sga-dfa-py-11-05.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration Notice of Availability of Funds and Solicitation for Grant Applications for Workforce Innovation Fund Grants

Announcement Type: Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA) Funding Opportunity Number: SGA/DFA PY-11-05 Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 17.283

Key Dates: The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is March 22, 2012. Applications must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

A pre-recorded webinar will be on-line at http://www.doleta.gov/workforce_innovation and accessible for viewing no later than December 28, 2011 and will be available for viewing anytime after that date. While a review of this webinar is encouraged, it is not mandatory.

Addresses: Mailed applications must be addressed to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Grants Management, Attention: Donna Kelly, Grant Officer, Reference SGA/DFA PY 11-05, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716, Washington, DC 20210. For complete application and submission information, including online application instructions, please refer to section IV.

Summary:

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), announces the availability of approximately $98.5 million in Workforce Innovation Fund grants authorized by the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 (P.L. 112-10). These funds support innovative approaches to the design and delivery of employment and training services that generate long-term improvements in the performance of the public workforce system, both in terms of outcomes for job seeker and employer customers and cost-effectiveness.

I. Funding Opportunity Description A. Overview of the Grant Program.

The Federal government currently invests over $9 billion annually in employment and training programs designed to support an efficiently functioning labor market through the public workforce investment system1. That system is, and will continue to be, called upon to do more

1 The public workforce investment system is a network of federal, state, and local entities that support economic expansion and develop the talent of our nation’s workforce. Businesses and job seekers primarily access services through nearly 3000 federally-funded One-Stop Career Centers. Required One-Stop partners include the Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth programs, Adult Education, and Post Secondary Vocational Training under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, Wagner-Peyser-funded employment services, Unemployment Insurance, Trade Adjustment Assistance programs and benefits, and other employment and training programs such as the Senior Community Services Employment Program, Jobs for Veterans State Grant programs, the Indian and Native American Program, the National Farmworker Jobs Program, Community Services Block Grants, Employment and training activities by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Job Corps. Additional human http://www.doleta.gov/workforce_innovation/ with less, while meeting the needs of a dynamic and rapidly shifting economy. In the 12-month period ending June 30, 2011, the system served over 37 million people facing a range of employment challenges, including long-term unemployment, skill and credential deficiencies, and high job seeker – to job vacancy ratios that made it difficult for even the most competitive job seekers to find employment. To succeed in this context, the workforce investment system must deliver services that are cost-effective, demand-driven and high-impact.

The Workforce Innovation Fund (“the Fund”) is one of several new Federal grant programs (including the Department of Education’s Investing in Education Fund (I3) and The Corporation for National and Community Service’s Social Innovation Fund) in which grantor agencies fund projects that seek to use evidence to design program strategies. Grants made under the Fund will provide funds to states, local workforce areas, and entities eligible to apply for WIA Section 166 grants to a) retool service delivery strategies and/or policy and administrative systems and processes to improve outcomes for workforce system customers and b) evaluate the effectiveness of such activities. Why are we interested in both service delivery innovation and systems reform?

While employment and training outcomes rest on the effectiveness of service delivery strategies, the policy and administrative frameworks in which these strategies are developed and implemented also have an enormous effect. ETA believes that innovation at the systems level, where policies, organizational structures, planning processes, performance measurement, procurement, investment priorities, and information management systems reside, is necessary to support service delivery strategies that result in better outcomes and lower costs. In support of such goals, the Administration is seeking ways to remove administrative, statutory, and regulatory barriers to support greater coordination in the delivery of services, particularly among agencies and programs with overlapping missions and clients2. Through the Workforce Innovation Fund, ETA seeks to support changes in structures and policies that enable a closer alignment and integration of workforce development, education, human services, social insurance, and economic development programs.

By focusing on change at both the service delivery and the systems levels, and by requiring rigorous evaluation of each investment, ETA seeks to ensure that these investments form the basis for broader change and continuous improvement in the operation of the public workforce system. By adding new value for our customers, ETA seeks to contribute to the identification and documentation of evidence-based practice within the field of workforce development.

The Fund will invest in strategies that:

1. Deliver services more efficiently and achieve better outcomes, particularly for vulnerable populations (e.g. low-wage and less-skilled workers) and dislocated workers, especially those who have been unemployed for many months;

resources program partners include transportation, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training Programs.

