foa-vets-15-02.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Veterans’ Employment and Training Service

Notice of Funding Availability (NoFA) and Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for linking the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) to the Incarcerated Veterans Transition Program (IVTP)

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: FOA-VETS-15-02

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 17.805

Key Dates: The closing date for receipt of applications under this Announcement is September 2, 2015. Applications must be received no later than 4:00:00 p.m.

Eastern Daylight Time.

Addresses: 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) to this address:

The U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration, Office of Grants Management Attention: Donna Kelly, Grant Officer Reference FOA VETS-15-02 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716 Washington, DC 20210

For complete application and submission information, including online application instructions, please refer to Section IV. Electronic submission through Grants.gov is encouraged.

The U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration is responsible for the administration of this grant.

CONTENTS

Section I Executive Summary Section II Funding Opportunity Description Section III Award Information Section IV Application and Submission Information Section V Application Review Information Section VI Award Administration Information Section VII Agency Contact Section VIII Other Information

Section IX Reporting Section X Performance Measures Section XI OMB Information Collection Appendix 1 Federal Prison Locations for Possible Applicant Operations Appendix 2 Definitions and Abbreviations Appendix 3 Performance Measures Appendix 4 Footnotes Appendix 5 VPL 09-14 Appendix 6 Technical Assistance Guide Appendix 7 Planned Goals Chart

SECTION I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS), announces the availability of approximately $1.5 million in grant funds authorized by Title 38 of United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 2023, which provides that the “Secretary of Labor . . . shall carry out a program of referral and counseling services to eligible veterans with respect to benefits and services available to such veterans under this title and under State law.” VETS expects to award approximately five (5) IVTP grants in Program Year 2015. IVTP grants are designed to assist currently incarcerated veterans and veterans recently released from incarceration in overcoming barriers to employment and gaining meaningful employment and avoiding homelessness.

Grants awarded under this FOA will allow VETS to evaluate the benefits of linking the HVRP and IVTP programs as part of a demonstration (pilot) project. In the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2015, Congress granted VETS the additional authority to serve veterans who have recently been released from incarceration who are at risk of homelessness (Division G, Title 1, Public Law 113-235).

HVRP grantees are already working with veterans who are homeless and were recently released from incarceration. Combining the unique experience of HVRP grantees with the targeted focus of IVTP could maximize the use of federal funds while meeting the needs of these uniquely disadvantaged veterans. This combination would help fill a service gap identified by our technical assistance grantees, the Bureau of Prisons, and the Department of Justice. VETS would like to test this theory with the intention, dependent on subsequent authorization and appropriations, that we provide a full and open competition once we have determined if this model works. IVTP will be evaluated using the most rigorous designs appropriate and will include formative designs, implementation studies and outcome analysis.

Additionally, because we are requiring partnerships with penal institutions to ensure that transitioning veterans are effectively served, we are further limiting the applicants to current HVRP grantees that have prior experience with IVTP. This limitation is necessary because our experience with penal institutions and the research of our Technical Assistance grantees indicates that it is difficult to obtain the proper clearances to work in correctional institutions. This background experience is particularly necessary given that these grants will be awarded after the Program Year (PY) 2015 has begun, and applicants will have limited time to implement their proposed programs.

Grant awards will range from a minimum of $100,000 to a maximum of $300,000.

Grants awarded under this solicitation will have a period of performance that ends on June 30, 2016 (i.e. through PY 2015). Additional funding beyond the initial award is not anticipated at this time. Though the period of performance expires at the end of PY 2015, each grantee is required to conduct an additional 9 months of follow-up and reporting after the active performance period. Costs incurred during this 9 month period are considered part of the funded grant.

Eligible applicants must be current HVRP grantees that have previously been awarded an IVTP grant and must have been successful as indicated in the past performance Section (IV)(B)(4)(d) under the terms of its HVRP grant. This FOA contains all the information and forms necessary to apply for grant funding under this IVTP demonstration (pilot) project. DOL may publish future amendments to this solicitation on www.grants.gov. All applicants must check www.grants.gov regularly to ensure that they have the latest information regarding any updates to this FOA.

