FINAL NGYCJC FOA-ETA-15-01.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration Notice of Availability of Funds and Funding Opportunity Announcement for National Guard Youth ChalleNGe and Job ChalleNGe Program Announcement Type: Initial Funding Opportunity Number: FOA-ETA-15-01 Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 17.261

Key Dates: The closing date for receipt of applications under this Announcement is January 27, 2015. Applications must be received no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Addresses: Mailed applications must be addressed to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Grants Management, Attention: Melissa Abdullah, Grant Officer, Reference FOA-ETA-15-01, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716, Washington, DC 20210. For complete application and submission information, including online application instructions, please refer to Section IV.

Executive Summary:

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, or the Department, or we), announces the availability of approximately $12,000,000 in grant funds authorized by Section 171, Pilot and Demonstration Projects, of the Workforce Investment Act, to: 1) test the effectiveness of expanding the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program for youth who have come in contact with the juvenile justice system for committing a status offense1 or a delinquent act (court-involved youth), and, 2) add and test an additional job training component (DOL Job ChalleNGe) to the program for court-involved youth and youth that have had no contact with the juvenile justice system (non-court-involved youth).

Juvenile courts handled 1.4 million delinquency cases in 2010, resulting in 112,600 out-of-home placements, 491,100 probation assignments, and 310,200 other sanctions. Court-involved youth are highly at-risk of not being successful in the workforce and have high rates of recidivism.

State funding across the country for educational and workforce development services for court-involved youth have historically been very limited. DOL is funding this demonstration pilot to test strategies used by the Department of Defense (DOD) Youth ChalleNGe program to improve the workforce outcomes of this most at-risk population.

The DOL Job ChalleNGe is to be part of the comprehensive National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program in which program participants, referred to as Cadets, receive military-based training, engage in supervised work experience, and complete eight core program components, during a six-month residential phase conducted on an active or closed National Guard base, training center, or school campus. The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe is operated by the National Guard Bureau and funded through a National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Cooperative Agreement

1 An offense that may be illegal for persons under a certain age, while remaining legal for all others, including alcohol consumption, truancy and running away from home.

executed by the United States Property and Fiscal Officer, National Guard Bureau, and The Adjutant General of a State, Commonwealth, District or Territory.

Under this grant, and upon completion of the six-month residential phase, each Cadet will be matched with a mentor to help him or her prepare to re-enter community life during a 12-month mentorship phase. The 12-month mentorship phase will be non-residential, except for those Cadets who, at the start of the 12-month mentorship phase, elect to enroll in the five-month residential DOL Job ChalleNGe in order to receive additional vocational services. For this DOL Job ChalleNGe solicitation we expect to award up to $4,000,000 each to three (3) grantees totaling $12,000,000 with a period of performance of 42 months. During these 42 months, grantees will operate the DOL Job ChalleNGe, which will include a three-month planning period and facilitation of the 12-month mentoring phase. Applicants may not exceed a request of $4,000,000 to operate this DOL Job ChalleNGe, which will fund the planning period and the five-month residential DOL Job ChalleNGe phase. However, the six-month residential phase of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program must be funded with funds obligated under the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Cooperative Agreement.

The Department will fund an evaluability assessment to determine the feasibility of conducting an evaluation of the impact of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program on court-involved youth. It will also assess the feasibility of evaluating the added value of the Job ChalleNGe phase of the program. The Department will also fund and conduct an impact evaluation, which may use either a rigorous quasi-experimental methods or an experimental evaluation which will include the random assignment of participants to receive services. Grantees will be required to cooperate in all aspects of the evaluation.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Purpose This Announcement solicits applications for the DOL Job ChalleNGe. The purpose of the DOL Job ChalleNGe is to improve the long-term labor market prospects of court-involved and non-court involved youth who successfully complete a National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program.

