OSHA SH FY 2026 TT NOFO.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY:

Susan Harwood Training Grant Program, FY 2026 Funding

ASSISTANCE LISTING: 17.502

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: SHTG-FY-26-01

GRANT CATEGORY: Targeted Topic Training

ACTION: This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)/Notice of Available Funding is for eligible organizations to submit proposals to deliver training to eligible workers and employers on a targeted occupational safety and health topic.

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS: The following applicants may apply: nonprofit organizations including institutions of higher education; OSHA-approved State Plans that receive grants under section 23(g) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act); entities that operate On-Site Consultation programs that receive grants under Section 21(d) of the OSH Act; and OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Centers authorized by OSHA under Section 21(c) of the OSH Act.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must follow the guidelines stated in this NOFO before submitting a complete application package, including attachments, at www.grants.gov (Grants.gov).

APPLICATION DEADLINE: This NOFO closes on July 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

Applications not validated by Grants.gov or submitted after this deadline are ineligible for consideration.

NOTICE OF CONCURRENT NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: This NOFO is for Targeted Topic Training grant applicants. Applicants competing for a Training and Educational Materials Development grant (SHTG-FY-26-02) must submit their application in response to the appropriate NOFO. Applications submitted under the wrong NOFO number are non-viable and ineligible for consideration.

FURTHER INFORMATION: This NOFO does not itself obligate any federal funds.

Information about the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program is on the OSHA website at www.osha.gov/harwoodgrants. Email questions about this NOFO to HarwoodGrants@dol.gov or call 847-725-7805 on weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Eastern time, excluding federal holidays.

The Grants.gov Support webpage, www.grants.gov/support, may have answers to questions or problems related to application submissions. Support is available via email at Support@grants.gov or by telephone at 1-800-518-4726, except on federal holidays.

http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.osha.gov/harwoodgrants mailto:HarwoodGrants@dol.gov https://www.grants.gov/support mailto:Support@grants.gov

SHTG-FY-26-01 Targeted Topic Training Grant Instructions Table of Contents

Executive Summary Program Overview and Funding Opportunity Description Award Information

A. Award Category B. Performance Period C. Funding D. 2026 Targeted Training Topics E. Eligible Trainees F. Targeted Audiences G. Training and Training Materials

Grant Application and Submission A. Eligible Applicants B. Application Submission C. Required Grants.gov Application Content D. Required Program Attachments

Table 1: Training Projections by Audience Table 2: Projected Quarterly Number of Trainees and Training Contact Hours

E. Required Detailed Budget and Budget Narrative Attachments F. Nonprofit Status G. Meetings, Reporting, and Documentation

Table 3: Grantee reporting due dates H. Submission Format I. Intergovernmental Review J. Application Evaluation Criteria, Review, and Selection Process K. Anticipated Award Announcement Date and Notification

Applicable Federal Laws and Post-Award Grant Program Conditions A. Applicable Federal Laws B. Grant Program Conditions

Appendix A – FY 2026 Targeted Training Topics Appendix B – Application Checklist Appendix C – Grants.gov Application Submission and Receipt Procedures Appendix D – Viable Application Requirements

Appendix E – Program and Administrative Costs Definition Appendix F – Examples of Budget Forms Appendix G – Application Formatting Restrictions and Requirements Appendix H – Application Summary Format Appendix I – Program Abstract Narrative Appendix J – Allowable/Unallowable Use of Grant Funds

Faith-Based Organizations Appendix K – Targeted Topic Training Evaluation Criteria Appendix L – Grant Funded Materials Submittal Process References

Executive Summary

Under the authority of Section 21 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act), the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) established its discretionary grant program in 1978. In 1997, OSHA renamed the program in honor of the late Susan Harwood, former director of the OSHA Office of Risk Assessment. The grant program offers eligible organizations the opportunity to compete annually for funding so they may develop and conduct training and educational programs for small business employers and workers.

The Susan Harwood Training Grant Program supports eligible organizations' efforts to provide occupational safety and health training. These organizations train eligible workers and employers about workplace hazards, hazard avoidance, controls, worker rights, and employer responsibilities under the OSH Act. Information about the Harwood program is located at www.osha.gov/harwoodgrants/applicant-information.

The Susan Harwood Grant Program awards funds to qualifying organizations with demonstrated capabilities to achieve the program’s performance expectations outlined in this NOFO. These competencies include occupational safety and health knowledge, experience in recruiting trainees, delivering and administering adult training, and managing grant programs. OSHA monitors each awardee’s progress in achieving their performance goals and training targets.

OSHA accomplishes this by conducting orientation meetings, reviewing training materials, conducting training observations and monitoring visits, and evaluating quarterly and final reports.

