ARPA Good Jobs Challenge NOFO - FINAL.pdf

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• Federal Agency Name: Economic Development Administration (EDA or the Agency), U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC).

• Federal Funding Opportunity Title: FY 2021 American Rescue Plan Act Good Jobs Challenge Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) (ARPA Good Jobs Challenge NOFO).

• Announcement Type and Date: ARPA Good Jobs Challenge NOFO publishing EDA’s application submission requirements and application review procedures under EDA’s Economic Adjustment Assistance program, as authorized by sections 209 and 703 of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, as amended (42 U.S.C. § 3121 et seq.) (PWEDA).

Effective date: July 22, 2021.

• Funding Opportunity Number: EDA-HDQ-ARPGJ-2021-2006964

• Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.307, Economic Adjustment Assistance

• Dates: The deadline for application submission is 11:59 pm Eastern Time on January 26, 2022. Proposals or applications received after the above deadlines will not be reviewed or considered. See section E of this ARPA Good Jobs Challenge NOFO regarding EDA’s review process and section G of the NOFO for EDA’s contact information.

• Eligible Applicants: Pursuant to section 3(4) of PWEDA (42 U.S.C. § 3122(4)(A)) and 13 C.F.R. § 300.3 (Eligible Recipient), eligible applicants under this NOFO include a(n):

(i) District Organization of an EDA-designated Economic Development District (EDD);

(ii) Indian Tribe or a consortium of Indian Tribes; (iii) State, county, city, or other political subdivision of a State, including a special purpose unit of a State or local government engaged in economic or infrastructure development activities, or a consortium of political subdivisions;

(iv) institution of higher education or a consortium of institutions of higher education; or (v) public or private non-profit organization or association, including labor unions, acting in cooperation with officials of a general purpose political subdivision of a State.

Under this NOFO, EDA is not authorized to provide grants or cooperative agreements to individuals or to for-profit entities, including for-profit institutions of higher education.

Requests from such entities will not be considered for funding.

• Funding Opportunity Description: Subject to the availability of funds, EDA is issuing this NOFO for qualified organizations to form sectoral partnerships. These partnerships will work collaboratively to grow regional economies and their associated workforces by building training programs that meet the existing and emerging skills needs of employers and that help workers enter quality jobs and advance along their chosen career path. Although not required, EDA encourages efforts to reach historically underserved populations and areas, communities of color, women, and other groups facing with labor market barriers such as persons with disabilities, disconnected youth, individuals in recovery, individuals with past criminal records including justice-impacted and reentry participants, serving trainees participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and veterans and military spouses.

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

FY 2021 EDA American Rescue Plan Act Good Jobs Challenge Notice of Funding Opportunity

A. Good Jobs Challenge Program Description

1. Overview and Program Information

2. EDA Investment Priorities

3. Statutory Authorities for EDA’s Programs

4. How Does EDA Interpret Resilience?

B. Federal Award Information

1. What Funding Is Available Under this Announcement?

2. What Type of Funding Instrument Will Be Used to Make Awards? How Long Will a

Project’s Period of Performance Be?

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

2. Applicable Disaster Declaration and Responsiveness to the Coronavirus Pandemic

3. Cost Sharing or Matching

D. Application Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

3. AOR Requirement and File Formats

4. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

5. Submission Dates and Times

6. Intergovernmental Review

7. Pre-award Costs

8. Other Submission Requirements

E. Application Review Information

1. Review and Selection Process

2. Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) Review

F. Federal Award Administration Information

1. Federal Award Notification

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

3. DOC Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions

4. DOC Pre-Award Notification Requirements

5. Reporting

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts

H. Other Information

1. Right to Use Information

2. Freedom of Information Act Disclosure

3. Notice of Government-Wide Procurement Restriction

4. Past Performance and Non-Compliance with Award Provisions

5. Certifications Required by Annual Appropriations Acts for Corporations and for Awards over $5 Million

6. EDA’s Non-Relocation Policy

7. Audit Requirements

8. Non-Discrimination and Equal Access by Those with Past Criminal Histories

9. Fraud Awareness Training

I. Instructions for Application Submission via Grants.gov

1. Register Early and Submit Early

2. AOR Requirement

3. Field Limitations and Special Characters

4. Verify That Your Submission Was Successful

5. Grants.gov Systems Issues

A. Good Jobs Challenge Program Description

1. Overview and Program Information

a. Overview

EDA’s mission is to lead the Federal economic development agenda by promoting innovation and competitiveness, preparing American regions, States, and Tribes for growth and success in the worldwide economy. Through this American Rescue Plan Act Good Jobs Challenge Notice of Funding Opportunity (ARPA Good Jobs Challenge NOFO), EDA aims to assist communities and regions impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has caused, and continues to cause, economic injury to U.S. communities and regions in devastating and unprecedented ways.