National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program. The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program is a multi-phase intervention program that targets high school dropouts between the ages of 16 and 18. Staff members intervene in the lives of program participants, referred to as Cadets, to develop skills that will produce program graduates with the values, education and self-discipline necessary to succeed as adults. This intervention is carried out via a 6-month residential, military-based training that is organized around eight core components: academic excellence, life coping skills, health and hygiene, responsible citizenship, community service, leadership/followership, physical fitness and job skills. The existing job skills core component allows participants to receive hands-on experience, and to develop an understanding of their unique interests and abilities. Participants write resumes, participate in job shadowing with local employers, and have opportunities to earn vocational certifications. Participants are required to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test and participate in a vocation interpretation of test results. They must also demonstrate an understanding of the knowledge and skills required to seek and obtain employment. In addition, each Cadet is matched with a mentor who helps him or her prepare to re-enter community life during a 12-month mentorship phase.

The goal of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program is to improve the education, life skills, and employment potential of youth who have dropped out of high school. Since 1993, over 120,000 students have successfully completed this program.

The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program has demonstrated significant positive impacts for the youth—including higher rates of employment, high school or GED completion, and earning college credit. However, the program does not currently target court-involved youth for enrollment. Successful grantees will pilot a program to enroll court-involved youth in the core National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program and participate in the associated national evaluation in order to determine if court-involved youth can reap the same benefits from the program as other at-risk youth. An estimated 70% of justice-involved youth have disabilities including emotional disorders, mental illnesses, sensory impairments, and learning or intellectual disabilities, as well as co-occurring disorders,2 so grantees must provide appropriate access to accommodations and support services.

DOL Job ChalleNGe. The DOL Job ChalleNGe is a residential program that will expand and enhance the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program’s job skills component. The DOL Job ChalleNGe will provide a robust vocational experience over a 5-month period to participants who (a) complete the 6-month residential phase of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program, and (b) choose to participate in the DOL Job ChalleNGe for the first five months of the 12-month mentorship phase of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe, The DOL Job ChalleNGe vocational experience will place participants on a pathway towards credential attainment and/or employment. The DOL Job ChalleNGe must include the following six (6) activities: 1) recruitment of court-involved youth; 2) occupational skills training; 3) individualized career counseling and academic counseling; 4) work-based learning and exposure to the world of work;

5) leadership development activities that encourage responsibility, employability, and other positive social behaviors; and 6) employer engagement to ensure participants’ skills align with employer needs at program completion.

By expanding the services available to Cadets who complete the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program, the Department of Labor is seeking to markedly improve these young people’s employment outcomes. The past decade has been the most challenging in 50 years for young people seeking to navigate the transition to adulthood, earn a degree, get a job, and stand on their own financially. Indeed, the employment rate for youth ages 16 to 19 dropped precipitously — down 42 percent since 2000. More youth than ever — 2.2 million teenagers — are neither in school nor working. These young people, given their limited education and job-readiness skills, tend to find fewer employment opportunities. This is especially true of those who are most vulnerable, including youth who are involved with the juvenile justice system.

2 National Disability Rights Network, Juvenile Justice (Website). Available at http://www.ndrn.org/en/issues/juvenile-justice.html; Mallett C. (2011). “Seven Things Juvenile Courts Should Know about Learning Disabilities.” Reno, NV: National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (citing numerous references); Quinn, M., et al.(2005). “Youth with Disabilities in Juvenile Corrections: A National Survey.” Exceptional Children, Vol. 71. No. 3, pp. 339-345.

http://www.ndrn.org/en/issues/juvenile-justice.html

Workforce development programs provide critical support to help vulnerable youth become successfully employed and move towards self-sufficiency. These programs build various workforce skills and knowledge through mentoring, internships, apprenticeships, job shadowing, career exploration, on-the-job and customized training, resume writing and interviewing, and subsidized and unsubsidized work experiences. Given employers’ concerns about youth acquiring “soft skills,” many workforce development programs also focus on professional communication skills, team work, positive attitude, critical thinking, problem solving, and strong work ethic. Workforce development programs prepare youth for postsecondary education and a job market that increasingly requires and rewards skills and education. This program provides a stronger bridge to the world of work for youth.

B. Program Authority This program is authorized under section 171, Pilots and Demonstration Projects, of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA ).

II. Award Information

A. Award Type and Amount Funding will be provided in the form of a grant.

Approximately $12,000,000 is expected to be available to fund approximately three (3) grants.

You may apply for a ceiling amount of up to $4,000,000. Awards made under this Announcement are subject to the availability of Federal funds. In the event that additional funds become available, we reserve the right to use such funds to select additional grantees from applications submitted in response to this Announcement.

