FOA-ETA-21-01.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

ANNOUNCEMENT FOR:

Workforce Pathways for Youth grant program

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Initial

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: FOA-ETA-21-01

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER: 17.261

KEY DATES: The closing date for receipt of applications under this Announcement is February 4, 2021. 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: Ms. Melissa Abdullah, Grant Officer Reference FOA-ETA-21-01 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716 Washington, D.C. 20210

For complete application and submission, information, including online application instructions, please refer to Section IV.

ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. PROGRAM PURPOSE

B. PROGRAM AUTHORITY

C. GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE

D. PROGRAM ACTIVITIES/ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. AWARD TYPE AND AMOUNT

B. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

B. REQUIRED PARTNERS

C. OPTIONAL PARTNERS

D. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

E. OTHER INFORMATION

1. Application Screening Criteria

2. Number of Applications Applicants May Submit

3. Eligible Participants

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. HOW TO OBTAIN AN APPLICATION PACKAGE

B. CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION

1. SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance”

2. Project Budget

3. Project Narrative

4. Attachments to the Project Narrative

C. SUBMISSION DATE, TIME, PROCESS, AND ADDRESS

1. Hardcopy Submission

2. Electronic Submission through Grants.gov

D. INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW

E. FUNDING RESTRICTIONS

1. Indirect Costs

2. Salary and Bonus Limitations iii

3. Intellectual Property Rights

4. Use of Grant Funds for Participant Wages

F. OTHER SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. CRITERIA

B. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

1. Merit Review and Selection Process

2. Risk Review Process

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. AWARD NOTICES

B. ADMISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

1. Administrative Program Requirements

2. Other Legal Requirements

3. Other Administrative Standards and Provisions

4. Special Program Requirements

C. REPORTING

1. Quarterly Financial Reports

2. Quarterly Performance Reports

3. Quarterly Narrative Performance Reports

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

VIII. OTHER INFORMATION

A. WEB-BASED RESOURCES

B. INDUSTRY COMPETENCY MODELS AND CAREER CLUSTERS

C. WORKFORCEGPS RESOURCES

D. SKILLSCOMMONS RESOURCES

IX. OMB INFORMATION COLLECTION

APPENDIX B: SUGGESTED PROJECT WORK PLAN FORMAT

APPENDIX C: SUGGESTED ABSTRACT FORMAT

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, or the Department, or we), announces the availability of approximately $10,000,000 in grant funds authorized by Section 169(c) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act for the Workforce Pathways for Youth grant program. The grant program, as outlined in the Department of Labor Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law 116-94) Statement of Managers, provides $10,000,000 to utilize the demonstration grant authority under the dislocated worker national reserve for grants to support national out-of-school time (OST) organizations that serve youth. These grants will place an emphasis on age-appropriate workforce readiness programming to expand job training and workforce pathways for youth, including soft skill development, career exploration, job readiness and certification, summer jobs, year-round job opportunities, and apprenticeships. Funding will also support partnerships between workforce boards and youth serving organizations.

This program will expand workforce development activities in OST organizations across the country that serve youth during non-school hours. The goals of the grant program are to: 1) expand age-appropriate workforce readiness programming through national OST organizations and their state or locally-operated affiliate organizations; 2) promote increased alignment between OST organizations, workforce development programs, and school systems, including alignment with dropout reengagement and recovery programs; 3) increase opportunities for youth, particularly those at risk of not completing their high school education, to gain the skills needed to be successful in higher education and employment; and 4) ensure all services provided are clearly linked to employment opportunities through the use of business engagement and labor market information (LMI) data.

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. PROGRAM PURPOSE

This Announcement solicits applications for the Workforce Pathways for Youth grant program.

The purpose of this program is to increase alignment between workforce and OST programs and expand job training and workforce pathways for youth and disconnected youth including soft skill development, career exploration, job readiness and certification, summer jobs, year-round job opportunities, and apprenticeships.

