[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 105 (Wednesday, June 2, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29672-29691]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-13920]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Office of Job Training Programs; Workforce Investment Act; Title
I, National Programs: Youth Opportunity Grants
AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of Funds and Solicitation for Grant
Applications (SGA).
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training
Administration, announces the competitive grants to be awarded under
the Youth Opportunity initiative. Part I of this announcement provides
the legislative authority and provides background information on this
initiative; Part II provides instructions on the application submission
process; Part III describes the Youth Opportunity Grant initiative;
Part IV describes how to apply for urban and rural grants; and Part V
describes how to apply for Native American grants. This announcement
includes all of the information and forms needed to apply for Youth
Opportunity Grants.
DATES: The closing date for receipt of applications is September 30,
1999, by 4 p.m. eastern standard time. No exceptions to the mailing and
hand-delivery conditions set forth in Part II of this notice will be
granted. Applications that do not meet the conditions set forth in this
notice will not be considered.
ADDRESSES: Applications must be mailed or hand-delivered to: U.S.
Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Division
of Federal Assistance, Attention: Yvonne Harrell, Reference: SGA/DFA
99-015; 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room S-4203; Washington, DC
20210. Your application should specify on the cover whether you are
applying for an urban, rural, or Native American grant. Areas that are
not EZ/ECs are urban if they are located in metropolitan areas as
defined by the Census.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Fax questions to Yvonne Harrell,
Division of Federal Assistance at (202) 219-8739. This is not a toll-
free number. All inquiries sent via fax should include the SGA number
(DFA 99-015) and a contact name and phone number. This announcement is
also being published on the Internet on the Employment and Training
Administration's Home Page at http://doleta.gov. Commonly asked
questions and answers regarding these grants will also be published on
the ETA Home Page. Award notifications will also be published on the
Home Page.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Part I. Authority
Section 169 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. Regulations
applicable to this Act are at 20 CFR parts 660 through 671, published
at 64 F.R. 18662 (April 15, 1999). Regulations specifically applicable
to Youth Opportunity Grants are at 20 CFR part 664, subpart H
(Secs. 664.800-664.830).
Background
The Nation's overall unemployment rate is near its lowest level in
almost 30 years, but there continue to be serious economic inequalities
and pockets of poverty in this country. Youth living in inner-city and
rural areas with poverty rates of 30 percent or higher face
considerable barriers to succeeding in life. The employment rate for
out-of-school youth in high-poverty areas typically is less than 50
percent. In our country's largest urban school districts, less than 50
percent of each year's entering 9th grade class graduates four years
later. Many of these out-of-school youth are at risk of becoming
permanently lost to the legitimate economy. The labor market is simply
not working for these youth.
The Youth Opportunity Grants authorized under Section 169 of the
Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 significantly increase resources
available for serving youth growing up in high-poverty urban and rural
areas. The Department of Labor (DOL) envisions that these new resources
will be used as a complement to the Job Corps, School-to-Work, formula-
funded WIA programs, Department of Education programs, and other
programs funded at the Federal, State, and local level to help youth
make the transition to adulthood. We expect through these grants to
develop high-quality programs that help individual youth find better
jobs and increase their educational attainment. In addition to these
positive outcomes for individual youth, we also expect to achieve
community-wide impacts in increasing youth employment rates and
educational attainment.
[[Page 29673]]
The Youth Opportunity Grants also offer a chance to build improved
systems for serving youth. Planning and implementing these grants will
require local areas to think geographically in targeting resources; to
coordinate more closely with the public school system, juvenile justice
system, the private sector, community-based organizations, and existing
programs providing services to youth; to retain dedicated staff over
several years; to develop high-quality programs based on best
practices; and to provide follow-up services to youth for a longer
period than previously required by employment and training grants. A
primary goal of Youth Opportunity Grants is to put systems in place
that will be sustained after grant funds cease and result in long-term
improvements in our capacity to serve youth.
Grantees must assure that youth with disabilities have physical and
programmatic access to programs operated with Youth Opportunity funds,
and that programs include extensive and targeted outreach to ensure
that eligible disabled youth are served under these initiatives.
DOL also requires that grantees ensure that young workers placed by
their programs receive on-the-job occupational safety and health
training, and that employers guarantee that jobs provided are in
compliance with all appropriate State and Federal labor standards,
including child labor.
Part II. Application Submission Process
This part pertains to ``ALL'' eligible applicants (Workforce
Investment Boards, SDA administrative entity receiving JTPA formula
funds, and Native American, JTPA section 401 or WIA section 166
Grantees).
What Should My Application Consist of?
You must include both a financial and a technical proposal. An
original and three (3) copies of the application must be submitted. The
application will consist of two (2) separate and distinct Sections: (1)
The Financial Proposal, (2) the Technical Proposal. Your application
must specify on the cover sheet whether you are applying for an urban,
rural, or Native American grant. Areas that are not EZ/ECs are urban if
they are located in metropolitan areas as defined by the Census.
What Information Should Be Included in Section I--The Financial
Proposal?
Section I must include your Financial Proposal which consists of
the required forms listed in Appendix ``A'' (Cover Sheet, Application
for Federal Assistance, SF424 and the Budget Information Sheet). Do not
attach any documents on top of the ``Cover Sheet''. This sheet must be
the first page of your application package. The ``Budget Information
Sheet'' must reflect the 12-month initial grant period. The budget
include on a separate page a detailed breakout of each proposed budget
line item. For each budget line item that includes funds or in-kind
contributions from a source other than grant funds, identify the
source, the amount, and any restrictions that may apply to these funds.
