YouthBuild FOA-ETA-24-36.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-24-36

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER: 17.274

KEY DATES: The closing date for receipt of applications under this Announcement is 02/01/2024. We must receive applications no later than 11:59 pm Eastern Time.

Submit all applications in response to this solicitation through https://www.grants.gov. For complete application and submission information, including online application instructions, please refer to Section IV.

A pre-recorded Prospective Applicant Webinar will be available on or before 12/8/2023 at:

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/grants/apply/find-opportunities.

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/grants/apply/find-opportunities

Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. PROGRAM PURPOSE

B. PROGRAM AUTHORITY

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. AWARD TYPE AND AMOUNT

B. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

B. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

C. OTHER INFORMATION

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. HOW TO OBTAIN AN APPLICATION PACKAGE

B. CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION

C. SUBMISSION DATE, TIME, PROCESS AND ADDRESS

D. INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW

E. FUNDING RESTRICTIONS

F. OTHER SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. CRITERIA

B. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. AWARD NOTICES

B. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

C. REPORTING

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

VIII. OTHER INFORMATION

A. WEB-BASED RESOURCES

B. INDUSTRY COMPETENCY MODELS AND CAREER CLUSTERS

C. WORKFORCEGPS RESOURCES

D. SKILLSCOMMONS RESOURCES

E. CAREER PATHWAYS TOOL KIT

F. NAVIGATING THE WORKFORCE SYSTEM TOOLKIT

G. INSTRUCTIONS FOR FINDING UNEMPLOYMENT DATA USING THE UNITED

STATES CENSUS BUREAU DATA

H. INSTRUCTIONS FOR FINDING POVERTY DATA USING THE UNITED STATES

CENSUS BUREAU DATA

I. INSTRUCTIONS FOR FINDING THE POVERTY DATA USING THE UNITED STATES

CENSUS BUREAU DATA FOR INDIAN RESERVATIONS, OKLAHOMA TRIBAL

STATISTICAL AREAS, NATIVE ALASKAN VILLAGES, OR NATIVE HAWAIIAN

HOMELANDS

J. YOUTHBUILD - RELATED GUIDANCE RESOURCES

IX. OMB INFORMATION COLLECTION

APPENDIX A: CHECKLIST FOR SUBMITTAL

APPENDIX B: CONSTRUCTION PLUS FIELD PROPOSAL

APPENDIX C: Instructions for ETA-9143 Pages 1 and 2 and Attachments A-D

APPENDIX D: CHART OF PAST PERFORMANCE TEMPLATE (SUGGESTED) WITH

EXAMPLE

APPENDIX E: 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 $98,000,000 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 opportunity youth, ages 16 to 24, while performing meaningful work and service to their communities. The YouthBuild program model prepares participants for quality jobs in a variety of careers, in diverse industry sectors, particularly in infrastructure sectors, and includes wrap-around services such as mentoring, trauma-informed care, personal counseling, transportation supports, and employment preparation - all key strategies for addressing violence in communities. YouthBuild applicants must include construction skills training and may include occupational skills training in other in-demand industries. This expansion into additional in-demand industries is the Construction Plus component.

Eligible applicants for these grants are public or private non-profit agencies or organizations, including consortia of such agencies or organizations. These organizations include rural, urban, or Native American/Tribal entities that have previously served opportunity youth in a YouthBuild or other similar program.

With Program Year 2023 funds, DOL will fund approximately 75 projects across the country.

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. This FOA features a matching waiver for

Tribal entities and U.S. insular areas which allows these entities to not include a match commitment in their applications. The grant period of performance for this FOA is 40 months, including a four-month planning period and a twelve-month follow-up period.

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. 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 high-quality post-program placement opportunities to opportunity youth. YouthBuild is a community-based alternative education program for youth between the ages of 16 and 24 who left high school prior to graduation and who also have other risk factors, including being a justice-involved youth, youth aging out of foster care, youth with disabilities, migrant farmworker youth, youth experiencing housing instability, 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, employment opportunities for good jobs in in-demand industries and apprenticeship pathways.

YouthBuild programs serve as the connection point to vital services for participants. Key aspects of the YouthBuild service delivery model include meaningful partnership and collaboration with the public workforce development system, education and human services systems, and labor and industry partners. YouthBuild programs are key components in a no-wrong door workforce systems aligned to the Department’s Youth Employment Works Strategy, and leverage partnerships to provide quality career pathway opportunities. DOL expects 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 opportunity youth for career placement into high-quality, in-demand jobs and supports the Administration's goal to build a modern and sustainable infrastructure. YouthBuild programs are well-positioned to connect participants with career opportunities in construction, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and other careers developing as a result of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and CHIPS and Science Act. For more information on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including a guidebook of other funding opportunities and areas of investment, visit https://www.build.gov.