An OST organization is a non-profit that operates a supervised program that young people regularly attend when school is not in session. This can include before- and after- school programs on a school campus or facilities off of a school campus such as academic programs (e.g., reading or math focused programs), specialty programs (e.g., sports teams; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programming; arts enrichment), and multipurpose programs that provide an array of activities.1 More than 10 million U.S. children attend after-school programs between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.;2 however, only 12 percent of these young people are high school aged.3 Additionally, there is a need for OST programs in areas of concentrated poverty and rural areas4 as they are a safe space for young people providing academic support 5 and contribute to improving their overall health.6

While some OST programs specifically include workforce development activities, most do not include it in their program design. Employers in the United States require a skilled and educated workforce. With strong partnerships between OST organizations, local workforce entities, and state7 and local education agencies,8 OST programs may provide opportunities for workforce readiness, career exploration, career preparation, and career training to connect young adults to the skills necessary to become college and career ready.9 Providing youth exposure to career possibilities and mentors based on student interest, aptitude, and labor market needs may help OST participants gain critical skills through real-world work experiences that enhance their employability. In addition, DOL recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly altered the education and employment landscape across the country. In light of the changing environment, OST organizations are also adjusting their service delivery model.

This grant program will help establish lasting connections and partnerships between existing OST program activities and other state and local workforce partners to better address the need for youth exposure to career-related services, which support and prepare youth to enter the workforce.

B. PROGRAM AUTHORITY

Section 169(c) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and the Department of Labor Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law 116-94) authorizes this program. The Statement of Managers accompanying the appropriations act explained that the appropriation provided funds to the Department of Labor under this demonstration grant authority for grants to support

1 CDC Healthy Schools, https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/ost.htm.

2 Afterschool Alliance. America After 3PM: Afterschool Programs in Demand 3 AIR, Afterschool Programming as a Lever to Enhance and Provide Career Readiness Opportunities, September 4 AYPF, Harvesting the Potential of Rural Afterschool Programs (July 2018) 5 Durlak JA, Weissberg RP. Afterschool programs that follow evidence-based practices to promote social and emotional development are effective. Retrieved from https://casel.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DurlakWeissberg_Final.pdf.external icon 6 Lauer PA, Akiba M, Wilkerson SB, Apthorp HS, Snow D, Martin-Glenn ML. Out-of-school-time programs: a meta-analysis of effects for at-risk students. Rev Educ Res. 2006;76(2):275–313.

7 Throughout this FOA, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the outlying areas (Guam, the US Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa) are considered a “state.”

8 AYPF, Five Suggestions to Leverage Afterschool Programs to Promote College and Career Readiness (October 2019) 9 AIR, Afterschool Programming as a Lever to Enhance and Provide Career Readiness Opportunities, September https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/ost.htm https://casel.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DurlakWeissberg_Final.pdf.

https://casel.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DurlakWeissberg_Final.pdf.

national out-of-school time organizations that serve youth and teens and place an emphasis on workforce readiness programming.

C. GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE

As discussed below, applicants must identify the geographic scope of the proposed project. The geographic scope is the physical service area in which awarded applicants will serve participants, and refers to both the geographic area and affiliate sites within the geographic area. Applicants may choose one of the following geographic scopes: local/regional, statewide, or national scope.

If applicants choose the local/regional scope, they must implement the project in at least two separate local/regional areas.

• Local/regional means serving a part of one state or a contiguous area that includes multiple sites that may cross more than one state;

• Statewide means serving an entire state or multiple non-contiguous sites within one state;

and

• National means serving three or more states in multiple locations across the country.10 The service area does not need to be contiguous.

Within the chosen geographic scope, applicants must identify the specific site(s) where participants will receive services.

D. PROGRAM ACTIVITIES/ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES

The applicant (OST organization) will be responsible for: 1) funding locally-operated OST organizations that will implement workforce-focused OST programming; 2) providing coordination among the OST, education, and workforce systems partners; 3) monitoring progress of the implementation of programming and delivery of services; 4) developing a process for scaling up and sustaining effective programming across its network of affiliates after initial funding expires; and 5) ultimately sustaining and beginning to scale up effective programming with additional affiliates by leveraging existing WIOA and other workforce dollars.