You should reserve funds in the budget for staff development and travel
to training conferences. Also include in this section a two page
Executive/Project Summary, and the letter from the Governor designating
your area as eligible for award if you are not an EZ/EC. The Federal
Domestic Assistance Catalogue Number is 17.249. This number must be
placed in Block # 10 of the SF424.
What Information Should Be Included in Section II--Technical Proposal?
Section II of your application will contain your ``Technical
Proposal'' which should address the grant requirements identified in
Part IV for urban and rural grants and Part V for Native American
grants. Technical proposal must be limited to 30 double-spaced single-
side, 8.5-inch x 11-inch pages with a 1-inch margin. The text type
must be 12 point or larger. Attachments must not exceed ten (10) pages.
Applications that do not meet these requirements will not be
considered. Each application must include the Checklist provided as
Appendix B. NO COST DATA OR REFERENCE TO PRICE SHALL BE INCLUDED IN THE
TECHNICAL PROPOSAL.
May an Application Be Hand-Delivered?
Applications should be mailed no later than five (5) days prior to
the closing date for the receipt of applications. However, if
applications are hand-delivered, they must be received at the
designated place by 4 p.m., Eastern Time on the closing date for
receipt of applications. All overnight mail will be considered to be
hand-delivered and must be received at the designated place by the
specified time and closing date. Telegraphed and/or faxed proposals
will not be honored. All applications that fail to adhere to the above
instructions will not be honored.
What Happens if an Application Is Delivered Late?
Any application received at the office designated in the
solicitation after the exact time specified for receipt will not be
considered unless it:
(1) Was sent by U.S. Postal Service registered or certified mail
not later than the fifth calendar day before the closing date specified
for receipt of applications (e.g., an offer submitted in response to a
solicitation requiring receipt of application by the 30th of January
must have been mailed by the 25th); or
(2) Was sent by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Next Day Service--
Post Office to Addressee, not later than 5 p.m. at the place of mailing
two working days prior to the date specified for receipt of
application. The term ``working days'' excludes weekends and U.S.
Federal holidays. The only acceptable evidence to establish the date of
mailing of a late application sent by U.S. Postal Service registered or
certified mail is the U.S. postmark on the envelope or wrapper and on
the original receipt from the U.S. Postal Service. Both postmarks must
show a legible date or the proposal shall be processed as if it had
been mailed late. ``Postmark'' means a printed, stamped, or otherwise
placed impression (exclusive of a postage meter machine impression)
that is readily identifiable without further action as having been
supplied and affixed by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service on the
date of mailing. Therefore, applicants should request the postal clerk
to place a legible hand cancellation ``bull's eye'' postmark on both
the receipt and the envelope or wrapper.
The only acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of a
late application sent by ``Express Mail Next-Day Service--Post Office
to Addressee'' is the date entered by the post office receiving clerk
on the ``Express Mail Next Day Service--Post Office to Addressee''
label and the postmarks on both the envelope and wrapper and the
original receipt from the U.S. Postal Service. ``Postmark'' has the
same meaning as defined above. Therefore, an applicant should request
the postal clerk to place a legible hand cancellation ``bull's eye''
postmark on both the receipt and the envelope or wrapper.
How May I Withdraw an Application?
Applications may be withdrawn by written notice or telegram
(including mailgram) received at any time before award. Applications
may be withdrawn in person by the applicant or by an authorized
representative thereof, if the representative's identity is made known
and the representative sign a receipt for the proposal.
[[Page 29674]]
Part III. Youth Opportunity Grant Initiative
What Is DOL's Vision of the Youth Opportunity Initiative?
At DOL, the vision of the Youth Opportunity Grant Program, and all
of its other youth programs, is to assist all youth, particularly those
out of school, to acquire the necessary academic, technical, and
workplace skills and work experience to successfully transition into
adulthood, careers, and further education and training. The Department
envisions a ``youth movement,'' involving partnerships with local
education agencies, the private sector, post-secondary institutions,
community-based organizations, and foundations. As well, we will be
promoting public awareness of the Department's commitment to America's
youth.
What Are the Objectives and Goals of the Initiative?
The Workforce Investment Act specifies that Youth Opportunity
grants are to be used to increase the long-term employment of youth who
live in empowerment zones, enterprise communities, and high-poverty
areas. Currently, both the employment rates and the educational
attainment of youth in these areas are very low. DOL expects to achieve
individual positive outcomes in job placement and retention, high
school completion, and college enrollment. By serving large numbers of
youth in target areas, DOL also expects to achieve community-wide
impacts on employment rates, high school completion rates, and college
enrollment rates.
Am I an Eligible Applicant for These Grants?
