SCC2_FOA-ETA-22-02_Amendment Two.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment & Training Administration

Funding Opportunity Announcement

FOA-ETA-22-02

Amendment Two

Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor

ACTION: Amendment to FOA-ETA-22-02

SUMMARY: On March 2, 2022, the Department of Labor (DOL)’s Employment and Training

Administration announced the availability of funds from the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 and the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the second round of Strengthening

Community Colleges Training Grants, referred to as SCC2, to be awarded through a competitive process. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 authorized $50,000,000 to fund a third round of Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants, which will be referred to as

SCC3. This amendment revises language in the FOA-ETA-22-02 to announce the availability of

SCC3. After the June 2, 2022, closing date for the SCC2, FOA-ETA-22-02 will be used for

SCC3, with the changes described below.

The document is hereby amended to add or revise the following language:

For the purpose of additional funding for SCC3, all references in FOA-ETA-22-02 to SCC2 will refer to the third round of grants, SCC3.

AWARD INFORMATION

Two types of funding for this training initiative are available through this Announcement: SCC3

Program Grants and Additional SCC3 Evaluation Funding.

• The Department anticipates that approximately $45 million of the $50 million total will be available to fund SCC3 Program Grants including an up to $5 million set aside to award at least one affinity-focused consortium grant.

• Additionally, up to $5 million of the $50 million total available will be set aside for

Additional SCC3 Evaluation Funding, to award additional evaluation funding to 2-4 competitive applicants who have been awarded SCC3 Program Grants and have demonstrated justification for additional support to carry out an impact, outcomes, or behavioral interventions study.

CLOSING DATE

The closing date for receipt of SCC3 applications under this Announcement is October 14, 2022. We must receive applications no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

On approximately June 17, 2022, a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page specific to SCC3 will be available at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/grants/apply/find-opportunities (scroll down to locate). Please check this link frequently for future updates, as additional FAQs may be added. The pre-recorded Prospective Applicant Webinar published for SCC2 is still in effect and can be found at the same link. While a review of this Webinar is strongly encouraged to support successful grant applications, it is not mandatory.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance for SCC3 grants is 48 months with an anticipated start date of

February 1, 2023. This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities.

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

All applications submitted by June 2, 2022, will be paneled as part of SCC2. DOL anticipates announcing the SCC2 awards by late August 2022.

Non-awarded applicants for SCC2 may re-apply using the same or a revised application, along with new applicants, by the SCC3 closing date of October 14, 2022.

To have a broader reach, colleges that were awarded grants in the first round of SCC (SCC1, FOA-ETA-20-07), or in the second round of SCC (SCC2, FOA-ETA-22-02), will be ineligible to apply as leads in the third round (SCC3), but are eligible to be consortium members.

QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONS

The definition of Qualified Institution remains the same for SCC3 applicants as for SCC2 applicants. Specifically, institutions can use either the FY 2021 Eligibility Matrix or the FY

2022 Eligibility Matrix to be deemed a Qualified Institution, per the guidelines in Section

III.A.3. Guidance about the Required Letter and Eligibility Matrix is amended as follows:

Required Letter and Eligibility Matrix: For the purpose of identifying Qualified

Institutions for this Announcement, applicants must provide, as an attachment, a letter from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), labeled “Letter Identifying Eligibility from the U.S. Department of Education.” This letter verifies an institution’s eligibility under Titles III and V and can be downloaded

(for FY 2022) by institutions with existing accounts or requested from OPE directly.

Eligibility must be for FY 2021 or FY 2022.

Applicants that are unable to obtain a copy of their FY 2021 or FY 2022 eligibility letter from OPE must submit, to verify eligibility, a letter from their institution stating which Eligibility Matrix at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/eligibility.html#el-inst includes their institution. At their option, applicants may provide the line number indicating where their institution is located in the matrix (for FY 2021) or the tab and line number (for

FY 2022). The letter must be provided as an attachment labeled “Qualified Institution

Eligibility Letter.”

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/grants/apply/find-opportunities https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/eligibility.html#el-inst

For FY 2021, DOL will consider those institutions that receive a ‘Yes’ designation in the column labeled “Eligible/Current Grantee” (column “AL”) on the Eligibility Matrix

2021 to be a Qualified Institution for this Announcement, and those same institutions should be able to provide the eligibility letter previously sent from OPE. The FY2022 eligibility matrix uses a different format than prior years and does not include institutions who were not deemed eligible or a current grantee. Thus, DOL will consider those institutions that appear anywhere in the Eligibility Matrix for FY 2022 to be a Qualified Institution for this Announcement, and those same institutions should be able to provide the eligibility letter from OPE.

AMENDMENT ONE

Amendment One, previously issued, applies to the SCC2 FOA and therefore applies to SCC3.

The language has been revised for SCC3 and is included below.

SECTION IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Section IV.B.1.a Requirement for DUNS Number

The following language is added:

Starting April 4, 2022, the federal government transitioned from using a DUNS Number to a

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), and all applicants are now required to supply their UEI on the

SF-424. If your entity is registered with SAM.gov, your UEI has already been assigned and is viewable under your entity record. Organizations that are not registered with SAM.gov can obtain more information about obtaining a UEI at www.SAM.gov.

SECTION IV.B.3.g Project Narrative for Additional SCC2 [now SCC3] Evaluation

Funding

The first paragraph is deleted and replaced with the following:

As specified in Section I.G.2, all applicants for an SCC3 Program Grant may submit a separate application to receive additional funds for Additional SCC3 Evaluation Funding. Applying for

Additional SCC3 Evaluation Funding is optional; applicants are not required to apply for

Additional SCC3 Evaluation Funding in order to be considered for an SCC Program Grant, and they will not receive additional points for doing so. However, as stated in Section V.B.1, the grant officer may take into consideration utilization of additional evaluation funding when making final award selections.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Matthew Carls, Grants Management

Specialist, Office of Grants Management, at carls.matthew.l@dol.gov.

Signed June 1, 2022, in Washington, D.C. by:

Brinda Ruggles

Grant Officer, Employment and Training Administration