FOA-ETA-22-13_.pdf

Signature Date

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

ANNOUNCEMENT FOR: Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC): A Grant Initiative for the Appalachian and Delta Regions

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Initial

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: FOA-ETA-22-13

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER: 17.280

KEY DATES: The closing date for receipt of applications under this Announcement is 07/08/2022. We must receive applications no later than 11:59 pm Eastern Time.

Submit all applications in response to this solicitation through https://www.grants.gov. For complete application and submission information, including online application instructions, please refer to Section IV.

April 27, 2022

Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. PROGRAM PURPOSE

B. PROGRAM AUTHORITY

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. AWARD TYPE AND AMOUNT

B. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

B. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

C. OTHER INFORMATION

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. HOW TO OBTAIN AN APPLICATION PACKAGE

B. CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION

C. SUBMISSION DATE, TIME, PROCESS AND ADDRESS

D. INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW

E. FUNDING RESTRICTIONS

F. OTHER SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. CRITERIA

B. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. AWARD NOTICES

B. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

C. REPORTING

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

VIII. OTHER INFORMATION

A. WEB-BASED RESOURCES

B. INDUSTRY COMPETENCY MODELS AND CAREER CLUSTERS

C. WORKFORCEGPS RESOURCES

D. SKILLSCOMMONS RESOURCES

IX. OMB INFORMATION COLLECTION

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX B

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, or the Department, or we), announces the availability of approximately $34,200,000 in grant funds authorized by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) for the fourth round of Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC) Initiative demonstration grants.

The funding, as described in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L. 116-260), will build on previous rounds of WORC grants and fund projects supporting rural communities in aligning workforce development efforts with economic development plans, serving the following areas hard-hit by economic transition and recovering slowly:

The Appalachian region, as defined in 40 U.S.C. 14102(a)(1), and The Lower Mississippi Delta (Delta) region, as defined in 7 U.S.C. 2009aa(2).

The purpose of this grant opportunity is to create economic mobility, address historic inequities for marginalized communities of color and other underserved and underrepresented communities, and produce high-quality employment for workers who reside in the Appalachian and Delta regions, enabling them to remain and thrive in these communities. The WORC Initiative provides funding to eligible applicants proposing to meet this goal with a project addressing the employment and training needs of the local and regional workforce, created in collaboration with community partners and aligned with existing economic and workforce development plans and strategies.

Successful applicants will demonstrate clear strategies to provide needed career, training, and support services to eligible individuals in counties, parishes, or areas currently underserved by other resources, so they may secure good jobs in stable, high-demand occupations. Eligible individuals served under this grant include dislocated workers, new entrants to the workforce, and incumbent workers.

Successful applicants will further propose strategies to achieve economic opportunity and address historical inequities affecting marginalized individuals and communities, especially in Energy Communities (as defined in Section IV.B.3(a)). Such strategies should include the following:

comprehensively and intentionally address and promote racial equity through recruitment strategies, service design, implementation, and support services that aim to provide equitable access and outcomes to communities of color, immigrants, and other marginalized groups; include partnerships with a range of organizations that support the applicant’s ability to reach out to and deliver equitable services to marginalized groups;

or improve data collection and analysis that allows the applicant to disaggregate program outcomes by race, ethnicity, gender, disability, and income in order to improve performance outcomes for marginalized groups;

endeavor to ensure that grant participants achieve high-quality employment outcomes;

develop and maintain meaningful partnerships with community residents, stakeholders, and experts in designing, implementing, and evaluating the proposed project;

support eligible individuals impacted by substance use disorder; or address the transformation in energy production by including in the service area Energy

Communities that currently or historically have had a high concentration of employment in energy extraction and related industries.

Successful applicants will demonstrate collaboration with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the Delta Regional Authority (DRA), and clearly identify coordinated strategies to provide workforce services in these communities. To this end, ARC and DRA will provide technical assistance to prospective applicants in their respective regions, as well as provide assistance and support to grantees across the life of the initiative, including through sharing of promising practices, curricula and resources developed by existing grantees. Potential applicants are encouraged to visit www.arc.gov or www.dra.gov for more information, including dates and locations for pre-application technical assistance meetings.