This FOA provides background information on IVTP and identifies the critical elements that applicants must include in their proposals in order to be responsive to this solicitation. It also describes the application submission requirements, the process that eligible applicants must use to apply for funds covered by this FOA, and how grantees will be selected and notified.

NOTE: Appendix 2 contains important terms for the purposes of this FOA.

SECTION II. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. PROGRAM PURPOSE: The purpose of this program is to place incarcerated or recently incarcerated veterans into meaningful employment. This includes providing them workforce services prior to and/or shortly after release from incarceration; linking them to a continuum of employment, training, education, support services; and building connections to local employers that will enable incarcerated veterans to secure meaningful employment and avoid homelessness. Ideally incarcerated veterans will have an employment destination prior to release or will receive rapid job placement.

Successful applicants will propose programs that expedite the employment of eligible incarcerated veterans by providing job-driven training, placement services, counseling, supportive services, and other assistance. Applicants are encouraged to design a program that addresses the multitude of challenges associated with incarcerated veterans at risk of homelessness. Applicants must actively engage with industry, employers, and employer associations to identify the skills needed for in-demand jobs and careers.

http://www.grants.gov/

VETS seeks applicants who can provide services through a client-centered case management approach, who can collaborate and network with federal, state, local, and tribal organizations to effectively target resources toward assisting incarcerated veterans, and to deliver job-driven training for skills that are in demand by local employers.

B. SERVICES AUTHORIZED UNDER THE GRANT: Referral and counseling services such as: case management; employment preparation (e.g. resume preparation;

interviewing skills and other employment readiness training (job driven training)); job placement; wage subsidy; and housing subsidy. The following costs may be authorized under the grant:

1. Housing Subsidies: Applicants may propose using funds for housing assistance. However, if a grantee proposes to use funds for housing assistance, the grantee must demonstrate in writing that they have worked with the incarcerated veteran and others (penal institution transition staff, community based housing providers, etc.) to exhaust all other housing assistance options before using IVTP funds for such assistance. Essentially, if a participant can obtain housing by any other means, such as through other federal or state programs, then IVTP funds cannot be used for housing. Should IVTP housing assistance be needed for a particular participant, the term of such assistance is limited to 90 days and the amount of assistance must meet the test of rent reasonableness. To meet this test and to be able to pay a landlord up to 90 days of reasonable rent, the grantee must secure at least 3 samples of rents for housing units located in the specific community and zip code of the desired housing that meets the needs of the participant. Grantees may not provide IVTP funds for housing directly to project participants.

2. Wage Subsidy: Applicants may propose using funds for wage subsidies.

However, wage subsidies are limited generally to On-The-Job Training (OJT), apprenticeships, and/or Transitional Jobs (TJ) strategies in which the participant is:

1) in job-driven training (see Appendix 2 for a definition of job driven training) and 2) the employer expects to hire the participant at the end of the training. Funds may be used to pay wages for up to 90 days at the local living wage (see http://livingwage.mit.edu/) for up to 20 hours per week. In order to use IVTP funds for OJT or TJ, the applicant must develop an agreement with the employer, stipulating the terms of the subsidy, duration of the training, and expected outcome and retain that agreement. The agreement must stipulate that IVTP funds will be transferred to the employer and then from the employer to the employee as part of the employee’s wages. IVTP funds can also be used to pay for OJT in the manner described in the DOL Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program rules.

3. Other Expenses: ‘Other’ expenses are permitted under IVTP where ‘Other’ expenses include but are not limited to fees for documents that are essential to obtain employment for a participant. Essential documents may include identification cards, birth certificates, driving records, drivers licenses for transportation related http://livingwage.mit.edu/ jobs, and transportation to and from interviews using public transportation (including taxis when necessary). Other expenses permitted include: drug testing, criminal background checks, and, if required for the job, tools and medical examinations.

C. PROGRAM AUTHORITY: This program is authorized by 38 U.S.C. Section 2023.

SECTION III. AWARD INFORMATION

A. AWARD TYPE AND AMOUNT: Funding will be provided in the form of a grant.

VETS anticipates that approximately $1.5 million will be available for awards ranging from a minimum of $100,000 to a maximum award of $300,000. DOL reserves the right to negotiate the amounts it will award under this competition.

VETS will consider applications requesting fund amounts outside of this award range as non-responsive and the application will receive no further consideration in the evaluation process.