2 OMB Memorandum (M-11-21). Implementing the Presidential Memorandum “Administrative Flexibility, Lower Costs, and Better Results for State, Local, and Tribal Governments. April 29, 2011.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/memoranda/2011/m11-21.pdf

2. Support both system reforms and innovations that facilitate cooperation across programs and funding streams in the delivery of client-centered services to jobseekers, youth, and employers;

3. Ensure that education, employment, and training services are developed in partnership with specific employers or industry sectors and reflect current and future skill needs; and

4. Emphasize building knowledge about effective practices through rigorous evaluation and translating “lessons learned” into improved labor market outcomes, the ability to bring such practices to scale in other geographic locations and increased cost efficiency in the broader workforce system.

To that end, it is our goal that grants funded under the Workforce Innovation Fund will achieve the following within the workforce system: 1) better results for jobseekers and employers – such as reduced duration of unemployment, increased educational gains that lead to work readiness, academic and industry-recognized credential attainment, increased earnings, increased competitiveness of employers, etc.; 2) greater efficiency in the delivery of quality services – such as, more customers (job seekers or employers) served, decreased program attrition/customer throughput, faster job placement, or achieving outcomes for lower cost or reduction in program overlap and administrative costs; and 3) stronger cooperation across programs and funding streams – such as integrated data management information systems, braided funding3, or changes that create a more seamless service delivery experience for participants who need help from multiple programs. It is our expectation that successful strategies will be sustained beyond the grant period through existing regular workforce system funding streams.

More broadly, the Fund will expand the availability of evidence-based practices in the workforce development field through careful evaluation of each grant investment. The Fund will invest in projects along a continuum of innovation and evidence, from new ideas that have never been tried, to well-tested ideas being adapted to new contexts. By evaluating projects along this continuum, the Fund will significantly increase the body of knowledge about what works in workforce development.

We will ensure that the Fund achieves its goal by: 1) providing grantees with a comprehensive program of support for the achievement of grant objectives and outcomes throughout the life of the grant; 2) providing a national evaluation coordinator, who will work with grantees’ evaluators to ensure consistent and high quality evaluation; and 3) broadly disseminating what we learn about what worked, and what did not.

B. Examples of Innovation To provide a better understanding of the types of service delivery and system reform strategies we consider to be innovative, we are providing examples in four categories. This list includes only a few of the many innovations and categories of innovation that would be appropriate for

3 Braided funding is a funding and resource allocation strategy that taps into existing categorical funding streams and uses them to support unified initiatives in as flexible and integrated manner as possible. Braided funding streams remain visible and are used in common to produce greater strength, efficiency, and; or effectiveness. Each public funder maintains responsibility for tracking and accountability of its funds.

the Fund. Therefore, the list is intended to be illustrative, not limiting. You should propose projects that best meet the specific challenges and needs in your state or local area, and should propose only those strategies that you are well-positioned to implement during the grant period.

All proposed projects – whether focused on service delivery or structural reforms - must show an impact on workforce system customers during the life of the grant. It is possible but not necessary to fund direct service delivery with grant funds, as such services could be funded with regular formula funds. We recognize that some of these innovations may be enhanced by waivers of Federal laws or regulations (as well as modifications of State requirements), and as discussed in section I.E, we encourage you to identify which specific requirements, if waived, could enhance the proposed innovations.

Better coordination among programs and partners

Implementing comprehensive career pathway approaches that align and bridge training, education, employment, and supportive services at the local and state level, partner with employers, and enable individuals to move beyond adult basic education and succeed in postsecondary education, earn industry-recognized credentials, and advance along a career path;

Integrating adult basic education and occupational skills training to enable individuals to increase their educational learning gains and earn industry-recognized credentials while completing basic skills training;

Further integrating the public workforce system and other programs such as Adult Education, Registered Apprenticeship, Unemployment Insurance (UI), and Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF), which can enhance the impact of Workforce Investment Act (WIA) investments;

Connecting the multiple systems and structures that serve individuals with limited English proficiency through mechanisms such as coordinating WIA funding for Titles I and II to support effective contextualized programs that result in increased fluency in the English language and the attainment of credentials that are relevant to employers;

Connecting the multiple systems that serve disconnected youth, such as partnering with human service agencies to support summer employment and educational work experiences throughout the year; developing innovative pre-apprenticeship programs that lead to successful placement with Registered Apprenticeship programs; or improving coordination among existing programs, such as Job Corps and Youth Build;

