PKG00264470-instructions.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

ANNOUNCEMENT FOR:

YOUTHBUILD

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Initial

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: FOA-ETA-21-04

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER: 17.274

KEY DATES: The closing date for receipt of applications under this Announcement is February 9, 2021. We must receive applications no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

A pre-recorded Prospective Applicant Webinar will be available online on approximately December 30, 2020 at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/grants/apply/find-opportunities, under the YouthBuild Funding Opportunity Announcement heading and available for viewing any time after that date. While a review of this Webinar is strongly encouraged to support successful grant applications, it is not mandatory

ADDRESSES: Address mailed applications to:

The U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration, Office of Grants Management Attention: Brinda Ruggles, Grant Officer Reference FOA-ETA-21-04 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716 Washington, D.C. 20210

For complete application and submission information, including online application instructions, please refer to Section IV.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

PROGRAM PURPOSE

PROGRAM AUTHORITY

AWARD INFORMATION

AWARD TYPE AND AMOUNT

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

OUTCOMES

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

COST SHARING OR MATCHING

OTHER INFORMATION

1. Application Screening Criteria

2. Number of Applications Applicants May Submit

3. Eligible Participants

4. Participant Enrollments

5. Target Community Service Area

6. Work Site Requirements

7. Industry-Recognized Credentials

8. Construction Plus Expectations

9. Travel and Technical Assistance

APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

HOW TO OBTAIN AN APPLICATION PACKAGE

CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION

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

2. Project Budget

3. Project Narrative

4. Attachments to the Project Narrative

SUBMISSION DATE, TIME, PROCESS AND ADDRESS

1. Hardcopy Submission

2. Electronic Submission through Grants.gov

INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW

FUNDING RESTRICTIONS

1. Indirect Costs

2. Administrative Cost Limitation

3. Salary and Bonus Limitations

4. Intellectual Property Rights

5. WIOA Infrastructure

6. Use of Grant Funds for Participant Wages

OTHER SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

CRITERIA

REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

1. Merit Review and Selection Process

2. Risk Review Process

AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

AWARD NOTICES

ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

1. Administrative Program Requirements

2. Other Legal Requirements

3. Other Administrative Standards and Provisions

4. Special Program Requirements

REPORTING

1. Quarterly Financial Reports

2. Quarterly Narrative Performance Reports

3. Quarterly Performance Reports

AGENCY CONTACTS

OTHER INFORMATION

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FINDING UNEMPLOYMENT DATA USING THE UNITED

STATES CENSUS BUREAU DATA

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FINDING POVERTY DATA USING THE UNITED STATES

CENSUS BUREAU DATA

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FINDING POVERTY DATA USING THE UNITED STATES

CENSUS BUREAU DATA FOR INDIAN RESERVATIONS, OKLAHOMA TRIBAL

STATISTICAL AREAS, NATIVE ALASKAN VILLAGES, OR NATIVE

HAWAIIAN HOMELANDS

WEB-BASED RESOURCES

INDUSTRY COMPETENCY MODELS AND CAREER CLUSTERS

WORKFORCEGPS RESOURCES

SKILLSCOMMONS RESOURCES

CAREER PATHWAYS TOOL KIT

YOUTHBUILD-RELATED GUIDANCE RESOURCES

OMB INFORMATION COLLECTION

Attachment A: Checklist for Submittal

Attachment B: Construction Training Plan Sample Template

ATTACHMENT C: Construction Plus Field Proposal

Attachment D: Weighted Average Unemployment Rate Worksheet

Attachment D: Weighted Average Poverty Rate Worksheet

Attachment E: Instructions for ETA – 9143 Pages 1 and 2 and Attachments A-D

Attachment F: Chart of Past Performance template (Suggested) with example

Attachment G: Proposed WIOA Performance Outcomes Sample Chart

Attachment H: Suggested Abstract Format

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, or the Department, or we), announces the availability of approximately $89 million in grant funds authorized by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) (Pub. L. 113-128) for YouthBuild.

Under this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), DOL will award grants through a competitive process to organizations providing pre-apprenticeship services that support education, occupational skills training, and employment services to at-risk youth, ages 16 to 24, while performing meaningful work and service to their communities. In addition to construction skills training, YouthBuild applicants may include occupational skills training in other in-demand industries. This expansion into additional in-demand industries is the Construction Plus component, a priority in this grant competition.

