal funds and grants. No activity, including awareness-raising and advocacy activities, may include fundraising for, or lobbying of, U.S. Federal, State or Local Governments (see 2 CFR 200.450 for more information).
c. Transparency Act Requirements
You must ensure that you have the necessary processes and systems in place to comply with the reporting requirements of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Pub. Law 109-282, as amended by section 6202 of Pub. Law 110-252) (Transparency Act), as follows:
Except for those excepted from the Transparency Act under sub-paragraphs 1, 2, and 3 below, you must ensure that you have the necessary processes and systems in place to comply with the subaward and executive total compensation reporting requirements of the Transparency Act, should they receive funding.
Upon award, you will receive detailed information on the reporting requirements of the Transparency Act, as described in 2 CFR Part 170, Appendix A, which can be found at the following website: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2010-09-14/pdf/2010-22705.pdfThe following types of awards are not subject to the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act:
(1) Federal awards to individuals who apply for or receive Federal awards as natural persons (i.e., unrelated to any business or non-profit organization he or she may own or operate in his or her name);
(2) Federal awards to entities that had a gross income, from all sources, of less than $300,000 in the entities' previous tax year; and
(3) Federal awards, if the required reporting would disclose classified information.
d. Safeguarding Data Including Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
Applicants submitting applications in response to this FOA must recognize that confidentiality of PII and other sensitive data is of paramount importance to the Department of Labor and must be observed except where disclosure is allowed by the prior written approval of the Grant Officer or by court order. By submitting an application, you are assuring that all data exchanges conducted through or during the course of performance of this grant will be conducted in a manner consistent with applicable Federal law and TEGL NO. 39-11 (issued June 28, 2012). All such activity conducted by ETA and/or recipient/s will be performed in a manner consistent with applicable state and Federal laws.
By submitting a grant application, you agree to take all necessary steps to protect such confidentiality by complying with the following provisions that are applicable in governing their handling of confidential information:
1. You must ensure that PII and sensitive data developed, obtained, or otherwise associated with DOL/ETA funded grants is securely transmitted.
To ensure that such PII is not transmitted to unauthorized users, all PII and other sensitive data transmitted via e-mail or stored on CDs, DVDs, thumb drives, etc., must be encrypted using a Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 compliant and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) validated cryptographic module. You must not e-mail unencrypted sensitive PII to any entity, including ETA or contractors.
You must take the steps necessary to ensure the privacy of all PII obtained from participants and/or other individuals and to protect such information from unauthorized disclosure. You must maintain such PII in accordance with the ETA standards for information security described in TEGL NO. 39-11 and any updates to such standards we provide to you. If you wish to obtain more information on data security should contact their Federal Project Officer.
You must ensure that any PII used during the performance of your grant has been obtained in conformity with applicable Federal and state laws governing the confidentiality of information.
You further acknowledge that all PII data obtained through your ETA grant must be stored in an area that is physically safe from access by unauthorized persons at all times and the data will be processed using recipient issued equipment, managed information technology (IT) services, and designated locations approved by ETA. Accessing, processing, and storing of ETA grant PII data on personally owned equipment, at off-site locations e.g., employee’s home, and non-recipient managed IT services, e.g., Yahoo mail, is strictly prohibited unless approved by ETA.
Your employees and other personnel who will have access to sensitive/confidential/proprietary/private data must be advised of the confidential nature of the information, the safeguards required to protect the information, and that there are civil and criminal sanctions for noncompliance with such safeguards that are contained in Federal and state laws.
You must have policies and procedures in place under which your employees and other personnel, before being granted access to PII, acknowledge their understanding of the confidential nature of the data and the safeguards with which they must comply in their handling of such data as well as the fact that they may be liable to civil and criminal sanctions for improper disclosure.
You must not extract information from data supplied by ETA for any purpose not stated in the grant agreement.
Access to any PII created by the ETA grant must be restricted to only those employees of the grant recipient who need it in their official capacity to perform duties in connection with the scope of work in the grant agreement.
All PII data must be processed in a manner that will protect the confidentiality of the records/documents and is designed to prevent unauthorized persons from retrieving such records by computer, remote terminal or any other means. Data may be downloaded to, or maintained on, mobile or portable devices only if the data are encrypted using NIST validated software products based on FIPS 140-2 encryption. In addition, wage data may only be accessed from secure locations.