Successful applicants may use these grant funds for costs incurred during the three-month planning period and the twelve-month mentoring phase, and for costs associated with implementing the five-month residential DOL Job ChalleNGe. During the entire project period, successful applicants will be expected to recruit and serve both court-involved and non-court-involved youth, and will be permitted to use grant funds for costs related to those capacity building activities geared primarily at recruiting and serving court-involved youth. During the three-month planning period these activities may include establishing relationships with referral organizations, identifying additional resources, coordinating with the national evaluators and adjusting program models to best serve this population. Additionally, applicants will be permitted to use these grant funds for costs incurred during the 12-month mentoring phase, including costs associated with initiating the mentor-mentee contacts; facilitating an active mentor match (defined as a minimum of two contacts during each 30-day reporting period) between a Cadet and his/her mentor; and monitoring the mentoring relationships and activities, Finally, successful applicants may use these grant funds for all costs associated with the residential DOL Job ChalleNGe.

B. Period of Performance

The period of performance is 42 months with an anticipated start date of May 30, 2015. This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities.

Planning Period: The period of performance will begin with a three-month planning period, paid for by this grant, during which the grantee will engage in activities to augment its capacity to effectively recruit and acclimate court-involved youth.

National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program: The six-month residential phase of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program will immediately follow the planning period. This six-month residential phase will focus on enhancing participants’ education and practical life skills, and must be paid for pursuant to a National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Cooperative Agreement.

Mentoring Phase: Youth who successfully complete the six-month residential phase of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program will participate in a 12-month mentoring phase, paid for by this grant, to allow them to evaluate what they learned during the Youth ChalleNGe program, and apply it to real life. The Mentoring Phase will be non-residential for those youth who choose not to participate in the DOL Job ChalleNGe. The Mentoring Phase will be residential for the first five months of the DOL Job ChalleNGe for those youth who participate, but the remaining seven months of the Mentoring Phase will be non-residential for those youth.

DOL Job ChalleNGe: The residential 5-month DOL Job ChalleNGe will begin at the start of the Mentoring Phase, and will focus on the delivery of vocational services to participants. Youth may choose to participate in the DOL Job ChalleNGe. Costs incurred in implementing the DOL Job ChalleNGe will be paid for through this grant.

Each of the four (4) cohorts will include 300 participants in the Youth ChalleNGe program, consisting of 150 court-involved youth and 150 non-court-involved youth. From the participants enrolled in the Youth ChalleNGe cohort, 150 participants will enter the Job ChalleNGe program.

Participants in the Job ChalleNGe program will consist of 75 court-involved youth and 75 non court-involved youth.

Cohorts: Grantees must serve four cohorts of youth following the initial three-month planning period. Each cohort must last for 18 months, and the fourth cohort must terminate at the end of 42 months. The first cohort will begin in month four, immediately following the three-month planning period, and will continue through month nine, during which time cohort members will participate in the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe. Youth who so choose will then participate in the DOL Job ChalleNGe during months 10 through 14, and all youth will participate in the mentoring phase during months 10 through 21. Each of the three subsequent cohorts will commence one month after the end of the prior Youth ChalleNGe program (see Attachment A – DOL Job ChalleNGe: Proposed 42-month Period of Performance).

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants Eligible applicants will have continuously operated a National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program for the past five years, and must be currently operating a National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program pursuant to a National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Cooperative Agreement executed by the United States Property and Fiscal Officer, National Guard Bureau, and The Adjutant General of a State, Commonwealth, District or Territory. A list of the 35 ChalleNGe sites in 27 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia can be found at http://www.ngyf.org/challenge_near_you.html.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost sharing or matching funds are not required for this program. Please note that any resources contributed to the project are considered leveraged resources and do not constitute cost sharing or matching funds. More information on leveraged resources may be found in Section IV.B.2.

Applications that include any form of cost sharing or match will not receive additional consideration during the review process. Cost sharing or match is not one of the application screening criteria.

C. 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 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 and will not be considered for funding.

Application Requirement Instructions Complete?

