U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Notice of Availability of Funds and Funding Opportunity Announcement for: Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (“WANTO”) Technical Assistance Grant Program
Announcement Type: Initial
Funding Opportunity Number: FOA-WB-18-01
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 17.201
Key Dates: The closing date for receipt of applications under this Announcement is
[insert date 30 days after the date of publication on Grants.gov]. 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: Mr. Jimmie Curtis, Grant Officer
Reference FOA-WB-18-01
200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716
Washington, DC 20210
For complete application and submission information, including online application instructions, please refer to Section IV.
The U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (“ETA”) is responsible for the grant award process for this Women’s Bureau grant program.
Executive Summary:
The Women’s Bureau (“WB”), U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL,” or “the Department,” or “we”), announce the availability of at least $994,000 in grant funds authorized by the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (“WANTO”) Act of 1992, Pub. L. 102-530, 29 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.; 29 U.S.C. § 13; and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018, for the WANTO Technical Assistance Grant Program.
This program is intended to provide technical assistance (“TA”) to employers and labor unions to encourage employment of women in apprenticeable occupations and nontraditional occupations (“A/NTO”), specifically by:
Developing (establishing, expanding, and/or enhancing) pre-apprenticeship or nontraditional skills training programs designed to prepare women for careers in A/NTO;
Providing ongoing orientations for employers, unions, and workers on creating a successful environment for women in A/NTO; and/or
Setting up support groups and facilitating networks for women in A/NTO to improve their retention.
Applicants may propose to provide technical assistance to support women’s participation and success in the full range of industries in which women are traditionally underrepresented or the full range of industries where women are disproportionately concentrated in the lower-wage occupations. Such industries include but are not limited to: advanced manufacturing, energy, health care, information technology, and transportation.
To be eligible for funds under this grant program, an applicant must be a community-based organization (“CBO”). In awarding grants, the Department will give priority to applications that (the application requirements for this grant can be found in Section IV.B):
Demonstrate experience preparing women to gain employment in A/NTO;
Demonstrate experience working with the business community to prepare them to place women in A/NTO;
Have tradeswomen or women in nontraditional occupations as active members of the organization, as either employed staff or board members; and
Have experience delivering TA specifically as defined above, including developing (establishing, expanding and/or enhancing) pre-apprenticeship or nontraditional skills training programs designed to prepare women for careers in A/NTO; providing ongoing orientations for employers, unions, and workers on creating a successful environment for women in A/NTO; and setting up support groups and facilitating networks for women in A/NTO to improve retention.
Between two(2) and six (6) grants of $250,000 to $500,000 each will be awarded. Selection of grantees will be determined in accordance with the review and selection process detailed later in this document.
The Department is committed to producing strong evidence on the effectiveness of its grant programs, and full participation (by grantee and any sub-grantees or sub-contractors) in any evaluation initiated by the Department will be a condition of all grant awards.
This announcement solicits applications for the Women’s Bureau’s WANTO Technical Assistance Grant Program. The purpose of this program is to provide technical assistance (“TA”) to employers and labor unions to encourage employment of women in apprenticeable occupations and nontraditional occupations (“A/NTO”).
Apprenticeship is a proven “earn-and-learn” training model that offers workers a pathway to the middle class and helps companies recruit, develop, and retain a highly-skilled workforce. Currently, more than 50,000 women are enrolled in Registered Apprenticeship programs nationwide, pursuing earn-and-learn experiences across a diverse spectrum of occupations and industries, including work as pharmacy assistants, truck drivers, electricians, and cooks.1 The average starting wage for a fully proficient worker who completes a registered apprenticeship is more than $60,000 per year, and apprentices who complete their training have significantly higher lifetime earnings than similar individuals who do not participate in apprenticeships.2 Moreover, research indicates that businesses enjoy a return of approximately $1.50 for every dollar invested in apprenticeship, with benefits ranging from reduced turnover to increased productivity.
Apprenticeship programs have a long history in skilled trades such as construction. They are also increasingly found in emerging and high-growth industries like energy, health care, and information technology. Many of these opportunities lead to careers that provide high, family-sustaining wages and quality fringe benefits.
Women are severely underrepresented in apprenticeship programs, and in high-growth, high-wage occupations generally. While women make up nearly half of the United States labor force, they comprise less than 10 percent of Registered Apprenticeship (RA) program participants.3 This statistic underscores both academic research and anecdotal evidence indicating that women face significant barriers to their full and effective participation in A/NTO.
Quality pre-apprenticeship programs can play a valuable role in removing some of those barriers. Pre-apprenticeship programs are designed to prepare individuals to enter and succeed in an apprenticeship program. They typically have a documented partnership with at least one apprenticeship program, and employ a variety of approaches and strategies to meet the specific needs of the populations being trained, the various employers and sponsors they serve, and the local labor market. As such, they are an important starting point toward a successful career in A/NTO, particularly for under-represented job seekers who may not be aware of these options for obtaining good jobs with opportunity for advancement.