Successful applicants will develop strategies and programming based on the existing evidence base for serving youth, and will be committed to using data for the continuous improvement of programs. For information on existing evidence in youth programming, please visit https://clear.dol.gov/topic-area/opportunities-for-youth and https://youth.gov/evidence-innovation.

All grantees must fund locally-operated OST organizations to implement evidence-based, career-focused and innovative programming. The locally-operated OST organizations must carry out the following grant activities, which may be done virtually or in-person: 1) career exploration services; 2) work readiness; 3) career counseling; 4) work experience (which may include

10 Throughout this FOA, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the outlying areas (Guam, the US Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa) are considered a “state.”

https://clear.dol.gov/topic-area/opportunities-for-youth https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fyouth.gov%2Fevidence-innovation&data=02%7C01%7CRosenberg.Evan%40dol.gov%7Cb39c126521f448618d0608d84f7e5b9a%7C75a6305472044e0c9126adab971d4aca%7C0%7C0%7C637346751399191650&sdata=Sx4sb%2BR6XahORdK1k8rM2KaKzWzLh0K4VXi3u9lawMA%3D&reserved=0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fyouth.gov%2Fevidence-innovation&data=02%7C01%7CRosenberg.Evan%40dol.gov%7Cb39c126521f448618d0608d84f7e5b9a%7C75a6305472044e0c9126adab971d4aca%7C0%7C0%7C637346751399191650&sdata=Sx4sb%2BR6XahORdK1k8rM2KaKzWzLh0K4VXi3u9lawMA%3D&reserved=0 internships, summer and year-round employment, pre-apprenticeships, and Registered Apprenticeship); and 5) assistance in placing youth in employment, education, or training.

These five grant activities may take many forms, both in-person and virtually, including the following:

• Conducting work readiness and career interest assessments, including using innovative technologies, such as virtual platforms or gaming technology to assess abilities, aptitudes and interests in careers and to promote learning;

• Providing labor market and employment information about in-demand industry sectors or occupations available in the local area such as career awareness, career counseling, and career exploration services;

• Providing paid and unpaid work experiences, including internships, job shadowing, pre-apprenticeships, and Registered Apprenticeships;

• Providing staff time to develop relationships and agreements with employers;

• Developing mentoring activities;

• Facilitating industry-specific engagement and support with industries that are growing or experiencing skills gaps;

• Providing supportive services for participants such as transportation and needs-related payments that are necessary to enable an individual to participate in OST activities funded through this grant; and

• Combining academic, career, and technical instruction with work experience, allowing youth to develop industry specific workplace competencies, skills, and knowledge.

Grant activities may also include the following to assist the grantee in implementing, scaling up, and sustaining effective workforce-focused OST programming:

• Working with partners to monitor progress of efforts and develop plans for scaling up and sustaining effective workforce-focused OST programming;

• Building relationships and customer flows through the creation of established connections;

• Collaborate with WIOA Youth program partners to create training materials and toolkits for local affiliates on how to operate workforce-focused OST programs;

• Covering costs of tools and technologies that may be needed to assist in scaling up and sustaining programming; and

• Providing technical assistance and professional development to OST staff.

If grantees develop new curriculum, training, or credentials for their OST programs, the Department requires that data regarding these resources be in an open-data format, to allow use and replication across state and local partners nationwide. Specifically, the Department requires information regarding all credentials and competencies developed or delivered using these grant funds be made publicly accessible through the use of linked open data formats, such as through the use of the credential transparency description language specifications. Credentials include but are not limited to badges, certificates, certifications, licenses, and degrees of all levels and types. Competencies are generally considered to be groupings of knowledge, skills, and abilities.

The linked open data formats support full transparency and interoperability of information. This allows individuals, employers, education and training providers, and others to access the information necessary to make more informed career and training decisions, such as complete, current, and beneficial information about providers, programs, credentials, and skills.

Facilitating this access requires having information fully operable on the semantic web (meaning machine-readable and machine-discoverable). This enables information to be used in modern applications, tools, and services to support better understanding of available pathways. This open data also supports the development of improved navigation and guidance tools to help individuals make better decisions about which pathways are best for them.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. AWARD TYPE AND AMOUNT

Funding will be provided in the form of a grant.