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. PROGRAM PURPOSE

This announcement solicits applications for the WORC Initiative for grants serving the Appalachian and Delta regions.

The purpose of this program is to create economic mobility, address historic inequities for marginalized communities of color and other underserved and underrepresented communities and produce high-quality employment for workers in impacted ARC and DRA regions, enabling them to remain and thrive in these communities. The WORC Initiative is designed to address persistent economic distress by aligning community-led economic and workforce development strategies and activities to ensure long-term economic resilience and enable dislocated and other workers in the regions to succeed in current and future job opportunities.

Successful applicants must demonstrate coordinated strategies in the ARC and DRA regions and help address workforce training and employment needs to help achieve long-term economic success. Successful applications will propose projects that demonstrate clear and consistent strategies, activities, and partnerships designed to achieve the purpose of the initiative.

Please note that for projects proposing equipment purchases or capital improvement activities, applicants must clearly address how these proposed expenditures will facilitate the WORC purpose and explain how these expenditures will assist in the sustainability of the WORC grants through successful employment and training activities.

B. PROGRAM AUTHORITY

WIOA sec. 169(c), as well as Division H of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L.

116-260, Div. H), authorizes this program.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. AWARD TYPE AND AMOUNT

Funding will be provided in the form of a grant.

http://www.arc.gov http://www.dra.gov

We expect availability of approximately $34.2 million to fund approximately 30 grants. You may apply for a minimum award of $150,000 and a ceiling amount of up to $1,500,000. Awards made under this Announcement are subject to the availability of federal funds. In the event that additional funds become available, we reserve the right to use such funds to select additional grantees from applications submitted in response to this Announcement.

B. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance is 36 months with an anticipated start date of 09/15/2022. This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities.

The period of performance end date is the quarter ending 9/30/2025.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

The following organizations are eligible to apply:

State governments County governments City or township governments State or Local Workforce Development Boards Special district governments Independent school districts Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Labor organizations or labor-management partnerships Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education Hispanic-serving institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)

Among eligible applicants listed above, an applicant must include the following three types of partner entities:

at least two employers/industry representatives, particularly those employers that offer jobs with family-sustaining wages, benefits, opportunities for advancement, and worker voice;

at least one State or Local Workforce Development Board, American Job Center operator or partner program, or other training provider, or similar entity (except where the applicant is itself one of these organizations; an applicant that is a State or Local Workforce Board, American Job Center operator or partner program, or other training provider must provide documentation of its status but is not required to partner with an additional workforce entity); and at least one organization representing the target community(ies) covered by the proposed project, (except where the applicant is itself one of these organizations; an applicant which is itself a community organization must provide documentation of its work in the community and is not required to partner with an additional community organization), to ensure that local participation and input are an integral part of the planning and execution of the grant.

Applicants also are encouraged to partner with other appropriate organizations serving the economic, workforce, and other needs of the community(ies) the application proposes to serve. These other organizations may include unions; community- and faith-based organizations;

human services agencies; academic institutions such as local school systems, universities, and community colleges; or other organizations providing job training. Such partnerships expand project capacity to reach and serve grant participants by leveraging and building upon existing community efforts, resources, and networks to benefit workers and address employment and training needs. Partnerships also help to sustain the delivery of effective career and training services to address workforce needs and to build workforce development infrastructure and capacity in the Appalachian and Delta regions.

Applicants are also required to demonstrate that they will only enroll eligible participants who live in the Appalachian or Delta regions. Applicants may train eligible participants for jobs that are located outside of either of the regions, including remote work, so long as the applicant clearly demonstrates that employment in these occupations will not require participants to relocate outside the region. Such jobs must clearly align with the overall intent of the grant application and the statement of need.

B. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

This program does not require cost sharing or matching funds. Including such funds is not one of the application screening criteria and applications that include any form of cost sharing or match will not receive additional consideration during the review process. Instead, the agency considers any resources contributed to the project beyond the funds provided by the agency as leveraged resources. Section IV.B.2 provides more information on leveraged resources.