PII data obtained by the recipient through a request from ETA must not be disclosed to anyone but the individual requestor except as permitted by the Grant Officer or by court order.
You must permit ETA to make onsite inspections during regular business hours for the purpose of conducting audits and/or conducting other investigations to assure that you are complying with the confidentiality requirements described above. In accordance with this responsibility, you must make records applicable to this Agreement available to authorized persons for the purpose of inspection, review, and/or audit.
You must retain data received from ETA only for the period of time required to use it for assessment and other purposes, or to satisfy applicable Federal records retention requirements, if any. Thereafter, you agree that all data will be destroyed, including the degaussing of magnetic tape files and deletion of electronic data.
e. Record Retention
You must be prepared to follow Federal guidelines on record retention, which require you to maintain all records pertaining to grant activities for a period of at least three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report. See 2 CFR 200.333-.337 for more specific information, including information about the start of the record retention period for awards that are renewed quarterly or annually, and when the records must be retained for more than three years.
f. Use of Contracts and Subawards
You must abide by the following definitions of contract, contractor, subaward, and subrecipient:
Contract: Contract means a legal instrument by which a non-Federal entity (defined as a state, local government, Indian tribe, institution of higher education (IHE), nonprofit organization, for-profit entity, foreign public entity, or a foreign organization that carries out a Federal award as a recipient or subrecipient) purchases property or services needed to carry out the project or program under a Federal award. The term as used in this FOA does not include a legal instrument, even if the non-Federal entity considers it a contract, when the substance of the transaction meets the definition of a Federal award or subaward (see definition of Subaward below).
Contractor : Contractor means an entity that receives a contract as defined above in Contract.
Subaward: Subaward means an award provided by a pass-through entity (defined as a non-Federal entity that provides a subaward to a subrecipient to carry out part of a Federal program) to a subrecipient for the subrecipient to carry out part of a Federal award received by the pass-through entity. It does not include payments to a contractor or payments to an individual that is a beneficiary of a Federal program. A subaward may be provided through any form of legal agreement, including an agreement that the pass-through entity considers a contract.
Subrecipient: Subrecipient means a non-Federal entity that receives a subaward from a pass-through entity to carry out part of a Federal program; but does not include an individual that is a beneficiary of such program. A subrecipient may also be a recipient of other Federal awards directly from a Federal awarding agency.
You must follow the provisions at 2 CFR 200.330-.332 regarding subrecipient monitoring and management. Also see 2 CFR 200.308(c)(6) regarding prior approval requirements for subawards. When awarding subawards, you are required to comply with provisions on governmentwide suspension and debarment found at 2 CFR Part 180 and codified by DOL at 29 CFR Part 98.
g. Closeout of Grant Award
Any entity that receives an award under this Announcement must close its grant with ETA at the end of the final year of the grant. Information about this process may be found in ETA’s Grant Closeout FAQ located at http://www.doleta.gov/grants/docs/GCFAQ.pdf.
Except as specifically provided in this FOA, our acceptance of an application and an award of Federal funds to sponsor any programs(s) does not provide a waiver of any grant requirements and/or procedures. For example, the OMB Uniform Guidance requires that an entity’s procurement procedures ensure that all procurement transactions are conducted, as much as practical, to provide full and open competition. If an application identifies a specific entity to provide goods or services, the award does not provide the justification or basis to sole source the procurement, i.e., avoid competition.
a. ETA Evaluation
DOL may initiate an independent evaluation of the services and models developed with these grants, which may include an evaluation of the outcomes and benefits of these grants. By accepting grant funds, grantees agree to participate in the evaluation, should they be selected, including making records on participants, employers, and funding available and providing access to program operating personnel and participants, as specified by the evaluator(s) under the direction of ETA, including after the period of operation.
b. Performance Goals
Please note that applicants will be held to negotiated performance goals detailed in Section VI.C.2.c.2 and failure to meet those outcomes may result in technical assistance or other intervention by ETA, and may also have a significant impact on decisions about future grants with ETA.
You must agree to meet DOL reporting requirements. Quarterly financial reports, quarterly progress reports, and MIS data must be submitted by the recipient electronically.