CBOs are well-positioned to develop quality pre-apprenticeship programs that help women prepare for and succeed in A/NTO. CBOs are well-known in their local area and frequently serve as the entry point for under-skilled individuals seeking to establish a solid career path. Many workforce-oriented CBOs already provide services such as career counseling, access to support services, remedial math and language education, job-readiness skills, and referral to and placement in training programs and jobs. These are the elements necessary for quality pre-apprenticeship programs as well.
Applicants should familiarize themselves with current Department guidance regarding quality pre-apprenticeship programs4 as well as any future DOL guidance on pre-apprenticeship that establishes a definition and quality framework for these programs. TA provided through this grant program should reinforce the DOL guidance.
Consistent with the Department’s emphasis on funding projects that reflect a broad strategy that incorporates all available resources, applicants are strongly encouraged, but are not required to include leveraged resources5 in their program design. These may include, but are not limited to, public sources including WIOA or other Federal Department of Labor funding, such as the Apprenticeship grants, as well as private funding through foundations, community-based organizations, or other funding streams.
The TA provided through this grant program will prepare employers and labor unions to successfully recruit, train, and retain women in A/NTO and also expand women’s employment opportunities and labor force participation. As such, this grant program will help employers meet their workforce needs while bolstering women’s economic security and the overall strength of the nation’s economy.
This program is authorized by the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) Act of 1992, Pub. L. 102-530, 29 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.; 29 U.S.C. § 13; and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018.
Funding will be provided in the form of a grant.
We expect availability of at least $994,000 to fund between two(2) and six (6) grants of between $250,000 and $500,000 each. You may apply for a ceiling amount of up to $500,000. 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.
The period of performance is twelve (12) months with an anticipated start date of October 1, 2018. This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities.
The following organizations are eligible to apply:
A.1. Eligible Entities
Only Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) as defined in Section III.C.1 are eligible to apply for these grants. A consortium of CBOs may apply as a single applicant, provided the applicant includes a copy of the consortium agreement that specifies which entity will administer the grant.
A.2. Current and Former Grantees
Recipients of funds awarded under previous WANTO Act grant programs are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity. Former WANTO Act grantees must explain, in their “Statement of Need” (see Section IV.B.3), how their proposed TA activities are materially different from those already performed using funds awarded through a WANTO Act grant program.
This program does not require cost sharing or matching funds. Including such funds is not one of the application screening criteria and applications that include any form of cost sharing or match will not receive additional consideration during the review process. Instead, the agency considers any resources contributed to the project beyond the funds provided by the agency as leveraged resources. Section IV.B.2 provides more information on leveraged resources.
For the purposes of this FOA, the following terms are defined for the convenience of prospective applicants:
Apprentice: A worker at least 16 years of age, except where a higher minimum age standard is otherwise fixed by law, who is employed to learn an apprenticeable occupation as provided in 29 CFR 29.4 under standards of apprenticeship fulfilling the requirements of 29 CFR 29.5, or a worker who is part of an apprenticeship program.
Apprenticeable Occupations: Occupations that are specified by industry, or defined in 29 CFR 29.4, and which must:
Involve skills that are customarily learned in a practical way through a structured, systematic program of on-the-job supervised learning;
Be clearly identified and commonly recognized throughout an industry;
Involve the progressive attainment of manual, mechanical, or technical skills and knowledge; and
Require related instruction to supplement the on-the-job learning.
Apprenticeship Agreement: A written agreement between an apprentice and either the apprentice's program sponsor, or an apprenticeship committee acting as agent for the program sponsor(s), which contains the terms and conditions of the employment and training of the apprentice.
Apprenticeship Committee: As defined in 29 CFR 29.2, those persons designated by the sponsor to administer the program. A committee may be either joint or non-joint, defined as follows:
A joint committee is composed of an equal number of representatives of the employer(s) and of the employees represented by a bona fide collective bargaining agent(s).
A non-joint committee, which may also be known as a unilateral or group non-joint (which may include employees) committee, has employer representatives but does not have a bona fide collective bargaining agent as a participant.
Apprenticeship Program: A plan containing all terms and conditions for the qualification, recruitment, selection, employment, and training of apprentices, as required under 29 CFR parts 29 and 30, including such matters as the requirement for a written apprenticeship agreement; or a program with a paid, work-based learning component and a required educational or instructional component that results in the issuance of an industry-recognized credential and meets appropriate quality assurance standards.