You are an eligible applicant for these grants if you are a Local
Workforce Investment Board (or, in areas that have not yet made the
transition to Workforce Investment Boards, the administrative entity
that receives formula funds for a local service delivery area (SDA)
under the Job Training Partnership Act) serving a community that meets
one of the following three criteria:
(1) The community has been designated a federal Empowerment Zone or
Enterprise Community (EZ/EC) by the Department of Housing and Urban and
Development or the Department of Agriculture under section 1391 of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
(2) If the State has no federally designated EZ/EC, the community
has been designated by the Governor as a high poverty area; or
(3) If the State has one or more EZs or ECs, the community is one
of two additional areas in the state that the Governor has designated
as eligible to apply for funds under this grant program. Such
communities must meet the poverty criteria for EZ/ECs set forth in
section 1392 (a)(4), (b), and (d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
You may also apply for a Youth Opportunity Grant if you are a
Workforce Investment Act section 166 (JTPA section 401) Native American
Grantee and the community that you serve meets certain criteria. Part V
of this grant announcement, which deals specifically with Native
American applications, lists these criteria.
What Are Applicant Restrictions?
Under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, section 18, an
organization described in Section 501(c)4 of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986 which engages in lobbying activities shall not be eligible for
the receipt of Federal funds constituting a award grant or loan.
How Large Should the Target Area Be?
We recommend that you make your entire EZ/EC the target area for
this grant, except for the largest urban EZs with populations of over
70,000. For these large EZs, we recommend that the target area be
limited to a population of 70,000 and be among the poorest areas within
the EZ. In the interest of fairness, we recommend that Governors follow
EZ/EC population criteria in designating areas other than EZ/ECs as
eligible for these grants. Thus, we are recommending that (1) cities
with populations of over 700,000 have target areas limited to 70,000
people; (2) cities with populations of less than 700,000 have target
areas limited to 50,000 people; and (3) rural areas have target areas
limited to 30,000 people.
Do Target Areas Need To Be Contiguous?
For EZ/ECs that are not contiguous, local boards can submit the
entire EZ/EC as the target area or a sub-part of the EZ/EC. For areas
that are not EZ/ECs, we recommend that the target area be contiguous.
Having contiguous areas will make it much easier for sites to operate
their projects. Further, for areas that are not EZ/ECs or are part of
EZ/ECs, the target area should follow existing and meaningful
geographic, labor market, neighborhood, and economic borders as much as
possible. Following service area demarcations that are meaningful to
the local neighborhood will increase a project's chances of affecting
community-wide change.
How Large a Grant May I Apply for?
Cities serving a target area with a population of 70,000 can apply
for a first-year grant of up to $12 million. Cities serving a target
area with a population of 45,000 to 70,000 can apply for first-year
grants of up to $8 million. Cities with target areas with a population
of less than 45,000 and rural areas can apply for first-year grants of
up to $5 million.
What Is the Grant Period?
Grant awards will be made for an initial period of one year, with
up to 4 additional option years based on the availability of funds and
satisfactory progress towards achieving the goals and objectives of the
grant. If the grant is extended to the third and fourth years, the
grant will be reduced to 75 percent of the initial grant amount. If the
grant is extended to the fifth year, the grant will be 50 percent of
the initial grant amount.
What Is the Expected Number of Awards?
We expect to award approximately 25 and 30 grants. Grants will be
distributed equitably among local boards and entities serving urban
areas, rural areas, and Indian reservations based on factors such as
the poverty rate in these areas, the number of people in poverty in
these areas, and the quality of proposals received.
Can DOL Migrant Worker Grantees Apply for These Grants?
Separate funds have been authorized for new projects to serve youth
from migrant and seasonal farmworker families, and these funds will be
competed separately. Youth from migrant and seasonal farm worker
families can be served in the rural projects funded under Youth
Opportunity Grants, and we encourage sites to include services to such
youth in these proposals, but Local Boards rather than Migrant Worker
Grantees must apply for these grants.
How Will Applications Be Reviewed and Selected?
The Department will screen all applications to determine whether
all required elements are present and clearly identifiable. These
required elements are discussed in the application process in Sections
IV and V and are summarized in Appendix B ``Application Checklist.''
Failure to include all required elements will result in rejection of
the application. Proposals will be reviewed by an independent panel
including both federal staff and peer reviewers. Site visits will be
made
[[Page 29675]]
to finalists. We will put more weight on site visits in this
competition than we have in any recent grant selection process, and
expect to meet with all key local partners during these site visits.
The panel recommendations to the Grant Officer are advisory in nature.
Final award decisions will be based on the best interests of the
government, including consideration of geographic and urban/rural
balance. The Grant Officer may elect to award grants either with or
without discussions with the applicant. In situations where no
discussions occur, an award will be based on the applicant's signature
on the SF424 form, which constitutes a binding offer.
Will There Be Technical Assistance Conferences?
Technical assistance conferences will be held at the following
times and places:
June 15: Washington, DC at the Hilton Washington Embassy Row Hotel,
2015 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 (202-265-1600)
June 16: Chicago at the Westin O'Hare Hotel, 6100 River Road,
Rosemont, Illinois 60018 (847-698-6000)
June 23: Denver (for Native American grants only, see Section V)
June 24: Los Angeles (location to be announced on the DOL Home Page)
June 29: Atlanta (location to be announced on the DOL Home Page)
For general information and up-to-date information regarding these
technical assistance conferences, please call 703-299-1680. You can
register for one of these conferences by fax at 703-299-4589 or by e-
mail at [email protected]. To register, please include the following
information: Full name, Title, Organization, Address, Phone, Fax, E-
mail, number of participants, and which conference you will be
attending. Please identify any special needs. You will need to make
hotel reservations on your own. Please call the above number for
information on the hotels in which the technical assistance conferences
will be held.
Who May Be Served Under These Grants?