A Quarterly Financial Status Report (ETA 9130) is required until such time as all funds have been expended or the grant period has expired. Quarterly reports are due 45 days after the end of each calendar year quarter. On the final Financial Status Report, you must include any subaward amounts so we can calculate final indirect costs, if applicable. You must use DOL’s Online Electronic Reporting System and information and instructions will be provided to grantees.
a. You must submit a quarterly narrative report within 45 days after the end of each calendar year quarter. The report must include quarterly information on grant activities, performance goals, and milestones. It must summarize project activities, employment outcomes and other deliverables, and related results of the project, and must thoroughly document the training or labor market information approaches that you used.
b. You must enter the required data listed in the OMB-approved data collection forms below in subsection 4 into the SPARQ system in a timely and accurate manner. SPARQ tracks participant records beginning at the time of application. The primary use of SPARQ is to track participant training and employment, generate QPRs, alert grantees when follow-ups are required, provide performance evaluation information, and lead grantees to program improvement. Final data for a given quarter must be entered into SPARQ within 30-45 days of the quarter’s closing date as directed by DOL. Final Program Year data must be submitted by the grantee within 90 days after the end of the grant period. (See CFR 641.879 for more details). As a condition of the grant, selected applicants must collect and report all SCSEP required data on a continuous and timely basis and must maintain an acceptable level of data accuracy as determined by DOL. Applicants must ensure that all local providers have Internet access and the ability to use all the functions in SPARQ. Applicants may preview the SPARQ system at www.doleta.gov/seniors.
c. For financial data, grantees must use the Enterprise Business Support System (EBSS). Grantees must submit quarterly financial reports using the SF-9130.
Equitable Distribution Reports
National grantees must prepare an individual Equitable Distribution Report annually and provide all required information to the State for its equitable distribution report. The Equitable Distribution (ED) Report provides a basis for determining the collective progress made by SCSEP grantees toward an equitable distribution of program positions in each State. Applicants must acknowledge that (1) as a condition of any award under this FOA, they will comply with the ED plan for each State in which they operate, and (2) that they will not make any change in the location of authorized positions within a State, except in accordance with the State ED plan and with DOL approval. The State plan ifiled annually by the State grantee for all authorized positions, and grantees may not be able to fill authorized positions that become vacant, as necessary to comply with the ED plan. The ED Report is approved by OMB, numbers ETA 8705 a and b. More information may be found at http://scseped.org/.
Negotiated performance measures
Negotiated SCSEP performance measures will apply to all grantees and will be incorporated into the final grant agreement. Grantees cannot receive annual grant awards without negotiated goals and are subject to sanctions for failing to meet them. See http://doleta.gov/performance/guidance/tools_commonmeasures.cfm#Glance for further details.
Incumbent grantees that are successful in this competition will have performance measures for PY 2016 that reflect prior performance and previously established goals. Adjustments may be negotiated based on factors such as populations with barriers to employment, poverty, and unemployment in the new areas served.
New grantees will be assigned the average national grantee goals as targets for PY 2016, subject to adjustments based on factors such as populations with barriers to employment and poverty and unemployment in the new areas served.
The negotiated core performance measures that apply to SCSEP are as follows:
Entered employment rate: Entered employment is determined by the number of participants who are employed in the first quarter after their quarter of exit. For PY 2016, we expect the nationwide goal for PY 2016 to be approximately 46 percent.
Retention in Unsubsidized Employment: Retention is measured by determining the number of participants who are employed in the first, second and third quarters after the quarter in which they exit the program. We expect the nationwide goal for retention for PY 2016 to be approximately 74 percent.
Service Level: Service Level represents the number of participants served beyond the number of authorized positions. For example, a proposed PY 2016 program goal of 160 percent would require a grantee that has 100 positions to serve at least 160 new or existing participants at some time during the program year. We expect the nationwide negotiated service level goal for PY 2016 to be about 160 percent.
Service to the Most-in-need: We require grantees to give special consideration to enrolling individuals who qualify as having the greatest need. ‘‘Most-in-need’’ [or the number of participating individuals described in § 518(a)(3)(B)(ii) or (b)(2)] is defined by counting the total number of specified barriers to employment for all participants and dividing by the number of participants served. (See Section I.A for more information). The current nationwide goal is an average of 2.65 most-in-need factors per participant.