In 2021, DOL will fund approximately 75 projects across the country, depending on the size of individual grant awards. Individual grants will range from $700,000 to $1.5 million and require a 25 percent match from applicants, using sources other than federal funding. The grant period of performance for this FOA is 40 months, including a four-month planning period and a twelve-month follow-up period.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

PROGRAM PURPOSE

This Announcement solicits applications for the YouthBuild program. The purpose of this program is to fund organizations to provide a pre-apprenticeship program model that encompasses education, occupational skills training, leadership development, and post-program placement opportunities to at-risk youth. YouthBuild is a community-based alternative education program for youth between the ages of 16 and 24 who are high school dropouts that also have other risk factors, including being adjudicated youth, youth aging out of foster care, youth with disabilities, migrant farmworker youth, and other disadvantaged youth populations.

The YouthBuild program simultaneously addresses multiple core issues important to youth in low-income communities: affordable housing, leadership development, education, and employment opportunities in in-demand industries and apprenticeship pathways. YouthBuild programs are the connection point to vital services for the youth they serve. Meaningful partnership and collaboration are key aspects of this service delivery model, through the workforce system, as well as the education and human services systems. We expect applicants funded through this solicitation to have well-established partnerships in place prior to grant award.

The YouthBuild model balances project-based academic learning and occupational skills training to prepare at-risk youth for career placement. The academic component assists youth who are often significantly behind in basic skill development in obtaining a high school diploma or state high school equivalency credential. The occupational skills training component prepares at-risk youth for apprenticeship and other career pathways and/or further education or training. It also supports the goal of increasing affordable housing within communities by teaching youth construction skills learned by building or significantly renovating homes for sale or rent to low-income families or transitional housing for homeless families or individuals.

Career pathways, as defined in WIOA, are a key strategy to increase employment opportunities, including the use of apprenticeships. In the WIOA regulations at 20 CFR 688.120, YouthBuild programs funded by DOL are recognized as pre-apprenticeship programs. Grantees funded under this announcement are expected to develop program models that align with pre-apprenticeship as described in 20 CFR Part 688 of the Final Rule:

Pre-apprenticeship, as defined in § 681.480, means a program designed to prepare individuals to enter and succeed in an apprenticeship program registered under the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known as the “National Apprenticeship Act”; 50 Stat.664, chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.) (referred to in this part as a “registered apprenticeship” or “registered apprenticeship program”) and includes the following elements:

1) Training and curriculum that aligns with the skill needs of employers in the economy of the state or region involved;

2) Access to educational and career counseling and other supportive services, directly or indirectly;

3) Hands-on, meaningful learning activities that are connected to education and training activities, such as exploring career options, and understanding how the skills acquired through coursework can be applied toward a future career;

4) Opportunities to attain at least one industry-recognized credential; and

5) A partnership with one or more registered apprenticeship programs that assists in placing individuals who complete the pre-apprenticeship program in a registered apprenticeship program.

There are two key types of apprenticeship supported by DOL. Along with Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs), which are a proven model of apprenticeship validated by the U.S. Department of Labor or a State Apprenticeship Agency and registered under the National Apprenticeship Act, Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs) are new and emerging across the country. IRAPs are high-quality apprenticeship programs available in all sectors except construction. A Standards Recognition Entity, pursuant to the DOL’s standards, recognizes IRAPs, which can benefit Construction Plus programs focused on in-demand industries. These programs provide individuals with opportunities to obtain workplace-relevant knowledge and progressively advancing skills. As with RAPs, IRAPs include a paid-work component and an educational component and result in an industry-recognized credential. An IRAP is developed or delivered by entities such as trade and industry groups, corporations, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, unions, and joint labor-management organizations.

Grantees awarded under this announcement should be actively developing the connection points described above to develop relationships and pathways that lead to employment and placements in registered and industry-recognized apprenticeship programs.

To support this career pathway focus, DOL strongly encourages all YouthBuild applicants to develop program proposals that include occupational skills training in other in-demand industries in addition to construction skills training. This expansion into additional in-demand industries is referred to as the YouthBuild Construction Plus component, and is a priority element of the program. DOL offered Construction Plus in recognition that YouthBuild participants pursue fields beyond construction after exiting the program. The Construction Plus component creates expanded training opportunities in additional in-demand fields that benefit participants and local employers. As this is a program priority, DOL will award up to six priority consideration points for quality Construction Plus proposals from applicants. Please note that the evaluation criteria includes a total of 96 points, with the possibility of up to seven additional priority consideration bonus points. ETA will award up to six priority points to applicants proposing qualifying Construction Plus trainings(s). Additionally, all applicants will earn one priority consideration point based on the inclusion of designated Opportunity Zones in the application.

The Construction Plus model allows YouthBuild grantees to use DOL grant funds for training in additional in-demand industries with the goal of attaining industry-recognized certifications, hands-on work experience in industry settings, and direct entry into apprenticeships or direct hiring into these industries. Since Construction Plus began in 2012, YouthBuild grant programs have provided training in diverse industries and occupations, including healthcare, information technology, hospitality and retail services, and logistics. Construction Plus programs must use the same five pre-apprenticeship elements listed above from 20 CFR 688.120 to develop their Construction Plus pathways.