The FY 2026 federal appropriations authorize OSHA to announce the availability of $12,787,000 in funding for new Susan Harwood Training Program grants. Applications submitted in response to this NOFO compete for a Targeted Topic Training grant. Applicants must propose developing and conducting instructor-led training addressing no more than two of the OSHA-specified training topics. This grant program restricts organizations to one grant award per fiscal year. If an organization submits multiple applications for this or other Harwood funding opportunities, OSHA will review the last viable application package submitted.

Funding is for a 12-month performance period beginning on September 30, 2026, and ending on September 30, 2027. The maximum for a Targeted Topic Training grant award is $215,000.

OSHA expects to award multiple grants under this competitive NOFO. This NOFO does not establish any funding obligations. Selected applicants will receive a notice of award. Funds are obligated when a grant recipient acknowledges receipt and accepts the notice of award documents.

This NOFO closes on July 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time. Applications must be submitted using Grants.gov (www.grants.gov). Applications not validated by Grants.gov or submitted after this deadline are ineligible for consideration.

The following applicants are eligible to apply: nonprofit organizations including institutions of higher education; OSHA-approved State Plans that receive grants under section 23(g) of the http://www.osha.gov/harwoodgrants/applicant-information https://www.grants.gov/

OSH Act; entities that operate On-Site Consultation programs that receive grants under Section 21(d) of the OSH Act; and OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Centers authorized by OSHA under Section 21(c) of the OSH Act. Ineligible applicants include individuals; for-profit organizations; federal, local governmental, and non-OSHA approved State Plans/On-Site Consultation Program state agencies; 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations; and FY 2025 Susan Harwood Targeted Topic Training grantees with more than a three-month extension to their performance period.

This NOFO is a guide for developing a grant application. Applications are accepted for this NOFO number at Grants.gov. Applicants new to Grants.gov must complete the “Register as an Organization” steps at www.grants.gov/register. The applicant must also register with the System for Award Management (SAM). Registering with SAM (www.sam.gov) is free, but the process may take several weeks to complete. To avoid delays that could result in the rejection of the application, applicants must factor these processes into their plans for submitting their application.

OSHA recommends that the applicant register with SAM and not rely on third parties to engage in registering with SAM on their behalf. Third parties may misrepresent (intentionally or unintentionally) that they have obtained a SAM registration for the organization when they have not done so. Even if an applicant relies in good faith on a third party to complete their SAM registration or renewal process and then learns their organization is not active in SAM, their grant application will be rejected.

If an applicant has used Grants.gov in the past, the applicant should verify the accuracy of the account’s information and ensure their accounts are active in Grants.gov and SAM. SAM requires the organization to review and update its registration information every 12 months. An inaccurate or expired registration may result in the rejection of the grant application.

Additional information about Grants.gov requirements is in Appendix C.

Program Overview and Funding Opportunity Description

The Susan Harwood Training Grant Program funds eligible organizations to develop and deliver training on workplace hazard recognition, as well as abatement and prevention of occupational safety and health injuries and illnesses. Grantees may not provide consultation services under this grant program.

The program emphasizes six areas:

• educating workers and employers in small businesses

• training workers and employers on identifying and preventing serious occupational safety and health hazards identified by OSHA through the DOL’s Strategic Plan, as part of an OSHA special emphasis program, or other OSHA priorities (see www.osha.gov)

• training workers facing barriers to safety and health training

• training workers and employers about new OSHA standards

• developing and disseminating materials to train and educate workers https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration https://www.sam.gov/ https://www.osha.gov/

• educating workers on their rights and employers on their responsibilities as required by the OSH Act

Awardees must include an overview of OSHA Whistleblower Protection Programs (www.whistleblowers.gov), employee rights, and employer responsibilities in each training session. The overview will help trainees understand their workplace rights concerning occupational safety and health.

Grants awarded under the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program are separate from other grants OSHA may award to the applicants (i.e., grants awarded to States under sections 21(d) and 23(g) of the OSH Act) and must be used for Susan Harwood Training Grant Program activities only (i.e., not for State Plan or On-site consultation activities).

Award Information

Funding for the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program is subject to available federal funding.

OSHA may award a grant with conditions. As a requirement for the award, OSHA may require new awardees to make minor application revisions to align with this NOFO’s requirements and applicable regulations.

A. Award Category

Grants awarded under this NOFO are for conducting occupational safety and health training for eligible workers and employers on no more than two of the OSHA-specified topics in Appendix A. Applicants must conduct instructor-led training using existing or revised Susan Harwood materials, grantee-developed materials, or other training materials approved by OSHA.

B. Performance Period

Grant awards are for a 12-month performance period beginning September 30, 2026, and ending September 30, 2027.

C. Funding

Targeted Topic Training grant applicants may request up to $215,000. While not required, applicants may commit non-federal funds and resources to the award. The applicant must identify the source of the additional funds and resources, including them in the budget, and spend them according to this funding opportunity and the Harwood program.