We expect availability of approximately $10 million to fund approximately two to three grants ranging from $3.3 million to $5 million. Applicants may apply for a ceiling amount of up to $5 million. 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.

B. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance is 36 months with an anticipated start date of June 1, 2021. This performance period includes all necessary start-up activities.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

Grants under this program will be awarded to national OST non-profit (501(c)(3)) organizations with local affiliate networks. For purposes of this FOA, a national organization is defined as an organization that has affiliates operating in at least five states. An OST organization is a non-profit that operates a supervised program that young people regularly attend when school is not in session. This can include before- and after- school programs on a school campus or facilities off of a school campus such as academic programs (e.g., reading or math focused programs), specialty programs (e.g., sports teams, STEM, arts enrichment), and multipurpose programs that provide an array of activities.11

B. REQUIRED PARTNERS

The applicant must also include the following organizations, in the quantity specified below, as required partners on the application for each service area identified.

11 CDC Healthy Schools, https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/ost.htm.

https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/ost.htm

• A minimum of one organization involved in administering the workforce development system established under WIOA (29 U.S.C. 3151), which are limited to State Workforce Development Boards, Local Workforce Development Boards, and Indian and Native American entities (as outlined in Section 166 of WIOA) (29 U.S.C. 3221);

• A minimum of two employer partners, or one industry/trade association that represents employers; and

• A minimum of one State or Local Education Agency (including high schools and school districts) or an alternative education program. 12

C. OPTIONAL PARTNERS

While the required partners reflect collaboration between secondary education, employers, and workforce development, we strongly encourage applicants to collaborate with other partners that can support and advance the work of the project. These include, but are not limited to, organizations functioning as workforce intermediaries, labor-management organizations, community-based organizations, training providers, and service providers; other organizations to support outreach and training activities, such as: industry-led training organizations, industry intermediaries, unions, or educational organizations; Small Business Development Centers;

American Job Centers; community organizations that provide social support and/or wrap-around services; YouthBuild programs; Job Corps centers; WIOA Youth programs; Standard Recognition Entities (SREs); foundations and philanthropic organizations; and federally-funded youth-serving programs.

D. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

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. Applicants are encouraged to identify leveraged resources. Please note that this will be a scoring factor for the application. Section IV.B.2 provides more information on leveraged resources.

E. OTHER INFORMATION

1. Application Screening Criteria You should use the checklist below as a guide when preparing your application package to ensure that the application has met all of the screening criteria. Note that this checklist is only an

12 A local educational agency is defined as a public board of education or other public authority legally constituted within a State for either administrative control or direction of, or to perform a service function for, public elementary schools or secondary schools in a city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of a State, or for a combination of school districts or counties that is recognized in a State as an administrative agency for its public elementary schools or secondary schools. Link accessible at https://www.ed.gov/race-top/district-competition/definitions.

https://www.ed.gov/race-top/district-competition/definitions https://www.ed.gov/race-top/district-competition/definitions 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.

2. Number of Applications Applicants May Submit We will consider only one application from each organization. If we receive multiple applications from the same organization, we will consider only 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.

3. Eligible Participants For purposes of this program, eligible participants must be youth between the ages of 14 to 21 at the time of program participation. Within this population of youth, applicants may serve a wide

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.2

Application federal funds request is between $3.3 million and $5 million 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

Documentation of Partnership Commitment

Section IV.B.3.c.2. and

Section IV.B.4.a.2

Documentation of OST Organization and Required Number of Affiliates

Section III.A and Section IV.B.4.a.3.

range of individuals, such as in-school and out-of-school youth, low income youth, and youth with barriers to employment including, but not limited to, foster youth, parenting youth, homeless youth, youth with disabilities, and youth offenders/ex-offenders.

a) Veterans’ Priority for Participants 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.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. HOW TO OBTAIN AN APPLICATION PACKAGE

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.

B. CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION

Applications submitted in response to this FOA must consist of four separate and distinct parts:

1. SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance”;

2. Project Budget, composed of the SF-424A and Budget Narrative;

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.

1. SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance” You must complete the SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance” (available at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1).

• 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.

https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2816 http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.doleta.gov/grants/find_grants.cfm https://usdol-my.sharepoint.com/personal/luetkenhaus_eric_dol_gov/Documents/All%20FOAs%202020/Application_for#_SF-424,_ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1 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://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1). You do not need to submit the SF-424B with the application.

In addition, subject to the provisions of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), 42 U.S.C. § 2000bb, the applicant’s Authorized Representative’s signature in block 21 of the SF-424 form constitutes assurance by the applicant of compliance with the WIOA 188 rules issued by the Department at 29 CFR 38.25, which includes the following language:

As a condition to the award of financial assistance from the Department of Labor under Title I WIOA, the grant applicant assures that it has the ability to comply fully with the nondiscrimination and equal opportunity provisions of the following laws: Section 188 of the WIOA, which, as interpreted through Departmental regulations, prohibits discrimination against all individuals in the United States on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions, transgender status, and gender identity), national origin (including limited English proficiency), age, disability, political affiliation or belief, and against beneficiaries on the basis of either citizenship status or participation in any WIOA Title I—financially assisted program or activity; Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, which prohibits discrimination on the bases of race, color, and national origin; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, which prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities; The Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of age; and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs.

The grant applicant also assures, subject to RFRA, that as a recipient of WIOA Title I financial assistance [as defined at 29 CFR 38.4(zz)], it will comply with 29 CFR part 38 and all other regulations implementing the laws listed above. This assurance applies to the grant applicant's operation of the WIOA Title I-financially assisted program or activity, and to all agreements the grant applicant makes to carry out the WIOA Title I-financially assisted program or activity. The grant applicant understands that the United States has the right to seek judicial enforcement of this assurance. Note that the RFRA 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.

a) 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 unless the entity has provided its DUNS number.

• Grant recipients may not make a subaward to an entity unless the entity has provided its DUNS number.

(See Appendix A to 2 CFR Part 25.)

b) 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 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.

2. Project Budget You must complete the SF-424A Budget Information Form (available at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1). In preparing the Budget Information Form, you must provide a concise narrative explanation to support the budget request, explained in detail below.

a) Budget Narrative The Budget Narrative must provide a description of costs associated with each line item on the SF-424A. The Budget Narrative should also include a section describing any leveraged https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do https://www.sam.gov/ resources provided (as applicable) to support grant activities. Leveraged resources are all resources, both cash and in-kind, in excess of this award. Valuation of leveraged resources follows the same requirements as match. Applicants are encouraged to leverage resources to increase stakeholder investment in the project and broaden the impact of the project itself.

Each category should include the total cost for the period of performance. Use the following guidance for preparing the Budget Narrative.

Personnel: List all staff positions by title (both current and proposed) including the roles and responsibilities. For each position give the annual salary, the percentage of time devoted to the project, and the amount of each position’s salary funded by the grant.

Fringe Benefits: Provide a breakdown of the amounts and percentages that comprise fringe benefit costs such as health insurance, FICA, retirement, etc.

Travel: For grantee staff only, specify the purpose, number of staff traveling, 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 that 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 200.1 for the definition of Equipment). List the item, quantity, and the 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 item, quantity, and the unit cost per item. Supplies include all tangible personal property other than “equipment” (see 2 CFR 200.1 for the definition of Supplies).

Contractual: Under the Contractual line item, delineate contracts and subawards separately.

Contracts are defined according to 2 CFR 200.1 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 200.1, 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 activities to be provided, and the 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 items, such as stipends or incentives, not covered elsewhere.

Indirect Costs: If you include an amount for indirect costs (through a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement or De Minimis) on the SF-424A budget form, 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 does not have a current (including provisional) rate, and your organization is not one described in 2 CFR 200, Appendix VII(D)(1)(b).

Applicants choosing to claim indirect costs using the de minimis rate must use Modified Total Direct Costs (see 2 CFR 200.1 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 the definitions below to assist you in your calculation.