These grants can serve all youth who live in the target community
who are not less than age 14 and not more than age 21 at the time of
initial enrollment. We are looking for proposals that address the needs
of both in-school and out-of-school youth. We expect that the largest
share of funds from these grants will go towards serving out-of-school
youth, with some grant funds and many complementary activities going
towards decreasing the dropout rate and increasing the college
enrollment of in-school youth. Project operators should take care not
to give incentives for in-school youth to drop out of high school to
participate in any programs offered here.
What Are Allowable Uses of Grant Funds?
The allowable uses of grant funds are described in the activities
authorized at sections 129 and 169(b)(2) of the Workforce Investment
Act, and at 20 CFR 664.400 through 664.620 of the WIA regulations.
Allowable activities include intensive placement services and follow-up
services. (Specific examples of all allowable uses of funds, including
intensive placement services and follow-up services are described in
detail later in this announcement.)
What Restrictions Are There on the Use of These Grant Funds?
The restrictions described at section 181 of the Workforce
Investment Act and at 20 CFR 667.260 through 667.268 of the WIA
regulations apply to the use of these grant funds.
Will There Be a Planning Period for Sites After Grant Award?
We understand that it will take sites that have been awarded grants
some time to hire staff, formalize partnerships, and locate and
renovate operating space. We will work with sites and provide technical
assistance from the beginning of the grant period to help sites avoid
start-up problems and get off as fast a start as is possible. Most
likely, sites will be able to start some components of their projects
fairly quickly, and then gradually introduce other components.
Will DOL Conduct an Evaluation of This Initiative?
DOL will conduct an evaluation of the Youth Opportunity Grant
initiative. Grantees will be required to cooperate by providing
enrollment and participation data and other information, but there will
be no significant burden on sites for this evaluation. We also may
require quarterly progress reports.
Part IV. Application for Urban and Rural Grants
What Should I Do if I Wish To Apply for an Urban or Rural Grant?
Begin your planning process early and include the public and
private sectors and members of the community. Suggested agencies that
should be represented in the planning include local youth councils, the
mayor's office in urban sites and county government in rural areas,
One-Stop Centers, local employers, high schools and middle schools in
the target area, EZ/EC Boards, the juvenile justice system, public
housing agencies, community colleges, local four-year colleges, local
Job Corps centers, representatives of Job Corps center industry
councils, community-based organizations, local foundations, and faith-
based organizations. You should also try to get the community involved,
including youth and their parents or guardians. This is not an
exhaustive list. Considering how the various components in your project
will be sustained after grant funds cease should be an integral part of
your planning process.
What Will Be the Criteria for Award?
Panelists will rate proposals based on answers to the questions
which are more fully explained below in this section. DOL is especially
interested in how grantees will sustain their programs after federal
funds cease, and plans for sustainment will be a key factor for award.
For urban and rural grants, the weight for each answer is as follows:
(1) Need in the target area (no regular points, but up to 10 bonus
points)
(2) Project design and service strategy (40 points)
(3) Management and accountability (20 points)
(4) Sustainability: Public sector and community partnerships and
complementary resources (15 points)
(5) Private sector resources (15 points)
(6) Dropout prevention plans (10 points)
How Should My Technical Proposal Be Organized?
The technical proposal must be organized to follow the format and
answer the questions below. The criteria below will be used to evaluate
your proposal. Points will be deducted from applications that are not
responsive to these questions. The technical questions are as follows:
1. What Is the Need for the Project in the Target Area? (up to 10 bonus
points)
Provide a good general description of the target area and the
extent of poverty and other risk factors for youth. Most important,
provide the population of the area in the 1990 Census, the poverty rate
of the area in the 1990 Census, and the dropout rate of target area
high schools calculated by showing the 9th grade enrollment at each
high school in 1994 and the graduating class in June of 1998. If
circumstances have changed markedly in the target community since the
1990
[[Page 29676]]
Census, describe such changes and provide any additional information on
the community. Also provide an estimate of the number of youth in the
target community based on the 1990 Census or other information.
Describe how the area compares with other communities in the city or
State regarding poverty and unemployment. Describe what the target area
looks like; its relation to downtown or the center of activity and/or
commerce; the elementary, middle, and high schools in the area; other
organizations in the target community that serve youth such as Job
Corps, One-Stop Centers, and YouthBuild, and the number of youth they
serve; and other features that will help us understand the area. Also
provide a map of the target community, with schools in the area
identified, and the planned location of program activities.
2. What Is the Project Design and Service Strategy? (40 points)
The Department of Labor is committed to ensuring that several core
principles underlie an effective youth strategy. These principles
include: Providing comprehensive services; ensuring the participation
of caring adults; a commitment to excellence; and guaranteeing long
term follow-up to all youth participants. We are also committed to
instilling in youth a sense of personal responsibility and
accountability for their actions. These core principles must be present
in all Youth Opportunity Grant initiatives. These principles are quite
similar to the effective practices common to successful youth programs
identified by the Promising and Effective Practices Network (PEPNet).
Information from PEPNet can be obtained from the National Youth
Employment Coalition at 202-659-1064 ([email protected]).
Two critical components for ensuring that design requirements will
be enhanced are: Youth Opportunity Community Centers, where most of the
project activities such as case management should take place; and a
core staff of youth development specialists serving as case managers
who will play a critical role in recruiting youth and assuring
intensive placement, follow-up, and other identified services are
provided to youth. Applications must address how these two critical
components will be provided.