D. 2026 Targeted Training Topics

OSHA lists the selected twenty-two (22) training topics for FY 2026 in Appendix A – FY 2026 Targeted Training Topics. Applicants may choose no more than two training topics and address federal OSHA requirements, including the recognition, abatement, and prevention of hazards in the training audiences’ workplace. Applications identifying https://www.whistleblowers.gov/ more than two topics are non-compliant and ineligible for consideration.

E. Eligible Trainees

OSHA covers most private-sector employers and workers. This grant program supports occupational safety and health training for eligible workers and employers covered under the OSH Act of 1970, §4, codified at 29 U.S.C. 653.

Eligible trainees include unemployed workers planning to re-enter the workforce in a similar position within three months of the training, e.g., construction or seasonal workers. Additionally, while most federal, state, and local government employees are ineligible trainees, some may have occupational safety and health duties within their agency. In this context, the employees with occupational safety and health duties who are responsible for ensuring safe and healthful working conditions within their agency or organization (e.g., those employees who provide training, manage or participate in safety committees, or monitor the safety and health of employees within their agency or organization) are eligible trainees.

Ineligible trainees include the applicant’s staff/employees, individuals trained at conferences or seminars, individuals participating in a needs assessment, or individuals being trained to qualify for employment. State and local government employees with occupational safety and health protection under an OSHA-approved State Plan, all state employees who work for an OSHA-funded State Plan or Consultation program, and federal OSHA employees are ineligible trainees.

Grantees may not provide training as part of a job placement service or to assist a person in qualifying for employment.

F. Targeted Audiences

Training and training materials must be delivered in a manner the participants can understand and have an impact on workers and employers in small businesses. The targeted audience includes one or more of the following:

• Workers and employers in high-hazard industries

• Workers and employers in industries with high fatality rates

• Workers facing barriers to occupational safety and health training

G. Training and Training Materials

Applicants must focus on delivering instructor-led training for workers and employers on no more than two of the topics listed in Appendix A and may use previously approved Harwood materials, revise existing materials, or create new materials. Applicants who plan to use existing or acquired training materials must identify the source of the materials and adhere to all copyright laws. Existing non-Harwood or other acquired materials may be subject to OSHA review and approval. Hybrid and asynchronous training are outside the scope of this funding opportunity.

The training must be delivered in a way that trainees easily understand and must cover exposure to occupational safety and health hazards in the workplace. It must also include a brief overview of worker rights, employer responsibilities, and the OSHA Whistleblower Protection Programs (www.whistleblowers.gov).

Grantees revising previously approved Harwood training materials must include a list of the materials, the original grant number, and the proposed revisions. OSHA must review and approve all substantive revisions. This requirement applies to materials downloaded from the OSHA webpage or obtained directly from a previous Susan Harwood grantee.

Applicants must describe how the training will be delivered to ensure trainees can easily understand the content.

Training conducted in OSHA-approved State Plan states may include references to the state's requirements. However, if the applicant plans to revise or develop new training materials, the final OSHA-approved version of training materials provided to OSHA must reference federal OSHA regulations only. Training materials include but are not limited to promotional flyers, advertisements, training objectives, presentation/training materials, instructor guides/presenter notes, videos, student manuals/handouts, student exercises, sign-in sheets, pre- and post-training knowledge assessments, and trainer/training presentation evaluations. Grantees must adhere to all copyright laws and provide a written certification that materials are free from copyright infringements.

Resources addressing needs assessments, adult learning techniques, models for worker training, and training evaluation documentation include “Best Practices for the Development, Delivery, and Evaluation of Harwood Training Grants,” available at www.osha.gov/harwoodgrants/best-practices and OSHA Publication 3824, “Resource for Development and Delivery of Training to Workers,” available at www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3824.pdf. Training materials must follow a commonly accepted Instructional Systems Design (ISD) model, such as ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation), which is described at www.psu.pb.unizin.org/idhandbook/chapter/addie/.

OSHA posts grant-developed/revised training materials on the OSHA website at www.osha.gov/harwoodgrants/grantmaterials/bytopic/. Grantees who develop new or revised materials must provide OSHA with one electronic copy of the final OSHA-approved materials before September 1, 2027. Materials must comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. Information on Section 508 compliance is at www.section508.gov. A guidance checklist is at www.hhs.gov/web/section- 508/accessibility-checklists/index.html.

Grantees must acknowledge DOL funding on all materials developed or revised under this program. Each type of material shall contain the following disclaimer:

https://www.whistleblowers.gov/ https://www.osha.gov/harwoodgrants/best-practices https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3824.pdf http://www.psu.pb.unizin.org/idhandbook/chapter/addie/ http://www.osha.gov/harwoodgrants/grantmaterials/bytopic/ https://www.section508.gov/ https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/accessibility-checklists/index.html https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/accessibility-checklists/index.html

This material was produced under grant number SH-____-SH_ from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S.