Designing and implementing a collaborative case management, intake and assessment approach cutting across multiple funding streams;

Developing data-sharing agreements and/or additional statewide performance measures among agencies involved in the delivery of training, education, and employment services and in the development of economic development policies;

Improving the connection between the WIA and UI systems to enhance reemployment services for all unemployed job seekers and shorten durations of unemployment of UI claimants through the creative use of technology and integrated service strategies;

Integrating services at a regional level to align with regional labor markets and existing and emerging economic growth strategies; or

Developing better coordination with non-government partners and privately-funded programs to meet the continuing needs of job seekers in this climate of economic austerity by leveraging non-federal dollars in the delivery of employment services.

Improving linkages between employment and training services and labor market needs

Developing new programs for out-of-school youth that combine training in high-growth industry sectors with basic skills remediation and that incorporate placement into subsidized or unsubsidized employment opportunities;

Building sector strategies that align employment and training services with the skill needs of regional employers in new or changing industry sectors;

Developing new models to support and strengthen partnerships with business;

Building partnerships with employers and community colleges or high schools to combine general academic instruction with occupational training; or Expanding Registered Apprenticeship and on-the-job training programs or structuring these models in innovative ways designed to lead to long-term career success.

New procurement strategies

Adjusting procurement and cost allocation strategies to allow the use of multiple funding streams for a common purpose with less administrative burden, for example by finding more efficient ways to report time and effort for case managers serving participants in more than one program;

Incentivizing effective services to those with the greatest barriers to employment by making a portion of a service provider’s funding dependent on outcomes, and providing higher payments for achieving positive outcomes for the hardest-to-serve;

Encouraging cost efficiency by driving down the costs of achieving successful outcomes through competition among multiple service providers; or

Developing innovative ways to collaborate with and leverage funds from the private sector, foundations, and investors.

New uses of technology

Expanding the availability and quality of on-line job training, distance/blended learning, virtual case management, and web-based career navigation tools;

Leveraging social media, text messaging alerts, and other technology to provide job-matching services to the unemployed;

Leveraging social media and other Web 2.0 technologies to support strong networks among job seekers and employers and improve outreach and strategic communication; or

Enhancing the use of real-time labor market information and other data analysis to improve services to job seekers and employers.

Please note that we anticipate making up to $20 million in additional funds available through a separate grant competition for Pay for Success (PFS) projects. Pay for Success (PFS) projects represent an innovative approach to funding public social service programs, for example through leveraged capital from private and philanthropic investors. Under this model the government pays for services only after clearly defined outcomes are achieved. This allows effective and evidence-based solutions to be identified and implemented while maximizing taxpayer dollars by paying only for demonstrated results. Pay for Success models will not be funded under this grant solicitation (SGA/DFA PY-11-05).

C. Partnerships Partnerships are critical to providing innovative and effective service delivery strategies that meet the employment needs of job seekers, workers, youth and employers, and must be included in your proposal. We encourage you to look to a broad range of partners both within and outside of the workforce system when developing your strategies. Partnerships will vary depending on the nature and focus of individual projects, but examples may include:

Partnering regionally with economic development entities and other critical stakeholders to better align education and workforce development activities with regional labor markets, economic growth strategies and employer demand.

Partnering with the business community, including business associations, and educational institutions, including secondary and post secondary institutions such as community colleges, to design and implement programs and career pathways that lead to credentials and employment.

Partnering with and leveraging resources from other federally-funded programs, such as

Adult Basic Education, Vocational Rehabilitation State Grants, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Small Business Development Centers, and many others.

Partnering with community-based organizations, as they are key providers of basic skills raining, technical skills training, supportive services, and workforce development ervices in communities across the country.

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Partnering with local educational institutions, including community colleges.

Partnering with workforce intermediaries to integrate new approaches to service delivery and stakeholder engagement into the workforce investment system4.

D. Integrating Evaluation into Grant Activities: Three Project Types One of the overarching goals of the Workforce Innovation Fund is to build evidence-based practices in the workforce development field. Therefore, every grant application must include a budget, design, and implementation plan for an appropriate third-party evaluation to be funded as part of the grant. We expect that the innovation strategies proposed under the Fund will fall on a continuum – some might be new ideas that have never been tried, while others might be well-tested ideas that applicants plan to adapt to new contexts. Since the appropriate evaluation strategy will depend on the degree to which the strategy has previously been tested, we have created three project types. Applicants must identify the project type in their technical proposal and include an evaluation strategy that falls into one of the following three project types:

4 A workforce intermediary is an entity that brings together various stakeholders in an entrepreneurial fashion for the purpose of integrating workforce information, resources, strategies, partners, and results, with a goal of meeting the needs of business and workers.