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.

Application Requirement Instructions Complete?

The deadline submission requirements are met. Section IV.C The applicant eligibility requirements are met. Section III.A The components of the application are saved in any of the specified formats and are not corrupt. (We will attempt to open the document, but will not take any additional measures in the event of problems with opening.)

Section

IV.C.2

SAM Registration is current and reflects Applicant Information identified on SF-424, lines 8.a-d.

Section

IV.B.1

SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance is submitted. Section

IV.B.1

The SF-424 includes a federal funds request within the range of $150,000 to $1,500,000, on line 18.a, Estimated Funding ($), Federal.

Section II.A

SF-424 includes designation of ARC or DRA Region, the primary Region under with the application should be considered, on line 15, Descriptive Title of Applicant's Project.

Section IV.B.4.a

SF-424 includes a DUNS Number for the Applicant identified on SF-424.

Section

IV.B.1

SF-424A, Budget Information Form is submitted. Section

IV.B.2

Budget Narrative is submitted. Section

IV.B.2

Project Narrative is submitted. Section

IV.B.3

The applicant must include the federal funding request within the range of $150,000 to $1,500,000, on line 18.a on the SF-424. Amounts included on separate lines or forms will not be considered.

The applicant must include a point of contact for the project (other than the Authorized Representative) on line 8f on the SF-424.

The applicant must also include a "regional designation" on line 15 of the SF-424. This designation identifies the region, either the Appalachian or Delta, with which the proposed project aligns. If the project area covers counties/parishes or communities located within both the Appalachian and Delta regions, the applicant must select just one region--either the Appalachian region or the Delta region--as applications will be reviewed and funded based upon these regional designations.

2. Number of Applications Applicants May Submit

We will consider only one application from each organization. If we receive multiple applications from the same organization, we will consider only the most recently received application that met the deadline. If the most recent application is disqualified for any reason, we will not replace it with an earlier application.

3. Eligible Participants

a. Participants Eligible to Receive Training

The intent of this FOA is to fund projects that create economic mobility, address historic inequities for marginalized communities of color and other underserved and underrepresented communities, and produce high-quality employment for eligible workers who live in impacted ARC and DRA regions, enabling them to remain and thrive in these communities. This may be achieved through grant projects providing or facilitating the delivery of employment and training services to help eligible individuals pursue or advance in full-time employment aligned with community- or regionally defined priorities.

Applicants must propose a project that serves workers in one or more of the following three targeted categories: new entrants to the workforce, dislocated workers, and/or incumbent workers. The definitions for each category are as follows:

New Entrants to the Workforce: For the purposes of this FOA, the category of “new entrants to the workforce” refers to those who have never worked before or who have been out of the workforce for a long enough time to make it as if they are entering the workforce for the first time. For example, this may include, but is not limited to, the long-term unemployed and formerly incarcerated individuals. Also eligible, consistent with federal and state wage and employment laws, are youth who are enrolled in high school and are currently or will be eligible to be employed before or within six months after the end of the grant lifecycle, and youth who have dropped out of school and are seeking their first full-time job.

Dislocated Workers: For the purposes of this FOA, this term refers to individuals who were terminated or laid-off or have received a notice of termination or layoff from employment; or were self-employed but are now unemployed.

Incumbent Workers: For the purposes of this FOA, this term refers to individuals who are employed but need employment and training services to secure full-time employment, advance in their careers, or retain their current occupations. This includes workers who are paid low- and medium-wages who would benefit from upgrading their skills to retain employment or advance in their careers, and workers who are currently working part-time.

Within these categories, applicants may serve a wide range of individuals, including high school or postsecondary students, individuals requiring adult basic and other education programs, individuals with disabilities, veterans, individuals with Limited English Proficiency, and individuals impacted by substance misuse. Applicants are encouraged to prioritize outreach and recruitment among people and communities who have historically experienced systemic and programmatic inequities in employment and economic outcomes, including but not limited to people of color; immigrants and refugees; individuals with disabilities; individuals who were formerly incarcerated; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) individuals.