For the purposes of this NOFO:

• “Sectoral partnership” is defined as a partnership of employers from the same industry who join with other strategic partners to train and place workers into high-quality jobs that the employers need filled and intend to fill through the partnership. The strategic partners can include: government, education (including community and technical colleges), training organizations, economic development organizations, workforce development organizations, unions, labor management partnerships, industry associations, employer-serving organizations, and/or community-based organizations. A sectoral partnership is focused on one specific industry and one or more specific roles within that industry.

o The lead entity of a sectoral partnership is referred to in this NOFO as a “Backbone Organization.” The Backbone Organization serves as an intermediary across all the partners in the sectoral partnership and must be an EDA eligible applicant.

• “Regional workforce training system” is defined as a system that fosters and supports sectoral partnerships. A mature regional workforce training system will include a lead entity and multiple sectoral partnerships, each with their own Backbone Organization, training provider, and industry partners. The lead entity (e.g., a state government, municipal government, state workforce board, local workforce board) coordinates across and supports the sectoral partnerships within its system. A regional workforce training system may also include other entities that support across multiple sectoral partnerships (e.g., a community-based organization that supports recruiting for all of the sectoral partnerships). In a region that does not yet have a regional workforce training system, interested partners are encouraged to join together to apply for funding under this NOFO to develop such a system. Interested parties would include a convener (e.g., a state government, municipal government, state workforce board, local workforce board) who is an eligible EDA applicant as well as entities interested in forming sectoral partnerships (e.g., employers, training providers, unions, community-based organizations).

o The lead entity of a regional workforce training system is referred to in this NOFO as a “System Lead Entity.” The System Lead Entity must be an EDA eligible applicant.

Figure 1 offers a visualization of how different entities work together in a sectoral partnership and Figure 2 gives an illustrative example of a regional workforce training system.

Figure 1 – Visualization of a Sectoral Partnership

Figure 2 – Illustrative Example of a Regional Workforce Training System

This ARPA Good Jobs Challenge NOFO is designed to help get Americans back to work by investing in (1) developing and strengthening regional workforce training systems that support sectoral partnerships, (2) designing sectoral partnerships, and (3) implementing sectoral partnerships that will lead to high-quality jobs. The goal of regional workforce training systems is to create and support effective training programs that will connect the in-demand and emerging skills needs of employers with qualified workers and help workers find and keep quality jobs1 and advance along their chosen career path.

This program is designed to get Americans back to work and increase wage growth, as well as develop demand-driven systems that will continue to support Americans in securing and retaining quality jobs. Successful applicants will include proactive employer engagement and mobilization and employer commitments to hire (see Section A.1.b.v. below).

Regional workforce training systems and sectoral partnerships funded under this NOFO should connect employers in an industry with key regional stakeholders, including State, Tribal, and local governmental entities, economic development organizations, workforce development boards,2 Career OneStops, employer-facing organizations and employer associations, education and training providers, community-based organizations (CBOs) (including faith-based organizations), worker-serving organizations (WSOs), labor unions, and/or other key stakeholders with responsibilities in advancing the goals of the sectoral partnerships. The system or partnership should be led by a System Lead Entity or Backbone Organization, respectively (see section A.1.b.ii below), serving as an intermediary that has convening power in the region and the capacity to coordinate engagement and collaboration across all necessary stakeholders.

EDA encourages sectoral partnerships to address populations with labor market barriers such as persons with disabilities, disconnected youth, individuals in recovery, individuals with past criminal records including justice-impacted and reentry participants, serving trainees participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and veterans and military spouses. EDA also encourages partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, or Minority-Serving Institutions.

EDA recognizes that in many circumstances having adequate, modernized facilities is a critical component of a successful workforce training program that responds to industry needs today and into the future. As such, equipment costs, expenses related to securing adequate space (e.g., rent, leases), and other non-construction capital expenses are allowable expenses under this program.

Building-based construction projects (i.e., any activity that disturbs the ground or modifies a structure) are not eligible under this NOFO. To the extent that a workforce training project is focused only on a building-based construction project or the success of the system or partnership depends on the construction of a new facility, EDA encourages eligible entities to apply under

1 A “quality job” is defined as a job that exceeds the local prevailing wage for an industry in the region, includes basic benefits (e.g., paid leave, health insurance, retirement/savings plan),and/or is unionized, and helps the employee develop the skills and experiences necessary to advance along a career path. “Prevailing wage” is defined by the Department of Labor as “the average wage paid to similarly employed workers in a specific occupation in the area of intended employment.”