The deadline submission requirements are met Section IV.C

Application does not exceed the ceiling amount of $4,000,000. Section II.A

Applicant has registered with SAM and maintains an active account Section IV.B.1

Signed SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance Section IV.B.1

Signed SF-424 includes a DUNS Number Section IV.B.1

SF-424A, Budget Information Form Section IV.B.2

Budget Narrative Section IV.B.2

Project Narrative Section IV.B.3

Abstract Section IV.B.4 http://www.ngyf.org/challenge_near_you.html

2. Number of Applications To Be Submitted Multiple applications from an organization are not allowed. If multiple applications are received, the most recent application submitted will be accepted. If the most recent application is disqualified for any reason, we will not replace it with an earlier application.

3. Eligible Participants

a) Participants Eligible to Receive Training through Job Challenge You must propose a project that focuses on providing services to youth who meet all of the eligibility requirements for participation in, and who successfully complete the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program. In addition to completing the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program, a participant must also possess the following characteristics to be eligible to receive training:

• Has come in contact with the juvenile justice system for committing a status offense or a delinquent act (court-involved youth); or has had no contact with the juvenile justice system (non-court-involved youth);

• Has never been convicted as an adult in the federal, state, local or municipal adult criminal justice system.

b) 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 can be found at 20 CFR Part 1010. In circumstances where a grant recipient must choose between two qualified candidates for a service, one of whom is a veteran or eligible spouse, the veterans’ priority of service provisions require that the grant recipient give the veteran or eligible spouse priority of service by first providing him or her that service. To obtain priority of service, a veteran or spouse must meet the program’s eligibility requirements. Grantees must comply with DOL guidance on veterans’ priority. ETA’s Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 10-09 (issued November 10, 2009) provides guidance on implementing priority of service for veterans and eligible spouses in all qualified job training programs funded in whole or in part by DOL.

TEGL No. 10-09 is available at http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2816.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. How to Obtain an Application Package This FOA, found at www.Grants.gov and http://www.doleta.gov/grants/find_grants.cfm, contains all of the information and links to forms needed to apply for grant funding. Applicants should note that hyperlinks to portions of the FOA are included in various parts of the Announcement. Applicants are required to comply with all parts of the FOA, including those parts found at the hyperlinks.

B. Content and Form of Application Submission Applications submitted in response to this FOA must consist of four separate and distinct parts:

(1) the SF-424 “Application for Federal Assistance;” (2) Project Budget; (3) Project Narrative;

http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2816 http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.doleta.gov/grants/find_grants.cfm and (4) attachments to the Project Narrative. It is your responsibility to 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 http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15). 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, signature of the Authorized Representative on the SF-424 certifies that the organization is in compliance with the Assurances and Certifications form SF-424B (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15). The SF-424B is not required to be submitted with the application.

In addition, the applicant’s Authorized Representative’s signature in block 21 of the SF-424 form constitutes assurance by the applicant of compliance with the following requirements in accordance with 29 CFR 37.20:

As a condition to the award of financial assistance from the Department of Labor under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA)3, the grant applicant assures that it will comply fully with the nondiscrimination and equal opportunity provisions of the following laws: Section 188 of the WIA, which prohibits discrimination against all individuals in the United States on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation or belief, and against beneficiaries on the basis of either citizenship/status as a lawfully admitted immigrant authorized to work in the United States or participation in any WIA 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 that it will comply with 29 CFR part 37 and all other regulations implementing the laws listed above. This assurance applies to the grant applicant's operation of the WIA Title I-financially assisted program or activity, and to all agreements the grant applicant makes to carry out the WIA 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.

Requirement for DUNS Number All applicants for Federal grant and funding opportunities are required to have a DUNS number, and must supply their DUNS Number on the SF-424. The DUNS Number is a nine-digit identification number that uniquely identifies business entities. If you do not have a DUNS Number, you can get one for free through the D&B website:

http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do. As authorized under 2 CFR 25, grant

3 The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (“WIOA”, Public Law 113-128) was signed into law on July 22, 2014. Most provisions of WIOA become effective July 1, 2015. Grants awarded under this FOA are authorized by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), and the terms of the WIA will apply to these grants for the life of the grants.

http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15 http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do recipients authorized to make subawards must be aware of the following requirements related to DUNS Numbers:

• Grant recipients must notify potential subawardees that no entity may receive a subaward from you unless the entity has provided its DUNS number to you.