The academic component of the YouthBuild model assists youth who are often significantly behind in basic skills development in obtaining a high school diploma or state high school equivalency credential. The occupational skills training component prepares opportunity 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.

The Provisions Governing the YouthBuild Program (20 CFR Part 688) are the regulations under which YouthBuild program providers must operate and can be found at eCFR :: 20 CFR Part 688 -- Provisions Governing the YouthBuild Program.

http://www.build.gov/ https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-20/chapter-V/part-688 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-20/chapter-V/part-688

The WIOA regulations at 20 CFR 688.120 recognize YouthBuild programs funded by DOL as pre-apprenticeship programs. Grantees funded under this announcement must develop program models that align with pre-apprenticeship as defined in 20 CFR 681.480 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.

YouthBuild programs provide educational and skills training preparation that give participants the requirements needed to enter a Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP). RAPs are an industry-driven, high-quality career pathway validated by the U.S. Department of Labor or a state Apprenticeship Agency and registered under the National Apprenticeship Act where employers can develop and prepare their future workforce, and individuals can obtain paid-work experience with a mentor, classroom instruction, and a portable, nationally recognized credential.

Grantees awarded under this announcement should actively develop partnerships and pathways that lead directly to high-quality employment and placements in registered apprenticeship programs. For more information on RAPs, please visit https://www.apprenticeship.gov/employers/registered-apprenticeship-program

The Construction Plus model allows YouthBuild grantees to use DOL grant funds to train participants in additional in-demand industries with the goal of attaining industry-recognized credentials, hands-on work experience in industry settings, and direct entry into Registered 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 681.480 to develop their Construction Plus pathways.

YouthBuild programs are required to partner with American Job Centers, also known as 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, as found in 20 CFR 678.420. 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, employer connections, basic assessment, supportive services provision, transition services for post-exit placements, and continuing education and training. It also provides a https://www.apprenticeship.gov/employers/registered-apprenticeship-program https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-20/chapter-V/part-678#678.420 referral connection between American Job Centers and YouthBuild programs. Applicants for the YouthBuild program should initiate the one-stop partnership conversation with their local Workforce Development Board prior to submitting their grant 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. DOL expects grantees awarded under this announcement 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 to additional supportive services. Supportive services are an essential part of high-quality workforce development programs, and evidence [1][2] shows that they contribute to participants, particularly those from underserved communities, completing programs, which leads to opportunities for advancement into better jobs. Supportive services can include, but are not limited to, childcare, food, transportation, mental health counseling, legal assistance, financial counseling, referrals for drug treatment, provision of work tools or work clothes, and needs-related payments/emergency cash assistance.

As one of the goals of the YouthBuild program is to provide affordable housing, all DOL-funded YouthBuild 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 facing significant challenges or barriers in their lives. 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 enough youth 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. The applicant has discretion to determine the threshold number of participants that are needed during the program cycle to complete at least one unit of housing. However, all applicants must ensure that every participant will obtain 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 must submit an annual housing census that tracks the number of housing units completed in that reporting year for each active grant.

In accordance with 20 CFR 688.320, YouthBuild grantees are required to build or substantially renovate at least one unit of housing 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, 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 at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/advisories/training-and-employment-guidance-letter-no-06-15

To prepare participants for careers in the emerging climate resilience sector, DOL encourages all YouthBuild programs to support the development of construction skills through trainings that implement sustainable construction and building practices and clean energy technologies. These trainings may include knowledge of sustainable building materials, solar panel installation, weatherization processes, and zero-impact techniques to eliminate environmental waste from construction, among other green building techniques. DOL has identified the YouthBuild program as part of the Justice40 initiative, whose goal is that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. For more information on Justice40, visit https://www.whitehouse.gov/environmentaljustice/justice40/. Applicants may also be interested in the Environmental Protection Agency's environmental justice mapping and screening tool called EJScreen, available at https://www.epa.gov/ejscreen.

Further, in response to a surge in gun violence in communities across the nation, violence that most harms communities of color and individuals in high-poverty neighborhoods, this FOA requires applicants to incorporate wrap-around services and mentoring, work-based learning and apprenticeship opportunities, and education or school-based programs, to mitigate that violence and to reduce exposure for YouthBuild participants to gun violence. Research shows that exposure to firearm violence—including as a victim or witness—greatly increases the likelihood that an adolescent will commit a violent act within two years.[3] Additional promising community violence intervention (CVI) strategies for reducing gun violence include, amongst other interventions, the provision of job training and youth employment opportunities[4], both of which are fundamental to the YouthBuild program.