Community-Based Organization: A private non-profit organization (i.e., incorporated under Internal Revenue Service (IRS) §§ 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4)) (except for § 501(c)(4) organizations that engage in lobbying as described in section VI.B. of this FOA), or an entity that is actively pursuing IRS nonprofit tax-exempt status (which may be a faith-based organization or a Native American organization), that is representative of a community or a significant segment of a community and that has demonstrated expertise and effectiveness in the field of workforce development.
National Guidelines for Apprenticeship Standards: Standards that are developed by national committees or organizations, joint or unilateral, and that are “certified” by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship (“OA”). The OA Administrator, based on consultation with the OA, Division of Standards and National Industry Promotion (“DSNIP”), signs the documentation necessary to “certify”: the National Guideline Standards as substantially conforming to the requirements of Title 29, CFR parts 29 and 30. The purpose of National Guideline Standards is to provide policy and guidance to local affiliates of national organizations in developing local standards for approval and registration. When local affiliates develop local standards for registration, even though the local standards may be based upon the organizations’ National Guideline Standards, they must meet all the requirements of and be approved by the Registration Agency in that State.
National Program Standards: Standards that are developed and “registered” for multi-state programs. Such registration is for Federal purposes and is approved for each State covered by the National Program Standards. Apprentices are registered into these National Program Standards. The National OA is the Registration Agency for National Programs.
Non-Traditional Occupations (NTO): Those occupations where women account for less than 25 percent of all persons employed in a single occupational group.
Office of Apprenticeship (OA): The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship.
Pre-Apprenticeship Program: A program designed to prepare individuals to enter and succeed in an apprenticeship program, and which has a documented partnership with at least one apprenticeship program, and employs a variety of approaches and strategies to meet the specific needs of the populations being trained, the various employers and sponsors they serve, and the local labor market.
Registered Apprenticeship (RA): A formal employment relationship designed to promote skill training and learning on the job. “Hands on” learning takes place in conjunction with related theoretical instruction (often in a classroom setting). An apprentice who successfully completes a Registered Apprenticeship program (completion averages three to five years) is awarded a certificate of completion of apprenticeship. A registered program is one in which any person, association, committee, business, or organization operating an apprenticeship program and in whose name the program is (or is to be) registered or approved (known as program sponsors) designs, organizes, manages, and finances apprenticeship programs under the standards developed and registered with OA or a DOL-recognized State Apprenticeship Agency. Program sponsors also select apprentices, who are trained to meet certain predetermined occupational standards. For additional information, see https://www.doleta.gov/OA/apprenticeship.cfm.
Registered Apprenticeship Program: A program in which any person, association, committee, business, or organization operating an apprenticeship program and in whose name the program is (or is to be) registered or approved (known as program sponsors) designs, organizes, manages, and finances apprenticeship programs under the standards developed and registered with OA or a DOL-recognized State Apprenticeship Agency.
Registered Apprenticeship Sponsor: Any person, association, committee, business, or organization operating an apprenticeship program in whose name the program is (or is to be) registered or approved.
Registration Agency: The Office of Apprenticeship, or a recognized State Apprenticeship Agency, that has responsibility for registering apprenticeship programs and apprentices; providing TA; conducting reviews for compliance with 29 CFR parts 29 and 30 and quality assurance assessments.
State Apprenticeship Agency: An agency of a State government that has responsibility and accountability for apprenticeship within the State. Only a State Apprenticeship Agency may seek recognition by the Office of Apprenticeship as an agency that has been properly constituted under an acceptable law or Executive Order, and authorized by the Office of Apprenticeship to register and oversee apprenticeship programs and agreements for Federal purposes.
Women’s Bureau: The U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau.
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 |
|
Eligibility |
Section III.A |
|
If submitted through Grants.gov, the components of the application are saved in any of the specified formats and are not corrupt. (We will attempt to open the document, but will not take any additional measures in the event of problems with opening.) |
Section IV.C. |
|
Application for Federal funds request does not exceed the ceiling amount of $500,000 Application Federal funds request does not exceed the ceiling amount of $500,000 and is above the flow amount of $250,000 |
Section II.A |
|
SAM Registration |
Section IV.B.1 |
|
SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance |
Section IV.B.1 |
|
SF-424 includes a DUNS Number |
Section IV.B.1 |
|
SF-424A, Budget Information Form |
Section IV.B.2 |
|
Budget Narrative |
Section IV.B.2 |
|
Project Narrative |
Section IV.B.3 |
|
Abstract |
Section IV.B.4 |
|
Memorandum of Understanding/Letter of Commitment |
Section IV.B.4 |
|
Consortium Agreement (where applicable) |
Section IV.B.4 |
|
We will consider only one application from each organization. If we receive multiple applications from the same organization, we will only consider the most recently received application that met the deadline. If the most recent application 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 TA to employers and/or labor unions to prepare them to recruit, train, and employ women in A/NTO, specifically through the development of pre-apprenticeship or nontraditional skills training programs.