If there are any additional program funds available, DOL reserves the right to select for funding the next highest scoring eligible applicant(s) on the competitive list developed from this FOA as late as September 30, 2015.

B. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The period of performance begins from the date of the notice of award and ends on June 30, 2016 (PY2015) unless modified by the Grant Officer. Awards are anticipated to be made by September 15, 2015 with the performance period as follows:

1. September 15, 2015 - September 30, 2015: Start-up period. During the Start-up period, grantees are expected to finalize arrangements with penal institutions, parole organizations and other partners and establish internal controls to ensure HVRP and IVTP participants are properly reported with no duplications (no simultaneous enrollment in HVTP and IVTP).

2. October 1, 2015 - June 30, 2016: Grantees to perform as outlined in this FOA.

3. July 1, 2016 - March 31, 2017: Grantees must follow-up and report on IVTP participants that entered employment during the active performance period.

Grantees must expense all program funds (including all funds to be used for follow-up activities) by March 31, 2017.

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION: Eligible applicants are current, successful HVRP grantees as indicated in the past performance Section (IV)(B)(4)(d) with an active HVRP award through the end of PY 2015 (June 30, 2016). In addition, an applicant must have experience as a prior IVTP grantee.

D. COST SHARING OR MATCHING: Cost sharing or matching funds are not required for this program and are not one of the application screening criteria. 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. Applications that include any form of cost sharing or match will not receive additional consideration during the review process.

E. NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS TO BE SUBMITTED:

1. Multiple applications from the same submitting organization will be considered.

However, there is a limit of one (1) application per submitting organization for the same physical location serving the same IVTP participant population. If multiple applications are received from the same organization for the same physical location serving the same IVTP participant population, only the most recent application will be accepted. If the most recent application is disqualified for any reason, it will not be replaced with an earlier application.

2. If an applicant submits multiple applications for different physical locations or multiple applications for different participant populations, both will be considered.

3. If there are multiple applications from different applicants for the same physical location and same IVTP participant population, only one award will be made unless VETS determines the potential IVTP participant population could support more than one award in the same physical location.

F. ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS: To participate in a funded project under these grants, a veteran (as defined in Appendix 2) must have been convicted as an adult and imprisoned under municipal, county, tribal, federal, or state law and fall into one of the following categories:

1. Category 1 – the veteran was released within the previous 12 months from a penal institution into actual homelessness and needs employment assistance; or

2. Category 2 – the veteran has been incarcerated for at least six months and is scheduled for release within six months with no known housing destination and needs employment assistance; or

3. Category 3 – the veteran was released within the previous 12 months from a penal institution into temporary or permanent housing, but is now at imminent risk of homelessness and needs employment assistance.

An individual may not be enrolled in both HVRP and IVTP at the same time. If a current HVRP participant would be better served under this grant, the grantee may disenroll the participant from HVRP and enroll them in IVTP.

All IVTP participants must also be enrolled with an American Job Center (AJC).

VETS is most interested in projects that service the above eligible participants who have also been convicted of crimes that are rated as Moderate or High using the Department of Justice’s Post Conviction Risk Assessment (PCRA) model. This is because under HVRP this audience is the hardest to serve and the restrictions of the HVRP grant limit services that can be provided to those participants. Restrictions on use of funds for wage subsidies and housing subsidies that exist under HVRP, do not exist for IVTP.

G. APPLICATION PREPARATION CHECKLIST: Applicants should use the checklist below as a guide when preparing the 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.

Instructions Instructions in Section Complete?

The deadline submission requirements are met. (IV)(C)

If submitted through www.grants.gov, the components of the application are saved in one of the specified formats and are not corrupted. (DOL will attempt to open the document, but will not take any additional measures if problems occur.)