[1] Kaul, Burnett, and George (2011). Pathways to Success. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

[2] Rankin S. (2015). Building Sustainable Communities – Financial Services. Local Initiatives Support Corporation

[3] See https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/07/fact-sheet-more-details-on-the-biden-harris-administrations-investments-in-community-violence-interventions/ https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/advisories/training-and-employment-guidance-letter-no-06-15 https://www.whitehouse.gov/environmentaljustice/justice40/ https://www.epa.gov/ejscreen https://www.peerta.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/public/uploaded_files/service_pathways_research_brief_march_2011.pdf https://www.lisc.org/media/filer_public/8d/d0/8dd0ddcd-e6b4-443a-bf47-a0c67096e212/041415_srankin_foc_report.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/07/fact-sheet-more-details-on-the-biden-harris-administrations-investments-in-community-violence-interventions/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/07/fact-sheet-more-details-on-the-biden-harris-administrations-investments-in-community-violence-interventions/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/07/fact-sheet-more-details-on-the-biden-harris-administrations-investments-in-community-violence-interventions/

[4] Bilchik S. (1999). Promising strategies to reduce gun violence. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, US Department of Justice

B. PROGRAM AUTHORITY

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

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. AWARD TYPE AND AMOUNT

Funding will be provided in the form of a grant.

We expect availability of approximately $98 million to fund approximately 75 grants.

Applicants may apply for a grant amount ranging from $700,000 to a ceiling amount of $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 sustainability of strong programs, while encouraging 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 that have demonstrated success in the program, referred to as Category A. DOL will award the remainder of funds to other qualifying organizations, referred to as Category B. Category A and Category B are further described in Section IV.B.3.i below. Any applicant that received a FY 2022 (FOA-ETA-23-17) DOL YouthBuild grant is not eligible to apply.

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

B. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance is 40 months with an anticipated start date of 06/03/2024. This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities.

This also includes statutory requirements for the active and follow-up periods. This includes:

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

• Two years of active program services, also called active program time, when education, occupational skills training, and youth leadership development activities are conducted for one or more cohorts of participants; and

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

https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh176/files/pubs/gun_violence/173950.pdf

A minimum of five percent of total funds must 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.

As mentioned above, 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 Developers(s) positions), if not already hired;

• Reaching out to the local Workforce Development Board or American Job Center (AJC) to finalize Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) requirements, establish an infrastructure funding agreement, and make plans for collaborating with other required partners, including employers, at a minimum;

• Revising the program budget to reflect updates as necessary, such as contributions to the AJC 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.

While the core program staff described above do not need to be in place at the time of application, grantees must provide coverage of each position for the full 36 months of active programming. Each core position must be held by different individuals. The Project Manager/Director oversees all aspects of the grant, including staff supervision, program design, and required reporting. The Case Manager is responsible for participant files, including documentation of eligibility and services, and planning and documenting follow-up services. The Job Developer/Placement Specialist engages potential employers and ensures that youth that get employment placements are meeting employer expectations. DOL strongly encourages grantees to hire individuals from diverse backgrounds with lived experience relevant to the program purpose, such as individuals who have experienced housing instability or have come from low-income neighborhoods.

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

To help programs prepare, examples of a 40-month program planner can be found here:

https://youthbuild.workforcegps.org/resources/2019/08/07/12/21/Program_Planner_Map.

C. 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 held to the six WIOA primary indicators of performance for youth. These indicators are:

https://youthbuild.workforcegps.org/resources/2019/08/07/12/21/Program_Planner_Map.

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.

Additional information on these performance indicators can be found in Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 10-16, Change 2: “Performance Accountability Guidance for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Core Programs.”

This FOA evaluates the Category A applicants based on the WIOA performance indicators above. Applicants should be prepared to demonstrate success with the six performance indicators above, which will be used to evaluate applicants in future grant competitions.

The outcome goals for the successful applicants under this FOA are as follows:

Performance Indicator Outcome Goal

Education and Employment Rate – Second Quarter After Exit

70%

Education and Employment Rate – Fourth Quarter After Exit

65%

Median Earnings – Second Quarter After Exit $5,000 Credential Attainment 80% Measurable Skill Gains 70% Effectiveness in Serving Employers 50%

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

Eligible applicants for these grants are public or private non-profit agencies or organizations.

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 including those 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;

• Labor unions, labor-management partnerships, a central labor council, other labor council, state conference of a union, or state labor federation, or worker centers;

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

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/advisories/tegl-10-16-change-2

• A community action agency;

• A state or local housing development agency;

• 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

Entities ineligible to apply to this FOA include grantees (based on their unique Employer Identification Number) who received funding from the FY 2022 YouthBuild competition [FOA- ETA-23-17]. Additionally, DOL will award only one grant to an organization, which must have a unique Employer Identification Number (EIN), and must not administer its program services at the same location as any other YouthBuild grantee. For governmental or public sector entities that share an EIN but have multiple locations, DOL will consider these entities as different entities provided they have separate Unique Entity Identifiers (UEI) and an active SAM.gov registration. Please see Section IV.B. a and b for more information about UEI and SAM registration.