Applicants must propose a project that focuses on developing (establishing, expanding, or enhancing) a pre-apprenticeship or nontraditional skills training program designed to prepare women for careers in A/NTO, and which will assist employers and/or labor unions in the recruitment, training, and employment of women in A/NTO.
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 are 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 https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2816 .
This FOA, found at www.Grants.gov and https://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;”
(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.
(1) SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance”
You must complete the SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance” (available at https://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 https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF424B-V1.1.pdf ). You do not need to submit the SF-424B with the application.
In addition, the applicant’s Authorized Representative’s signature in block 21 of the SF-424 form constitutes assurance by the applicant of compliance with the following requirements in accordance with 29 CFR 37.20.
Requirement for DUNS Number
All applicants for Federal grant and funding opportunities 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: https://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.
You must complete the SF-424A Budget Information Form (available at: https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF424A-V1.0.pdf). In preparing the Budget Information Form, you must provide a concise narrative explanation to support the budget request, explained in detail below.
Budget Narrative: The budget narrative must provide a description of costs associated with each line item on the SF-424A. It should also include a description of leveraged resources (see section I.A) provided (as applicable) to support grant activities.
Use the following guidance for preparing the budget narrative:
Personnel: List all staff positions by title (both current and proposed). Give the annual salary of each position, the percentage of each position’s time devoted to the project, the amount of each position’s salary funded by the grant, and the total personnel cost for the period of performance.
Fringe Benefits: Provide a breakdown of the amounts and percentages that comprise fringe benefit costs such as health insurance, FICA, retirement, etc.
Travel: Specify the purpose, mileage, per diem, estimated number of in-state and out-of-state trips, and other costs for each type of travel.
Equipment: Identify each item of equipment you expect to purchase 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, not “equipment”. In general, we do not permit the purchase of equipment during the last funded year of the grant.
Supplies: Identify categories of supplies (e.g. office supplies) in the detailed budget and list the quantity and unit cost per item. Supplies include all tangible personal property other than “equipment” (see 2 CFR 200.94 for the definition of Supplies).
Contractual: Under the Contractual line item, delineate contracts and subawards separately. Contracts are defined according to 2 CFR 200.22 as a legal instrument by which a non-Federal entity purchases property or services needed to carry out the project or program under a Federal award. A subaward, defined by 2 CFR 200.92, means an award provided by a pass-through entity 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.
For each proposed contract and subaward, specify the purpose and estimated cost.
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 you must show the costs on other appropriate lines such as Contractual.
Other: Provide clear and specific detail, including costs, for each item so that we are able to determine whether the costs are necessary, reasonable and allocable. List any item, such as stipends or incentives, not covered elsewhere here.
Indirect Costs: If you include indirect costs in the budget, then include one of the following:
a) If you have a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), provide an explanation of how the indirect costs are calculated. This explanation should include which portion of each line item, along with the associated costs, are included in your cost allocation base. Also, provide a current version of the NICRA.
or
b) If you intend to claim indirect costs using the 10 percent de minimis rate, please confirm that your organization meets the requirements as described in 2 CFR 200.414(f). Clearly state that your organization has never received a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), and your organization is not one described in Appendix VII of 2 CFR 200, paragraph (D)(1)(b).
Applicants choosing to claim indirect costs using the de minimis rate must use Modified Total Direct Costs (see 2 CFR 200.68 below for definition) as their cost allocation base. Provide an explanation of which portion of each line item, along with the associated costs, are included in your cost allocation base. Note that there are various items not included in the calculation of Modified Total Direct Costs. See below the definitions to assist you in your calculation.
2 CFR 200.68 Modified Total Direct Cost (MTDC) means all direct salaries and wages, applicable fringe benefits, materials and supplies, services, travel, and up to the first $25,000 of each subaward (regardless of the period of performance of the subawards under the award). MTDC excludes equipment, capital expenditures, charges for patient care, rental costs, tuition remission, scholarships and fellowships, participant support costs and the portion of each subaward in excess of $25,000. Other items may only be excluded when necessary to avoid a serious inequity in the distribution of indirect costs, and with the approval of the cognizant agency for indirect costs.
You will note that participant support costs are not included in modified total direct cost. Participant support costs are defined below.
2 CFR 200.75 Participant Support Cost means direct costs for items such as stipends or subsistence allowances, travel allowances, and registration fees paid to or on behalf of participants or trainees (but not employees) in connection with conferences, or training projects.
See Section IV.B.4. and Section IV.E.1 for more information. Additionally, the following link contains information regarding the negotiation of Indirect Cost Rates at DOL: https://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 (not just one year).
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.