• 2 CFR 200.1 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 be excluded only when necessary to avoid a serious inequity in the distribution of indirect costs, and with the approval of the cognizant agency for indirect costs.

The definition of MTDC in 2 CFR 200.1 no longer allows any sub-contracts to be included in the calculation. You will also note that participant support costs are not included in modified total direct cost. Participant support costs are defined below.

• 2 CFR 200.1 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/agencies/oasam/centers-offices/business-operations-center/cost-determination.

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.

3. 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 20 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.

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/centers-offices/business-operations-center/cost-determination https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/centers-offices/business-operations-center/cost-determination

a) Statement of Need (6 points)

(1) Scope of the Issue (2 points)

(i) Describe in both quantitative and qualitative terms the need for assistance, including the nature and scope of the problem within the proposed service areas, and the consequences of not addressing the need. Incorporate demographic data and participant information whenever possible.

(2) Population Served (2 points)

(i) Clear description of the specific youth population segment(s) to be served through the project, including demographic characteristics, skill levels, and a description of how the targeted population(s) to be served in the project will meet the requirements of this FOA; and

(ii) Clear description of how the project will increase access to workforce-focused OST programming for youth with barriers to employment or underserved populations, including those populations listed under eligible participants.

(3) Proposed Target Area (2 points)

The applicant must identify the proposed target service area and the number of youth ages 14 to 21 that the applicant expects to serve. The applicant must state the geographic scope of their proposed target area as discussed in Section I.C. as well as the specific site(s) within their chosen geographic scope.

b) Expected Outcomes and Outputs (16 points) Applicants must clearly identify outcomes and outputs that the project will achieve as a direct result of the proposed project. Outputs are tangible products or services that result from the project.

(1) Participant Outputs and Outcomes (6 points) Applicants must provide a table that clearly identifies the outputs and outcomes (listed directly below) that will result from the project. This table will include annual target outcomes that will be used for the purposes of technical assistance. In addition, applicants must describe in a narrative format how these outcomes and outputs align with their project goals.

The performance table must be submitted as a separate attachment and does not count against the page limit of the Project Narrative (see Section IV.B.4. Attachments to the Project Narrative, as well as Appendix A, Performance Outcome Measures Table).

(i) Applicants must include comprehensive numerical outcome projections for each of the three measures identified below and defined in Appendix A. Applicants must provide raw numbers for each of the target outcome measures for each year of the project as well as the cumulative number; otherwise, they will not receive full points.

Percentages, percent increases, or other types of data projections are not acceptable.

1) Total number of program participants who complete a work experience as a result of a program supported by this grant;

2) Total number of program participants who enter postsecondary education or occupational skills training; and

3) Total number of program participants who enter unsubsidized employment.

(2) Grantee-Defined Outcomes (10 points) Applicants must include at least three grantee-defined performance indicators (either outputs or outcomes) based on their proposed program model as outlined in the below logic model. The grantee-defined measures must be included in the performance table in Appendix A and the indicators must include targets for each of the three years of the program as well as cumulative grant targets.

c) Project Design (34 points)

1) Project Design/Logic Model (6 points)

Scoring under this criterion is based on how completely the application describes the project design and the strength of the logic behind the design based on need and intended outputs and outcomes. Successful applicants will design their project based on existing evidence for serving youth and cite such evidence in their project design.

(i) Applicants must provide a comprehensive graphic depiction (not longer than one page) of the applicant’s logic model that illustrates the underlying theory of how the applicant’s strategy will produce intended outcomes. This logic model is a required attachment to the Project Narrative. A logic model (also referred to as theory of action) is a well-specified conceptual framework that identifies key components of the proposed process, product, strategy, or practice (i.e., the active “ingredients” or inputs and outputs that may be critical to achieving the relevant outcomes) and describes the relationships among the key components and outcomes, theoretically and operationally.