Government.

Applicants revising previously approved Harwood training materials must retain the original disclaimer and grant number and acknowledge that they revised the materials by adding the following statement after the original disclaimer:

Revisions were made to this material under grant number SH-____-SH_ from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor.

Grant Application and Submission

This announcement includes instructions for developing and organizing the application package.

Application submission information and standard forms are on the Grants.gov website. An organization may receive only one Susan Harwood training grant in a fiscal year. If an organization submits multiple applications for this funding opportunity, OSHA will review the last application accepted by Grants.gov.

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are: nonprofit organizations including institutions of higher education;

OSHA-approved State Plans that receive grants under section 23(g) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act); entities that operate On-Site Consultation programs that receive grants under Section 21(d) of the OSH Act: and OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Centers authorized by OSHA under Section 21(c) of the OSH Act.

Entities are eligible to receive only one Susan Harwood Training Grant award regardless of the number of qualifying roles they fulfill. For example, an OTI Education Center that also serves as an On-site Consultation program is only eligible to receive a single Susan Harwood Training Grant award.

Nonprofit organizations must attach evidence of their nonprofit status to their application as listed in Section F. Nonprofit Status below.

Ineligible applicants are individuals; federal, local governmental, and non-OSHA approved State Plans/On-Site Consultation Program state agencies; FY 2025 Susan Harwood Targeted Topic Training grantees with more than a three-month extension to their performance period; and 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations.

All organizations listed in an application as partners or key contributors to the grant must qualify as an eligible organization under this NOFO and adhere to program requirements.

Moreover:

• As the potential grantee, the applicant must be able to perform most or all program activities.

• The authorized representative and the financial certifying official must be identified in the application and employed by the applicant organization.

• The authorized representative must have the authority to commit the organization to a grant agreement.

• The authorized representative must be the primary contact for OSHA communications regarding the grant agreement and program.

• An organization cannot be a Harwood grantee and a partner/subcontractor/contributor for another Harwood grantee during the same grant year.

• Grant duties may not be sub-awarded or passed on to other organizations or contractors.

• An organization contracting services for grant activities must describe the services and justify that the contractor is necessary to achieve grant goals. Contract awards must follow full and open competitions, as required by 2 CFR 200.320.

• Contractors cannot provide budgeted grant services (e.g., providing training materials, conducting training) for more than one Harwood grantee during the award period.

B. Application Submission

The applicant should prepare their grant application package using the checklist in Appendix B, which lists the documents needed for a complete application. Applicants should review the Grants.gov application submission and receipt procedures in Appendix C before submitting the application. Appendix D outlines the viability criteria for an application. OSHA rejects applications deemed non-viable or if they are submitted after the announcement closes.

The applicant must submit their application at Grants.gov. If applying online poses a hardship, the applicant may contact a program coordinator at HarwoodGrants@dol.gov or 847-725-7805 no later than three weeks before the announcement closes to discuss possible options.

C. Required Grants.gov Application Content

Use the checklist in Appendix B to confirm the application includes all the required documents. Applications will fail because of missing, incomplete, and improperly formatted documents. The following information supplements the checklist in Appendix B.

SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance

• The amount entered in section 18 box a is the official federal funding request

• The total amount entered in section 18 box g is the official award amount.

• Round dollars down to the nearest whole dollar mailto:HarwoodGrants@dol.gov

• The authorized representative’s electronic signature on the SF-424, block 21, constitutes a binding offer by the applicant and must be the same person stated on the Application Summary document

• The name entered as the contact person on the SF-424, section 8 box f, will be shown as the project director on the notice of award and must be the same person listed as the project director on the Application Summary document

SF-424A Budget Information – Non-Construction Programs

• Round dollars down to the nearest whole dollar

• Budget information on the SF-424A must match the information on the supporting detailed budget and narrative documents. (Examples shown in Appendix F)

• Show the projected program and administrative costs in separate columns (defined in Appendix E)

D. Required Program Attachments

Application Summary (not to exceed two pages) - Use the template in Appendix H

Program Abstract (not to exceed ½-page) - Use the template in Appendix I

Technical Proposal (not to exceed 20 double-spaced pages) - Use the formatting requirements located in Appendix G

Technical Proposal Requirements

Applicants must use the same section headers identified in Appendix K and provide the following information.