A. Youth Opportunity Community Center. We expect that Community
Youth Opportunity Centers and perhaps some satellites offices will be
set up in the target area. This center must be tied into One-Stop
Centers serving the target area--either co-located at a One-Stop Center
or as a satellite of a full One-Stop Center. The youth center must be a
well-situated place where youth can enroll, receive an individual
assessment, develop their service strategy, and meet with youth
development specialists for referrals to job training, intensive
placement, education programs, the Job Corps, other youth programs,
follow-up, job development, and other services. It must also be a place
where youth receive training in basic employability skills, and access
to program information, referrals, and other youth development
activities. Applications must discuss tentative locations for such
centers and satellites. Also be specific about renovations that will be
needed to establish the center, and the costs of such renovations.
B. Core Staff. The staff must be of a size sufficient to handle the
expected demand for services. We expect that typical urban sites will
have a core staff of 40 to 50 youth development specialists and job
developers working to place and retain out-of-school youth in private
sector jobs and to keep in-school youth from dropping out of school, as
well as up to 10 additional outreach workers actively recruiting youth
into the program. For urban grants in target areas with populations of
70,000, we expect even larger numbers of core staff. Rural sites will
have smaller grants and may wish to have fewer job developers. Grantees
must hold steady the amount of grant funds for core staff throughout
the five years of the grant, even though the overall grant funding will
decline over time. Your plan must also indicate the expected number of
youth each case worker will be assigned to at a given point in time,
understanding that, over time, many youth will require less attention
and new youth can be brought onto the caseload. You must indicate how
many staff will be working with out-of-school youth and how many will
be working with in-school youth.
C. Building a Better System for Serving Youth. Describe in this
section the gaps in the current system for serving youth in the target
community. Explain how the services provided under this grant will
improve this system. Describe your vision of how the new system for
serving youth will work as opposed to the old system. Also describe
gaps that will remain, and plans for building capacity so as to
eventually fill these gaps. The existing Out-of-School Youth
Opportunity grantees applying under this solicitation should indicate
how they plan to include and transition their current project into a
larger initiative funded under the Youth Opportunity Grant.
D. Program Activities. The framework for serving youth under the
Workforce Investment Act and in this project must provide for:
Individual needs assessments; individual service strategies;
preparation for employment and/or post-secondary education; linkages
between academic and occupational learning and connections to
intermediaries; a menu of program elements; intensive placement and
follow-up services; and access to information and referrals.
Individual assessments and services strategies. Discuss how you
will actively recruit youth through various strategies rather than
waiting for them to apply. Provide a description of the individual
assessment and service strategy development processes.
Program elements. 20 CFR 664.410 lists ten elements that must be
included in all local workforce investment area youth programs. These
ten program elements can be grouped around four broad themes: (1)
Preparation for and success in employment (including summer jobs, paid
and unpaid work experience, and occupational skills training); (2)
improving educational achievement (including such elements as tutoring,
study skills training, instruction leading to a high school diploma,
alternative school and dropout prevention); (3) support for youth
(including meeting supportive service needs, providing mentoring and
follow-up activities); and (4) services to develop the potential of
youth as citizens and leaders (the concept of leadership and youth
development). In addition, these program elements must incorporate
preparation for employment and/or post-secondary education; linkages
between academic and occupational learning; and connections to
intermediaries for job development assistance. We are particularly
interested in teaching methods which put learning in a real-world
context. Applications must describe how each of these program elements
is present in your project. While every youth does not have to be
provided each of the ten program elements (with the exception of
intensive placement and follow-up services), each site must ensure that
they are available as the services will be provided on an individual
assessment. Discuss how the array of services will be sequenced, and
how various activities will be available taking into account the
different ages, language proficiency, ethnicity, culture, disabilities,
stages of development, and job readiness of individual youth.
[[Page 29677]]
DOL expects that the costs for serving individual youth will vary
greatly--from perhaps $20,000 a year for conservation corps programs to
less than $2,000 for youth who primarily need job placement. The
Department of Labor's budget presented to Congress assumes that the
average cost for serving youth will be $5,000 a year in Youth
Opportunity Grant funds. The average cost per youth can be supplemented
with other resources. Applicants can use this average cost figure as a
guide, but will not be penalized for proposing a different average cost
figure.
The program elements can be met in a variety of ways. Possible new
initiatives which correspond to the required program elements include,
but are not limited to, the following activities (where we refer to an
existing program, we have provided a telephone number as well as a web
site where available where additional information can be obtained):
--Pre-employment training emphasizing the development of positive
social behaviors and then job placement, with long-term follow-up by
case managers;
--A new alternative school started in partnership with the public
school system, using average daily attendance funds as a match;
--A vocational training program modeled after the Center for Employment
Training (CET) (408-294-7849) in San Jose, California;
--A pre-apprenticeship program to train and place youth in construction
or other trades;
--Training programs to get youth interested in non-traditional
occupations;
--On-the-job training with local employers;
--A YouthBuild construction training program (617-623-9900,
www.youthbuild.org);
--A Youth Conservation Corps (National Association of Service and
Conservation Corps, 202-737-6272, www.nascc.org);
--A work/study program started by the local community college;
--Offering incentives to youth for completing education or training;
--A dropout prevention program in the target area high schools;
--Expanded tutoring and mentoring programs for high school youth,
including tutoring programs conducted by Sylvan Learning Centers (800-
338-2283, www.educate.com/home.html), Score! Educational Services (949-
363-6764, www.score-ed.com), and Huntington Learning Centers (201-261-
8400, www.tutoringhlc.com);
--Remedial education and GED courses, including those that lead to
regular high school diplomas;
--A comprehensive sports, cultural, music, dance, art, and drama
program;
--Expanded work-based learning opportunities for high-school youth, and
2+2+2 programs with community colleges and four-year colleges;
--The Federal Bonding Program to cover job applicants, such as youth
without prior work history, who employers may otherwise consider too
much of a risk to hire (888-266-3562);
--English to Speakers of Other Languages services; and
--An on-the-job mentor training program operated by the local Chamber
of Commerce designed to build relationships between youth placed in
work experiences and local employers.