YouthBuild programs are required partners of American Job Centers, or one-stop career centers, as described in 20 CFR 688.380. All YouthBuild programs must adhere to the requirements of being a one-stop partner. Connecting with American Job Centers provides an opportunity for YouthBuild grantees to develop the necessary partnerships for Construction Plus training. It also supports participant success through job development support, employer connections, basic assessment and referral services, supportive services provision, transition services for post-exit placements, and continuing education and training. Applicants for the YouthBuild program should initiate the one-stop partnership conversation with their local Workforce Development Board prior to submitting the application to ensure the budget reflects likely infrastructure sharing costs, shared staffing (such as the job developer, if applicable), and other beneficial partnerships that are part of the grant model.

WIOA strongly emphasizes the role of employers in successful workforce development strategies, and requires grantees to report on their effectiveness in serving employers. Grantees awarded under this announcement are expected to actively develop new employer relationships and strengthen existing connections, both in construction and non-construction industries. As a required one-stop partner, YouthBuild grantees will benefit from accessing and leveraging the strengths of the American Job Center network to support participant success by gaining access to employer networks, job development professionals with direct knowledge of local labor market needs, and additional supportive services.

Because one of the goals of the YouthBuild program is to provide affordable housing, all YouthBuild grant programs must offer construction skills training. Construction skills training is central to the overall philosophy of the YouthBuild program and can provide a visible transformational experience for young people who have rarely had opportunities to see tangible and positive results from their efforts. All applicants must demonstrate their commitment to increasing the supply of permanent housing for homeless and/or low-income individuals and families, which benefits the community where the affordable housing is built or renovated, and also provides youth with an opportunity to give back to their communities and work and learn in a team environment. YouthBuild grantees must accomplish this goal by having a sufficient number of youths enrolled in and completing the construction skills training component to enable the program to build or substantially renovate at least one unit of housing within the grant period of performance, which is the minimum requirement for a work experience in construction.

The construction work sites built and renovated by YouthBuild participants must be constructed as residences only for homeless and/or low-income individuals and families, with these requirements stated in a restrictive covenant lasting at least five years, under the YouthBuild regulations at 20 CFR 688.730. It is up to the grantee to determine the threshold number of participants that they will need during the program cycle to complete at least one unit of housing.

However, all applicants must ensure that every participant will have hands-on work experience, whether on a construction work site or professional setting of their in-demand industry training.

To ensure that grantees are meeting the minimum construction requirement, and to aid in collecting data on the impact of the YouthBuild program on local communities, YouthBuild programs are required to submit an annual housing census that tracks the number of housing units completed in that reporting year for each active grant.

To build or substantially renovate at least one unit of housing requires the new construction or substantial renovation of single-family homes or apartment/condominium/townhouse complexes, or the construction or substantial renovation of a single dwelling within a complex. Substantial renovation includes those activities that will provide YouthBuild participants with significant construction experience and knowledge that will prepare them for entry-level employment in the construction industry and connect to the construction curriculum used by the program. Painting or cleaning apartments and simple weatherization tasks do not constitute substantial renovation or a sufficiently comprehensive level of construction training to satisfy the requirement that each program build or substantially renovate a unit of housing, and thus, do not qualify as work sites.

Applicants should use their selected construction curriculum as a planning resource for the proposed work sites, in order to ensure the training curriculum aligns with the skills participants can learn in hands-on work site experiences. For guidance on qualifying work sites, please refer to Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 06-15, “Qualifying Work Sites and

Construction Projects for YouthBuild Grantees and Their Role in Training,” found athttp://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?docn=6610.

The YouthBuild final rule (regulations found at 20 CFR Part 688) sets the standards under which YouthBuild program providers can carry out the goals of the program, and can be found at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-08-19/pdf/2016-15975.pdf. For more information on the YouthBuild program, please go to https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/youth/youthbuild/.

PROGRAM AUTHORITY

Section 171 of WIOA (Pub. L. 113-128) authorizes this program.

AWARD INFORMATION

AWARD TYPE AND AMOUNT

Funding will be provided in the form of a grant.

We expect availability of approximately $89 million to fund approximately 75 grants. You may apply for an amount ranging from $700,000 to a ceiling amount of up to $1.5 million. Awards made under this Announcement are subject to the availability of federal funds. In the event that additional funds become available, we reserve the right to use such funds to select additional grantees from applications submitted in response to this Announcement.

Due to the complex nature of the YouthBuild program model and the interest in expanding YouthBuild beyond construction skills training, this FOA focuses on supporting the continuity of strong programs, while supporting the opportunity for innovation from new organizations.