(IV)(C)

Application is within dollar range specified for the category of grant sought ($100,000-$300,000). (III)(A)

Applicant has registered with System for Award Management (SAM) and maintains an active account. (IV)(B)(1)(c)

Signed SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance (IV)(B)(2)

Signed SF-424 includes a DUNS Number/EIN (IV)(B)(2)

SF-424A, Budget Information Form (IV)(B)(3)

Budget Narrative (IV)(B)(3)

Project Narrative (IV)(B)(4)

Abstract (IV)(B)(5)(a)

Project Performance Site Location Form (IV)(B)(5)(a)

Timeline of Startup (IV)(B)(5)(a)

Chart of Past Performance (IV)(B)(5)(a)

Planned Goals Chart (IV)(B)(5)(b) and Appendix 7

Indirect Cost Agreement (IV)(B)(5)(b)

SECTION IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. HOW TO OBTAIN AN APPLICATION PACKAGE: This FOA found at www.grants.gov and www.dol.gov/vets 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 this 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

1. General Information:

a. Four Parts: Applications submitted in response to this FOA should consist of four separate and distinct parts:

(1) The SF-424 “Application for Federal Assistance;” which must include a valid Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number.

(2) Project Budget (SF-424a “Budget Information Non Construction Programs) including a description of costs associated with each line item on the SF424A.

(3) Project Narrative; and

(4) Attachments to the Project Narrative. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the funding amount requested is consistent across all parts and sub-parts of the application.

b. Applicant Length Limit: A complete grant application submission must be written in English and must not exceed 15 single-sided pages (8 ½” x 11”), double-spaced, typed 12-point Times New Roman font, with one inch margins on all four sides of the page. All attachments, unless otherwise noted in the instructions, are included in the 15-page maximum. Any materials beyond the specified page limit will not be reviewed or considered in the evaluation process.

Applicants should ensure that major sections and subsections of the application are divided and clearly identified (e.g. with tab dividers).

c. 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 http://www.dol.gov/vets https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/%231.

applicant is the entity that meets the eligibility criteria and has the legal authority to apply and to receive the award. If an applicant is not registered with SAM as required, the application will not move forward through the merit review process and will not be considered for funding.

2. SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance”: Applicants must complete the Standard Form (SF)-424, “Application for Federal Assistance” (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15). If an SF-424 is not completed as required, the application will not move forward through the merit review process and will not be considered for funding. The SF-424 must be error-free, clearly identify the applicant and must be signed by an individual with authority to enter into a grant agreement with DOL. 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 needs to be in block 21 of the form.

All applicants for Federal grant and funding opportunities are required to have a Data Universal Numbering System (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 applicants do not have a DUNS number, applicants can get one for free through the D&B website:

http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do. Under 2 CFR Part 25, grant 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 unless they have provided their DUNS number to the applicant. Grant recipients may not make a subaward to an entity unless the entity has provided its DUNS number to the applicant.

No leveraged resources should be shown on the SF-424. 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 Budget and Budget Narrative: Applicants must complete the SF-424A Budget Information Form (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15 ). If the SF-424A is not completed as required, the application will not move forward through the merit review process and will not be considered for funding. The budget narrative must provide a description of costs associated with each line item on the SF-424A.

http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15 http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15 http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15

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:

a. 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.

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

c. 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.

d. Equipment – Identify each item of equipment to be purchased which has an estimated acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit (or if the total capitalization level is less than $5,000, use the 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, DOL will not permit the purchase of equipment during this grant.

e. 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.

f. 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.

g. 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.

h. 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.

i. 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 the applicant meets 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)(E) 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 must be included on the SF-424, SF-424A, and budget narrative.

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

a. Expected Outcomes and Outputs: The applicant must clearly identify the outcome(s) and output(s) that will result from the project and how these will be tracked and reported. Outcomes are the measurable results of the project. They are the positive benefits, negative changes, or measurable characteristics that occur as a result of project activities or outputs. Outputs are tangible products or services that result from the project. The critical outcomes for this IVTP opportunity are described in Section 2 of Appendix 3. However, applicants can also propose additional outcomes. In this section of the project narrative, applicants must describe the following:

• System that will allow them to track and report measures for participants who are in pre-release status.

• Strategies to ensure post-release tracking and reporting of all measures in Appendix 3.

• Any additional measures that the applicant proposes to track and the applicant’s reasons for tracking those measures;

• System that will allow them to track and report outcomes for their participants who have been released to other geographic areas.

• Process for how they will register program participants with an

American Job Center.