A. 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 15 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:
Describe in both quantitative and qualitative terms, the need for assistance, including the nature and scope of the problem, and the consequences of not addressing the need. Incorporate demographic data and participant/beneficiary information whenever possible. In particular, be sure to describe:
The geographic region where the TA will be provided, and the workforce needs of the local economy (particularly with respect to A/NTO);
The need for TA to help employers and/or labor unions prepare women to enter and succeed in A/NTO; and
How the TA you propose to deliver will assist employers and/or labor unions in preparing women to enter and succeed in A/NTO.
Former WANTO Act Grantees: Also explain how your proposed TA activities are materially different from those already performed using funds awarded through a WANTO Act grant program.
(2) Expected Outcomes and Outputs
Clearly identify the outcome(s) and output(s) that will result from the project. Outcomes are the measurable results of the project. They are the positive benefits or negative changes or measurable characteristics that occur as a result of project activities or outputs. Outputs are tangible products or services that result from the project.6 In particular, be sure to address:
The number of and percentage increase in women expected to apply for, be accepted into, enroll in, and/or complete apprenticeship programs by the end of the grant period as a result of the TA you propose to provide;
Whether and to what extent products or services developed with TA provided under this grant can or will be sustained beyond the grant period;
The systemic change anticipated to result from the TA.
Propose methods that the project will use to address the stated outcomes and outputs. Outline a plan of action that describes the scope and detail of how the project will accomplish the proposed work and include timelines for completion of work. Account for all functions or activities identified in the application. Cite factors that might accelerate or decelerate the work and state the reason for taking the proposed approach rather than other approaches. Identify any potential barriers and describe how the project will be able to overcome those barriers. Be sure to:
Describe the full nature and scope of each type of TA you propose to provide, including the frequency of delivery;
Describe how you will collaborate with the appropriate or applicable Federal and State agencies to ensure your TA is provided in accordance with Federal and State law, policy, guidance, and regulations; and
Identify the employers and/or labor unions to which you intend to provide TA, and describe the extent of their engagement in and commitment to your project.
Note: Applicants must provide letters of commitment from employers and/or labor unions to which they propose to provide TA. At least one of these employers and/or labor unions must have experience with an Apprenticeship Program as defined in III.C.1, and/or be a National RA program or an organization that has certified National Guidelines for Apprenticeship Standards, as defined in Section III.C.1.
Describe the measures, methods, techniques, and tools that will be used to evaluate the project and determine whether or not the project achieved its anticipated outcomes and to what extent those outcomes can be attributed to the project. Include details on how project participants will participate in evaluation activities. Describe how the data will be used to inform program delivery and document the “lessons learned,” both positive and negative, from the project that will be useful to people interested in replicating the project, if it proves successful.
(5) Organizational, Administrative, and Fiscal Capacity
Provide information on the applicant organization’s current mission, structure, staffing, and relevant experience. Describe how these factors contribute to the ability of the organization to conduct the program requirements and meet program expectations. Include information about any organization(s) under contract with the applicant that will have a significant role in implementing the project. Describe the fiscal and administrative controls in place to properly manage Federal funds. Include the organization’s capability to sustain some or all project activities after Federal financial assistance has ended.
In awarding grants, the Department will give priority to applications from CBOs that:
Demonstrate experience preparing women to gain employment in A/NTO;
Demonstrate experience working with the business community to prepare them to place women in A/NTO; and/or
Have
tradeswomen or women in nontraditional occupations as active
members of the organization, as either employed staff or board
members; and have experience delivering TA.
(6) Past Performance – Programmatic Capability
If you have received federally and/or non-federally funded assistance agreements (assistance agreements include Federal grants and cooperative agreements) similar in size, scope, and relevance to the proposed project that have been completed within the last five years of the closing date of this Announcement, please submit a list of no more than three such agreements and include a grantor contact name and telephone number for each. For each agreement, provide two significant performance goals and the outcomes of those goals in order to demonstrate if and how the applicant successfully completed and managed each agreement. The outcomes must clearly demonstrate in numerical form if, in fact, the goals were met or exceeded. In evaluating applicants under these factors in Section V, we will consider the information you provided and may also consider relevant information from other sources, including information from our files and from current/prior grantors (e.g., to verify and/or supplement the information you provided).
If you have not received any federally and/or non-federally funded assistance agreements or have received fewer than three agreements, then you must describe and document past accomplishments achieved operating a comparable program. Explain how your experience operating a comparable program prepared you to undertake the complexities of operating the proposed project. Describe how long the comparable program has been in operation, and include a grantor or third party contact name and telephone number for each, as applicable.
(7) Budget and Budget Justification
Please see Section IV.B.2. for information on requirements related to the budget and budget justification.
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 resumés 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 abstract of no more than two pages summarizing the proposed project, including, but not limited to, the scope of the project and proposed outcomes. The Abstract 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 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.”