Community Service: ‘‘Hours of community service employment’’ is defined as the total number of hours of community service provided by SCSEP participants divided by the number of hours of community service funded by the grantee’s grant, after adjusting for differences in minimum wage among the States and areas. Paid training hours are excluded from this measure. We expect the nationwide negotiated goal for PY 2016 to be about 80 percent.
Earnings: ‘‘Average Earnings’’ is defined by the formula: Of those participants who are employed in the first, second and third quarters after the quarter of exit, total earnings in the second quarter and third quarters after the exit quarter, divided by the number of participants who exited during the quarter. The current nationwide goal is $7,500.
In addition to the negotiated core performance measures listed above, there are currently three additional performance measures: customer satisfaction, retention at one year, and entered volunteer work. Grantees do not have negotiated goals for these measures, but their performance is publicly reported each year.
Customer Satisfaction Survey
Each year grantees must aid the Department in gathering performance information via customer satisfaction surveys. The surveys measure the satisfaction of the participants, employers, and host agencies with the experiences and services provided by grantees and their sub-recipients. The participant and host agency surveys are administered to a random sample of customers once each year by a mail house. The grantees’ role is limited to ensuring that their local affiliates provide the specified pre-survey notice to the participants and host agencies as directed by the Department. For the employer survey, sub-recipients are required to deliver the surveys to qualified employers listed in a management report provided to the affiliates. Because not all employers are qualified for the survey, the number of employer surveys delivered each year is relatively small.
Record Retention
Applicants must be prepared to follow Federal guidelines on record retention, which require grantees to maintain all records pertaining to grant activities for a period of not less than three years from the time of final grant close-out, or three years from the date that all reporting requirements have ended, whichever is later.
For further information about this FOA, please contact Jeannette Flowers, Grants Management Specialist, Office of Grants Management, at (202) 693-3322. Applicants should e-mail all technical questions to [email protected] and must specifically reference FOA-ETA-16-04, and along with question(s), include a contact name, fax and phone number. This Announcement is being made available on the ETA Web site at http://www.doleta.gov/grants and at http://www.grants.gov.
DOL is committed to conducting a transparent grant award process and publicizing information about program outcomes. Posting grant applications on public websites is a means of promoting and sharing innovative ideas. For all applications in this grant competition, we will publish the Abstracts required by Section IV.B.4., and selected information from the SF-424 for all applications on the Department’s public website or similar publicly accessible location. Additionally, we will publish a version of the Project Narrative required by Section IV.B.3. for all those applications that are awarded grants, on the Department’s website or a similar location. No other attachments to the application will be published. The Project Narratives and Abstracts will not be published until after the grants are announced. In addition, information about grant progress and results may also be made publicly available.
DOL recognizes that grant applications sometimes contain information that an applicant may consider proprietary or business confidential information, or may contain personally identifiable information (PII). Proprietary or business confidential information is information that is not usually disclosed outside your organization and disclosing this information is likely to cause you substantial competitive harm.
PII is any information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, or biometric records, and any other information that is linked or linkable to an individual, such as medical, educational, financial, and employment information.25
Abstracts will be published in the form originally submitted, without any redactions. Applicants should not include any proprietary or confidential business information or PII in this summary. In the event that an applicant submits proprietary or confidential business information or PII, DOL is not liable for the posting of this information contained in the Abstract. The submission of the grant application constitutes a waiver of the applicant’s objection to the posting of any proprietary or confidential business information contained in the Abstract. Additionally, the applicant is responsible for obtaining all authorizations from relevant parties for publishing all PII contained within the Abstract. In the event the Abstract contains proprietary or confidential business information or PII, the applicant is presumed to have obtained all necessary authorizations to provide this information and may be liable for any improper release of this information.
By submission of this grant application, the applicant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the United States, the U.S. Department of Labor, its officers, employees, and agents against any liability or for any loss or damages arising from this application. By such submission of this grant application, the applicant further acknowledges having the authority to execute this release of liability.