Project Type A: New and Untested Ideas – If you are proposing new or emerging structural and/or service delivery reform ideas that have been tried in limited circumstances (if at all) but are supported by strong logic models5 and/or successful outcomes data, you should apply as Project Type A. ETA and the public workforce system will want to learn whether or not such ideas can be implemented, how, and at what cost. In proposing such a project, it will be particularly important that you construct a strong logic model showing the underlying theory of how your strategy will produce your intended outcomes and how you will demonstrate cost savings or cost effectiveness. You should also describe any prior implementation of the idea if the idea has been carried out in any manner. The proposed evaluation strategy should consist of at least collection and analysis of process, output, and outcome data, and if feasible within the financial constraints, a rigorous method to evaluate impact.

Proposals under Project Type A must range in size from $1 – 3 million dollars, and evaluation costs must be no more than 20 percent of the total.

Project Type B: Promising Ideas – If you are proposing structural and/or service delivery reform ideas that have been implemented and tested previously, and the testing indicates some potential for success and that more rigorous evaluation is needed, you should apply as Project Type B. ETA and the workforce system will want to learn more about the strategy’s effectiveness. In proposing such a project, you must include positive evidence of effectiveness and past success. The cited evidence may consist of a variety of studies ranging from a simple pre-post data analysis or return on investment analysis to a study that includes an impact evaluation that employs a comparison group design. Your proposed evaluation strategy should be of a higher level of rigor than the evidence cited in the proposal, and should include the most rigorous strategy available to demonstrate impact given the financial constraints; such as a comparison group or random assignment (where applicable).

Proposals under Project Type B must range in size from $3 – 6 million dollars, and evaluation costs must be no more than 20 percent of the total.

Project Type C: Adapting Proven Ideas – If you are proposing structural and/or service delivery projects that a) further develop ideas that are already supported by strong evidence and/or b) take ideas supported by strong evidence to a larger scale, you should apply as Project Type C. For example, you may propose a service, product and/or a system change previously shown to be effective for one target group that you might now plan to offer to additional groups.

In your application, you must cite existing evidence showing a positive significant effect and provide compelling arguments for the need and potential for success in expanding the scale of the proposed service, product and/or system change for a broader customer base. Your proposed evaluation strategy must consist of the highest level of evaluation rigor that is applicable to the proposed project. For example, the highest level of rigor for a service delivery innovation that is directly focused on participant outcomes is a random assignment study, while the highest level of rigor for a structural innovation may be a quasi-experimental evaluation. All proposed

5 As described in Section V.A.2. More information about logic models can be found at:

http://www.doleta.gov/workforce_innovation.

evaluations under project type C must include designing and conducting a minimum 12-month follow-up of program participants upon completion of services.

Proposals under Project Type C must range in size from $6 – $12 million dollars, and evaluation costs must be no more than 20 percent of the total.

We reserve the right to conduct a limited competition among type B and C awardees who demonstrate good performance and promising evaluation results to receive a follow-on grant for additional cohorts and a longer participant follow up plan.

E. Supporting Administrative Flexibility Combined with grant funding, administrative flexibility can be a powerful tool to spur experimentation and innovation and support better coordination and improved outcomes. If, during the development of your innovation strategies, you identify impediments in current laws and regulations, or Office of Management and Budget (OMB) cost circulars, we encourage you to submit, as an attachment to the technical proposal of your application (as described in IV.B. – Part III), either descriptions of waivers you would request if selected for grant award or formal waiver requests. You should construct your technical proposal based on outcomes and deliverables you can achieve without waivers or with only the waivers you have currently, and describe in the attachment the additional outcomes and deliverables you could achieve with new waivers. The attachment may include potential waivers for a wide variety of Federal programs, including but not limited to workforce development, education, human services, social insurance, and economic development programs. In the case of TANF, you should describe any administrative flexibilities that you believe could enhance the effectiveness of your demonstration effort.