2 The purpose of workforce development boards is to convene State, regional, and local workforce system and partners to: (a) enhance the capacity and performance of the workforce development system; (b) align and improve the outcomes and effectiveness of Federally-funded and other workforce programs and investments; (c) through these efforts, promote economic growth; (d) engage public workforce system representatives, including businesses, education providers, economic development, labor representatives, and other stakeholders to help the workforce development system achieve the purpose of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA); and (e) assist to achieve the State's strategic and operational vision and goals as outlined in the State’s WIOA plan.

the ARPA Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) NOFO (that was published separately3), while following the principles laid out in this Good Jobs Challenge NOFO in that application. If a workforce training project develops or expands a regional workforce training system or sectoral partnership and there is a related, complementary construction project, EDA encourages applicants to submit the system or partnership project under this Good Jobs Challenge NOFO and the complementary construction project under EDA’s EAA NOFO.

Additionally, the use of project funds to make equity or hybrid investments in businesses is not an allowable cost; neither EDA funds nor matching share may be used for such purposes.

If an applicant has inadvertently applied to the incorrect NOFO, or if a Good Jobs Challenge application is not selected, EDA in its discretion may move one or more of the proposed projects to another NOFO under which it is eligible.

In EDA’s experience with post-disaster recovery, the most effective rebuilding efforts are based on long-term regional development or redevelopment strategies that leverage Federal funding in coordination with state, local, and private sector resources. For this reason, EDA encourages the submission of applications based on long-term, regionally oriented, coordinated, and collaborative economic development or redevelopment strategies that foster economic growth and resilience.

Prospective applicants should note that section C sets out eligibility criteria for applications, and only applications meeting the eligibility criteria will be considered. EDA will evaluate and select applications according to the evaluation criteria set forth in section E. Applicants who are unsure whether their proposed project is eligible under this NOFO should contact EDA at the email address listed in section G.

EDA may make changes or additions or cancel the ARPA Good Jobs Challenge NOFO at any time. All changes will be communicated via Grants.gov.

b. ARPA Good Jobs Challenge

As noted above, regional workforce training systems and sectoral partnerships connect, convene, and coordinate a variety of stakeholders across a region, which can include the following entities or those with similar functions (as appropriate to the region): State, Tribal, and local governmental entities, economic development organizations, workforce development boards, employers, employer-facing organizations and employer associations, educational institutions and training providers, labor-management partnerships, CBOs, WSOs, and labor unions. Sectoral partnerships help train workers with the skills needed for in-demand jobs and thus support communities’ abilities to attract employers and support start up organizations.

Sectoral partnerships are effective because: they are carefully built to include all necessary partners before workforce solutions are designed; they cut across traditional economic development, workforce, education, and social services system silos; they are targeted to in-

3 Workforce construction projects may also be funded under the Build Back Better Regional Challenge, Indigenous Communities, and Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation NOFOs.

demand sectors with high-quality jobs; and they consider the economic realities of a regional industry in assessing workforce demand and training needs.

In addition, effective regional systems and partnerships have a System Lead Entity or Backbone Organization, respectively, that serves as the intermediary between all stakeholders and works to ensure programs get implemented, meet employer needs, are leading to long-term positive outcomes for workers and their communities, and meet agreed-upon milestones.

For example, a manufacturing trade association may bring multiple employers with common job openings that require similar skill sets together with a local training provider, labor management partnership, and community college or a group of community colleges in the region. Together, they may form a sectoral partnership to jointly develop and implement training programs to prepare workers to meet those needs. The sectoral partnership may also include one or more community-based organizations that provide wrap-around services (e.g., childcare, transportation) to support the workers during training. The partner businesses participate in the recruitment of the individuals to enroll in the training program and commit to hiring and retaining the workers who successfully complete the program.

Similarly, an existing sectoral partnership might tailor and expand an existing successful skills training program to serve other regions or industries or to target specific sets of workers facing systemic inequities or barriers to employment. Other examples might involve a union working with an employer or group of employers to create or scale a Registered Apprenticeship or an employer-led partnership that provides a work-and-learn model where workers can continue to work as they develop new skills. Training should teach foundational principles as well as applied knowledge, should be applicable to more than one employer as much as practicable, and should help workers advance along a career path.

EDA is cognizant that various regions or various industries within a region have different needs with respect to regional workforce training systems. One region may need to build and design a new sectoral partnership, while another region may have the various component parts of an effective partnership but may need to link those components in an integrated fashion. A third region may have an existing sectoral partnership that functions well and is ready to move forward with implementation projects or to expand the partnership to other regions or to support other industries and occupations or skill needs within an industry.