Leadership development, citizenship, community service, and
recreation activities. These activities are specifically authorized in
the Youth Opportunity section of the legislation. DOL expects that all
sites will place great emphasis on having youth participate in
community service. We encourage applicants to coordinate with community
service programs such as AmeriCorps wherever possible. Discuss plans
for engaging both in-school and out-of-school youth in community
service projects, and the skills you expect them to learn from these
projects. Discuss plans for youth development activities, including how
you will provide training in positive social behavior. For example,
conflict resolution classes and diversity training can be provided.
Also discuss peer-centered activities that encourage youth to take
responsibility for their own lives, and efforts to develop youth
leadership through activities that build decision-making skills, team
work, and self-esteem. Comprehensive sports and cultural programs are
one way grantees can instill leadership and a sense of community to
participants. Leagues can be started in the target area in several
sports for both boys and girls. Cultural activities can also be
provided. Discuss the availability of existing resources such as
cultural offerings and playing fields in the target area. Also discuss
whether you will have youth sign a contract describing program rules of
conduct, mutual responsibilities of enrollees and staff, and expected
outcomes for each enrollee. Also discuss how you will involve the
parents and guardians of youth and how you will involve youth in
advisory boards.
Intensive placement and follow-up services. As required under the
WIA youth formula-funded program, intensive placement and follow-up
services must be provided to every youth enrolled in the program. The
Youth Opportunity Grant section of the legislation goes further in
requiring that every youth must receive follow-up services for a
minimum of 24-months. Describe complementary strategies for placement
and long-term follow-up activities.
One-Stop Center linkages. Describe linkages with local One-Stop
Centers and how these connections will be accomplished. In most cases,
we expect that the Youth Opportunity Community Center will be co-
located at the One-Stop Center or a satellite of the One-Stop Center.
Job Corps center linkages. The plan must describe linkages with
local Job Corps centers, and how these connections will be
accomplished.
Access to information and referrals. Project staff must ensure that
eligible youth receive information on the full array of appropriate
services available to them and referrals to appropriate training and
educational programs. Discuss how you will tie into the existing One-
Stop system to provide such information and referrals.
Serving youth with disabilities. Describe how you will recruit and
serve youth with disabilities, and how you will assure that they have
full access to programs under the grant.
E. Case Studies. To help us better understand how your new system
will work in serving youth in the target community, describe how your
project would address the needs of the following youth. Feel free to
add other details to these examples, and contrast how these youth would
be served under the old system and the new system you are planning.
Case Study #1. An 17-year-old who has completed the eighth grade
has a history of substance abuse and school suspensions due to
fighting, and has subsequently dropped out of school with a poor
academic record. This youth has had limited and intermittent work
experience at fast food restaurants, since the age of 14, but has never
held any one job for longer than 3 months. This youth lives in a
household headed by a grandmother who also cares for three younger
siblings. This youth has had minor brushes with the juvenile justice
system, but hangs out with other youth and young adults who have
serious criminal records. This youth has been identified by a school
counselor as having certain artistic gifts which have never been
developed.
Case Study #2. An 18-year-old is a teen mother. She has a learning
[[Page 29678]]
disability, and is not interested in returning to school. Her main goal
in life is to be able to support herself.
Case Study #3. A brother and sister have become involved in your
program through sports activities you provide. The brother is age 19
and has just lost his job after getting into a fight with his boss. He
does not do well in school, and mainly he wants to work right now. The
sister is age 15 and will be entering ninth grade in the fall. She has
only average grades, but always gets one of the highest scores at her
school on national standardized tests. She has a lot of energy, but has
given little thought to what she wants to do with her life.
3. How Will the Project Be Managed? (20 points)
A commitment to excellence and quality management reflect both DOL
and PEPNet core principles discussed earlier in this section. You
should discuss in your answer here how this project will be managed to
ensure excellence.
Program Structure. You must provide a diagram to show the sequence
and flow of Youth Opportunity services. You must show coordination
between Youth Opportunity sub-grantees and other programs and services
in terms of recruitment, assessment, and referrals. Also show links
between the Youth Opportunity program and complementary new activities
promised by public and private sector partners. You should also show
links between the Youth Opportunity program and existing services
available to youth in the target community, including the Job Corps and
other youth employment, education, and training programs.
Fiscal Management. Describe the fiscal management systems that you
have in place. Describe the fiscal management experience of your
organization. How will you provide fiscal oversight of sub-grantees?