The waiver content in your attachment will not be considered as part of the application scoring process described in V.C.; however, we encourage applicants to provide the attachment to inform Federal agencies about how waivers could enhance the project. This information will be useful in identifying specific barriers to innovation, and may be used to inform future policy changes and Innovation Fund solicitations. All waiver descriptions and requests for analyses of opportunities of administrative flexibility under TANF will be shared with the relevant federal agencies as they are received. For example waiver requests and descriptions related to the Adult Basic Education and Vocational Rehabilitation programs will be shared with the Department of Education.

Any formal waiver requests of WIA Title I received as part of the attachment will be processed and reviewed within 90 days of grant award. Applicants that submit only informal waiver descriptions will need to formally submit waiver requests according to the existing waiver approval process for the relevant federal legislation upon grant award. For additional information about waiver authority and formal submission processes for WIA Titles I-IV and the OMB cost circulars, see Attachment B.

II. Award Information A. Award Amount Under this SGA, ETA has approximately $98.5 million available and expects to fund approximately 20 to 30 grants. Individual grant amounts will range from $1 million to $12 million. There are specific funding ranges depending on the project type proposed, which are listed in Section I.D.

ETA will consider any grant request outside the specified ranges as non-responsive, and such applicants will not be considered for funding.

Applicants may submit no more than one application as the lead applicant. Applicants that do submit more than one application as the lead applicant will be deemed non-responsive and none of their lead applications will be considered for funding. Applicants may participate in an unlimited number of applications as a consortium member. ETA reserves the right to fund proposals at lower amounts than requested; in such circumstances, the grantee would be expected to adjust its scope of work accordingly. In the event additional funds become available (including if any funds set aside for PFS grants become available), ETA reserves the right to use such funds to select additional grantees from applications submitted in response to this Solicitation.

B. Period of Performance ETA expects to make awards by summer, 2012. The period of performance for grants awards pursuing project type B or C will be up to 40 months from the effective date of the grant for the technical grant performance, with an additional 12 months available for evaluation activities. The technical grant performance period for project type A will be up to 36 months, and includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities as well as grant close-out activities and the completion of the evaluation for grants.

Applicants should plan to fully expend grant funds during the period of performance (including both the period of technical grant performance and any additional period of evaluation activities) while ensuring full transparency and accountability for all expenditures. ETA will closely monitor grantee progress towards stated goals and may choose to terminate grants that are not on pace to complete technical activities by the end of their technical grant performance period or evaluation activities by the end of their evaluation period of performance. It is highly unlikely that the period of performance for these grants will be extended.

III. Eligibility Information A. Eligible Applicants

1. In order to be eligible for consideration under this Solicitation, the lead applicant must be an eligible institution, as defined in this section. You must specify your applicant type in the Abstract, described in Section IV.B Part III. If you do not meet the applicant eligibility requirements of the SGA, we will consider your application non-responsive and it will not be reviewed.

Eligible institutions are: (i) State Workforce Agencies; (ii) Local Workforce Investment Boards;

(iii) entities eligible to apply for WIA Section 166 grants; (iv) consortia of State Workforce Agencies; (v) consortia of Local Workforce Investment Boards; and (vi) consortia of entities eligible to apply for WIA Section 166 grants.

Requirements for each of these lead applicant types are provided below.

i. State Workforce Agencies. Eligible applicants under this category are State Workforce Agencies that are eligible for assistance under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.

ii. Local Workforce Investment Boards. Under this category, an eligible applicant is a legal entity that represents the local workforce investment system. An entity applying under this category must be either:

a. A Local Workforce Investment Board (LWIB), as established under Section 117 of the WIA, that has been legally organized; or

b. In areas where the LWIB is not legally organized, the legal entity that serves as the fiscal agent for the Local Workforce Investment Board. To apply under this category, this entity must provide, as an attachment to their application, a letter from the chair of the Local Workforce Investment Board that: affirms that the applicant is the legal entity that serves as the fiscal agent for the LWIB, confirms that the applicant is submitting the application on behalf of the LWIB, and includes the applicant’s legal name and Federal Tax Identification Number.

iii. Entities eligible for WIA Section 166 grants. Under this category, an eligible applicant is a tribe, tribal consortium, or tribal non-profit organization that is eligible to apply for WIA Section 166 grants.

iv. Consortia of State Workforce Agencies. To apply under this category, an eligible State Workforce Agency (as defined above) must apply as the lead applicant on behalf of a consortium of eligible State Workforce Agencies representing two or more states.