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 are at 20 CFR Part 1010. In circumstances where a grant recipient must choose between two qualified candidates for a service, one of whom is a veteran or eligible spouse, the veterans’ priority of service provisions require that the grant recipient give the veteran or eligible spouse priority of service by first providing him or her that service. To obtain priority of service, a veteran or spouse must meet the program’s eligibility requirements. Grantees must comply with DOL guidance on veterans’ priority. ETA’s Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 10-09 (issued November 10, 2009) provides guidance on implementing priority of service for veterans and eligible spouses in all qualified job training programs funded in whole or in part by DOL. TEGL No. 10-09 is available at https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2816.

The priority for veterans and their spouses is a requirement that applies when enrolling participants into an ETA-funded grant, and applies to all awarded grants. It is not a scoring criterion for this FOA.

While this grant does not require applicants to provide a priority of service to low-income individuals as required in the WIOA Adult program, the WORC Initiative grants are intended to support participants with barriers to employment, and such participants should be targeted for inclusion in program activities as appropriate.

4. Allowable Activities Applicants may propose projects that include any of the following types of activities:

a. Training and Work-Based Learning Models

Workforce training strategies must align with the target community’s or region’s strategic plan or economic development priorities. Some of the allowable training and learning approaches include, but are not limited to:

work-based learning such as Registered Apprenticeships, customized training programs, incumbent worker training, on-the-job training, internships, or other work experiences; or traditional classroom or virtual training.

These may occur before or after layoff, in order to help facilitate reemployment.

b. Other Employment-Related Activities

Allowable employment-related activities include, but are not limited to:

https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2816 in-depth participant assessment and evaluation to identify employment barriers and develop individual employment plans;

career planning including using labor market information to help participants select training and careers that lead to family-sustaining wages and benefits, job coaching, and job matching services; and employability skills training.

c. Innovative Service Delivery Strategies

WORC Initiative projects may support innovative service delivery strategies that address economic and workforce-related challenges. Such innovations might include application of new business models, including bringing together workers, labor, employers and training providers to adress workforce issues, new products, services, technology, or capital improvements/equipment. A capital improvement/equipment innovation for these regions might include adapting spaces previously unusable for training, e.g., the purchase of an HVAC training unit used to provide participants with hands-on experience with the heating, refrigeration and air conditioning industries as part of a broader regional service delivery strategy.

Online and technology-enabled (including hybrid, or a blend of online and classroom instruction) learning strategies provide participants an opportunity to balance the competing demands of work and family with acquiring new knowledge and skills at a time, place, and/or pace that are convenient for them. The use of technology to deliver training online, modularize content delivery and accelerate course delivery (among other strategies) can help increase access to education and training programs, especially in rural areas. In addition, new and emergent technologies, such as interactive simulations, personalized and virtual instruction, educational gaming, and digital tutors, offer the opportunity to improve the quality of online instruction, especially in ways that can increase opportunities for learning, support student success, and connect students with in-demand job opportunities.

In light of broad shifts in the economy to more virtual and hybrid learning and working, applicants may choose to focus their efforts towards building their capacity to facilitate online conversion and to become fully operational within a context of distance learning, or to address other unique challenges in addressing the needs of dislocated workers and other workers in the Appalachian and Delta regions in communities covered by the proposed grant.

Such approaches might include, but are not limited to:

expanding broadband access to provide distance learning;

supporting digital literacy among program participants;

developing or enhancing partnerships with a broad range of regional institutions, including libraries, community colleges, community organizations, and others, to collaborate in needs identification and implementation of new strategies;

increasing availability of mobile service units, such as custom vehicles equipped with technology, and other technology-enabled solutions to flexibly deliver training, outreach, and/or employment in remote areas;

developing or expanding use of online or hybrid online and in-person training, employment services, and work experiences;

using software or hardware tools to implement virtual student services to support career and academic planning; or deploying technology intensively to create competency-based, self-paced, skills-based learning, and making interactive resources, such as simulations and videos, widely accessible.

d. Participant Support Services

Support services are necessary activities or resources that enable eligible individuals to participate in career and training services or other grant activities, or to gain or retain employment. Grant recipients are encouraged to offer necessary support services to dislocated workers and other eligible workers directly or through partner organizations.