Memorandum of Understanding/ Letter of Commitment
Applicants must provide letters of commitment from entities to which they propose to provide TA. At least one of these entities must have experience with an Apprenticeship Program as defined in III.C.1, and/or be a National RA program or an organization that has certified National Guidelines for Apprenticeship Standards, as defined in Section III.C.1.
Project
Work Plan
Applicants must provide a project work plan
detailing how you will implement your project. State your project
goal; describe the strategies and/or tactics you will use to
achieve this goal; identify specific and measurable objectives; and
list activities you will undertake to achieve these objectives.
Consortium Agreement (where applicable)
Applicants applying on behalf of a CBO consortium must include a copy of the consortium agreement that specifies which entity will administer the grant (see Section III.A).
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.
Indirect Cost Rate Agreement: If you are requesting indirect costs based on a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement approved by your Federal Cognizant Agency, 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.
We will accept applications under this Announcement until [insert date 30 days after the date of publication on Grants.gov]. You must submit your application either electronically on https://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) or flash drive. If we identify discrepancies between the hard copy submission and CD/flash drive copy, we will consider the application on the CD/flash drive as the official submission for evaluation purposes. Failure to provide identical applications in hardcopy and CD/flash drive format may have an impact on the overall evaluation.
If an application is physically submitted by both hard copy and through https://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 https://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-WB-18-01
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 at the 3rd Street Visitor Entrance. 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 https://www.grants.gov no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date. Grants.gov will subsequently validate the application.
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 https://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 https://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: https://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: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-4-aor-authorization.html ,
or to track AOR status visit: https://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 https://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: https://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 https://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 not later than the fifth calendar day before the date specified for receipt of applications (e.g., an application required to be received by the 20th of the month must be postmarked by the 15th of that month); or (b) sent by professional overnight delivery service to the addressee not later than one working day before the date specified for receipt of applications. ‘‘Postmarked’’ means a printed, stamped or otherwise placed impression (exclusive of a postage meter machine impression) that is readily identifiable, without further action, as having been supplied or affixed on the date of mailing by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service. Therefore, you should request the postal clerk to place a legible hand cancellation ‘‘bull’s eye’’ postmark on both the receipt and the package. Failure to adhere to these instructions will be a basis for a determination that the application was not filed timely and will not be considered. Evidence of timely submission by a professional overnight delivery service must be demonstrated by equally reliable evidence created by the delivery service provider indicating the time and place of receipt.
This funding opportunity is not subject to Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.”
All proposed project costs must be necessary and reasonable and in accordance with Federal guidelines. Determinations of allowable costs will be made in accordance with the Cost Principles, now found in the Office of Management and Budget’s Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance), codified at 2 CFR Part 200 and at 2 CFR Part 2900 (Uniform Guidance-DOL specific). Disallowed costs are those charges to a grant that the grantor agency or its representative determines not to be allowed in accordance with the Cost Principles or other conditions contained in the grant. Applicants, whether successful or not, will not be entitled to reimbursement of pre-award costs.
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.)
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 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 .
Instructions for marking your work with CC BY can be found at https://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 Women’s Bureau. 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: You may withdraw an application by written notice to the Grant Officer at any time before an award is made.
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); as well as the information requested in Section IV.B.4. (Project Work Plan). Reviewers will award points based on the evaluation criteria described below:
Criterion |
Points (maximum) |
|
20
|
|
20 |
|
25 |
|
5 |
|
15 |
(See Section IV.B.3.A.(6) Past Performance – Programmatic Capability) |
10 |
|
5 |
TOTAL |
100 |
Points will be awarded based on the extent to which the application:
Demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the need for technical assistance to assist employers and/or labor unions in preparing women to enter and succeed in A/NTO and the consequences of not addressing this need, based on the quantitative and qualitative information provided; and
Clearly describes how the proposed TA will meet this need.
Points will be awarded based on the extent to which the expected outcomes and outputs are realistic, clear, and consistent with the expressed need.
Points will be awarded based on:
The extent to which the application reflects a coherent and feasible approach for successfully addressing the identified outcomes and outputs, and includes reasonable timelines for completion of work;
The strength of the justification for the approach, including addressing any factors that might accelerate or decelerate the required work; and
The degree to which the project takes into account barriers that may impact the project’s success.
Points will be awarded based on:
The strength and effectiveness of the measures, methods, techniques, and tools proposed to evaluate progress towards achieving the project results; and
The extent to which there is evidence that the measures will be able to assess: (1) the extent to which the project outcomes have been met, and (2) the extent to which these can be attributed to the project.