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

• If the project will participate in the local Homeless Management

Information System and describes how that will occur.

b. Project Design: The applicant must propose methods that will be used to address the submitted outcomes and outputs. The applicant must also outline a plan of action that describes in detail the scope of how the proposed work will be accomplished and include a timeline for completion of work. The applicant must account for all functions or activities identified in the application. Cite factors that might accelerate or decelerate the work and state the reason for taking the proposed approach. The applicant must describe the need for the project which includes, why the project is needed in the specified geographic area, expected participants, severity of the participant’s offenses using the Department of Justice’s PCRA model, and type of and numbers of penal institutions in the specific geographic area. The applicant must identify any potential barriers, and describe how the project will be able to overcome those barriers.

(1) Demonstrated Need and Evidence: The application must provide a justification for the proposed approach, including reference to research and evaluation findings of the same or similar approaches where they exist. If similar approaches exist, the justification must discuss what those approaches are and how they informed the applicant’s proposal. If the applicant’s proposal represents a departure from existing approaches, the proposal must include a full explanation of why the approach is likely to be successful, and in particular how this approach is beneficial to previously incarcerated veterans. The applicant must also demonstrate the need for the program by the target population in the applicant’s geographic area to be served. The demand for the program must be based on labor market information including the expected participant population, expected severity of offenses considering the numbers, and types of penal institutions within the proposed geographic area, and other relevant data on the target population. The applicant must also discuss barriers that may impact the project’s success and propose solutions to address this.

(2) Core Program Components: Projects funded under this grant must include both core program components as described below which are:

employment training and supportive services and address a “hand-off requirement” to the AJC.

• Employment Training. Applicants must describe:

o A plan to develop and execute strategies and obtainable goals for job-driven training, employment preparation, employment, and employment retention by eligible participants;

o A plan to design, develop, and execute programs that assist eligible participants by providing or collaborating with other entities to deliver job-driven training based on Labor Market Information (LMI) in the proposed area. LMI describes current and projected local, regional, state and national labor markets, such as the number and types of available jobs, their characteristics, and the characteristics of the labor supply. LMI can be used to guide jobseekers in choosing which fields of study, training and credentials to pursue. Examples of the use of LMI include using job openings data to strategically identify employer partners, and analyzing labor market projections and the characteristics of the regional labor market to conduct skill gap analysis;

o A plan to provide rapid job placement and retention services;

and o Any plan for the provision of wage subsidies.

• Supportive services. The applicant must describe their plan to provide counseling, mentoring, and referrals to support services for housing, physical and mental health services to facilitate the reintegration of incarcerated veterans into the labor force including any plan for providing housing subsidies.

• AJC Collaboration: the Department’s expectation is that all participants will be referred to their local AJC to receive services for which the participant may be eligible, and that all participants will be enrolled with an AJC, even if the participant may have already secured employment, for follow-up and supportive services;

• Grantees are expected to ensure the local workforce board is aware of the grant award and the grantee’s implementation plan.

(3) Implementation

• The applicant must identify a plan for ensuring that the applicant, all required and all additional, non-required partners have access to penal institutions and other facilities as needed;

• The application must include a schedule for proposed partner activities;

• The applicant must develop and describe a plan that includes the process and any regulations regarding the hiring of staff and the procurement of goods and services;

• The applicant must identify and describe the staffing plan for all core program staff positions, including the Project Director/Manager, Fiscal Director/Manager, and other key positions as determined by the applicant. For all positions for which potential staff members have already been identified, the applicant must describe their qualifications. For all positions for which potential staff members have not been identified, the applicant must describe the required qualifications that will be used for hiring purposes; and

• The applicant must describe how participants will be identified and selected for participation. Specifically, the applicant must address:

o The applicant’s ability to integrate its IVTP proposal with the United

States Department of Justice’s Post Conviction Relief Act (PCRA);

o Their ability to address the needs of chronically incarcerated veterans, especially those who are categorized as PCRA High or Moderate; and o The applicant’s ability to provide services to incarcerated female or veterans with families.

• The applicant must identify the timeline, as an attachment to the

Project Narrative, which includes all key activities within the implementation phase including the timeframe for beginning program services.

• The applicant must describe how participants’ evaluations will be used to identify individual service strategies and how employment retention will be tracked.