1. Proposal Introduction

• Applicant/Organization Name

• Grant category: Targeted Topic Training

• Proposed training topic (Appendix A)

• Potential targeted audience and industry

2. Organization Background and Experience

Provide a brief overview of the organization’s purpose, function, daily business activities, and the past five years of experience with governmental (federal, state, or local) grant programs. Describe the organization’s:

• Commitment to worker safety and health

• Experience with conducting training and interacting with adult learners

• Engagement with industry workers and employers to increase their understanding of occupational safety and health in the workplace

• Recruitment of trainees in the targeted audiences

• Experience conducting level 1 training session evaluations and level 2 learning assessments, and using the responses to improve the training

3. Staff Positions and Experience

The applicant must have knowledgeable and experienced staff to support this grant program. Describe the staff’s occupational safety and health qualifications and experience relevant to the application’s proposed work activities. Include their experience conducting training, developing training materials for adult learners, and managing grants or projects. Attach resumes showing staff qualifications and position descriptions or minimum hiring qualifications for vacant positions.

4. Statement of Need

• Describe the organizational need for federal assistance

• Explain the barriers preventing the organization from meeting its audience’s occupational safety and health training needs

• Provide a clear and concise description of the geographic scope of the project and industry sectors

• Identify known issues the audience encounters when seeking occupational safety and health training

5. Work Plan

The technical proposal’s work plan includes two components: 1) a detailed narrative of all planned grant activities; and 2) an activity table specifying detailed grant activities by quarter. The work plan’s detailed narrative must describe: the instructor-led training that will be conducted; other grant activities, tasks, and due dates; and expected results that are achievable within the 12-month grant performance period. Grantees must use the work plan table to compare activities accomplished for the quarterly progress reports and will be held accountable for completing the activities listed in their work plan.

Work Plan Detailed Narrative must include:

Training and Training Materials

Training must be instructor-led. Applicants must describe the training materials, how they will acquire them, and how they will use them to conduct training. Applicants developing, revising, or translating training materials must provide a timeline for developing, evaluating, validating, and producing the materials. Applicants must also state how they will make the new materials compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

Grantees may not provide training using the OTI or OTI Education Center course materials. If an OTI Education Center applies and receives an award, they may use their training materials as a basis for developing abbreviated training for use during the Harwood grant performance period. They may not provide training as if the trainee is enrolled in a numbered OTI Education Center OSHA course.

OSHA must approve new and revised grant materials before the grantee may conduct instructor-led training or translate the materials. Allow at least three weeks for OSHA to review the materials for technical accuracy and suitability. If the grantee revises the materials after receiving OSHA approval, they must submit the updated materials to OSHA for re-approval.

If a grantee chooses to translate materials, OSHA may require the grantee to certify the accuracy of the translation by identifying the translator and providing the translator’s qualifications. Organizations developing translated training materials must first obtain OSHA’s approval of the English materials. OSHA reserves the right to review translated materials before their use. Spanish safety and health terminology are in OSHA’s dictionaries at www.osha.gov/complianceassistance/spanish-dictionaries.

Training Plan and Projections

Training must reach multiple small business employers and their workers. The training may not occur at conferences, expos, symposiums, association meetings, or as part of a needs assessment. Applicants must describe a plan to recruit eligible workers and employers and identify whether the plan includes working with other organizations to recruit the trainees.

Grant activities must focus on providing instructor-led, in-person training sessions on no more than two OSHA-approved occupational safety and health topics. The applicant must describe the training content, location, number of trainees, and contact hours for the training sessions. Describe the methods used to actively involve workers during the training to create a participatory learning environment. Grantees may not include in their quarterly progress reports those workers who attend training during the development or revision of training materials or before OSHA approves the new or revised materials.

A training session is a planned and organized event where trainees gather to learn new knowledge and information. A training session is complete when the grantee presents the training materials approved by OSHA. A training session may be a few hours or multiple days. For training that spans multiple days, a trainee must attend the entire event before the grantee may report them on the quarterly progress report. If the training begins in one quarter but ends in the next quarter, the grantee must wait to report the trainee in the quarter when the training is completed.

Grantees may not train an individual on the same grant topic more than once during the grant period. Organizations that have received consecutive grants to train on the https://www.osha.gov/complianceassistance/spanish-dictionaries same topic must describe their tracking plan to ensure they train different workers from the previous grant year.

Daily trainee contact hours must be between 30 minutes and 7.5 hours. Contact hours refer to the time spent covering instructional content. Trainee contact hours do not include breaks; lunchtime; or administrative activities such as time spent on trainee sign-in, describing general training site information, engaging in training evaluation, or the presentation of training completion certificates.

The training class size must be no fewer than three (3) trainees and no more than 40 trainees. The ideal class size to facilitate participatory learning with actively involved trainees is between 10 and 30 trainees.

Training evaluations and assessments help validate the training and assist the grantee in improving the training presentation. Grantees must administer level 1 training session evaluations and level 2 trainee assessments during each training session. The Department of Labor reserves the right to conduct studies on the program’s impact. The grantee agrees to fully cooperate with and provide any data needed for all federally sponsored evaluations of the training.