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

B. 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, "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; in order for the monies to be counted as match, they must be expended on the program. 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 amounts 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. DOL will consider any cash or in-kind commitments beyond 25 percent of the grant award amount as leveraged resources.

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.

Some examples of allowable match include commitments from non-federal public sources (e.g., states, municipalities, public school boards), local trade or technical schools, and through the commitment of internal resources.

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 DOL will not screen out these applications 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.

Matching Waiver for Tribal Entities: In addition to the above waiver, DOL does not require any match for YouthBuild grants made to: Indian and Native American entities 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. Accordingly, DOL does not require these entities to include a match commitment in their applications, and DOL will not screen out these applications on that basis. However, even though DOL does not require matching funds from these areas, these entities are required to commit additional resources to the grant project. These additional resources may be leveraged resources, including dollars from federal sources, or other types of contributions.

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-

Volunteer services furnished by third-party professional and technical personnel, consultants, and other skilled and unskilled https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/advisories/training-and-employment-guidance-letter-no-05-10-change-1 income housing that was used for training.

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 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.

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 in 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.

C. 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

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 Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Section

IV.B.1

SF-424 lists the 25% match amount on lines 18b-f, if required.

Section

IV.B.2

SF-424A, Budget Information Form Section

IV.B.2

Budget Narrative Section

IV.B.2

Match Narrative, if required (component of Budget 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)

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

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 (including youth experiencing housing instability), and/or a youth in foster care (including youth aging out of foster care), and/or a youth involved in the justice system 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. Left high school prior to graduation, or an individual who left high school prior to graduation 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 youth out-of-school 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.

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

Note: As specified in 20 CFR 688.340, an eligible individual selected for participation in the program must be offered full-time participation in the program for not less than 6 months and not more than 24 months.

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 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 https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/advisories/training-and-employment-guidance-letter-no-10-09.

4. Participant Enrollment https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/advisories/training-and-employment-guidance-letter-no-10-09 https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/advisories/training-and-employment-guidance-letter-no-10-09

To ensure that grant funds are providing the greatest benefit, DOL has established a cost per participant range for the YouthBuild program, based on an analysis of previous grant award enrollment and spending trends. The cost per participant creates a minimum goal for participant enrollment during the period of performance, as determined by the amount of funds requested by the applicant. It is not a limit on the kinds of supports a grantee can offer any individual participant. DOL is using an estimated cost per participant of $23,000 (not including match funding) to determine the minimum number of participants a grantee must enroll. For example, an applicant requesting funding for $1,500,000 must enroll no fewer than 66 participants, but may enroll more than 66 participants.

5. Target Community Service Area

DOL evaluates applications on the need in 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. To identify the service area, applicants must use zip codes to define one contiguous service area or closely located communities within a metropolitan service area. If an applicant proposes to serve multiple service areas that are not contiguous or closely located, it 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 must provide, as a separate attachment, a map of the zip codes for the service area, 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 at least one work site form (ETA-9143).

The applicant must provide a separate work site form (ETA-9143), with attachments, for each qualifying work site (not including the Annual Housing Census starting on page 5 of the form).

Attachment E of this FOA provides instructions on how to complete the ETA-9143 form and all required attachments and provides a link to the location of the downloadable form ETA-9143 and all attachments. Applicants must provide a letter of commitment from each funding source indicating the origin of the funds, the dollar value, and on which work site(s) it will be expended.

If using YouthBuild grant funds, applicants must show applicable construction training costs in “Supplies”, “Other”, or “Contractual” lines as appropriate. For each work site, the applicant must provide proof of ownership or a letter from the owner of the property granting them access. For any currently occupied housing unit, the applicant must provide, as an attachment, a narrative that identifies who is occupying the property, if relocation of such occupants is necessary and the estimated cost of relocation, the relocation funding source, and the contact information of who will be providing relocation assistance. The applicant must also provide the roles and responsibilities, including specific construction activities that youth will perform on each work https://www.unitedstateszipcodes.org/ site. Applicants may submit up to three separate work site forms with attachments. DOL will not review more than three work site forms.

Applicants must include only one property address (or parcel number) per work site form, and must include all related attachments for each work site submission. If an applicant provides an address or parcel number and identifies multiple housing units to be built or renovated, it must identify the building type and the specific number of units on which it anticipates participants will actively use for training.

Please note: Each applicant must comply with the Uniform Guidance 2 CFR Part 200.112 Conflict of Interest, ensuring that no employee, officer, or agent, any member of his or her immediate family, his or her partner, or an organization which employs or is about to employ any of the parties indicated herein, has a financial or other interest in or a tangible personal benefit from a YouthBuild construction project.

Applicants must include all completed ETA-9143 forms, but no more than three, (including all required attachments) 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 conveys that the property can only be sold or rented 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 applicants must use the…