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

Requirement for Registration with SAM Applicants must register with the System for Award Management (SAM) before submitting an application. Instructions for registering with SAM can be found at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/#1. 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.

2. Project Budget You must complete the SF-424A Budget Information Form (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15 ). In preparing the Budget Information Form, you must provide a concise narrative explanation to support the budget request, explained in detail below.

Budget Narrative: The budget narrative must provide a description of costs associated with each line item on the SF-424A. It should also include a description of leveraged resources provided (as applicable) to support grant activities.

Use the following guidance for preparing the budget narrative:

Personnel – List all staff positions by title (both current and proposed). Give the annual salary of each position, the percentage of each position’s time devoted to the project, the amount of each position’s salary funded by the grant, and the total personnel cost for the period of performance.

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

Travel – Specify the purpose, mileage, per diem, estimated number of in-state and out-of-state trips, and other costs for each type of travel.

Equipment – Identify each item of equipment to be purchased which has an estimated acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit (or if your capitalization level is less than $5,000, use your capitalization level) and a useful lifetime of more than one year (see 2 CFR 200.33 for the definition of Equipment). List the quantity and unit cost per item. Items with a unit cost of less than $5,000 are supplies. In general, we do not permit the purchase of equipment during the last funded year of the grant.

https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/%231

Supplies – Supplies include all tangible personal property other than “equipment” (see 2 CFR

200.94 for the definition of Supplies). The detailed budget should identify categories of supplies (e.g. office supplies). List the quantity and unit cost per item.

Contractual – Identify each proposed contract and specify its purpose and estimated cost. If applicable, identify any subrecipient agreements, including purpose and estimated costs. See Section VI.B.2.f. for more information on the distinction between contractor and subrecipient.

Construction – Construction costs are not allowed and this line must be left as zero. Minor alterations to adjust an existing space for grant activities (such as a classroom alteration) may be allowable. We do not consider this as construction and the costs must be shown on other appropriate lines such as Contractual.

Other – List each item in sufficient detail for us to determine whether the costs are reasonable or allowable. List any item, such as stipends or incentives, not covered elsewhere here.

Indirect Costs – If indirect costs are included in the budget, then include either, a) the approved indirect cost rate with a copy of the Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), a description of the base used to calculate indirect costs along with the amount of the base, and the total indirect costs requested, or b) if you meet the requirements to use the 10% de minimis rate as described in 2 CFR 200.414(f), then include a description of the modified total direct costs base (see 2 CFR 200.68 for definition) used in the calculation along with the amount of the base, and the total indirect costs requested based on the 10% de minimis rate. See Section IV.B.4. and Section IV.E.1. for more information. Additionally, the following link contains DOL-specific information: http://www.dol.gov/oasam/boc/dcd/index.htm.

Note that the entire Federal grant amount requested (not just one year) must be included on the SF-424, SF-424A, and budget narrative. No leveraged resources should be shown on the SF-424 and SF-424A. Leveraged resources should be described in the budget narrative. The requested Federal grant amount listed on the SF-424, SF-424A, and budget narrative must be the same.

The funding amount included on the SF-424 will be considered the official funding amount requested if any inconsistencies are found.

3. Project Narrative

a. Preparing the Project Narrative

The Project Narrative must demonstrate your capability to implement the grant project in accordance with the provisions of this Announcement. It provides a comprehensive framework and description of all aspects of the proposed project. It must be succinct, self-explanatory, and well organized so that reviewers can understand the proposed project.

The Project Narrative is limited to 20 double-spaced single-sided 8.5 x 11 inch pages with Times New Roman 12 point text font and 1 inch margins. Any materials beyond the specified page limit will not be read or considered in the application review process. You must number the Project Narrative beginning with page number 1.

http://www.dol.gov/oasam/boc/dcd/index.htm

The following instructions provide all of the information needed to complete the Project Narrative. You should carefully read and consider each section, and include all required information in your Project Narrative. The Project Narrative will be evaluated using the evaluation criteria identified in Section V.A. You must use the same section headers identified below for each section of the Project Narrative:

(1) Statement of Need The applicant must identify and describe, in both quantitative and qualitative terms, the need among program participants for assistance with educational instruction, experiential learning, mentoring and vocational training, including the nature and scope of the problem. The applicant must discuss the dropout crisis within the state or local area in which it operates the implications for youth in terms of reduced job and income opportunities and unemployment, and other consequences of not addressing this crisis. In addition, the applicant must discuss the juvenile crime rate and lack of resources for court-involved youth in the target area. The applicant must describe the current economy and labor market, particularly as they relate to youth employment, and discuss any relevant barriers in the service area that the project hopes to overcome.