Level 1 – Training Session Evaluations measure how trainees react to the training experience, including their perception of the training environment, instructor(s), and the quality and usefulness of the training. Level 1 evaluations must be in writing and completed by the trainee.

Level 2 – Trainee Learning Assessments measure the impact of the training on the trainees’ safety knowledge and attitude. To ensure accurate documentation of changes in trainees’ knowledge, all pre- and post-assessments must measure the training objectives and align in content, format, and approach. Level 2 assessments must either be written tests or instructor-documented oral pre- and post-training assessments. The grantee/instructor must maintain documentation of all written, verbal, or activity-based assessments. Grantees must retain all evaluations and assessments for OSHA monitoring purposes.

The applicant’s work plan must include training projections showing the training audience, hours of each training session, projected number of trainees, and training contact hours. The work plan must include the following table. Projections must be a whole number, as shown in Table 1, and may not be a range.

Table 1: Training Projections by Audience Audience Hours of each

Training Session Projected Number of

Trainees Total Contact Hours

Worker – Intro 2 340 680 Worker – Advanced 4 120 480 Train-the-Trainer 8 30 240 Employer 8 40 360

Total 530 1,760

The applicant’s work plan must include each quarter's estimated trainee numbers and training contact hours. Grantees must conduct multiple training sessions. The work plan must explain how these estimates were developed and include the following table.

Projections must be a whole number, as shown in Table 2, not a range.

Table 2: Projected Quarterly Number of Trainees and Training Contact Hours Quarter Performance Period Projected Number of Trainees Projected Training

Contact Hours Quarter 1 October 1 to December 31 0 0 Quarter 2 January 1 to March 31 130 400 Quarter 3 April 1 to June 30 190 650 Quarter 4 July 1 to September 30 210 710

Totals 530 1,760 Funding (federal and non-federal) $215,000 $215,000 Cost per trainee/contact hour $406 $122

NOTE: The cost per trainee must not exceed $500.

The cost per training contact hour must not exceed $125.

Use the following formulas:

Cost per trainee: Total number of trainees ÷ total funding < $500 Cost per contact hour: Total number of contact hours ÷ total funding < $125

A train-the-trainer program allows the grantee to expand the distribution of their occupational safety and health training to reach more workers. Grantees who opt to conduct train-the-trainer programs provide “tier-one training” directly to eligible workers and employers and may also conduct train-the-trainer training to eligible workers and employers. Only the grantee may conduct train-the-trainer training.

Trainees who complete a train-the-trainer class become “tier-two trainers” and must conduct “tier-two training” for additional eligible workers and employers using the grantee’s training materials. Tier-two trainers must collect the trainees’ learning assessments and training evaluation responses on the training they conduct and maintain supporting documents for the grantee. Tier-two trainers may not conduct additional tiers of train-the-trainer training. Grantees may not use grant funds to compensate tier-two trainers.

The train-the-trainer program requires more effort from the grantee. Tier-two trainers must comply with grant requirements and restrictions. The grantee must provide guidance to tier-two trainers and formally monitor them to authenticate the training quality, training numbers, and contact hours. The grantee must obtain training information from the tier-two trainers for the quarterly progress reports (number of trainees, contact hours, and assessment/evaluation results). Neither the grantee nor the tier-two trainers may train the grantee’s staff.

Applicants proposing tier-two training must provide the following information and estimates:

• identity of the tier-two training audience

• number of tier-two trainings

• number of tier-two trainees (workers and employers)

• number of tier-two training contact hours

• process for acquiring the quarterly training, assessments, and evaluation data from the tier-two trainers

• grantee planned support for the tier-two trainers

• grantee monitoring plan for the tier-two trainers

Work Plan Activity Table

The work plan activity table must show each quarter’s grant-related activity. Include participating in OSHA-required meetings, submitting grant-developed materials for OSHA review, submitting quarterly progress reports, conducting projected training sessions, and doing other grant-related activities. Identify anticipated completion dates for these activities.

Institutions of higher education must observe Constitution Day and Citizenship Day to commemorate the September 17, 1787, signing of the United States Constitution.

Each educational institution that receives Federal funds for a fiscal year must hold an educational program about the U.S. Constitution for its students. Visit Commemorating Constitution Day for relevant information. This grant does not fund these activities.

E. Required Detailed Budget and Budget Narrative Attachments

The Application for Federal Assistance, SF-424, section 18, identifies the requested federal funds. On line 18a, an applicant may request federal assistance up to the maximum $215,000 award amount for this NOFO. No additional federal funds will be available during the performance period.