(4) Partnerships

• Required Partners: Grantees must partner with at least one penal institution and one AJC. Applications that do not propose to partner with at least one penal institution and one AJC will be screened out and will not move forward through the merit review process and considered for funding. While grantees can partner with any penal institution, DOL is particularly interested in partnerships with federal institutions through the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Prisons and US Courts.

• Additional Partners: Applicants are encouraged to form partnerships with service providers in their local communities. Additional partners may include public or nonprofit career and supportive services providers, such as philanthropic and community and faith-based organizations. These partners (which may include sub-grantees) may provide required program services such as: case management and wrap-around supportive services; pre-release planning; educational assessments; healthcare, mental healthcare, and substance abuse treatment; job readiness activities; employment connections; and post-release supervision planning.

• Please note that a copy of an agreement with the partner is not required except for a partnership with a penal institution. By submitting the grant application, applicants are certifying that the partnership information is accurate. For a partnership with a penal institution, the applicant must submit a written commitment from the institution ensuring necessary access to the institution for grantee staff.

• For all required partners and additional partners, applicants must:

o Describe how partners will be utilized to support program operations and ensure that all required services are available to all program participants;

o Identify how the program partners will work together to ensure that each of the interim and longer-term performance outcomes and outputs (as identified in the Expected Outcomes and Outputs (Appendix 3) will be met;

o Describe how roles and communication will be coordinated with and among the partners;

o Identify each partner (including parole officers) that will be used to support program operations and describe their roles and responsibilities, including the extent to which they will contribute tangible resources that support program implementation and goals;

o Describe how local employers/industry partners will be engaged to ensure that services to participants are in line with employer needs and will lead to future employment; and o For all partnerships with penal institutions, the applicant must also include a written commitment from the penal institutions involved ensuring the necessary access to the penal institution.

• Describe whether or not the project will participate in the local Homeless Management Information System and if so, how that will occur.

c. Organizational, Administrative, and Fiscal Capacity

• The applicant must provide information on the applicant organization’s current mission and structure.

• The applicant must describe how the factors identified in the above bullet contribute to the ability of the organization to carry out the proposed project. Include information about any organization(s) under contract with the applicant that will have a significant role in implementing the project.

• The applicant must describe the fiscal and administrative controls in place to properly manage Federal funds.

• The applicant must describe the organization’s capability to sustain some or all project activities after Federal financial assistance has ended, including program partnerships and participant services. The applicant must also describe how it will utilize leveraged resources to sustain program operations.

• The applicant must describe its plan for utilizing data to determine strategies, activities, and partnerships.

d. Past Performance – Programmatic Capability: Applicants will receive points based on the two previous year’s HVRP achievement of the proposed targets for Enrollment, Placement Rate and Cost per Placement. Applicants must submit, as an attachment to the Project Narrative, a chart of past performance that identifies the three performance goals and the actual annual performance for the past two program years for their HVRP grant. In the chart, applicants must identify the expected level of performance (targets) for each goal and the actual outcomes (results) for each goal. Applicants should format the chart as below:

PY 2014

Target

PY 2014

Result

PY 2013

Target

PY 2013

Result

Enrollment

Placement Rate

Cost Per Placement

Retention Rate

See Attachment 3 for detail of measures definition.

5. Attachments to the Project Narrative: In addition to the Project Narrative, applicants must submit attachments. All attachments must be clearly labeled as “Attachments.” Only those attachments listed below will be excluded from the page limit as attachments. Additional materials such as resumes or general letters of support should not be included and will not be reviewed. Applicants must submit the 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.

a. Required Attachments: The following attachments must be included with the application package; the failure to do so will cause the application package to be screened out

(1). Abstract: When submitting in www.grants.gov, this document must be uploaded as an attachment to the application package and specifically labeled “Abstract in the file name (example: my_Attached_Abstract_File.pdf).”

Applicants must submit an abstract of not more than two pages that summarizes the proposed project, including, but not limited to, the scope of the project and proposed outcomes. The Abstract is limited to two double-spaced single-sided 8.5x11 inch pages with 12 point, Times New Roman text font and 1-inch margins.