Staffing Plan. Provide a staffing plan in which you discuss how you
will select a project coordinator and the qualifications this person
must possess; how you will recruit and retain quality staff, including
paying competitive salaries; how you will select staff, with the main
criteria for selection being their ability to motivate youth and be
positive role models. We expect that most staff will have attended
college, so that they can be role models for youth to further their
education.
Accountability. Which agency or agencies will hire the case
managers and other core staff for this project? Describe why this
agency was selected to be the lead for this project, the background of
the agency, and current or past projects conducted by the agency. We
wish to avoid situations in which case managers and job developers are
spread out over several agencies, with little or no accountability to
the lead agency. We also wish to avoid situations in which case
managers are accountable to one agency and job developers to another.
Where possible, the bulk of core staff should be hired by one agency,
and then perhaps stationed at different sites. An alternative is to
divide the target area into three or four geographic segments and
assign agencies to be accountable for each of these segments.
Expected Performance Levels. Your application must propose expected
levels of performance. (The levels of performance will be negotiated
with the Department before the grant is awarded.) Your plan must
indicate the number of 14-18 year-olds and 19-21 year-olds you plan to
enroll during the first year of the project. For 19-21 year-olds, you
must indicate the number of first-year enrollees who will enter
unsubsidized employment, enter education or training programs, join the
military, be retained in employment for six months, one year, and two
years, and the earnings of these youth six months, one year, and two
years after placement. For 14-18 year-olds, you must indicate the
number of first-year enrollees who will attain basic skills, work
readiness skills, and occupational skills; attain high school diplomas
or GEDs; and be placed and retained in post-secondary education,
employment, the military, or apprenticeships. In particular, we want to
know the overall number of youth who will be placed in jobs, school,
training, college, and the military. You must also estimate the
proportion of employers and participants who will indicate satisfaction
with services received in surveys which you will need to conduct. You
can also propose other performance measures for the indicators of
performance described in WIA section 136 to either replace some of the
above measures or complement them, and we will negotiate the measures
with you prior to grant award. DOL expects to implement a performance
incentive system in which the best performing sites receive some
increases in grant funds, while sites not meeting their goals are
subject to sanctions. Urban, rural, and Native American sites will be
judged separately in determining these incentives.
Role of Local Workforce Investment Board and Youth Council. DOL
expects that the Local Board, through its Youth Council, will be
heavily involved in this project and will be ultimately responsible for
the project's success or failure. We also envision the chief elected
official being accountable for the success of the project. We also see
Local Boards taking the lead in helping business leaders see youth in
the target community as a positive resource and their future workforce.
How will the Board and Youth Council involve itself in the project so
that it is responsible for the project's success? How will the Local
Board provide programmatic oversight? How will the Board hold the staff
accountable? How will the chief local elected official provide
oversight and direction? How will the Board work with business leaders
to promote the sustainment of the project after grant funds cease? What
will be the relationship between the Board and the One-Stop Center? If
you do not have a Youth Council yet, you can discuss your plans for
developing the Council.
Community Involvement. How will you use your Youth Council to
involve the community served by this grant? DOL expects that each site
will set up a community advisory board to participate in the planning
and oversight of this project. You must discuss what the role of this
community advisory board will be. You must also discuss how you plan to
have community residents and families involved in program efforts,
including sports leagues, cultural activities, community service, job
shadowing, mentoring, and leadership development.
Staff Development. You must discuss how you provide initial
training and offer development opportunities to project staff,
including educational opportunities at local community colleges and
four-year colleges and additional training to help support the case
managers and job developers with the demands of their jobs. Describe
ways in which existing local resources such as technical assistance and
supportive services from staff in other youth programs such as the Job
Corps and YouthBuild can be used and integrated into staff development.
4. How Will You Sustain Your Program and Leverage Other Resources? (15
points)
Sustainability. Discuss in this section how you plan to sustain
this project after grant funds cease. Your sustainment plan must
include a combination of federal, state, and local public sector
resources, as well as local non-profit sector resources. Sustainment
must be built into the design and ongoing operation of the project. We
are particularly interested in service strategies that can be sustained
with average daily attendance funds provided through State Educational
Agencies.
[[Page 29679]]
Encouraging community ownership and participation in these projects
will also help promote sustainment. We especially encourage sites to
commit increasing cash resources during the declining years of federal
funding to encourage sustainability, and up to five of the 15 points
under this criteria will be awarded based on the increasing cash
commitments.
Other Resources. You must discuss here how you will use Workforce
Investment Act adult and youth formula funds to complement these grant
funds, including having a One-Stop satellite center co-located with the
Youth Opportunity Community Center. You also must discuss the role of
the public school system, the EZ/EC Board, social service agencies, the
Parks and Recreation Department, the juvenile justice system, the
Police Athletic League, police, health service agencies, local charter
schools, community colleges, four-year colleges, local foundations,
Boys and Girls Clubs, adult education, YWCAs and YMCAs, 4-H Youth
Development, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, parents, faith-based
organizations, community development corporations, and State agencies,
including State Educational Agencies, and any other potential community
participants. You should also show linkages with agencies that serve
youth with disabilities and youth who will be leaving foster care.
Rural sites must show coordination with the cooperative extension of
Land-Grant Universities, and with the research and extension of
Regional Rural Development Centers.