Therefore, DOL intends to award at least 50 percent of the total available grant competition funding to eligible applicants previously funded by the DOL YouthBuild program and which have demonstrated success in the program. The remainder of funds will be awarded to other qualifying organizations, further described in Section III.A below.

DOL’s intended mix of grant awards ensure that organizations with little or no experience with a DOL YouthBuild grant have an opportunity to implement a DOL YouthBuild program, while allowing for continued support to the existing, previously-funded YouthBuild grants that have demonstrated success.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance is 40 months with an anticipated start date of June 1, 2021. This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities. This includes the following:

http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?docn=6610 https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-08-19/pdf/2016-15975.pdf https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/youth/youthbuild/

• A planning period of up to four months to complete the planning milestones below;

• Two years of active program services (education, occupational skills training, and youth leadership development activities) for one or more cohorts of youth; and

• An additional twelve months of follow-up support services and tracking of participant outcomes for each cohort of youth.

DOL requests that applicants describe, as an attachment to the application, the activities they expect to undertake during the planning period in order to ensure that they may begin active program services on schedule. Applicants may be prepared to start the active program services sooner than described above. If so, they must explain the rationale for why the planning period is less than four months; beginning active program services earlier does not shorten the period of performance. A minimum of five percent of total funds should be reserved for the twelve-month follow-up period. Grantees must fully expend grant funds during the period of performance.

Therefore, applicants must carefully consider their ability to spend the level of funding requested during the allotted time while ensuring full transparency and accountability for all expenditures.

Grantees must ensure the achievement of the following milestones during the planning period:

• Hiring of, or committing of, additional core program staff (including the Project Director, Construction Trainer(s), Classroom Teacher(s), Case Manager(s), Job Developer(s) positions), if needed;

• Reaching out to the Local Workforce Development Board or American Job Center to finalize MOU requirements, such as the infrastructure costs and plans for collaborating with other required partners, including employers, at a minimum;

• Revising the program budget to reflect updates as necessary, such as infrastructure costs and Construction Plus training agreements;

• Solidifying relationships with all necessary partners for the successful delivery of services;

• Initiating recruitment and outreach efforts for enrollment of participants;

• Reconfirming work site financing and access (see Section IV.B.4(b) for more information); and

• Reconfirming match sources and amounts.

Note that, while the core program staff described above do not need to be in place at the time of application, DOL expects applicants to describe the plan to recruit each core position during the implementation period (if not already hired), and/or provide training for each core position as they come onboard, and to provide sufficient coverage of each position for the full 36 months of active programming.

The Federal Project Officer (FPO) will review the completion of these milestones within the grant’s planning period. DOL may subject grantees who have not met these milestones to corrective action.

OUTCOMES

DOL expects YouthBuild grantees awarded under this FOA to track and report on the primary indicators of performance as listed in WIOA Section 116(b)(2)(A)(ii). The YouthBuild program is required to report on the six WIOA primary indicators of performance for youth. These indicators are as follows:

1) Education and Employment Rate – Second Quarter After Exit;

2) Education and Employment Rate – Fourth Quarter After Exit;

3) Median Earnings – Second Quarter After Exit;

4) Credential Attainment;

5) Measurable Skill Gains; and

6) Effectiveness in Serving Employers.

Applicants for this funding opportunity must also provide a chart of their anticipated performance outcomes against these indicators, which will be incorporated into the grant award package of awarded applicants (see Section IV.B.4.a(3)). These WIOA performance indicators are further described in TEGL 10-16, Change 1, “Performance Accountability Guidance for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Title I, Title II, Title III and Title IV Core Programs,” found at https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=3255.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

Eligible applicants for these grants are public or private non-profit agencies. These organizations include rural, urban, or Native American agencies that have previously served disadvantaged youth in a YouthBuild or other similar program. These agencies or organizations may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Community and faith-based organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit status;

• An entity carrying out activities under WIOA, such as a local workforce development board or one-stop career center partner program;

• Educational institutions, including a local school board, public school district, or community college;

• A community action agency;

• A state or local housing development agency;

https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=3255

• Any Indian and Native American entity eligible for grants under Sec. 166 of WIOA, including federally and other than federally-recognized Tribes, Native American non-profit organizations, and Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native organizations;

• A community development corporation;

• A state or local youth service conservation corps; and

• Any other public or private non-profit entity that is eligible to provide education or employment training under a federal program and can meet the required elements of the grant.

Grantees who received funding from the FY 2019 YouthBuild competition [FOA-ETA-19-04] are funded through April 30, 2023, and these grantees (based on their unique Employer Identification Numbers) are not eligible to participate in this competition. Additionally, only one grant will be awarded to an individual organization. An individual organization must have a unique Employer Identification Number and it must not administer its program services at the same location as any other YouthBuild grantee.