Generally, customized support service strategies meet the specific needs of a participant and can ensure participants are able to complete a program or services, particularly longer-term training which prepares participants for more economic mobility. Such support services may include, but are not limited to:

assistance with transportation, child or dependent care, or housing;

counseling or other mental health services;

provision of stipends, wages, or other incentives to ensure select participants are able to participate in the program or to obtain/retain employment;

linkages to community services, including services offered by partner organizations designed to support grant participants;

assistance with uniforms or other appropriate work attire and work-related tools, including such items as eye glasses and protective eye gear;

assistance with laptops or tablets, books, fees, school supplies, and other necessary items for students enrolled in training, work-based learning, or other elements of the proposed grant project;

payments and fees for employment and training-related applications, tests, and certifications;

workforce strategies addressing substance misuse such as, but not limited to, recovery coaches, job/career coaches, and health navigator services; and training site and/or workplace substance use testing and/or drug screening for trainees, when required by the career or workplace which the individual is in training to enter.

Note: Selected applicants proposing to include stipends or wages for participants exceeding 20 percent of the total grant award must receive prior approval from the grant officer.

e. Employer Support Services

All applicants are required to demonstrate partnership with at least two employers or industry representatives as part of this grant. In addition, providing direct services to employers as part of grant activities is also an important dimension of this grant. Applicants are encouraged to provide services to local employers, particularly small and medium-sized employers, to help them in a wide range of areas including improving job quality such as adopting more competitive wage scales, establishing more predictable work schedules, examining how benefits may be offered, creating opportunities for advancement, advising employers on how to adhere to nondiscrimination laws, and adopting practices that ensure workers know their rights and that incorporate worker voice. Applicants are also encouraged to provide services to employers that already offer quality jobs, including those with family-sustaining wages, benefits, opportunities for advancement, and worker voice, to enhance their economic success, growth, or sustainability. This can most easily be accomplished by coordinating with local business services teams at American Job Centers or other local business and economic development partners. Efforts may focus on individual employers or have an industry-based approach for clusters or sectors, and may include activities such as: providing technical assistance materials to support job quality or ensure compliance with nondiscrimination laws; designing/disseminating tool kits and training for employers to develop standards/processes for SUD recovery-friendly workplaces or to implement job accommodations to meet the needs of current or future employees; establishing peer coaching, counseling, and worksite mentoring programs; creating, expanding, or enhancing Registered Apprenticeships, internships, and other work experiences, including subsidies of apprentice and intern wages; creating customized training programs;

or establishing school-to-work activities.

In addition to meeting the workforce needs of these employers, applicants are encouraged to consider, and incorporate where feasible, other roles that employers may play in grant activities, which might include:

supporting strategic planning activities;

advising on defining high-quality jobs for the area, and providing input on the skills and experiences needed for employment or advancement in such jobs;

participating in career exploration activities for youth or new entrants;

participating in or serving as a convener for sector strategies planning;

serving as host sites for internships and work experience, or importantly, committing to hire participants in upon program completion.

f. Strategic Planning for Economic Transformation

WORC Initiative success may be increased through alignment of community-focused workforce and economic development plans and strategies, and such activities are an encouraged optional activity within these grants. Strategic planning activities designed to promote and support economic transformation help ensure that project outcomes will lead to sustainable employment opportunities for residents in the communities covered by the grant.