(2) Expected Outcomes and Outputs The Department has identified the following outcomes for the DOL Job ChalleNGe: (a) work-readiness skills acquisition; (b) credential attainment; and (c) job placement. Clearly identify which of these outcomes will result from the project. In addition, clearly identify the outputs, or tangible products or services that will result from the project. For example, if a grantee uses these funds to achieve the outcome of work readiness skills acquisition, an output of the project would be the number of work readiness classes held. The applicant must describe how the project aims to achieve these outcomes, and the objective activities that will be used to reach them. The outcomes should be quantifiable and measurable. The applicant must also describe the relationship of these outcomes to the identified need, how they will benefit the intended participants, and the extent to which the activities described in the application are capable of addressing the problem and attaining the outcomes.

(3) Project Design The Department has identified several strategies and methods that are critical to achieving the stated outcomes of the DOL Job ChalleNGe. These strategies and methods are: recruitment of court-involved youth, occupational skills training; individualized career counseling and academic counseling; work-based learning and exposure to the world of work; leadership development;

and employer engagement. The applicant must submit a narrative logic model showing how these methods – and any others identified by the applicant – will produce desired short, intermediate and long-term outcomes, and a narrative action plan describing the scope and detail of how the methods will be implemented, including a weekly schedule of program activities, and timelines for completion of the work. Include in the plan of action a methodology for engaging with the juvenile justice system to recruit participants; a description of the applicant’s capacity to over-recruit court-involved youth, in order to ensure a large enough sample size of court-involved youth, as may be required for the evaluation; strategies for augmenting your existing program to accommodate any security, safety or staff training issues associated with serving court-involved youth; strategies for ensuring broad community support for program participants;

and strategies for addressing any community concerns. Account for all functions or activities identified in the application. Applicants must cite factors that might accelerate or decelerate the work. Applicants should identify any potential barriers and describe how the project will be able to overcome those barriers.

The information described below should be included regarding the required program design methods.

Recruitment of Court-Involved Youth. The applicant must describe how they will ensure that they will meet the required enrollment goals for the program, including and over-enrollment strategy. The applicant must provide signed and dated Letters of Commitment or Memoranda of Understanding that identifies the relationship with the juvenile justice agency and demonstrates the organization’s commitment to fulfill, at a minimum, recruitment of participants in the program.

Occupational Skills Training. The applicant must incorporate occupational skills training in the workplan, and must fully describe the nature of the occupational skills training that will be provided. The applicant must:

• Describe how the occupational skills training is outcome-oriented and focused on a long-term goal as specified in the participant’s Individual Development Plan;

• Describe how the training will result in the attainment of an industry-recognized certificate awarded in recognition of the participant’s attainment of measurable technical or occupational skills necessary to gain employment or advance within an occupation, or based on standards developed or endorsed by employers;

• Provide a list of training activities that may include: job-specific competency training;

on-site industry-specific training; customized training designed for specific employer(s) with a commitment to hire upon successful program completion; pre-apprenticeship training to prepare for longer-term on-the-job apprenticeship programs.

Individualized career counseling and academic counseling. In this section, the applicant must describe the academic and career preparation activities that will assist participants in developing their career and academic goals and understanding long-term career and education pathway options. To address these program objectives, applicants must:

• Describe the ratio of participants to counselors, participant access to counseling services, and the types (including mental health and substance abuse) and frequency of counseling offered;

• Identify and describe the career and academic counseling services available to participants;

• Describe how counseling services will be integrated into the DOL Job ChalleNGe; be augmented by the utilization of program partners; and lead to post-program career placement opportunities.