Among eligible applicants listed above, the applicant agency or organization must also maintain a local presence in any identified target communities to be served.

Applicant Types

This FOA distinguishes between previously-funded applicants (those applicants that have previously received at least one YouthBuild grant from DOL which is complete or near completion and provides acceptable performance outcomes for review) and new applicants (those applicants that have never received a DOL YouthBuild award, have not received an award within the last seven grant cycles, or have not yet completed, or nearly completed, their first DOL YouthBuild grant). Carefully consider the requirements below and apply under the appropriate category (Category A or Category B) and make certain to respond to the application instructions (project narrative, evaluation criteria, and attachments) that correspond to your category.

This FOA refers to previously-funded applicants as “Category A applicants.” DOL intends to award at least 50 percent of the available grant funds to applicants in Category A. A Category A applicant must meet the following requirements, as of the date of publication of this FOA:

• At least one of the applicant’s previous YouthBuild grants must have been awarded from a competition that took place in FY 2013, 2014, 2015, or 2016; and

• The applicant must not have received an award from the FY 2019 (FOA-ETA-19-04) competition.

Note that applicants previously funded by DOL’s YouthBuild program, but not within the past seven grant competitions (i.e. the applicant has not received a YouthBuild award since FY 2012 or earlier), will be considered as new applicants who must apply under Category B. This will provide applicants who have not been funded under the YouthBuild program in recent years to demonstrate growth and increased success in serving disconnected youth through improved organizational capacity, implementation of best practices, and more relevant performance outcomes than those available prior to FY 2013.

This FOA refers to new applicants as “Category B applicants.” DOL intends to award up to 50 percent of grant funds for awards to applicants in Category B. All applicants that do not meet the requirements for Category A above must apply as Category B. Category B applicants fall into one of these categories:

• Applicants that did not receive a YouthBuild award from the FY 2013, 2014, 2015, or 2016 competition, but received a DOL YouthBuild award from one or more of the following grant competitions: FY 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017, or 2018; or

• Applicants that have never received a DOL YouthBuild award.

During this competition, the 2017 and 2018 grantees will not have completed their grant’s active service cycle (as defined by the two-year period during which they are enrolling and serving active participants) and are therefore categorized as Category B applicants.

As noted in the previous section, grantees funded in FY 2019 (FOA-ETA-19-04), regardless of any previous grant awards from DOL for YouthBuild funding, are not eligible to participate in this competition under Category A or Category B and should not respond to this FOA. The following chart summarizes the requirements specified in this section:

Applicant Type: Category A Category B Not Eligible to Apply Grant Classes Included:

Those funded at least once from a FY 2013, 2014, 2015, or 2016 competition

• Applicants last funded by DOL’s YouthBuild program in FY 2012 or earlier

• Applicants last funded by DOL’s YouthBuild program in FY 2017 or 2018

• Those never funded by the DOL YouthBuild program

Any applicant who received an FY 2019

DOL-funded YouthBuild grant

Percent of Grant Funds Available: At least 50 percent Up to 50 percent N/A

COST SHARING OR MATCHING

This program requires cost sharing or matching funds. Such funds may be in the form of cash or in-kind contributions and equal to 25 percent of the total federal share of costs. Any resources contributed to the project in addition to cost sharing or matching funds will be considered leveraged resources. Section IV.B.2 provides more information on leveraged resources.

To be allowable as part of match, an expenditure must be an allowable charge for federal grant funds and considered necessary and reasonable to accomplish the project or program objectives.

DOL will make determinations of allowable costs in accordance with the applicable Federal Cost Principles as indicated in Section IV.E. If the cost would not be allowable as a grant-funded charge, then DOL cannot count it toward the applicant’s matching funds.

The recognition of documentation of match has changed since the release of the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards regulations at 2 CFR Part 200 and OMB’s approved exceptions for DOL at 2 CFR Part 2900.

2 CFR 2900.8 Cost sharing or matching states that, in addition to the guidance set forth in 2 CFR 200.306(b) for federal awards from the Department of Labor, the non-federal entity accounts for funds used for cost sharing or match within their accounting systems as the funds are expended. It is not sufficient or adequate to receive and report monies as match; the monies must be expended on the program in order for it to be counted as match. Expenditures of match funds must be reported on the recipient share section of the ETA-9130 Form.

Additionally, in accordance with 2 CFR 200.306, match amount must be verifiable from the non-federal entity’s records, not included as contributions for any other federal award, necessary and reasonable for accomplishment of project or program objectives, and not provided by the Federal Government under another federal award.

DOL encourages applicants to leverage additional resources beyond the required match to supplement grant activities. Applicants must count and document as leveraged resources any cash or in-kind commitments beyond 25 percent of the grant award amount required as matching funds.