In order to ensure that proprietary or confidential business information or PII is properly protected from disclosure when DOL posts the winning Project Narratives, applicants whose Project Narratives will be posted will be asked to submit a second redacted version of their Project Narrative, with any proprietary, confidential commercial/business information, and PII redacted. All non-public information about the applicant’s and consortium members’ staff (if applicable) should be removed as well.
The Department will contact the applicants whose Project Narratives will be published by letter or email, and provide further directions about how and when to submit the redacted version of the Project Narrative.
Submission of a redacted version of the Project Narrative will constitute permission by the applicant for DOL to make the redacted version publicly available. We will also assume that by submitting the redacted version of the Project Narrative, the applicant has obtained the agreement to the applicant’s decision about what material to redact of all persons and entities whose proprietary, confidential business information, or PII is contained in the Project Narrative. If an applicant fails to provide a redacted version of the Project Narrative within 45 days of DOL’s request, DOL will publish the original Project Narrative in full, after redacting only PII. (Note that the original, unredacted version of the Project Narrative will remain part of the complete application package, including an applicant’s proprietary and confidential business information and any PII.)
Applicants are encouraged to maximize the grant application information that will be publicly disclosed, and to exercise restraint and redact only information that clearly is proprietary, confidential commercial/business information, or PII. The redaction of entire pages or sections of the Project Narrative is not appropriate, and will not be allowed, unless the entire portion merits such protection. Should a dispute arise about whether redactions are appropriate, DOL will follow the procedures outlined in the Department’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regulations (29 CFR Part 70).
Redacted information in grant applications will be protected by DOL from public disclosure in accordance with Federal law, including the Trade Secrets Act (18 U.S.C. § 1905), FOIA, and the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. § 552a). If DOL receives a FOIA request for your application, the procedures in DOL’s FOIA regulations for responding to requests for commercial/business information submitted to the government will be followed, as well as all FOIA exemptions and procedures. See 29 CFR § 70.26. Consequently, it is possible that application of FOIA rules may result in release of information in response to a FOIA request that an applicant redacted in its “redacted copy.”
DOL maintains a number of web-based resources that may be of assistance to applicants. For example, the CareerOneStop portal (http://www.careeronestop.org), which provides national and state career information; the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) Online (http://online.onetcenter.org) which provides occupational competency profiles; and America's Service Locator (http://www.servicelocator.org), which provides a directory of our nation's American Job Centers.
SCSEP-specific resources include the program’s official web site at www.doleta.gov/seniors which provides an overview of the legislation and regulations that govern SCSEP, program overviews, current grantees, and past performance, and the Older Workers Community of Practice, located at http://olderworkers.workforce3one.org, which contains program specific virtual training modules, a Q&A forum, handbooks, sample documentation, and other resources.
ETA supports an Industry Competency Model Initiative to promote an understanding of the skill sets and competencies that are essential to an educated and skilled workforce. A competency model is a collection of competencies that, taken together, define successful performance in a particular work setting. Competency models serve as a starting point for the design and implementation of workforce and talent development programs. To learn about the industry-validated models visit the Competency Model Clearinghouse (CMC) at http://www.careeronestop.org/CompetencyModel. The CMC site also provides tools to build or customize industry models, as well as tools to build career ladders and career lattices for specific regional economies.
Career Clusters and Industry Competency Models both identify foundational and technical competencies, but their efforts are not duplicative. The Career Clusters link to specific career pathways in sixteen career cluster areas and place greater emphasis on elements needed for curriculum performance objectives; measurement criteria; scope and sequence of courses in a program of study; and development of assessments. Information about the sixteen career cluster areas can be found by accessing: www.careerclusters.org.
1. We encourage you to view the information gathered through the conference calls with Federal agency partners, industry stakeholders, educators, and local practitioners. The information on resources identified can be found on Workforce3One.org at: https://www.workforce3one.org/find/?sr=1&ps=20&sort=5.
2. We encourage you to view the online tutorial, “Grant Applications 101: A Plain English Guide to ETA Competitive Grants,” available through Workforce3One at: http://www.workforce3one.org/page/grants_toolkit.
3. We created Workforce System Strategies to make it easier for the public workforce system and its partners to identify effective strategies and support improved customer outcomes. The collection highlights strategies informed by a wide range of evidence such as experimental studies and implementation evaluations, as well as supporting resources such as toolkits. We encourage you to review these resources by visiting http://strategies.workforce3one.org/.