The ARPA Good Jobs Challenge is designed to meet the needs of businesses and workers in each type of region and help develop or strengthen dynamic regional workforce training systems and the sectoral partnerships they implement. EDA anticipates funding the following three phases of regional workforce training systems/sectoral partnerships, as applicable to regional needs, under the Good Jobs Challenge NOFO:

• System Development funding to help a System Lead Entity establish and develop a regional workforce training system comprised of multiple sector partnerships,

• Program Design funding for sectoral partnership(s) to identify the skills needed by industry and workers, develop the skills training curriculum and materials, and secure technical expertise needed to train workers with the skills needed by businesses, including providing professional development and capacity-building to trainers and educators, and

• Program Implementation funding to deliver workforce training and wrap-around services that place workers into quality jobs through a new or expanded sectoral partnership(s).

Note: the applicant for Program Design and Program Implementation may be the System Lead Entity or Backbone Organization, as is appropriate for the specific situation.

EDA plans to make an award to a System Lead Entity or Backbone Organization to fund the System Development, Program Design, and/or Program Implementation requirements of the system, as appropriate. The idea behind the ARPA Good Jobs Challenge NOFO is to support the needs of an applicant’s identified system and/or partnership(s) through a single integrated award.

The System Lead Entity or Backbone Organization may make subawards as necessary and as approved by EDA. The following paragraphs provide additional information on the types of projects EDA is seeking to support.

i. Regional, Industry, and Occupation Focus; Benchmark Approach to Funding

A regional workforce training system may focus on the skills needs of a region or multiple regions in one or more industries or occupations within that region or regions. For purposes of this ARPA Good Jobs Challenge NOFO, an occupation has the same meaning as a “worker role,” defined as a workplace need of a region, an industry, or employer that requires specific training or skills and that creates a career pathway for a worker (e.g., a skilled machine technician, registered nurse). The size and scope of a given workforce training system and/or sectoral partnership can vary significantly based on the needs of the employers and workers in a region and the focus of the workforce training system and/or partnership itself.

The size of award available under this ARPA Good Jobs Challenge NOFO will depend on the proposed geographic, industry, and occupation coverage of a given regional system or partnership, and applicants should justify their budget requests by reference to those factors.

Each application should identify a System Lead Entity or Backbone Organization that is an Eligible Applicant with convening power in the region and the capacity to coordinate all necessary regional system or partnership stakeholders (see section A.1.b.ii below for more details on the characteristics of System Lead Entities and Backbone Organizations). EDA anticipates making an overarching award to each successful System Lead Entity (on behalf of a regional workforce training system) or Backbone Organization (on behalf of a sectoral partnership) and then approving the release of award funds over the period of performance based on successful completion of specific applicant-proposed benchmarks that will be clearly identified in the award as the organization moves through System Development, Program Design, and/or Program Implementation, as applicable to the particular award. Applicants should submit one application to simultaneously request funding for as many phases (System Development, Program Design, and/or Program Implementation) as necessary.

The following examples are designed to help explain how EDA anticipates awarding funds and implementing benchmarks:

• Region A has identified a group of employers across three industries that have similar needs for skilled workers. Region A also has many of the resources of a successful regional workforce training system, but those resources need to be linked and coordinated to help the worker, employers, and others in the region to identify or develop the skills adjacency to develop a pipeline of workers for in-demand jobs. For Region A, System Lead Entity A might submit an application that proposes specific steps for linking various existing resources together and focusing the system on those three industries and employer-identified worker roles within those industries.

EDA may approve an overarching award in the amount of $20 million to System Lead Entity A based on the coverage of the regional workforce training system. System Lead Entity A would be able to access a specific amount of the overarching award for System Development activities related to successfully linking existing workforce resources together to develop an effective regional workforce training system. Once System Lead Entity A has met award-specified benchmarks related to System Development, the entity could access funds for Program Design activities to create sectoral partnerships specific to the identified industries and worker roles. Once System Lead Entity A has met award-specified benchmarks related to Program Design, the entity would be able to access Program Implementation funds to implement those sectoral partnerships, including through subawards to Backbone Organizations, to support training that leads to jobs and funding for wrap-around services for the program participants.

• Region B is relatively small geographically and has one main industry that needs trained workers. Similar to Region A, Region B has some components of a successful regional workforce training system, but those components need to be linked and coordinated. For Region B, System Lead Entity B might submit an application that proposes a new structure for linking existing system components and developing a work-and-learn program that gathers employer and regional needs related to worker roles and develops a skills training program in conjunction with local educational institutions that allows workers to continue in their jobs while they complete a program to train them for needed roles.