Any materials beyond the specified page limit will not be reviewed or considered in the evaluation process. Applicants must include in the abstract:

• applicant’s name;

• project title;

• A description of why the project is needed;

• a description of the geographic area to be served;

• the number of participants to be served;

• the local AJC(s) that will serve as project partners;

• the penal institution(s) that will serve as project partners and a description of what services will be offered at the penal institution if any;

• a description of the overall program model, including the scope of the project and proposed outcomes;

• a description of the additional partners; and

• the requested funding level.

(2) Timeline of Start-up (as identified in Section (III)(B)(1).

(3) Chart of Past Performance (as identified in Section (IV)(B)(4)(d).

(4) Planned Goals Chart (Appendix 7).

b. Requested Attachments: The following attachments are requested, but their omission will not cause the application to be screened out. Omission of these attachments does not impact scoring.

(1) Project/Performance Site Location(s) Form: Applicants should submit a Project/Performance Site Location(s) Form (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15). This form is in the grants.gov application package. Please note that this is a standard form http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15 used for many programs and has a check box for applying as an individual. Disregard this box on the form as individuals are not eligible to apply for this FOA.

(2) Indirect Cost Rate Agreement: If applicants are requesting indirect costs based on a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement approved by the applicant’s Federal Cognizant Agency, then attach the most recently approved Agreement. For more information, see Section (IV)(E).

C. SUBMISSION DATE, TIMES, PROCESS AND ADDRESSES

The closing date for receipt of applications under this Announcement is September 2, 2015. Applications must be submitted either electronically on www.grants.gov or in hard copy by mail or by hand delivery (including overnight delivery).

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 www.grants.gov must also be successfully submitted (as described below) no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date. We recommend that the application be submitted early to minimize the risk of late receipt. 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 ‘‘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 provide 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 www.grants.gov, a letter must accompany the hard-copy application stating which application to review.

If no letter accompanies the hard copy, DOL will review the copy submitted through www.grants.gov.

No exceptions to the mailing and delivery requirements set forth in this notice will be granted. Further, any additional 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:

U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration, Office of Grants Management Attention: Donna Kelly, Grant Officer Reference FOA-VETS-15-02 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716 Washington, D.C., 20210 http://www.grants.gov,/ http://www.grants.gov./

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.

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

We strongly recommend that before applicants prepare the application, they initiate and complete the “Get Registered” registration steps at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants.html Applicants 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 applicants download the “Organization Registration Checklist” at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-tools-and-tips.html and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process. Reviewing and assembling required information before beginning the registration process will alleviate last minute searches for required information and save time.

As described earlier in Section (IV)(B)(2), applications must have a DUNS number and applicants must register it with SAM before submitting an application for this FOA.

The next step in the registration process is creating a username and password with www.grants.gov to become an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR). AORs will need to know the DUNS number of the organization for which they will be submitting applications to complete this process. To read more detailed instructions for creating a profile on www.grants.gov visit:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html

After creating a profile on Grants.gov, the E‐Biz point of Contact (E‐Biz POC) ‐ the contact listed for SAM will receive an email to grant the AOR permission to submit applications on behalf of their organization. The E‐Biz POC will then log in to Grants.gov and approve an individual as the AOR, thereby giving him or her permission to submit applications. To learn more about AOR Authorization visit:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization‐ registration/step‐4‐aor‐ authorization.html, or to track AOR status visit:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-tools-and-tips.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-4-aor-authorization.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-4-aor-authorization.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-4-aor-authorization.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-5-track-aor-status.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization‐registration/step‐5‐track‐ aor‐status.html

An application submitted through www.grants.gov constitutes a submission as an electronically signed application. The registration and account creation with www.grants.gov, with E‐Biz POC approval, establishes an AOR. When an application is submitted through www.grants.gov, the name of the AOR on file will be inserted into the signature line of the application. Applicants must register the individual who is able to make legally binding commitments for the applicant’s organization as the AOR; this step is often missed and it is crucial for valid submissions.

When a registered applicant submits an application with www.grants.gov, an electronic time stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by www.grants.gov. Within two business days of application submission, www.grants.gov will send the applicant two email messages to provide the status of the application’s progress through the system. The first email, sent almost immediately, will contain a tracking number and will confirm receipt of the application by www.grants.gov.

The second email will indicate the application has either been successfully validated or has been rejected due to errors.

WWW.grants.gov will reject…