4. We created a technical assistance portal at https://etareporting.workforce3one.org/page/financial that contains online training and resources for fiscal and administrative issues. Online trainings available include, but are not limited to, Introduction to Grant Applications and Forms, Indirect Costs, Cost Principles, and Accrual Accounting.
With the publication of this FOA, incumbent national grantees and state grantees are notified that we will not approve any slot movements due to equitable distribution or for any other reasons until the completion of the competition. Once awards are announced, we anticipate that no transfers of participants will be permitted until the new awards are effective on October 1, 2016.
We expect the transition period from incumbent grantees to new providers to take place in July, August and September 2016, with an effective date of October 1, 2016 for all transfers. Currently, nearly all SCSEP positions authorized positions are filled. As participants are transferred from one grantee to another as a result of this competition, the enrolled participants must be given the opportunity to continue in the program. Therefore, by applying for funds under this FOA, selected applicants agree to offer incumbent SCSEP participants (including those transferred to the grantee as a result of the competition) the first opportunity to continue in the SCSEP authorized position in the grantee’s program (i.e., “right of first refusal”), must offer incumbent SCSEP participants the opportunity to continue in SCSEP in the same geographic area and in the same host agency for up to 90 days, and must apply the more liberal of the grantee’s or the transferring grantee’s IDL policy for 90 days after any transfer. At the end of the 90-day period, selected grantees may choose to move participants into new host agencies, or they may continue to use the current host agencies.
Participants may not remain enrolled with their former SCSEP grantee if the grantee authorized to provide services in their area changes. We will require such former grantees to identify all participants who must be transferred to other grantees, and grantees must ensure that these participants are entered into the SPARQ transfer utility or into some other database as required by DOL by the time specified. By October 1, 2016, all affected participants must appear in SPARQ as enrolled with the proper grantee.
We are committed to minimizing disruptions to the extent possible, and require that applicants and grantees reflect this commitment. We will work with grantees to promote a seamless transition if there is a new grantee in an area. We will support the transition by providing technical assistance, participant and host agency data, and transition cost approval, in accordance with 29 CFR part 95 and the applicable cost principles in OMB Circular A-122.
We will require successful applicants and incumbent grantees to ensure minimum disruptions to participants, including continuous payments of wages during the transition. We expect new grantees to assume payroll responsibilities on October 1, 2016. Successful applicants must plan to make the first payment to participants in the first or second week of October 2016.
The Department
In addition to the responsibilities described throughout this FOA, we will be responsible for:
Convening a national SCSEP Program Year 2016 Orientation and Training conference to inform all national grantees about program administration and management (the estimated date of this conference is late July 2016); and
Instituting regularly scheduled conference calls that include national and regional Department staff and national grantees.
The National Grantees
The national grantees must:
Maintain open lines of communication with the States and attend any State or Federally scheduled conference calls;
Ensure that all participants have the right of first refusal for their existing work-based community service assignments and are accorded the more liberal IDL policy for up to 90 days;
Ensure that check payments to participants are made in a timely manner;
Determine how and when participants will be notified of changes in grantee in accordance with instructions issued by the Department;
Establishing procedures to transfer hard copy records, as applicable;
Ensure that all participants who must be transferred to a new grantee are identified and properly entered into the SPARQ transfer utility or some other database as specified by DOL by the specified time;
Ensure that all required policies and procedures are in place, including but not limited to: IDL, necessary sick leave, approved breaks in participation, termination, and grievance;
Maintain privacy of individual records; and
Coordinate with other grantees when receiving and transferring existing SCSEP participants
OMB Information Collection No 1225-0086, Expires March 31, 2016.
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 hours per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments about the burden estimated or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the U.S. Department of Labor, to the attention of the Departmental Clearance Officer, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Room N1301, Washington, DC 20210. Comments may also be emailed to [email protected]. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN THE COMPLETED APPLICATION TO THIS ADDRESS. SEND IT TO THE SPONSORING AGENCY AS SPECIFIED IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.