Applicants under this category are eligible for up to 5 bonus points, as described in Section V.A.6. Entities eligible for WIA Section 166 grants may also be part of a state consortia.

v. Consortia of Local Workforce Investment Boards. To apply under this category, an eligible Local Workforce Investment Board (as defined above) must apply as the lead applicant on behalf of a consortium of eligible Local Workforce Investment Boards.

Applicants under this category are eligible for up to 5 bonus points, as described in Section V.A.6. Entities eligible for WIA Section 166 grants may also be part of a state consortia.

vi. Consortia of entities eligible for WIA Section 166 grants. To apply under this category, an entity eligible for WIA Section 166 grants (as defined above) must apply as the lead applicant on behalf of a consortium of eligible WIA Section 166 grantees. Applicants under this category are eligible for up to 5 bonus points, as described in Section V.A.6.

2. Special Requirements for Consortium Applications Consortium applications under Categories ii and iv of Section III.A.1 must identify a lead applicant in the consortium, which will serve as the grantee and have overall fiscal and administrative responsibility for the grant. This lead applicant must be the organization specified in Section 8 of the SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance.”

For the purposes of this Solicitation, the lead applicant specified on the SF-424 will be: 1) the point of contact with ETA to receive and respond to all inquiries or communications under this SGA and any subsequent grant award; 2) the entity with authority to withdraw or draw down funds through the Department of Health and Human Services - Payment Management System (HHS- PMS); 3) the entity responsible for submitting to ETA all deliverables under the grant, including all technical and financial reports related to the project, regardless of which consortium member performed the work; 4) the entity that may request or agree to a revision or amendment of the grant agreement; 5) the entity with overall responsibility for carrying out the programmatic functions of the grant; and, 6) the entity responsible for working with ETA to close out the grant.

An applicant applying as a consortium must provide, as an attachment to its technical proposal, a consortium agreement. This agreement may take many forms, including a letter or Memorandum of Understanding. The consortium agreement must be signed by each consortium member, and: 1) reflect an agreement among consortium members to work together on the grant; 2) declare the intent of each consortium member to carry out its assigned goals and activities contained in the project work plan included in Section V.A.3. of the SGA; 3) specify the amount of funds and the specific deliverables for which each consortium member will be responsible; 4) designate one member of the consortium as the lead institution that will serve as the grantee for ETA; and, 5) reflect a commitment of all consortium members to provide the lead institution all information needed to meet the reporting and other requirements of the grant. Only eligible entities as defined in this section may be members of the consortium. We will consider applications that include entities other than eligible entities as consortium members as nonresponsive.

If any entity identified in the application as a consortium member drops out of the consortium before or upon award of the grant, the grantee must provide, within 60 days of award, an explanation of why that entity will not be participating in the project. We reserve the right to re-evaluate a consortium award in light of any such change in the consortium membership and may terminate the award if deemed appropriate. Please note, if a consortium member drops out, the funds and activities committed to in the application and consortium agreement must not be shifted automatically to another consortium member or to a new eligible entity; the grantee must conduct a competition to award the remaining funds.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Cost sharing or matching funds are not required as a condition for application, but applicants are strongly encouraged to coordinate with and leverage resources from regular WIA formula funds, and/or other federal, state, local, or private workforce development funding sources.

C. Other Eligibility Criteria

1. You are required to submit a budget, design, and implementation plan for an independent third-party evaluation of your proposed strategy. This evaluation will be funded as part of the Federal grant award. The evaluation plan must be suitable for the proposed project type, as listed in Section I.D. Applications without an evaluation component will be considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed.

2. You may submit only one application as the lead applicant. There is no limit on the number of applications you may participate in as a non-lead consortium member.

3. If you submit more than one application as the lead applicant , you will be deemed non-responsive and none of your lead applications will be considered for funding. It is our intent that no organization will be funded more than once as a lead applicant under this

SGA.

D. Eligible Participants Workforce Innovation Fund grants are intended to seed innovation in the regular WIA formula programs; therefore, participants who receive grant-funded services must meet the eligibility criteria of WIA Adult, Dislocated Worker, Youth, or Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Service programs. Projects that leverage resources from other workforce programs must ensure that participants receiving such services meet those funding sources’ application criteria.

E. Veterans Priority for Participants The Jobs for Veterans Act (Public Law 107-288) requires grantees to provide priority of service for 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 can be found at 20 CFR Part 1010. In circumstances where a grant recipient must 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 Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 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 No. 10-09 is available at http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2816.