Work-based learning and exposure to the world of work. In this section, the applicant must describe the types of work-based learning activities and exposures to the world of work provided throughout the 5-month DOL Job ChalleNGe. Applicants must describe the offered work-based learning opportunities, including descriptions of:

• Work experience and career awareness activities (i.e. career exploration, job shadowing opportunities, internships);

• How activities taking place at a worksite will be monitored by the applicant and the type of support the applicant will provide to employers hosting work experience opportunities.

Leadership Development. In this section, the applicant must describe its approach to promoting leadership development among program participants. The applicant’s response should:

• Describe the interactive activities, practical experiences, and other hands-on opportunities that elicit leadership qualities among participants that will be incorporated into the project;

• Describe how participants will explore leadership through activities such as project planning, team building, and public speaking;

• Describe how leadership development activities will result in measurable gains in responsibility, employability, and positive social behaviors.

Employer Engagement. In this section, the applicant must describe the specific activities and resources employer partners will provide. Specifically, applicants must:

• Identify and describe employer partners committed to the project, including the role of each employer partner, evidence through MOUs or signed letters of commitment for each employer partner, and the resources contributed to the program by each employer partner (if applicable); MOUs and letters of commitment will not count towards the 20-page limit;

• Describe how employers will incorporate program activities that will create strong career pathways for program participants upon program completion;

• Describe strategies and detailed plans for employer engagement and program participant immersion in an array of work-based learning opportunities that includes a combination of internship opportunities, job shadowing opportunities, and career awareness activities that directly relate to high growth industry(ies)/occupation(s) in which participants are interested.

(4) Organizational, Administrative, and Fiscal Capacity Provide information on the applicant organization’s current mission, structure, staffing, and relevant experience. Describe how these factors contribute to the ability of the organization to conduct the program requirements and meet program expectations, including how the applicant will house and train all program participants. Include information about any organization(s) under contract with the applicant that will have a significant role in implementing the project, and describe the qualifications and experience of the personnel who will carry out the project.

Describe the applicant’s experience in handling data and systems of records. Describe the fiscal and administrative controls in place to properly manage Federal funds. Provide the applicant’s most recent audited financial statements and management letter. These statements and letter will not count against the 20-page limit on the Project Narrative. Include the organization’s capability to sustain some or all project activities after Federal financial assistance has ended.

(5) Past Performance – Programmatic Capability Applicants do not need to provide any supporting documentation for this criterion. Eligible applicants will have continuously operated a National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program and be currently operating a National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program. Applicants’ past performance will be assessed based on performance goals, spending rate analysis, and timeliness of report submission to the National Guard Bureau. In addition, the National Guard Bureau team will verify any findings of program weakness or need for corrective action stemming from its ChalleNGe Operational and Resource Evaluation (CORE) Program assessment, and will communicate these findings to the Department.

(6) Budget and Budget Justification Please see Section IV.B.2. for information on requirements related to the budget and budget justification.

4. Attachments to the Project Narrative

In addition to the Project Narrative, you must submit attachments. All attachments must be clearly labeled as Attachments. Only those attachments listed below will be excluded from the page limit. Additional materials such as resumés or general letters of support must not be included. You must submit your application in one package because documents received separately will be tracked separately and will not be attached to the application for review. Save all files with descriptive file names of 50 characters or less and be sure to only use standard characters in file names: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, and underscore (_). File names may not include special characters (e.g. &,–,*,%,/,#), periods (.), blank spaces or accent marks, and must be unique (i.e., no other attachment may have the same file name). An underscore (example:

my_Attached_File.pdf) may be used to separate a file name.

Required Attachments

The following attachments must be included with the application package and the failure to do so will cause the application package to be screened out and not be reviewed.

a. Abstract: You must submit an up to two-page abstract summarizing the proposed project, including, but not limited to, the scope of the project and proposed outcomes.

The Abstract is limited to two-page double-spaced single sided 8.5x11 inch pages with 12 point text font and 1 inch margins. The Abstract must include: 1) Applicant’s Name; 2) Project Title, 3) Funding level requested, 4) Short description of the project,

5) Short description of the area to be served, 6) Number of participants to be served including participating employer partners; and 7) public contact information, email, website and phone, where grantee wants public inquires to be addressed ). When submitting in grants.gov, this document must be uploaded as an attachment to the application package and specifically labeled “Abstract.”