EDA may approve an overarching award in the amount of $8 million to System Lead Entity B, which would be able to access a specific amount of the overarching award to accomplish System Development benchmarks related to establishing the structure for the regional system. Once System Lead Entity B has met System Development benchmarks related to regional system structure, the entity could access funds for Program Design activities, such as developing the sectoral partnership with education and training organizations specific to the identified industry and worker roles. Once System Lead Entity B has met award-specified Program Design benchmarks, the entity would be able to access Program Implementation award funds to implement the sectoral partnership.

• Region C has an existing regional workforce training system coordinated by System Lead Entity C that is working well. Neighboring Regions D and E request System Lead Entity C’s assistance in tailoring the system to their regions’ needs. System Lead Entity C submits an application that proposes strengthening and expanding Region C’s system as well as supporting the workforce training needs of Regions D and E.

EDA may approve an overarching award in the amount of $20 million to System Lead Entity C. While System Lead Entity C is not requesting funds for System Development, before System Lead Entity C can access Program Design funds, it must demonstrate it already has System Development standards in place of sufficient quality to move to Program Design. Once System Lead Entity C has met award-specified Program Design benchmarks related to expanding the system to Regions D and E, System Lead Entity C may access Program Implementation funds to recruit workers and implement the broader-reaching sectoral partnerships, including wrap-around services. As part of Program Implementation, System Lead Entity C may subaward funds to Backbone Organizations supporting sectoral partnerships in Regions D and E.

• Region D has existing Backbone Organization D that runs a successful sectoral partnership that trains and places about 200 workers into quality jobs each year. Region D believes with additional resources they will be able to scale their partnership to train 500 workers each year and place them into quality jobs. Backbone Organization D submits an application for funds for additional trainers, leased facilities, equipment purchase, childcare, transportation, and coaching services to expand its existing sectoral partnership program to be able to train additional workers each year.

EDA may approve an award in the amount of $10 million to Backbone Organization D.

While Backbone Organization D is not requesting funds for System Development or Program Design, before Backbone Organization D can access Program Implementation funds, it must demonstrate it already has the System Development and Program Design standards in place of sufficient quality to move to Program Implementation.

ii. System Lead Entities and Backbone Organizations

The System Lead Entity or Backbone Organization for each regional workforce training system and sectoral partnership, respectively, is an essential element to the success of the system. A System Lead Entity or Backbone Organization serves as an intermediary that organizes and works with employers, training participants, employees, government agencies, and other organizations to solve problems within sectors and help grow sectors by developing trust and a base of knowledge about the organizations and businesses, as well as available public and private resources.

In a mature regional workforce training system, a System Lead Entity supports multiple sectoral partnerships, and each of those sectoral partnerships is convened by its respective Backbone Organization. The System Lead Entity supports and facilitates connections between the Backbone Organizations.

An effective System Lead Entity will have most or all the following characteristics:

• Convening power in the region;

• Committed support of the executive leadership from the region and buy-in from appropriate stakeholders (e.g., a governor, mayor or chief executive of a jurisdiction, chief executives of major employers, heads of labor unions, presidents of two- and four-year institutions of higher education, etc.);

• Relationships and credibility with key players in the workforce ecosystem, including employers, governmental entities, state or local workforce development boards, educational institutions, labor organizations, and worker-serving organizations;

• A proven track record of coordinating across sectors and partners and of driving stakeholders to successful action;

• Ability to translate various sectors’ objectives and key concerns to other sectors;

• Strong fundraising capabilities; and

• Dedicated full-time employee(s) focused on addressing regional workforce issues to support regional economic development.

An effective Backbone Organization will have most or all the following characteristics:

• Convening power in the region;

• Committed support of the executive leadership from the region and buy-in from appropriate stakeholders (e.g., a governor, mayor or chief executive of a jurisdiction, chief executives of major employers, heads of labor unions, presidents of two- and four-year institutions of higher education, etc.);

• Relationships and credibility with the key industry leaders within the sector and strong knowledge of the industry and its needs;

• Relationships and credibility with key players in the workforce ecosystem, including employers, governmental entities, state or local workforce development boards, educational institutions, labor organizations, worker-serving organizations;

• A proven track record of coordinating across the sector and of driving stakeholders to successful action;

• Strong fundraising capabilities or connection to a system with strong fundraising capabilities; and

• Dedicated full-time employee(s) focused on addressing the industry’s workforce issues to support the industry’s economic growth.