Applicants should pay special attention to the requirements regarding match sources listed in TEGL 05-10, Change 1, “Updated Guidance on Match and Allowable Construction and Other Capital Asset Costs for the YouthBuild Program,” as well as the YouthBuild Selected Cost Items attachment, both available at https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?docn=3801.

https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?docn=3801

Examples of Match Sources that Do Not Qualify:

Funding Source Type of Match Reason Match does not

Qualify Work site Applicant lists full value of home as in-kind match.

Only the portion of match that involves direct training of YouthBuild participants can be applied toward match–not the full value of the house.

Work Site Applicant lists value of “sweat equity” from volunteer labor to finish the construction of low-income housing that was used for training.

Volunteer services furnished by third-party professional and technical personnel, consultants, and other skilled and unskilled labor may be counted as cost sharing or matching only if the service is an integral and necessary part of an approved project or program. The value of the sweat equity of volunteers is not integral and necessary for training participants and is not considered an allowable match.

Federal funds from another agency or through pass-through entity

Applicant lists pass-through grant as match (e.g., using Department of Education funds that were passed through to a local school district as match).

Federal funds do not qualify as a match source, even where the immediate funder was not federal. In this case, a federal agency awarded funds to a non-profit which then provided them to the applicant to be used on the current grant. These funds are still federal in source.

Federal funds cannot be used to meet a matching requirement unless expressly authorized by that federal agency. It is the responsibility of the grant recipient to confirm and document such authority in its records.

Funding Source Type of Match Reason Match does not Qualify

The rental value of an office laptop

An in-kind rental rate of a laptop over the three-year life of the grant at a monthly rate that cumulatively is much higher than the value of buying the same equipment outright (i.e. valuing a monthly rental of a laptop at $70/month over three years (36 months) of the grant = a total rental valuation of $2,520 per laptop when a comparable purchase of the laptop would be $700).

Overvaluation of match–the value of any match contribution cannot be more than the actual value of the match product and must also account for devaluation over time (i.e., a laptop match valuation must account for the devaluation of the laptop in year three compared to year one).

For the purposes of the grant application, match letters of commitment must contain the following:

• Letterhead of contributing agency;

• Written or electronic signature of authorized individual at the contributing agency, dated between the publication date and application date of this FOA;

• Total dollar value of commitment, per year of grant and full period of performance;

• The source of match funds; and

• Detailed calculations showing how the total dollar value was derived.

o For match based on participants served, the calculation should be as follows: __ participants enrolled x ___ cost of training/class/session per participant per year x __years of the commitment = total commitment Example: XYZ Community College is committing 10 slots per year in a computer programming class. The match commitment letter must read as follows: 10 slots X $500 per slot x 2 years = $10,000 o For match based on staff time, the calculation should be as follows: __ hours per year (or percentage of FTE) x __hourly rate (or annual salary) x __ years of commitment = total commitment Example: Applicant is committing Executive Director for 20 percent of the FTE over the life of the grant. The match commitment letter must read as follows: 20% x $75,000 per year x 3 years = $45,000 o For match based on a set resource, the calculation should be as follows: __ monthly rate x __ months per year x __ years of commitment = total commitment Example: ABC Organization is committing office space for the program.

The match commitment letter must read as follows: 800 square feet x $2.00/sq. ft. x 12 months x 3 years = $57,600.

The valuation process of an in-kind match includes determining the fair market value of an expenditure at the time of donation, appraising donated space and buildings, and determining the value of personnel services. The value of personnel services will depend, in part, on the staff person’s role on the grant relative to their role in the overall organization. Calculations must be clear and replicable by reviewers. Applicants proposing to use their own non-federal resources to provide match must also have a letter of commitment that details the same information as above.

These letters of commitment are critical during the application process but are not sufficient, nor do they meet the supporting documentation requirements of matching as specified in 2 CFR

200.306. DOL recognizes match at the time it is expended as specified at 2 CFR 2900.8 and not when it is earned or received. Additionally, the grant recipient must apply the same supporting documentation requirement to tracking match expenditures as it would grant expenditures.

Matching Waiver for U.S. Insular Areas, Pursuant to 48 U.S.C. §1469a(d) Pursuant to 48 U.S.C. § 1469a(d), for the purposes of this FOA, DOL does not require any match for grants made to the governments of American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Accordingly, DOL does not require these areas to include a match commitment in their applications and these applications will not be screened out on that basis. However, even though DOL does not require matching funds from these areas, it encourages these areas to leverage resources, including dollars from federal sources.

OTHER INFORMATION

1. Application Screening Criteria

You should use the checklist below as a guide when preparing your application package to ensure that the application has met all of the screening criteria. Note that this checklist is only an aid for applicants and should not be included in the application package. We urge you to use this checklist to ensure that your application contains all required items. If your application does not meet all of the screening criteria, it will not move forward through the merit review process.