This logic model must include the “ingredients” that are articulated in Section IV.B.3.c.1.ii. below. (2 points)

(ii) Applicants must provide a clear description of the project design that addresses the gaps and the disparities identified in the response to the statement of need and how the project design will achieve intended outcomes. This includes a description of the applicant's plan for the following:

• how it will provide funding to its affiliate OST organization(s);

• how the affiliate organization(s) will recruit and engage youth;

• the services and activities (outputs) that will be provided to youth by the affiliate organization(s) and required and optional partners;

• the outcomes that the affiliate organization(s) and partners will help youth achieve;

• a description of the plan for how it will provide oversight and support to the affiliate organization(s) throughout the project;

• how it will track and identify strategies and practices; and

• how it will sustain activities with an even broader set of affiliates. (4 points)

2) OST Partnership Design (8 points)

Scoring under this criterion is based on how completely the application describes how the applicant has structured the partnership to meet effectively the goals outlined in the funding opportunity including how the affiliate organization(s) will communicate and collaborate with the required and optional partners.

(i) Workforce Development Partner: The applicant must provide documentation of the role of the required workforce development partner organization identified in Section III.B. This includes a thorough and clear description of the capacity and role of the partner’s involvement, including in expanding an existing program on a local/regional, statewide, or national scale, deploying a new program, and/or providing outreach and recruitment services, work experience activities, services that provide labor market and employment information, supportive services, and other services. Such documentation must be included in the form of attached partnership agreements, letters on the partner letterhead outlining partnership commitment signed by an officer of the entity, or other documentation (as described in Sections IV.B.4.

Attachments to the Project Narrative). (2 points)

(ii) Employer Partners: The applicant must provide a clear explanation and concrete evidence, with appropriate citations, that the employer partners represent a presence in the service area and how the entities will be involved in the project, including the specific roles played in the activities proposed in the Project Narrative, such as the employer role in providing work experience and developing participant workplace skills and competencies for jobs that are or will be in demand. The applicant must provide documentation of the roles of the required employer partners identified in Section III.B. Such documentation must be included in the form of attached partnership agreements, letters on the partner letterhead outlining partnership commitment signed by an officer of the entity, or other documentation (as described in Sections IV.B.4. Attachments to the Project Narrative). (2 points)

(iii) Education Partner: The applicant must provide documentation of the role of the required education partner identified in Section III.B. This includes a thorough and clear description of the capacity of the partner’s involvement, including in expanding an existing program on a local/regional, statewide, or national scale, deploying a new program, and/or providing outreach and recruitment services and other services.

Such documentation must be included in the form of attached partnership agreements, letters on the partner letterhead outlining partnership commitment signed by an officer of the entity, or other documentation (as described in Sections IV.B.4.

Attachments to the Project Narrative). (2 points)

(iv) Optional Partners: If the applicant includes collaboration with any optional partners, the applicant must provide documentation of the role of the optional partners. This includes a thorough and clear description of the capacity of the partner’s involvement, including in expanding an existing program on a local/regional, statewide, or national scale; deploying a new program; and/or providing outreach and recruitment services and other services. Such documentation must be included in the form of attached partnership agreements, letters on the partner letterhead outlining partnership commitment signed by an officer of the entity, or other documentation (as described in Sections IV.B.4. Attachments to the Project Narrative). Optional partners may include, but are not limited to, organizations functioning as workforce intermediaries, labor-management organizations, community-based organizations, training providers, and service providers; other organizations to support outreach and training activities, such as: industry-led training organizations, industry intermediaries, unions, or educational organizations; Small Business Development Centers; American Job Centers; community organizations that provide social support and/or wrap-around services; YouthBuild programs; Job Corps centers; WIOA Youth programs; foundations and philanthropic organizations; and federally-funded youth-serving programs. (2 points)

3) Increasing Workforce Opportunities for All Youth (6 points)

Scoring under this criterion is based on how fully the applicant describes how the project will increase workforce opportunities for all youth, particularly youth with barriers to employment.

(i) Comprehensive description of the recruitment and enrollment strategy for engaging the target population(s), including clear identification of how partner organizations will support this effort, and the process to ensure collaboration between the applicant, applicant’s outreach partners, and other relevant partners in these activities.