iii. Regional Workforce Training Systems and Sectoral Partnerships

Regional workforce training systems contain multiple sectoral partnerships representing important industries within a region. Each sectoral partnership is a collaboration of stakeholders in a region brought together by a Backbone Organization to jointly address specific workforce needs of that sector’s employers. Stakeholders include, but are not limited to, any of the following kinds of organizations: State, Tribal, and local governmental entities, economic development organizations, state or local workforce development boards, Career OneStops, employers, employer-facing organizations and employer associations, education and training providers like community colleges, community-based organizations (CBOs) (including faith-based organizations), worker-serving organizations (WSOs), labor unions, and/or other key stakeholders with responsibilities in advancing the goals of the sectoral partnerships.

The purpose of these partnerships is to implement strategies that meet employers’ workforce needs, advance the skills and employment prospects of workers and jobseekers, grow regional economies, and increase employment in resilient and high-quality jobs. The key to effective partnerships is that they include a representative group of employers that are from the same industry or have a similar workforce need and are meaningfully engaged in the development of the system and/or partnership.

iv. Training Models

There are several different skills training models that have proved to be effective if the fundamental characteristics we have described in previous sections are in place. However, in all models, a key component is upfront employer engagement and mobilization, and employer commitments to hire workers (see Section A.1.b.v below).

Models may differ in the type of worker skills training they provide and will differ based on the sectors or occupations that the trainings are aligned to. Examples that meet the interests of this Good Jobs Challenge – to develop and strengthen regional partnerships and systems and train workers with in-demand skills that lead to well-paying, high-quality jobs – include:

• Skills Training Programs: Programs that train workers with the foundational skills needed for in-demand, quality jobs and prepare workers for employment that provides career pathways after completion of the program.

• Registered Apprenticeship Model: These programs combine paid on-the-job training under the direction of a mentor with classroom instruction and result in an industry-recognized credential certifying occupational proficiency.

• Other Work-and-Learn Models: For example, a worker is conditionally hired for a specific training period and earns wages while receiving on-the-job training in foundational skills as well as applied concepts. After successful completion of the training period, the worker is officially hired as a full-time employee.

• Certification or Credentialing Programs: Programs in which participants obtain an industry-recognized certificate or certification and/or a license recognized by the State involved or the Federal Government.

Programs may target unemployed or underemployed workers or incumbent workers with opportunity for increased wages through targeted upskilling.

v. Employer Leadership

One of the primary goals of the Good Jobs Challenge is to get Americans back to work with good, quality jobs. To that end, EDA is seeking applications that have firm employer commitments to hire. The employer commitment may come in different formats. Some examples include:

• Work-and-Learn, including Registered Apprenticeships: See descriptions above.

• Conditional Hire: Employer hires worker on the condition of successful completion of the training program and demonstration of skill acquisition.

• Employer Commitments: Employers commit to hiring a specific number of workers who successfully complete the training program provided through the regional workforce training partnership.

In addition to these commitments, employers should be leading partners in the sectoral partnership and drive the sectoral partnership’s agenda. While sectoral partnerships contain a broad-based team of partners and are a “team effort” made up of education, worker groups, workforce development, and economic development leaders who collaborate to support the partnership, the partnership should focus on responding to the industry’s needs. This requires strong leadership from employers. Business leaders should define the priorities and be integrally involved in crafting the solutions (as opposed to providing input only). Employers define their skills needs and the priorities for addressing them; these needs may be linked to joint competitiveness needs that they face and wish to resolve. Employers and the other partners should all commit resources to identify and solve the problems.

vi. Example Activities and Desired Outputs and Outcomes

The ARPA Good Jobs Challenge will provide funding to develop, strengthen, and expand regional workforce training systems and sectoral partnerships that place workers into in-demand jobs to support vibrant, innovative economies and economic growth. Proposed projects may aim for some or all of the following activities, outputs, and outcomes, or others, as appropriate, considering each proposed project’s regional, sectoral, and economic contexts.

• Establishing, strengthening, or expanding sectoral partnerships or regional workforce training systems to provide workers with good jobs and employers with skilled workers.

• Funding and staffing for the System Lead Entity or Backbone Organization to carry out key functions outlined in section A.1.b.ii of this NOFO.

• Working with employers and other stakeholders to identify in-demand occupations and skills and securing employer commitments to hire workers who successfully complete skills training, including earning relevant industry-sought credentials.

• Making the information on in-demand occupations, the local training programs aligned to those occupations, and the funding/support opportunities to workers to afford the training programs easily accessible for job seekers.