Budget allocations must be consistent throughout the application. The detailed budget and supporting budget narrative itemize and allocate the anticipated costs and explain how the costs support the work plan activities. Proposed expenditures of grant funds must be necessary, reasonable, allowable, and follow federal guidelines. Appendix E and Appendix J identify allowable and unallowable costs for this program. Expenditures must comply with the NOFO and federal cost principles in the Uniform Guidance, 2 CFR 200 and 2 CFR 2900.

Detailed Budget Table

The work plan’s detailed budget table must ensure the costs are allocated so that they match page 2 of the SF-424A Budget Information document. Personnel and benefits categories must state the names, positions/titles, salaries, and the percentage of time each position works on grant activities. Applicants must show how individuals’ salaries and https://www.ed.gov/teaching-and-administration/teaching-resources/instructional-resources/constitution-day-and-citizenship-day benefit costs are calculated. Itemize and show the cost for the items that make up the budget for the other categories, i.e., travel, supplies, and others.

As explained in Appendix E, each category of costs must be identified as a program or administrative cost. These costs must be shown in separate columns like the example table in Appendix F. Applicants who include non-federal funding in their applications must identify where the funds are from, allocate them as part of the budget, and appropriately list them as paying for program costs or administrative costs. The indirect cost allocation added to the budget must be in the administrative cost column.

Supporting Budget Narrative

Briefly describe the organization’s financial management processes, including its accounting system, internal funds control, segregation of fiscal duties, and fiscal management procedures. Explain how funds support the goals and objectives of this program. Use the supporting budget narrative to itemize and justify costs in each category. Identify the source and amount of non-federal funding (see Voluntary Resource Contributions below). Describe the method used to calculate each cost.

Applicants with one or more partners must include a budget for each partner that describes the partner’s costs and the impact on the program’s budget. The personnel and benefits categories must state the names, positions/titles, and the percentage of time each position works on grant activities, salaries, and benefits calculations. For other budget categories, provide specific details, such as mileage and mileage rates, supply items and costs, and other itemized costs. For service contracts, describe the contracting method, purpose, and scope of work. Contracts must meet the requirements stated in Appendix E.

Administrative and Program Costs

Appendix E outlines allowable administrative and program costs.

Administrative costs support the management of the grant. Costs include salaries and benefits for the authorized representative, financial certifying representative, administrative support staff, and others who manage the grant related to preparing and completing reports, travel costs to OSHA-required meetings, supplies needed for administrative tasks, and the indirect cost allocation. This program's maximum allowance for administrative costs is 25 percent of the total funding amount (federal award and applicant’s non-federal funds).

Program costs are costs incurred to develop and conduct training. These include salaries and benefits for the project director, developers, instructors, travel costs to conduct training, instructional supplies, and other costs associated with conducting training.

Applicants may not request funds to purchase equipment and furniture or to establish or maintain remote training systems/platforms.

Applicants may not use grant funds to pay for services provided by: federal or federally funded employees; or by state employees, with the exception of Harwood grant-related services rendered by state employees who are officially assigned to and approved to work on the state’s Harwood grant (e.g., employees of a grantee that is an OSHA 21(d) Consultation Program or an OSHA 23(g) State Plan).

OSHA 21(d) Consultation Program and OSHA 23(g) State Plan staff duties must be accounted for separately from duties associated with the Susan Harwood Training Program (that is, State Plan and Consultation Program grant activities cannot be charged to the recipient’s Susan Harwood grant, and activities conducted under the Susan Harwood grant cannot be charged to grants disbursed to the recipient pursuant to sections 21(d) and 23(g) of the OSH Act). An employee’s time working on all OSHA-funded programs may not exceed 100 percent of that employee’s time.

Appendix J lists additional prohibited use of grant funds.

Voluntary Resource Contributions

Applicants must identify all voluntary resource contributions used to support the project.

Voluntary resources are supplemental to federal funding and must be used under the same conditions as the OSHA funds. The voluntary contributions may not include federal funds received from another agency.

Indirect Cost Allocation

The indirect cost allocation is an administrative cost for this grant. If the applicant has an approved negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (ICRA), they must submit a copy of their signed agreement as an attachment to their application in Grants.gov. The IRCA’s effective dates must cover the entire grant performance period.

Applicants without an approved ICRA may allocate a 15 percent de minimis rate to their budget based on Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) as described in 2 CFR 200.68 and 2 CFR 200.414. If allocating a 15 percent de minimis rate, the applicant must identify it as a “de minimis rate” and provide their method for calculating the MTDC.

F. Nonprofit Status

As applicable, applicants and their partners must submit proof of non-profit status. A legible copy of the organization’s Internal Revenue Service (IRS) determination letter issued under the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. § 501(c) is requested. However, the applicant may instead attach a legible, signed copy of one of the following documents.