F. Other Grant Specifications

1. Transparency DOL is committed to conducting a transparent grant award process and publicizing information about program outcomes. Posting grant applications on public websites is a means of promoting and sharing innovative ideas. For this grant competition, we will publish the abstracts required by Section IV, Part IIIa, for all applications on the Department’s website or similar location.

Additionally, we will publish a version of the Technical Proposal required by Section IV, Part II, for all those applications that are awarded grants, on the Department’s website or a similar location. No other parts of or attachments to the application will be published. The Technical Proposals and abstracts will not be published until after the grants are awarded. In addition, information about grant progress and results may also be made publicly available.

DOL recognizes that grant applications sometimes contain information that an applicant may consider proprietary or business confidential information, or may contain personally identifiable information. Proprietary or confidential commercial/business information is information that is not usually disclosed outside your organization and the disclosure of which is likely to cause you substantial competitive harm. Personally identifiable information is information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as name, Social Security number, date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, or biometric records, or other information that is linked or linkable to an individual, such as medical, educational, financial, and employment information.6

6 Memorandums 07-16 and 06-19. GAO Report 08-536, Privacy: Alternatives Exist for Enhancing Protection of Personally Identifiable Information, May 2008, http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08536.pdf.

Abstracts will be published in the form originally submitted, without any redactions. However, in order to ensure that personally identifiable information and proprietary or confidential commercial/business information is properly protected from disclosure when DOL posts the winning Technical Proposals, applicants whose technical proposals will be posted will be asked to submit a second version of their Technical Proposal, with any proprietary, confidential commercial/business, and personally identifiable information redacted. All non-public information about the applicant’s staff should be removed as well. The Department will contact the applicants whose technical proposals will be published by letter or email, and provide further directions about how and when to submit the redacted version of the Technical Proposal.

Submission of a redacted version of the Technical Proposal will constitute permission by the applicant for DOL to make the redacted version publically available. If an applicant fails to provide a redacted version of the Technical Proposal, DOL will publish the original Technical Proposal in full, after redacting personally identifiable information. (Note that the original, unredacted version of the Technical Proposal will remain part of the complete application package, including an applicant’s proprietary and confidential information and any personally identifiable information.)

Applicants are encouraged to maximize the grant application information that will be publicly disclosed, and to exercise restraint and redact only information that clearly is proprietary, confidential commercial/business information, or capable of identifying a person. The redaction of entire pages or sections of the Technical Proposal is not appropriate, and will not be allowed, unless the entire portion merits such protection. Should a dispute arise about whether redactions are appropriate, DOL will follow the procedures outlined in the Department’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regulations (29 CFR Part 70).

Redacted information in grant applications will be protected by DOL from public disclosure in accordance with federal law, including the Trade Secrets Act (18 U.S.C. Section 1905), FOIA, and the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. Section 552a). If DOL receives a FOIA request for your application, the procedures in DOL’s FOIA regulations for responding to requests for commercial/business information submitted to the government will be followed, as well as all FOIA exemptions and procedures (29 CFR 70.26). Consequently, it is possible that application of FOIA rules may result in release of information in response to a FOIA request that an applicant redacted in its “redacted copy.”

IV. Application and Submission Information A. How to Obtain an Application Package This SGA contains all of the information and links to forms needed to apply for grant funding.

B. Content and Form of Application Submission Proposals submitted in response to this SGA must consist of three separate and distinct parts: (I) a cost proposal; (II) a technical proposal; and (III) attachments to the technical proposal.

Applications that do not contain all of the three parts or that fail to adhere to the instructions in this section will be deemed non-responsive and will not be reviewed. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the funding amount requested is consistent across all parts and sub-parts of the application.

Part I. The Cost Proposal. The Cost Proposal must include the following items:

SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance” (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15 ). The SF-424 must clearly identify the applicant and must be signed by an individual with authority to enter into a grant agreement.

Upon confirmation of an award, the individual signing the SF-424 on behalf of the applicant shall be considered the authorized representative of the applicant. The signature of the authorized representative on the SF-424 certifies that the organization is in compliance with the Assurances and Certifications form SF-424B (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15 ). The SF-424B is not required to be submitted with the application. All applicants for Federal grant and funding opportunities are required to have a Data Universal Numbering System (D-U-N-S®) number, and must supply their D-U-N-S® Number on the SF-424. The D-U-N-S® Number is a nine-digit identification number that uniquely identifies business entities. If you do not have a D-U-N-S® Number, you can get one for free through the D&B website:

http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do.