Application Requirement Instructions Complete?

The deadline submission requirements are met Section IV.C

Eligibility Section III.A

If submitted through Grants.gov, the components of the application are saved in any of the specified formats and are not corrupt. (We will attempt to open the document, but will not take any additional measures in the event of problems with opening.)

Section IV.C.2

Application federal funds request is within the grant award range of $700,000 to $1.5 million Section II.A

SAM Registration Section IV.B.1

SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance Section IV.B.1 SF-424 includes a DUNS Number and an Employer Identification Number (EIN) Section IV.B.1

SF-424 lists the 25% match amount on lines 18b-f, as appropriate. Section IV.B.2

SF-424A, Budget Information Form Section IV.B.2

Budget Narrative Section IV.B.2

Match Narrative Section IV.B.2

Project Narrative Section IV.B.3

Work Site Description(s) (ETA-9143) for each work site (may submit up to three separate work site forms with attachments; only three work site forms will be reviewed)

Section IV.B.4.a(2)

Proposed WIOA Performance Outcomes Chart Section IV.B.4.a(3)

2. Number of Applications Applicants May Submit

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

3. Eligible Participants

a) Participants Eligible to Receive Training The intent of this FOA is to fund projects that provide education/training services to any individual who meets these criteria:

1) Is between the ages of 16 and 24 on the date of enrollment; and

2) Is a member of a low-income family, and/or a youth in foster care (including youth aging out of foster care), and/or an offender, and/or a youth who is an individual with a disability, and/or a child of an incarcerated parent, and/or a migrant youth; and

3) Is a school dropout, or an individual who was a school dropout and has subsequently reenrolled (as provided in WIOA Sec. 171(e)(1) Eligible Participants).

As it relates to determining which youth are considered out-of-school youth, DOL does not consider providers of Adult Education under YouthBuild programs to be “schools.” Therefore, WIOA Youth programs may consider a youth to be an out-of-school youth for purposes of WIOA Youth program eligibility if they are attending Adult Education provided under YouthBuild.

Up to, but not more than, 25 percent of the participants in the program may be youth who do not meet criteria 2 or 3 above, but they must meet the following:

• Be basic skills deficient, despite attainment of a high school diploma or its state-recognized equivalent; or

• Have been referred by a local secondary school for participation in a YouthBuild program leading to the attainment of a high school diploma.

NOTE: Male participants aged 18 or older must register for the U.S. Selective Service System (www.sss.gov) before services can be provided. If they turn 18 while participating, they must register at that time.

b) Veterans’ Priority for Participants 38 U.S.C. 4215 requires grantees to provide priority of service to veterans and spouses of certain veterans for the receipt of employment, training, and placement services in any job training program directly funded, in whole or in part, by DOL. The regulations implementing this priority of service are at 20 CFR Part 1010. In circumstances where a grant recipient must http://www.sss.gov/ choose between two qualified candidates for a service, one of whom is a veteran or eligible spouse, the veterans’ priority of service provisions require that the grant recipient give the veteran or eligible spouse priority of service by first providing him or her that service. To obtain priority of service, a veteran or spouse must meet the program’s eligibility requirements.

Grantees must comply with DOL guidance on veterans’ priority. ETA’s TEGL 10-09 (issued November 10, 2009) provides guidance on implementing priority of service for veterans and eligible spouses in all qualified job-training programs funded in whole or in part by DOL.

TEGL 10-09 is available at https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2816. This guidance applies to programs funded under WIOA. For additional information on veteran’s priority of service and WIOA, please see TEGL 19-16. TEGL 19-16 is available at https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=3851.

4. Participant Enrollments

To ensure that grant funds are providing the greatest benefit, we have established goals for the minimum number of participants to be enrolled during the period of performance, based on the amount of funds requested by the applicant (see Figure 1 below). Applicants must clearly identify the proposed number of participants to be enrolled over the life of the grant, based on the minimum thresholds identified in the table below, for which they are seeking funding.