Points will be awarded based on:
The extent to which the organization has the capacity to carry out the proposed project; the level of qualifications and experience of personnel to fulfill the needs and requirements of the proposed project; and the strength of the fiscal and administrative controls to properly manage Federal funds. (5 points);
The capability of the organization to sustain project activities after Federal financial assistance ends. (5 points); and
The extent to which the applicant has the following (5 points):
Experience preparing women to gain employment in apprenticeable occupations or other nontraditional occupations;
Experience working with the business community to prepare them to place women in A/NTO;
Tradeswomen or women in nontraditional occupations as active members of the organization, as either employed staff or board members; and
Experience delivering technical assistance.
For applicants who have received three federally or non-federally funded assistance agreements:
Of the six goals requested, ETA will assign points for each goal that was met or exceeded. Any information from other sources will also be considered in the evaluation and scoring of the goals.
OR
For applicants who have NOT received three federally or non-federally funded agreements: Points will be awarded based on the:
The strength of the past accomplishments achieved operating a comparable program to the proposed project; and
The extent to which the past performance of the comparable program prepares the organization to undertake the proposed project.
Points will be awarded based on the extent to which the budget is reasonable based on the activities outlined in the project narrative.
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. 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 https://www.grants.gov , which constitutes a binding offer by the applicant.
Prior to making an award, ETA will review information available through its own records and 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.
NOTE: As part of the Employment & Training Administration’s Risk Review process, The Grant Officer will determine:
If the applicant had any restriction on spending for any ETA grant due to adverse monitoring findings ; or
If the applicant received a High Risk determination in accordance with Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 23-15.
Depending on the severity of the findings and whether the findings were resolved, the Grant Officer may at his/her discretion, elect to not fund the applicant for a grant award regardless of the applicant’s score in the competition.
All award notifications will be posted on the ETA Homepage (https://www.doleta.gov). Applicants selected for award will be contacted directly before the grant’s execution. Non-selected applicants will be notified by mail or email and may request a written debriefing on the significant weaknesses of their application.
Selection of an organization as a recipient does not constitute approval of the grant application as submitted. Before the actual grant is awarded, we may enter into negotiations about such items as program components, staffing and funding levels, and administrative systems in place to support grant implementation. If the negotiations do not result in a mutually acceptable submission, the Grant Officer reserves the right to terminate the negotiations and decline to fund the application. We reserve the right to not fund any application related to this FOA.
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 Part 200)
b. 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).
c. 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.
d. 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.
e. 29 CFR Part 32—Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance.
f. 29 CFR Part 35— Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Age in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance from the Department of Labor.
g. 29 CFR Part 36—Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance.
h. 29 CFR Part 38 – Implementation of the Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity Provisions of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
i. 29 CFR Parts 29 and 30—Labor Standards for the Registration of Apprenticeship Programs, and Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship and Training, as applicable.
j. General Terms and Conditions of Award—See the following link: XXXXX.
The Department notes that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), 42 U.S.C. Section 2000bb, applies to all Federal law and its implementation. If an applicant organization is a faith-based organization that makes hiring decisions on the basis of religious belief, it may be entitled to receive Federal financial assistance under this grant solicitation and maintain that hiring practice. If a faith-based organization is awarded a grant, the organization will be provided with more information.
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).
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://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-22705.pdf
The following types of awards are not subject to the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act:
(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.
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.
2. 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.
3. You must take the steps necessary to ensure the privacy of all PII obtained from participants and/or other individuals and to protect such information from unauthorized disclosure. You must maintain such PII in accordance with the ETA standards for information security described in TEGL NO. 39-11 and any updates to such standards we provide to you. Grantees who wish to obtain more information on data security should contact their Federal Project Officer.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. You must not extract information from data supplied by ETA for any purpose not stated in the grant agreement.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
You must 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.
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.
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 https://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.
We may require that the program or project participate in an evaluation of overall performance of ETA grants and require the cooperation of the recipient as a condition of award.
Please note that applicants will be held to outcomes provided and failure to meet those outcomes may result in technical assistance or other intervention by ETA, and may also have a significant impact on decisions about future grants with ETA.
You must meet DOL reporting requirements. Specifically, you must submit the reports and documents listed below to DOL 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. For other guidance on ETA’s financial reporting, reference Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 02-16 and on our webpage at https://www.doleta.gov/grants/financial_reporting.cfm.
You must submit a quarterly progress 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. The last quarterly progress report will serve as the grant’s Final Performance Report. This report must provide both quarterly and cumulative information on the grant activities. It must summarize project activities, employment outcomes and other deliverables, and related results of the project, and must thoroughly document the training or labor market information approaches that you used. Submission requirements will be provided to grantees upon award. We will also provide you with guidance about the data and other information that is required to be collected and reported on either a regular basis or special request basis.
For further information about this FOA, please contact Erika Beasley, Grants Management Specialist, Office of Grants Management, at (202) 693-3906. Applicants should e-mail all technical questions to [email protected] and must specifically reference FOA-WB-18-01, and along with question(s), include a contact name, fax and phone number. This Announcement is available on the ETA Web site at https://www.doleta.gov/grants and at https://www.grants.gov.