Requested Attachments The following attachments are requested, but their omission will not cause the application to be screened out. If the omission of the attachment will impact scoring, such an impact will be noted in the description of the attachment.

b. Indirect Cost Rate Agreement: If you are requesting indirect costs based on a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement approved by your Federal Cognizant Agency, then attach the most recently approved Agreement. (For more information, see Section IV.B.2. and Section IV.E.1.) This attachment does not impact scoring of the application.

c. Audited Financial Statement and Management Letter: You must submit the applicant’s most recent audited financial statement and management letter as described in Sec. IV.B.3.a.(4). “Organizational, Administrative and Fiscal Capacity.” The contents of this attachment will impact scoring under section V.A.4.

d. Memoranda of Understanding or Letters of Commitment: You must submit signed memoranda of understanding or letters of commitment from employer partners describing the specific resources they have agreed to commit to this project. The contents of this attachment will impact scoring under section V.A.4. of this Solicitation.

e. Memoranda of Understanding or Letters of Commitment: You must submit signed memoranda of understanding or letters of commitment from the local juvenile justice agency and other partners describing their commitment to provide eligible applicants in which you may recruit for this project. The contents of this attachment will impact scoring under section V.A.3. of this Solicitation.

f. Cohort Implementation Calendar: You must submit a calendar indicating the dates on which the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program, the DOL Job ChalleNGe and the mentoring phase will occur for each of the four cohorts. This attachment does not impact scoring of the application.

C. Submission Date, Times, Process and Addresses

The closing date for receipt of applications under this Announcement is January 27, 2015.

Applications must be submitted either electronically on http://www.grants.gov or in hard copy by mail or in hard copy by hand delivery (including overnight delivery). Hard copy applications must be received at the address below no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date. Applications submitted on grants.gov must also be successfully submitted (as described below) no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date. You are cautioned that applications should be submitted before the deadline to ensure that the risk of late receipt of the application is minimized. Applications sent by e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (FAX) will not be accepted.

Applicants submitting applications in hard copy by mail or overnight delivery must submit an original signed application (including the SF-424) and one (1) ‘‘copy-ready’’ version free of bindings, staples or protruding tabs to ease in the reproduction of the application by DOL.

Applicants submitting applications in hard copy are also required to include in the hard copy submission an identical electronic copy of the application on compact disc (CD). If discrepancies between the hard copy submission and CD copy are identified, the application on the CD will be considered the official applicant submission for evaluation purposes. Failure to provide identical applications in hardcopy and CD format may have an impact on the overall evaluation.

If an application is physically submitted by both hard copy and through http://www.grants.gov, a letter must accompany the hard-copy application stating which application to review. If no letter accompanies the hard copy, we will review the copy submitted through http://www.grants.gov.

No exceptions to the mailing and delivery requirements set forth in this notice will be granted.

Further, documents submitted separately from the application, before or after the deadline, will not be accepted as part of the application.

Mailed applications must be addressed to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Grants Management, Attention: Melissa Abdullah, Grant Officer, Reference FOA-ETA- PY-15-01, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716, Washington, DC 20210. Mail delivery in the Washington DC area may be delayed due to mail decontamination procedures. Hand-delivered applications will be received at the above address.

All overnight delivery submissions will be considered to be hand-delivered and must be received at the designated place by the specified closing date and time.

Applications that are submitted through Grants.gov must be successfully submitted at http://www.grants.gov no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date and then subsequently validated by Grants.gov. The submission and validation process is described in more detail below. The process can be complicated and time-consuming. You are strongly advised to initiate the process as soon as possible and to plan for time to resolve technical problems if necessary. Note that validation does not mean that your application has been accepted as complete or has been accepted for review. Rather, grants.gov only verifies that certain parts of an application have been submitted.

We strongly recommend that before you begin to write the application, you should immediately initiate and complete the “Get Registered” registration steps at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp. You should read through the registration process carefully before registering. These steps may take as much as four weeks to complete, and this time should be factored into plans for timely electronic submission in order to avoid unexpected delays that could result in the rejection of an application. The site also contains registration checklists to help applicants walk through the process. We strongly recommend that you download the “Organization Registration Checklist” at http://www.grants.gov/documents/19/18243/OrganizationRegChecklist.pdf/fc7e7c18-2497- 4b08-8d9b-bfac399947a3 and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process.