Figure 1. Minimum Goals for Enrolled Participants During the Grant Period Based on Funding Request Funding Request Minimum Participants Enrolled During Grant

Period

$1,500,000 84 $1,499,999 – 1,400,000 81 $1,399,999 – $1,300,000 75 $1,299,999 – $1,200,000 70 $1,199,000 – 1,100,000 64 $1,099,999 – 1,000,000 59 $999,999 – $900,000 53 $899,999 – $800,000 48 $799,999 – $700,000 42

The goals listed above in Figure 1 identify the minimum number of participants the project must enroll in the YouthBuild program during the grant period based on the applicant’s requested funding amount. Applicants may request any funding amount between $700,000 and $1,500,000, as long as the proposed minimum number of participants enrolled meets or exceeds the minimum required according to the above table. For example, an applicant requesting funding for $1,500,000 must propose to enroll no fewer than 84 participants, but may propose to enroll more than 84 participants. Enrollment targets may be a factor used by the Grant Officer in determining final award selections (see Section V.B.1).

https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2816 https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=3851

5. Target Community Service Area

Please note that DOL evaluates applications on the need of the proposed service area. For YouthBuild programs, DOL considers not only the need for the services to youth participants in this area, but also the area’s need for affordable housing. Applicants must use zip codes to define one contiguous service area or closely located communities within a metropolitan service area to be served. If an applicant proposes to serve multiple service areas that are not contiguous or closely located, they must document that there is a local organizational presence (office or office-sharing agreement with a non-YouthBuild organization) in a physical space sufficient to provide program services, including work site access, within each service area proposed.

Applicants should provide, as a separate attachment, a map of the zip codes for the area being served, as produced by https://www.unitedstateszipcodes.org/ or a similar web site that can map zip code areas.

DOL expects applicants to provide services only within their proposed service area(s), both in terms of recruitment and enrollment of youth and the work sites used by grantees for construction training. Grantees may, however, recruit and enroll up to 20 percent of eligible youth from beyond the targeted service area, if necessary. Work sites must be within a reasonable commuting distance of the target community at a minimum, but grantees should focus on securing work sites within the target community where possible.

6. Work Site Requirements

The Department will consider an applicant non-responsive if the applicant fails to provide a work site form that meets the following requirements.

The applicant must provide a separate work site form (ETA-9143), with attachments, for each qualifying work site. Attachment E provides instructions on how to complete the ETA-9143 form and all required attachments. A letter of commitment must be provided from each funding source indicating what is being provided, its dollar value, and the site where this will be applied.

If any unit is currently occupied, the applicant must provide as an attachment a narrative that identifies who is occupying the property, the estimated cost of relocation, the relocation funding source, and the contact information of who will be providing relocation assistance. For each work site, the applicant must provide proof of ownership or a letter from the owner of the property granting them access. The applicant must also provide the roles and responsibilities, including specific training activities, that youth will perform on each work site. Applicants may submit up to three separate work site forms with attachments. Only three work site forms will be reviewed.

Applicants must include only one property address (or parcel number) per work site form and all related attachments must be included for each work site submission. If an applicant provides a parcel number and cites multiple housing units, they must identify the building type and the number of units on which participants are anticipated to be trained.

https://www.unitedstateszipcodes.org/

Please note: Each applicant must comply with the Uniform Guidance 2 CFR 200.112 Conflict of Interest, ensuring that no employee will personally benefit from a YouthBuild construction project.

Sections 7 and 8 of ETA-9143 request information about the property owner or property management company(ies) allowing access to the housing site(s) for on-site construction training. Sufficient evidence of site access varies, depending on the property ownership:

• If the applicant has a contract or option to purchase the property, the application must include a copy of the contract or option; or

• If the applicant owns the property, the applicant must include a copy of the deed or other documentation showing proof of ownership (a letter from the applicant does not serve as proof of ownership); or

• If a third party owns the property or has a contract or option to purchase, that third party must provide a letter stating the nature of the ownership, that they specifically allow access to the property for the purposes of the program, and the timeframe during which the property will be available. Additionally, if the third party has a contract or option to purchase, the application must include a copy of the contract or option to purchase along with the letter of access from the third party.

Applicants must include completed ETA-9143 forms (including all required attachments) for up to three, and at least one, proposed work site as attachments to the Project Narrative. These attachments do not count against page limitations.

Additionally, all properties rehabilitated or constructed using DOL YouthBuild grant funds require a restrictive covenant clause that ensures that, for a period of at least five years, all residential housing that is constructed or rehabilitated with DOL YouthBuild funds will be rented or sold to low-income or homeless individuals or families. The restrictive covenant requires that, for sales or rentals of residential housing units constructed or rehabilitated using YouthBuild funds, YouthBuild grantees must ensure that owners of the property record a restrictive covenant at the time that an occupancy permit is issued. The restrictive covenant informs the buyer of the property that it can be sold or rented only to low-income individuals during the five-year restrictive covenant period. For further information on the restrictive covenant requirements, see

20 CFR 688.730.

All parts of the Work Site Description (not including the Annual Housing Census starting on page 5 of the form) need to be submitted for each work site. (Please see Attachment E for instructions and a link to the form ETA-9143, which includes Page 1, Page 2, and templates for Attachments C and D.)

Applicants should pay special attention to the following areas of the ETA-9143:

• Page 1 of form ETA-9143 must have the work…