Strategic plans may assess the economic landscape to identify new or growing employment opportunities in high-quality jobs, including those which offer family-sustaining wages, benefits, career advancement opportunities and worker voice. Strategic planning processes also involve convening partnerships and assets from across the economic and social spectrum of the community(ies) covered by a proposed project, and may include the workforce investment system, industry, community colleges, labor unions and labor-management partnerships, nonprofit community organizations and other stakeholders, and align and integrate them to prepare for and respond to economic shocks, such as plant downsizing or closing. These activities may also support the development of new strategies or updates and expansion of preexisting plans and strategies, or to help create or enhance a vision for a better economic future. Depending on the specific needs, strategic planning might help a community diversify its industries to not be dependent on industries in decline. Ensuring community involvement in strategic planning is a critically important way to create a more inclusive, equitable future for all residents. WORC grant funds may be an important driver of strategic planning both to support the success of the specific project but also to catalyze long-term, broad-based economic transformation.

Strategic planning activities that WORC applicants may propose include, but are not limited to:

Convening Community Partners and Leaders: Organizing a comprehensive group of leaders and partners representing major economic, workforce, education and other community assets and organizations, including companies, research institutions, investors, philanthropists, and labor unions and other worker organizations, and workers, to ensure that all relevant stakeholders have a voice in the project’s success. Such a group should include WORC grant partners as well as other organizations from the communities involved. To ensure that workers have a voice in the future of the region, impacted workers and organizations representing impacted workers in the grant area should be encouraged and supported to actively participate.

Developing a Vision: Efforts to achieve sustainable, equitable economic transformation are more successful when they feature a community-led approach that develops a vision for the future. Strategic planning activities under the WORC Initiative may include those designed to identify, map, and prioritize a vision for the future.

Conducting Data Analysis: Good strategic planning requires good information. To ensure that planning approaches are evidence-based, WORC funds may be used to obtain and analyze economic and workforce information, carry out asset mapping, conduct an objective analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and more;

Aligning Education, Economic, and Workforce Development Strategies with Evidence and Opportunities: WORC funds may be used to identify and map the necessary skills and competencies for in-demand, high-quality jobs as well as potential new jobs of the future, working with employers to adjust recruitment and selection processes to increase consideration and inclusion of local talent, and organizing education, workforce development, and economic development to focus on creating these jobs, promoting job quality, and preparing a skilled workforce to ensure the success of the plans; and

Identifying Resources and Sustainability: Developing a financial plan consisting of measurable benchmarks detailing how the grant funding will be allocated/spent, or identifying or securing additional resources needed to ensure that transformational activities are sustainable beyond the life and scope of the WORC Grants.

Applicants may propose to expend no more than $100,000 of a grant award on planning activities that support a broader implementation plan for a WORC grant.

g. Purchasing Equipment and Making Renovations

Capital expenditures, such as the purchase of equipment or capital improvements, are allowable with prior approval from the Grant Officer, provided they directly facilitate or address the employment and training needs of dislocated workers or other workers in the communities served by the proposed project. These expenditures must follow the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements at 2 CFR Part 200, and the DOL supplemental requirements at 2 CFR Part 2900. For capital expenditures and equipment, see 2 CFR 200.439. Following a WORC grant award, a grantee must seek and receive written ETA approval in a subsequent modification request for all equipment purchases and renovations. The modification must demonstrate how these purchases and renovations will assist in the successful employment and training of participants. Award of a grant under this FOA does not constitute prior written approval of equipment purchase or renovations mentioned in the initial application.

Possible allowable capital improvements must be designed to address the employment and training needs of dislocated workers and other workers in the area covered by the grant and include, but are not limited to, improvements to buildings or equipment that would materially increase their value or useful life, including the cost to put the asset or improvement in place. For buildings, this could include the cost of upgrading, installing, or retrofitting a building’s internal systems or utilities (e.g., electrical, plumbing, HVAC, communications) to accommodate training courses or equipment. This could also include structural improvements or upgrades, including the relocation, modification, retrofitting, or enhancement of interior load-bearing walls or interior floors to accommodate training courses or equipment. This could also include implementing and/or enhancing the information technology infrastructure used to provide education and training and related activities.