• A state taxing body or Secretary of State letter certifying that the organization is a nonprofit organization operating within the state and that no part of its net earnings benefits any private shareholder or individual

• A certified copy of the applicant’s certificate of incorporation or similar document used to establish their nonprofit status

• A parent (state or national) organization’s proof of nonprofit status and a statement from the parent organization that the applicant is a local nonprofit affiliate of the parent organization

G. Meetings, Reporting, and Documentation

Grantees must participate in OSHA meetings and monitoring/observation visits, maintain training documentation, and submit quarterly progress reports. Applicants must include these activities in their work plan and show related costs in their budget proposal.

It is each recipient’s responsibility to adhere to all Federal award requirements set forth in the award agreements. Each recipient signs assurances and certifications that the grantee will comply with all terms and conditions of the grant awards, which includes timely, accurate, and complete submission of all documentation required, including quarterly Federal Financial Reports for the purpose of monitoring financial activities throughout the performance period of the grant.

Each recipient will be advised that they will be at risk of facing some restrictions if they are unable to conduct the timely and accurate reporting of Federal awards in the future.

Failure to submit accurate documents prior to the established deadline will result in a violation of the Grants Oversight and New Efficiency Act (“GONE Act”) of 2016 (Public Law 114-117). When a recipient fails to submit all required and accurate documents by the due date stated, the grantee will be at risk of being placed on the list of grant recipients submitted to Congress in accordance with the GONE Act.

OSHA reserves the right to place a recipient on the temporary restrictions mode in the Payment Management System for failure to submit accurate documents prior to the established deadlines. The restrictions mode will require all drawdown requests to include a written description of the need for the drawdown request, including deliverables and supplemental information such as monthly expense reports. Any such drawdown requests will be reviewed by OSHA. The restriction mode will be in place until the recipient commits to the timely submission of the reports and the expense reconciliation issues are resolved.

A grantee orientation meeting is mandatory and occurs early in the performance period at a location determined by OSHA. Applicants must state in their budget documents that they will attend the orientation meeting.

Grantee reporting requirements include quarterly submission of financial and program progress reports to OSHA. The quarterly report compares the applicant’s planned activities in the work plan to actual quarterly accomplishments and may include grantee-proposed corrective actions. They are due no later than 30 days after the end of the quarter. The grant closeout report is due no later than 120 days after the end of the grant period. The grantee’s personnel and other costs related to these reporting requirements are administrative costs.

Table 3: Grantee reporting due dates Report Reporting Period Due Date

Quarter 1 10/01/2026 - 12/31/2026 01/30/2027 Quarter 2 01/01/2027 - 03/31/2027 04/30/2027 Quarter 3 04/01/2027 - 06/30/2027 07/30/2027 Quarter 4 07/01/2027 - 09/30/2027 10/30/2027

Closeout/Final 10/01/2026 - 09/30/2027 01/28/2028

SF-425 Federal Financial Report (FFR) is due 30 days after the end of each quarter and shows grant expenses incurred for that quarter. The final report is due no later than 120 days after the end of the grant performance period. No expenditures may be obligated to the grant during the closeout period.

The Quarterly Progress Report (OSHA 171 Form and Narrative) is due from the grantee to OSHA within 30 days after the end of each quarter. The OSHA 171 is a quantitative report that shows training dates, locations, number of trainees, and training contact hours. The accompanying narrative requires the grantee to describe their progress toward completing activities and meeting quarterly work plan goals. Include summary data from the training assessments and evaluations reported in the narrative to provide the qualitative outcomes of the training sessions. The grantee reports on issues they have encountered or successes and accomplishments they achieved.

Within 120 days of the grant performance period, the grantee must complete a final closeout narrative analyzing their performance. This narrative summarizes the activities reported during the previous quarters. It addresses how the grant activities enabled them to accomplish the work plan goals and how the training impacted the trainees. The grantee must submit a final summary of the assessments and evaluations.

H. Submission Format

Use the Application Checklist in Appendix B to verify the application package includes all the required forms and attachments before applying at Grants.gov. Missing, incomplete, or oversized documents will affect the review and viability of the application.

Organize the application’s attachments in the following order:

• application summary

• program abstract

• technical proposal (as one document)

• organizational chart(s)

• resumes for key personnel

• position descriptions for key vacancies

• detailed budget

• budget support narrative

Do not include sample training outlines or training materials.

I. Intergovernmental Review

The Susan Harwood Training Grant Program is not subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.

J. Application Evaluation Criteria, Review, and Selection Process

OSHA will screen applications only after Grants.gov validates the submission. OSHA will use the checklist in Appendix B to determine whether the application meets the NOFO’s requirements. Applications that do not comply with one or more requirements are non-responsive and disqualified from consideration.

A technical panel of OSHA staff will rate each responsive…