FOA-ETA-23-31 Amendment Two 5-15-24.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration DOL Building Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs Grant Program Funding Opportunity Announcement

FOA-ETA-23-31

Amendment Two

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor

ACTION: Amendment to FOA-ETA-23-31

SUMMARY: The Employment and Training Administration announced on April 5, 2023, the availability of funds and Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the DOL Building Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs Grant Program to be awarded through a competitive process.

This amendment revises language in FOA-ETA-23-31 to announce the availability of approximately $35,000,000 for a second round of the DOL Building Pathways to Infrastructure Grants. FOA-ETA-23-31 will be used for round 2, with the changes described below.

The document is hereby amended as follows:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The following language replaces the first paragraph (new language in bold):

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, or the Department, or we), announces the availability of approximately $35,000,000 in grant funds authorized by the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 (ACWIA), as amended (codified at 29 USC 3224a) for round 2 of the DOL Building Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs Grant Program. In September 2023, ETA awarded approximately $94,000,000 in grants for round 1.

SECTION II.A. AWARD TYPE AND AMOUNT

The following language is added (new language in bold):

We expect the availability of approximately $35 million to fund 7-15 grants for the second round of funding. The Department reserves the right to change these amounts depending on the quantity and quality of applications submitted.

The second round will open on 5/15/24 and closes on 7/1/24. Applications for this round should be prepared and submitted following the requirements and processes outlined in this FOA and all Amendments to the FOA.

SECTION II.B. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The following language is added (new language in bold):

The period of performance is 60 months with an anticipated start date of 10/1/2024 for round 2.

This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities.

SECTION III.A.3. WORKER-CENTERED SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS

The following language under the heading Required Partners, is added (new language in bold):

For this FOA, we encourage applicants to forge robust partnerships to implement the grant and to sustain activities beyond the grant period of performance. The required partners for the DOL Building Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs Grant Program for both the Development Track, and Scaling Track are employer partners, education and training providers, workforce development entities, and worker organizations, labor-management organizations, or labor unions.

The required grant partners narrative for the bullet entitled Worker Organizations, Labor- Management Partnerships, or Labor Unions is deleted and replaced with the following:

Worker Organizations, Labor-Management Partnerships, or Labor Unions: Required entities include labor unions, labor-management organizations representing workers, or worker centers or worker organizations that advocate for populations of workers in the advanced manufacturing, information technology, and/or professional, scientific, and technical services occupations supporting renewable energy, transportation, and/or broadband infrastructure sectors.

To aid in identifying related unions, applicants can use the Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards’ (OLMS) Union Search Tool, by which you can search on union type, city, state, zip code, and other criteria to identify labor unions for outreach and partnership.

The tool can be found at https://olmsapps.dol.gov/query/getOrgQry.do.

As defined by the Department, labor-management partnerships allow employers of all sizes to work constructively with the unions that represent their employees to tackle important workplace issues that fall within and sometimes extend the framework of traditional collective bargaining.

The Department provides information on effective labor-management partnerships and helpful resources at https://www.dol.gov/general/workcenter/labor-management-partnerships.

Outside of a union, qualifying organizations are those whose primary purpose is to represent the needs and interests of workers and to advocate for them. These worker-focused advocacy organizations represent workers in the applicant’s targeted occupation(s) or industry sector, outside of collective bargaining. Examples of worker-focused advocacy organizations include worker associations, coalitions, alliances, guilds, and other similar worker advocacy groups that are not considered formal unions. The organization may, for example, set occupational standards or practices, advocate on behalf of its members, or work to develop or change specific policies such as the local minimum wage rate, day worker protections, and stable work schedules.

https://olmsapps.dol.gov/query/getOrgQry.do http://www.dol.gov/general/workcenter/labor-management-partnerships

Activities that these required partners can do to support the grant include identifying necessary skills and competencies; providing related skills-based training in collaboration with the required education/training provider; working with employer and education partners to develop new or modifying existing curricula; advising on recruitment, retention, and advancement strategies within an employer or industry; communicating with current and potential workers within the sector; acting as mentors and on-the-job trainers to new workers; and they may also provide supportive services.

Applicants proposing service areas where there may not be such organizations actively operating, such as in some smaller or rural communities, will be required to document this. In lieu of the letter of commitment or related documentation, such applicants must use the OLMS Union Search Tool to verify the lack of union presence by providing the search records as an attachment. They should also describe any additional efforts or research conducted to identify any viable worker organizations in the area or unions that support relevant industry sectors in other geographic areas that may be able to provide information, resources, and support. Where none are demonstrated, the applicant must describe how they will ensure active worker voice and collaboration within the sector strategy partnership through identification of specific commitments and requirements for worker representation and engagement in all aspects of the training model, which may be demonstrated through commitment from the other types of entities described above.

SECTION IV.C. SUBMISSION DATE, TIME, PROCESS AND ADDRESS

The following language is added (new language in bold):

Due Date for Applications:

July 1, 2024 You must submit your application electronically on https://www.grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Todd Long, Grants Management Specialist, Office of Grants Management, at IN_FOA-ETA-23-31@dol.gov.

Signed May 15, 2024 in Washington, D.C. by:

Brinda Ruggles Grant Officer, Employment and Training Administration mailto:IN_FOA-ETA-23-31@dol.gov