Minor alterations, renovations, or rearrangements of buildings, facilities, or equipment, if specific to the project, are also allowable with prior written approval from the Grant Officer, provided they facilitate or address the employment and training needs of dislocated workers or other workers in the Appalachian and Delta regions. Minor alterations, renovations, or rearrangements may include the activities and associated costs of relocating, modifying, replacing, or adding items (e.g. switches and outlets) related to internal environments (e.g.

temperature, humidity, ventilation, and acoustics), and installation of fixed equipment (including fume hoods and audio/visual equipment).

Allowable costs also include leasing space that is used for the grant participant education, training, and related activities, as well as the altering or renovating of such facilities (in accordance with the Federal Cost Principles at 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart E and the DOL supplemental requirements at 2 CFR Part 2900, Subpart E). Allowable renovations include those related to federal architectural accessibility obligations requiring facilities to be readily accessible to, and usable by, qualified individuals with disabilities.

Following grant award, grantees must submit a subsequent grant modification request to obtain written Grant Officer approval before acquiring equipment or proceeding with proposed capital expenditures, renovation, or alteration of facilities. The Grant Officer must determine that all proposed equipment, capital improvements, and/or alterations and renovation are:

1. allocable, necessary, and reasonable;

2. tied to specific grant-related deliverables and outcomes outlined in the grantee’s statement of work (SOW), including capacity-building and/or training outcomes;

3. consistent with the FOA; and

4. aligned with equipment requirements as outlined in 2 CFR Part 200. Applicants proposing in their SOW to spend grant funds on capital improvements and/or alterations and renovations must demonstrate how these expenditures will support the expansion and/or improvement of their project’s education and training programs addressing the needs of dislocated workers and other needs of workers in the Appalachian and Delta regions.

Prohibited activities with regard to capital expenditures include new construction or property acquisition.

Generally, ETA encourages proposed WORC projects to limit allowable equipment purchases or renovations to no more than 50 percent of project budget. Where an applicant can successfully demonstrate that equipment purchases or renovations represent a critical component of the development of a necessary training facility or program, and other non-capital costs are supported by other federal or non-federal resources, an application may request to exceed the 50 percent threshold. In such cases, it is incumbent upon the applicant to demonstrate how use of these funds for equipment purchases or renovations will facilitate necessary workforce training or other allowable service delivery for workers. The applicant must fully develop every section of the Project Narrative, relative to the proposed project focusing on capital or equipment expenditures.

Grantees must complete all activities related to capital expenditures and other alterations within the period of performance of the grant.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. HOW TO OBTAIN AN APPLICATION PACKAGE

This FOA, found at www.Grants.gov and https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/grants/apply/find-opportunities contains all of the information and links to forms needed to apply for grant funding.

B. CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION

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

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

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

3. Project Narrative; and

4. Attachments to the Project Narrative.

You must ensure that the funding amount requested is consistent across all parts and sub-parts of the application.

1. SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance” http://www.Grants.gov https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/grants/apply/find-opportunities https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/grants/apply/find-opportunities

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

In the address field, fill out the nine-digit (plus hyphen) zip code. Nine-digit zip codes can be looked up on the USPS website at https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction!input.action.

The SF-424 must clearly identify the applicant and must be signed by an individual with authority to enter into a grant agreement. Upon confirmation of an award, the individual signing the SF-424 on behalf of the applicant is considered the Authorized Representative of the applicant. As stated in block 21 of the SF-424 form, the signature of the Authorized Representative on the SF-424 certifies that the organization is in compliance with the Assurances and Certifications form SF-424B (available at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1). You do not need to submit the SF-424B with the application.

In addition, the applicant’s Authorized Representative’s signature in block 21 of the SF-424 form constitutes assurance by the applicant of compliance with the WIOA 188 rules issued by the Department at 29 CFR 38.25, which includes the following language:

As a condition to the award of financial assistance from the Department of Labor under Title I WIOA, the grant applicant assures that it has the ability to comply fully with the nondiscrimination and equal opportunity provisions of the following laws: Section 188 of the WIOA and its implementing regulations at 29 CFR Part 38, which prohibits discrimination against all individuals in the United States on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions, transgender status, and gender identity), national origin (including limited English proficiency), age, disability, political affiliation or belief, and against beneficiaries on the basis of either citizenship or status as a lawfully admitted immigrant authorized to work in the United States, or participation in any WIOA Title I— financially assisted program or activity; Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, which prohibits discrimination on the bases of race, color, and national origin; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, which prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities; The Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of age; and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs.