• Developing processes to translate employers’ needs for worker skills into training models and to identify skills that could be useful to employers that they are not currently using, helping employers to adopt a more high-wage, high-skill workforce strategy.

• Developing and executing outreach and recruitment plans to secure workers, particularly from underserved populations, to participate in the skills training program to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the targeted industry.

o These plans should be developed in partnership with stakeholders from target populations, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, or Minority-Serving Institutions.

o Although not required, EDA encourages efforts to reach historically underserved populations and areas, communities of color, women, and other groups facing labor market barriers such as persons with disabilities, disconnected youth, individuals in recovery, individuals with past criminal records, including justice-impacted and reentry participants, serving trainees participating in the SNAP, TANF, and WIC, and veterans and military spouses.

• Developing systems and processes to measure and track key outcomes and metrics of skills training program.

• Delivering quality skills training that places workers into quality jobs.

• Delivering technical assistance for employers on skills-based hiring practices to reduce bias, improve return on investment, and promote people-centered practices.

• Working with employers to adopt high-wage, high-skill workforce strategies.

• Securing and offering wrap-around services for workers to participate in skills training programs (e.g., transportation, childcare, career coaching/navigation services).

• Leveraging federal and non-federal funds to expand reach.

All awardees should produce concrete, measurable impacts for workers in the region (e.g., employer commitments to hire, job placements, wage gain). These metrics should also be broken down by demographics in order to track progress against equity goals.

c. CEDS Alignment

Each project funded under this NOFO must be consistent with the region’s current Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) or an equivalent EDA-accepted regional economic development strategy that meets EDA’s CEDS or strategy requirements.

Applications will need to detail how the proposed project will support the economic development needs and objectives outlined in the CEDS or equivalent strategy and provide a copy of this planning document, either by attaching the document to the application or providing a web link for the document. In addition, applicants should indicate if other Federal funds have been secured or requested to support any portion of the project for which an EDA investment is proposed. Applicants should describe how the EDA investment will complement, leverage, or otherwise align with other public and private investments to accomplish the planned deliverables and outcomes. Where other Federal funding may be involved in the project, the applicant should provide the Federal program name and contact information with the application in order to facilitate interagency coordination and avoid duplication of resources.

2. EDA Investment Priorities

All projects considered for EDA funding under this ARPA Good Jobs Challenge NOFO must be consistent with EDA’s Recovery and Resilience Investment Priority. Applicants may also demonstrate that a project is consistent with any of EDA’s other Investment Priorities and may be considered more competitive as a result. EDA’s Investment Priorities are located at https://www.eda.gov/about/investment-priorities/. The priorities may be updated from time to time. Any future revisions will be reflected on EDA’s website on January 15, April 15, July 15, or October 15 of each year.

3. Statutory Authorities for EDA’s Programs

The statutory authority for this program is section 209 of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (PWEDA) (42 U.S.C. § 3149). The statutory authorization of supplemental appropriations for economic disaster recovery activities is section 703 of PWEDA (42 U.S.C. § 3233). Additional programmatic authority is provided by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Pub. L. 117-2).

Applicant eligibility and program requirements are set forth in EDA’s regulations (codified at 13 C.F.R. Chapter III), and all applicants must address these requirements. EDA’s regulations are accessible at the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations website at https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/ECFR?page=browse. Under “Browse,” select “Title 13 – Business Credit and Assistance”, then “Go”, then “300-399”.

https://www.eda.gov/about/investment-priorities/ https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/ECFR?page=browse https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/ECFR?page=browse

4. How Does EDA Interpret Resilience?

All projects considered for EDA funding under this ARPA Good Jobs Challenge NOFO must be consistent with EDA’s Recovery and Resilience Investment Priority. In terms of economic development, for EDA resilience is broadly defined as the ability of a community or region to anticipate, withstand, and bounce back from various disruptions to its economic base. These disruptions can be caused by a variety of things, including a downturn in the national or local economy as a result of the pandemic. Enhancing resilience in the face of the pandemic, especially in light of the ongoing impacts of natural disasters and a changing climate, is a multi-dimensional effort emphasizing engagement and support from all aspects of the community, including economic development practitioners. Some examples include:

• Efforts to broaden the industrial base or local sectoral specialization with diversification initiatives (e.g., moving away from a local or regional economy overly dependent on one industry that might be susceptible to downturns caused by the pandemic);

• Enhancing business retention and expansion programs to strengthen existing high-growth sectors and industries;

• Comprehensive planning efforts that involve extensive engagement from the community to define and implement a collective vision for economic recovery; and

• Training for workers in problem-solving skills, that enable nimble operation in both crisis and non-crisis times.

