FOA-ODEP-23-12 - Amendment One - FINAL.pdf

FOA-ODEP-23-12, Amendment One

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)

Action:

Amendment #1 to Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Equitable Transition Models Demonstration Grants (ETM) Project

FOA Number:

FOA-ODEP-23-12

Summary:

ODEP published the FOA on August 10, 2023, announcing the availability of funds through a competitive application process. The closing date for receipt of applications is October 31, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. This amendment clarifies language in Section III.A, Eligibility Information/Eligible Applicants.

Section III.A, Eligible Applicants, is hereby amended as follows (new text in red font):

Please read Section III.A. in its entirety for all eligibility requirements.

The following organizations are eligible to apply:

00 (State governments) 07 (Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized))

Additional detail regarding the eligible Lead Applicant categories identified above are as follows:

• State governments include state departments of labor, state workforce development agencies, or an equivalent state agency with responsibility for labor, employment, education, health and human services, vocational rehabilitation services, and/or workforce development; and

• Federally recognized Native American Tribal governments include entities described in section 166(c) of WIOA relating to Indian and Native American programs. These entities include Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, Alaska Native entities, Indian-controlled organizations serving Indians, or Native Hawaiian organizations.

For the purpose of this FOA, ODEP defines “State” as any of the 50 states of the United States, the District of Columbia, or any Territory or possession of the United States. This entity must have the capacity to administer the grant, will have sole responsibility for administering the project, and will serve as the grant’s fiscal agent. Each lead applicant is limited to one individual application for consideration under this opportunity.

Responsibilities of the Lead Applicant

The Lead Applicant selected as the awardee must have overall programmatic, fiscal, and administrative responsibility for the cooperative agreement. Award recipients will serve as DOL’s counterpart in the cooperative agreement. The recipient must be the organization specified in Section 8 of the SF-424 Application Form. Additionally, the recipient must be:

1. The primary point of contact with DOL that receives and responds to all inquiries or communications under this FOA and with any sub-grantees;

2. The entity with authority to draw down funds;

3. The entity responsible for submitting to DOL all work products under the cooperative agreement, including all related technical and financial reports, regardless of which partnership member performed the work;

4. The entity that may request or agree to a revision or amendment of the cooperative agreement;

5. The entity with overall responsibility for carrying out programmatic functions, including collecting required project data, of the cooperative agreement, as well as the stewardship of all expenditures under the cooperative agreement;

6. The entity responsible for coordinating and fully cooperating with the independent evaluator and ETM TA Provider; and

7. The entity responsible for working with DOL to close out the cooperative agreement.

Required State and Local Partnerships

State Partners:

The lead applicant must partner with a number of other state-level partners (referred to below as the “ETM Leadership Team”) to establish a consortium, which will provide project leadership to meet demonstration model program objectives and drive better integration of services at the local level (see Section IV.B.3). In addition to the lead applicant, there are seven required partners on the ETM Leadership Team. The lead applicant must represent one of the state agency or tribal government partners listed below and develop a consortium with the seven other required partners of the ETM Leadership Team.

Required Partners of the ETM Leadership Team

1. A State or Tribal Workforce Agency, or a Consortium of Local Workforce Agencies, or equivalent entity generally responsible for managing, regulating, or influencing the provision of workforce development services;

2. The State or Tribal Workforce Development Board, or a Consortium of Local Workforce Agencies;

3. Non-profit organizations with expertise in serving the youth target population(s);

4. Business membership or business intermediary organizations;

5. State or Tribal VR agencies;

6. State or Tribal HHS agency;

7. State or Tribal Department of Education; and

8. Non-profit or Community-based organizations with expertise in the transition activities for

Y&YAD representing underserved communities.

DOL anticipates that the state Workforce Development Board will be a crucial partner in engaging employers and shaping policies regarding how services such as those provided through ETM demonstration projects are carried out during and after the cooperative agreement. Lead applicants applying for the ETM funding should have MOUs with each of their partners in their ETM leadership group within 60 days after the award of an ETM cooperative agreement.

Beyond these required partners, applicants can choose other types of entities to serve on the ETM Leadership Team that are relevant to their proposed target population and project scope. In general, we anticipate this team could include representatives of state-level agencies involved in WIOA core programs; health, mental health, and substance abuse services; and/or state and privately funded universities, to the extent that such entities demonstrate experience providing pre-service training and professional credentialing.

Local Partners:

The lead applicant must also collaborate with at least one local area policy entity and programmatic service provider such as a Local Workforce Development Board (LWDB), a local Vocational Rehabilitation office, and/or a WIOA Title I service provider. These entities will primarily provide provision services to participants at the local level. For states with only one local area workforce programmatic provider, the commitment of its sole entity fulfills this requirement. Applicants must show the commitment of at least one or more local area workforce entities and/or programmatic providers through a signed memorandum of understanding (MOU), submitted in the application for funding. In addition, relevant partnerships must be established at the local level to support the implementation plan activities. Such additional local entities may include, but are not limited to:

• Youth agencies and service providers;

• Disability agencies and service providers;

• Local health and mental health agencies and providers;

• Parent advocacy organizations and service providers;

• K-12 local education agency;

• American Job Centers (sometimes known as One-Stop Career Centers);

• One or more community college(s), technical institution(s), four-year colleges/universities, or other education partners that can provide education and training activities; and

• One or more business or industry partners (such as business membership associations or

Chambers of Commerce) that will participate in defining the program strategies and goals and be actively involved in participating in funded project activities.

End of amended text. All other information in this funding vehicle remains the same.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Andrea Hill, Grants Management Specialist, Office of Grants Management, at Hill.Andrea@DOL.gov.

Signed September 17, 2023, in Washington, D.C. by:

Carla Wills Grant Officer, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Grants Management https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/advisories/TEGL/2022/TEGL%2010-16%20Change%202/TEGL%2010-16%20Change%202.pdf https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/advisories/TEGL/2022/TEGL%2010-16%20Change%202/TEGL%2010-16%20Change%202.pdf