DOL maintains a number of web-based resources that may be of assistance to applicants. For example, the CareerOneStop portal (https://www.careeronestop.org), which provides national and state career information on occupations; the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) Online (https://online.onetcenter.org) which provides occupational competency profiles; and America's Service Locator (https://www.servicelocator.org), which provides a directory of our nation's One-Stop Career Centers.
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 https://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.
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 WorkforceGPS at: https://workforcegps.org.
We encourage you to view the online tutorial, “Grant Applications 101: A Plain English Guide to ETA Competitive Grants,” available through WorkforceGPS at: https://strategies.workforcegps.org/resources/2014/08/11/16/32/applying-for-eta-competitive-grants-a-web-based-toolkit-for-prospective-applicants-438?p=1.
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 https://strategies.workforcegps.org.
We created a technical assistance portal at https://www.workforcegps.org/resources/browse?id=b8dd0aa1ecfb4b2282d6cd30c7248790 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.
SkillsCommons (https://www.skillscommons.org) offers an online library of curriculum and related training resources to obtain industry-recognized credentials in manufacturing, IT, health care, energy, and other industries. The website contains thousands of Open Educational Resources (OER ) for job-driven workforce development which were produced by grantees funded through the US Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) program. Community colleges and other training providers across the nation can reuse, revise, redistribute, and reorganize the OER on SkillsCommons for institutional, industry, and individual use.
OMB Information Collection No 1225-0086, Expires May 31, 2019.
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 YOUR GRANT APPLICATION TO THIS ADDRESS. ONLY SEND COMMENTS ABOUT THE BURDEN CAUSED BY THE COLLECTION OF INFORMATION TO THIS ADDRESS. SEND YOUR GRANT APPLICATION TO THE SPONSORING AGENCY AS SPECIFIED EARLIER IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.
This information is being collected for the purpose of awarding a grant. DOL will use the information collected through this “Funding Opportunity Announcement” to ensure that grants are awarded to the applicants best suited to perform the functions of the grant. This information is required to be considered for this grant.
Signed in Washington, D.C. by:
Jimmie Curtis
Grant Officer, Employment and Training Administration
Attachment 1 – Past and current WANTO grantees since 2006
2007
Apprenticeship and Non-Traditional Employment for Women
Hard-Hatted Women
Playa Vista Job Opportunities and Business Services
2008
Action for Boston Community Development, Inc.
Wider Opportunities for Women
Women in Non Traditional Employment Roles
2010
Chicago Women in Trades
Nontraditional Employment for Women
Pennsylvania Women Work
State Emergency Response Systems Inc.
United Communities Against Poverty Inc.
YWCA of Greater Cincinnati
2012
Action for Boston Community Development, Inc.
Chicago Women in the Trades
Goodwill of North Georgia, Inc.
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.
West Virginia Women Work
Women in Non Traditional Employment Roles
2014
Chicago Women in the Trades
Nontraditional Employment for Women
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.
2016
Chicago Women in the Trades
Nontraditional Employment for Women
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.
2017
Aroostook County Action Program, Inc.
Career Training Institute
Full Employment Council, Inc.
West Virginia Women Work, Inc.
1 “Providing Career Opportunities to Women,” March 2018, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship.
2 “An Effectiveness Assessment and Cost-Benefit Analysis of Registered Apprenticeship in 10 States,” July 25, 2012, prepared for the U.S. Department of Labor by Mathematica Policy Research, available at: https://wdr.doleta.gov/research/fulltext_documents/etaop_2012_10.pdf.
3 “Access to Registered Apprenticeship – A Proven Path to In-Demand Skills and the Middle Class,” U.S. Department of Labor, Office on Apprenticeship, https://doleta.gov/OA/eeo/pdf/EEO_Rule_Overview_Fact_Sheet.pdf (last visited on March 26, 2018); “Pre-Apprenticeship: Pathways for Women into High-Wage Careers, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship, https://doleta.gov/oa/preapp/pdf/Pre_Apprenticeship_GuideforWomen.pdf (last visited on March 26, 2018).
4 U.S. Department of Labor, Training and Employment Notice No. 13-12 (Nov. 30, 2012): Defining a Quality Pre-Apprenticeship Program and Related Tools and Resources, https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/attach/TEN/TEN_13-12.pdf.
5 See Section III.B for the definition of leveraged resources.
6 For example, say a community college receives a grant to address a need for more workers in all health-related fields. An outcome of the project is an increase in graduates in health-related fields by 5%. An output of the project is the creation of 3 additional courses in health-related fields.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Title | DEPARTMENT OF LABOR |
| Author | frugoli.pam |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-20 |