The SF-424A Budget Information Form (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15 ). In preparing the Budget Information Form, the applicant must provide a concise narrative explanation to support the budget request, explained in detail below.

Budget Narrative: The budget narrative must provide a description of costs associated with each line item on the SF-424A. Two separate budget narratives must be provided. One must describe the costs of technical grant activities, and the other must describe the costs of evaluation activities. The evaluation budget narrative must be included with the program evaluation plan attachment, as explained in Part III.C. and section V.B., below. Budget narratives should also include a description of leveraged resources provided (as applicable) to support grant activities. All grantees must participate in an in-person intensive orientation and training event sponsored by ETA, and at least one additional national meeting. Both meetings will be held in Washington, D.C.. Grantees should include travel costs for this purpose on their Budget Information Forms (see Section IV.B. Part I – The Cost Proposal).

Note that the total Federal grant amount (costs of technical activities and of the evaluation) requested (not just one year) must be included on the SF-424, and SF-424A. No leveraged resources should be shown on the SF-424 and SF-424A. The amount listed on the SF- 424, SF-424A, and two budget narratives must be the same. Please note that the funding amount included on the SF-424 will be considered the official funding amount requested if any inconsistencies are found. Applications that fail to provide a signed SF-424 including D-U-N-S® Number, SF-424A, and two budget narratives will be considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed.

Regardless of the method of application submission, all applicants must register with the Federal Central Contractor Registry (CCR) before submitting an application. Step-by-step instructions for registering with CCR can be found at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/org_step2.jsp. An awardee must maintain an active CCR registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application under consideration. To remain registered in the CCR database after the initial registration, the applicant is required to review and update (its information in the CCR database) on an annual basis from the date of initial registration or subsequent updates to ensure it is http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15 http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do http://www.grants.gov/applicants/org_step2.jsp current, accurate and complete. For purposes of this paragraph, the applicant is the entity that meets the eligibility criteria and has the legal authority to apply and to receive the award. Failure to register with the CCR before application submission will result in your application being found non-responsive and will not be reviewed.

Part II. The Technical Proposal. The Technical Proposal must demonstrate the applicant’s capability to implement the grant project in accordance with the provisions of this Solicitation.

The guidelines for the content of the Technical Proposal are provided in section V of this SGA.

The Technical Proposal is limited to 25 double-spaced single-sided 8.5 x 11 inch pages with 12 point text font and 1 inch margins for all grantees except consortia applicants; consortia applicants’ technical proposal is limited to 27 double-spaced single-sided 8.5 x 11 inch pages with 12 point text font and 1 inch margins. Any materials beyond the specified page limit will not be read. Applicants should number the Technical Proposal beginning with page number 1.

Applications that do not include Part II, the Technical Proposal, will be considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed.

Part III. Attachments to the Technical Proposal. In addition to the Technical Proposal, the applicant must submit the following attachments, which do not count against the page limit for the Technical Proposal:

(a) You must provide an Abstract (See Attachment A for template), not to exceed three pages, which will serve as a summary of the proposal. The abstract will be shared publicly and must include the following information: 1) applicant’s name; 2) a clear designation of the applicant category – individual applicant or consortium applicant; 3) applicant/lead applicant city/state; 4) areas served by the grant; 5) project name; 6) funding level requested, broken out by technical proposal costs and evaluation cost; 7) the project type (A, B, or C); 8) description of the proposed project; 9) description of the proposed evaluation strategy; and 10) public contact information for the grant, which may be an email or website. If using grants.gov for submission, this document must be attached under the Mandatory Other Attachment section and labeled “abstract”.

(b) You must provide a one-page graphic of the project’s logic model as described in Section V.A.2 More information about logic models can be found here:

http://www.doleta.gov/workforce_innovation.

(c) You must submit a separate evaluation budget narrative and program evaluation plan for an independent third party evaluation of your proposed strategy, as described in section V.B.

The program evaluation plan does not count against the technical proposal page limit, but cannot exceed 15 pages. There is no page limit for the evaluation budget narrative.

(d) Project/Performance Site Location(s) form (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15 ). If using grants.gov for submission, this form must be attached under the required forms section. Please note that this is a standard form used for many programs and has a check box for applying as an individual.