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

a. Requirement for DUNS Number

All applicants for federal grant and funding opportunities must have a DUNS number, and must supply their DUNS Number on the SF-424. The DUNS Number is a nine-digit identification number that uniquely identifies business entities. If you do not have a DUNS https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1 https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction!input.action https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1

Number, you can get one for free through the D&B website: https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do.

Grant recipients authorized to make subawards must meet these requirements related to DUNS Numbers:

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

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

(See Appendix A to 2 CFR Part 25.)

b. Requirement for Registration with SAM

Applicants must register with the System for Award Management (SAM) before submitting an application. Find instructions for registering with SAM at https://www.sam.gov.

A recipient must maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active federal award or an application under consideration. To remain registered in the SAM database after the initial registration, the applicant is required to review and update the registration at least every 12 months from the date of initial registration or subsequently update its information in the SAM database to ensure it is current, accurate, and complete. For purposes of this paragraph, the applicant is the entity that meets the eligibility criteria and has the legal authority to apply and to receive the award. If an applicant has not fully complied with these requirements by the time the Grant Officer is ready to make a federal award, the Grant Officer may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a federal award to another applicant.

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

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

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

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

https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do https://www.sam.gov https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1

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

Travel: For grantee staff only, specify the purpose, number of staff traveling, mileage, per diem, estimated number of in-state and out-of-state trips, and other estimated costs for each type of travel.

Equipment: Identify each item of equipment you expect to purchase that has an estimated acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit (or if your capitalization level is less than $5,000, use your capitalization level) and a useful lifetime of more than one year (see 2 CFR 200.1 for the definition of Equipment). List the item, quantity, and the unit cost per item.

Items with a unit cost of less than $5,000 are supplies, not “equipment.” In general, we do not permit the purchase of equipment during the last funded year of the grant.

Supplies: Identify the cost of supplies (e.g., general office supplies, desk/chairs, laptops/printers, other specialty items) in the detailed budget per category. Except for general office supplies, list the item, quantity, and the unit cost per item. Supplies include all tangible personal property other than “equipment” (see 2 CFR 200.1 for the definition of Supplies).

Contractual: Under the Contractual line item, delineate contracts and subawards separately. Contracts are defined according to 2 CFR 200.1 as a legal instrument by which a non-federal entity purchases property or services needed to carry out the project or program under a federal award. A subaward, defined by 2 CFR 200.1 means an award provided by a pass-through entity to a subrecipient for the subrecipient to carry out part of a federal award received by the pass-through entity. It does not include payments to a contractor or payments to an individual that is a beneficiary of a federal program.

For each proposed contract and subaward, specify the purpose and activities to be provided, and the estimated cost.

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

Other: Provide clear and specific detail, including costs, for each item so that we are able to determine whether the costs are necessary, reasonable, and allocable. List items, such as stipends or incentives, not covered elsewhere.

Indirect Costs: If you include an amount for indirect costs (through a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement or De Minimis) on the SF-424A budget form, then include one of the following:

a) If you have a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), provide an explanation of how the indirect costs are calculated. This explanation should include which portion of each line item, along with the associated costs, are included in your cost allocation base. Also, provide a current version of the NICRA.

or

b) If you intend to claim indirect costs using the 10 percent de minimis rate, please confirm that your organization meets the requirements as described in 2 CFR 200.414(f). Clearly state that your organization does not have a current negotiated (including provisional) rate, and is not one described in 2 CFR 200, Appendix VII(D)(1)(b).

Applicants choosing to claim indirect costs using the de minimis rate must use Modified Total Direct Costs (see 2 CFR 200.1 below for definition) as their cost allocation base.