This information is being collected for the purpose of awarding a grant. The information collected through this “Funding Opportunity Announcement” will be used by the Department of Labor to ensure that grants are awarded to the applicants best suited to perform the functions of the grant. Submission of this information is required in order for the applicant to be considered for award of a grant.
Signed ____________________, in Washington, D.C. by:
Jimmie Curtis
Grant Officer, Employment and Training Administration
1 Equivalent to the total amount of funding available for Indian/Native American or Asian and Pacific Islander set-aside organizations.
2 These requirements are based on the national grantees’ share of the total SCSEP appropriation of $434,371,000. By statute national grantees receive 78% of the total SCSEP appropriations while the remaining 22% is reserved for State formula funded programs, which are not included in this FOA.
3 Except in large counties that exceed the 10 percent or 165 position State minimum. We may award two or more grants (or more than $1,600,170) in a large county that has more than 165 positions. For those large counties, the applicant may apply for a portion of the county, but if that portion does not meet the 10 percent or 165 position State minimum, the applicant must also apply for surrounding contiguous counties.
4 Please note that national grant funds are not allocated for the States of Alaska, Delaware, and Hawaii, and for the territories of American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
5 This amount represents the total funding allocated for each authorized position (exclusive of the 10% grantee match), including administrative costs. Applicants should multiply this amount by the number of positions in the county as listed in the SCSEPED.org county allocations. A higher State minimum wage does not impact the position funding calculation, but we do take this into account in performance measure calculations.
6 “Nonprofit organization” is an agency, institution, or organization which is, or is owned and operated by, one or more corporations or associations no part of the net earnings of which inures, or may lawfully inure, to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual (42 U.S.C. § 3002(39)).
7 Federal agencies must demonstrate that they have the statutory authority to receive other Federal grant funds (also known as gift authority).
8 “Tribal organizations” are the recognized governing body of any Indian tribe, or any legally established organization of Indians which is controlled, sanctioned, or chartered by such governing body (P.L. 89-73, § 102(54) and 20 CFR 641.140). “Indian tribe” means any tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community of Indians (including Alaska Native village or regional or village corporation as defined in or established pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act) which (A) is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians; or (B) is located on, or in proximity to, a Federal or State reservation (P.L. 89-73 § 102(27) and 20 CFR 641.140).
9 In any case in which a contract is let or grant made to an organization to perform services benefiting more than one Indian tribe, the approval of each such Indian tribe is a prerequisite to the letting or making of such contract or grant.
10 “Indian” is a person who is a member of an Indian tribe (P.L. 89-73, § 102(26) and 20 CFR 641.140).
11 “Asian American and Pacific Islander” means individuals having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands (OAA Amendments § 518(a)(5)).
12 Federal agencies that have a statutory exemption to their non-Federal share requirement must attach a copy of that exemption. Please see 20 CFR 641.809 for further information.
13 “Job-ready” refers to individuals who only require job search assistance or job referral services, and do not require further education or training to perform work that is available in their labor market.
14 The online tool shows all national grantee authorized positions by county and provides a mechanism for grantees to bid electronically on those authorized positions..
15 It is not necessary to submit the requests with the application; if funds are awarded, you will submit these requests directly to your assigned Federal Project Officer. Failure to indicate in your application that you will submit a request will not bar you from applying for one in the future.
16 Such as supportive services, training, evaluation, research, promotion, or medical exams.
17 Such as eyeglasses, shoes, uniforms, transportation vouchers, books and training materials, etc.
18 e.g., below 100%, 100%, 150%
19 “Affiliate” refers to the applicant’s subsidiaries, divisions, predecessors, and successors.
20 “Key staff” are individuals who provide programmatic, fiscal, performance, and management functions.
21 SCSEP regulations list required fringe benefits as the offer of an annual physical examination; workers’ compensation coverage; unemployment compensation coverage (if required by State law); compensation for scheduled work on Federal holidays; and necessary sick leave. Prohibited fringe benefits include contributions to retirement plans, annual leave, bonuses, or any carryover of benefits from one program year to the next. See CFR 641.565(b).
22 Similar programs are those that comprehensively serve targeted populations with significant barriers to employment.
23 e.g., below 100%, 100%, 150%
24 Please see footnote 1 above, regarding the applicability of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014.
25 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 |
| Author | ETA User |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-24 |