Resilience (within the context of economic development) is strengthened when it includes methods and measures to mitigate the potential for future economic injury, promote a faster “up-time” for economic anchors (e.g., key businesses and/or industries), and strengthen local and regional capacity to troubleshoot and address vulnerabilities within the regional economy. As noted above, to be competitive under this ARPA Good Jobs Challenge NOFO, application submissions must explicitly incorporate resilience principles. Additional information about this subject is available at https://www.eda.gov/ceds/content/economic-resilience.htm.

B. Federal Award Information

1. What Funding Is Available Under this Announcement?

Under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2), Congress provided EDA with $3,000,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2022, to “prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus and for necessary expenses for responding to economic injury as a result of coronavirus.” Of the $3 billion in appropriated funds, this NOFO specifically allocates $500,000,000 for the Good Jobs Challenge.

If an applicant is awarded funding, neither DOC nor EDA is under any obligation to provide any future funding in connection with that award or to make any future award(s). Amendments or renewals of an award to increase funding or to extend the period of performance are at the sole discretion of DOC and EDA.

Publication of this announcement does not obligate DOC or EDA to award any specific grant or cooperative agreement or to obligate all or any part of available funds. The granting of any https://www.eda.gov/ceds/content/economic-resilience.htm award is subject to the availability of funds at the time of award as well as to DOC priorities at the time of award. Neither DOC nor EDA will be held responsible for application preparation costs.

EDA anticipates making approximately 25 to 50 awards under this ARPA Good Jobs NOFO and scaling awards as appropriate to the proposed geographic, industry, and worker role coverage of a given regional system.

Depending on demand under this NOFO, EDA may exercise its discretion to adjust the total amount available under this NOFO and other American Rescue Plan Act NOFOs to ensure funds are used to maximum effect or to adjust to unforeseen changes in recovery efforts.

2. What Type of Funding Instrument Will Be Used to Make Awards? How Long Will a Project’s Period of Performance Be?

Funding Instrument: Subject to the availability of funds, EDA may award grants or cooperative agreements to eligible applicants. EDA will award a cooperative agreement on a case-by-case basis if substantial agency involvement is required. For a cooperative agreement, the nature of EDA’s “substantial involvement” (to be included in the terms and conditions of the award) will generally be collaboration between EDA and the recipient on the scope of work, including administering sub-awards to other eligible entities supporting the project. However, other possible examples of EDA’s “substantial involvement” may include, but are not limited to:

(i) authority to halt immediately an activity if detailed performance specifications are not met;

(ii) stipulation that the recipient must meet or adhere to specific procedural requirements before subsequent stages of a project may continue; and (iii) operational involvement and monitoring during the project to ensure compliance with statutory requirements. Because EDA intends to release award funds to recipients only after the recipient has successfully completed specific applicant-proposed benchmarks identified in the award (see Section A.1.b.i), EDA anticipates that most awards will be cooperative agreements.

Period of Performance: Under the Good Jobs Challenge, the project period of performance depends on the nature of the project for which the grant or cooperative agreement is awarded.

Because of the need for recipients to meet identified benchmarks to proceed through project phases, EDA expects projects to range in duration from 24 months to 36 months. EDA will work closely with award recipients to accommodate their projected timelines within reason and allowances of regulations and grant policies, though EDA will prioritize programs that are able to place workers into quality jobs within 24 months of the award. EDA expects that all projects will proceed efficiently and expeditiously, and EDA encourages applicants to clearly document how quickly they will be able to start and complete the proposed project scope of work. EDA’s American Rescue Plan appropriations are available for making awards through September 30, 2022, though all activities under the award must be completed and all funds disbursed no later than September 30, 2027.

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants for investment assistance include a(n):

a. District Organization;

b. Indian Tribe or a consortium of Indian Tribes;

c. State, county, city, or other political subdivision of a State, including a special purpose unit of a State or local government engaged in economic or infrastructure development activities, or a consortium of political subdivisions;

d. Institution of higher education or a consortium of institutions of higher education;

or

e. Public or private non-profit organization or association, including labor unions, acting in cooperation with officials of a political subdivision of a State.4

2. Applicable Disaster Declaration and Responsiveness to the Coronavirus Pandemic

EDA has determined that economic injury from the coronavirus pandemic constitutes a “Special Need,” and eligibility may be established on that basis without reference to the other economic distress criteria. This determination of nationwide eligibility for these funds is consistent with the March 13, 2020 emergency declaration for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic pursuant to the Stafford Act for all states, tribes, territories, local governments, and the District of Columbia (https://www.fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/ disaster-declarations#).

EDA has further determined that due to the…