We also encourage grantees to use the Department of Housing and
Urban Development's Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) funds to
help renovate buildings for the new Youth Centers that will be needed
for these grants. Other possible federal collaborations include
Juvenile Justice gang prevention projects; the Department of
Education's 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Kids in Family
Camp, and Upward Bound programs; the Department of Agriculture's
Children, Youth and Families at Risk program; Housing and Urban
Development's Youth Build projects; Welfare-to-Work formula and
competitive grants; School-to-Work local partnership activities; the
Job Corps; the Department of Health and Human Services' child health
and child development programs; the AmeriCorps and VISTA programs; and
the National Guard's Community Learning and Information Network.
We are not interested in promises of in-kind commitments
representing already existing services. Rather, we are looking for
detailed commitments for specific new activities in the target area.
These commitments can be either to complement services to 14-21 year-
olds or to serve younger youth or young adults above 21 years old. If
you have recently received a grant from another agency or started a new
initiative in the target area, you can discuss this in the proposal--
but be precise about which activities precede this grant and which will
occur because of the grant. You must discuss in this section how
supportive services such as child care, substance abuse assistance,
health services, and mental health services will be made available to
enrollees through your partners. You must also discuss in this section
how public sector commitments can contribute to the sustainment of this
project after federal funds cease. It may be helpful to include a
flowchart that describes the interrelationships between the various
agencies and partners described in your plan. Examples of the types of
public sector commitments we are looking for include the following:
--The Workforce Investment Board commits to use WIA adult formula funds
and Welfare-to-Work funds for job training and placement in the target
area, and to opening a One-Stop Center or satellite in the target area.
--The school system commits to starting an alternative school in the
target community and to use average daily attendance funds, as well as
funds from this grant, to operate the school.
--The school system commits to a major early intervention and dropout
prevention program in the target area's elementary and middle schools,
including home visits, modeled after the program operated by the
Rheedlen Foundation (212-866-0770, or at www.pbs.org/jobs/
rheedlen.html) in New York City.
--The mayor's office commits to starting a comprehensive after-school
program for elementary and middle school youth in the target community
similar to the LA's Best After School Program (213-847-3681) in Los
Angeles.
--The city commits to using CDBG funds to renovate a building for the
Youth Community Opportunity Center.
--The Parks Department and the school district jointly agree to develop
new baseball and soccer fields in the target neighborhood and to open
school playing fields after school so that a comprehensive sports and
recreation program can be developed in the community.
--The Police Department commits to increase community policing in the
target community and an expanded Police Athletic League in the area,
and the juvenile justice system commits to a new alternative sentencing
program for youth offenders in the target community.
--The city starts a new program to assist youth leaving foster care to
make the transition to independence.
--The local school board authorizes the use of school buses for
transporting youth who participate in after-school training and
education programs. (Oran MOU with the local Head Start agency to use
their vehicles during non-Head Start time).
--AmeriCorps commits to financing education awards for a certain number
of youth in the target area.
Summary Table of New Initiatives. Your plan should include a
summary table of the various new initiatives started under this grant,
numbers of youth to be served by each initiative each year, and annual
funding levels. An example of such a summary table is provided below:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other
DOL grant resources
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Job developers/case managers (staff of $1,800,000 ..............
50)....................................
Outreach workers (staff of 10).......... 300,000 ..............
Pre-employment soft skills (500 youth @ 500,000 ..............
$1,000)................................
CET training (100 youth @ $6,000)....... 300,000 300,000
Work experience (80 youth @ $5,000)..... 400,000 ..............
Pre-apprenticeship (200 youth @ $5,000). 500,000 500,000
Local conservation corps (80 youth @ 800,000 800,000
$20,000)...............................
Alternative school (120 youth @ $8,000). 500,000 440,000
Community College 2+2+2 (100 @ $10,000). 500,000 500,000
Futures program in high school (500 @ 1,000,000 1,000,000
$4,000)................................
Sylvan, Score!, or Huntington Learning 200,000 200,000
Center.................................
[[Page 29680]]
College Bound program (400 @ $2,000).... 800,000 ..............
Sports and cultural program............. 240,000 100,000
Transportation and supportive services.. 500,000 500,000
Juvenile alternative sentencing program. 300,000 200,000
Gang prevention program................. 160,000 160,000
Renovation of Youth Opportunity Center.. .............. 500,000
Job Corps (80 youth).................... .............. ..............
-------------------------------
Total............................... 8,000,000 6,000,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. How Will You Involve the Private Sector? (15 points)
You must include in your answer here a description of the local
labor market in the target area, city, and surrounding region--who are
the employers, what kinds of jobs are available, the skill requirements
for available jobs, the employment outlook, the unemployment rate in
the area, and wage data for the area. You could also discuss the public
transportation system, and the availability of transportation to jobs
downtown and in the suburbs. A goal of the project is to expand the job
horizon of youth to occupations and employers throughout the local
area.
Vocational training must be available for a range of occupations
that are in demand locally and that offer career-track jobs. Identify
the occupations for which you plan to provide training, the reasons why
you selected these occupations, how employers will be involved in
designing the training, and any commitments made by employers to offer
apprenticeship, work-based learning, or employment opportunities.
Describe how you will use existing vocational training programs like
the Job Corps and vocational schools to assist in providing training.
Discuss in this section the private sector role in your project. We
are not looking here for vague promises of hundreds of jobs, but rather
for detailed commitments for specific activities. Explain how you will
identify potential employers, secure job commitments, and maintain the
participation of those employers. Discuss new school-to-work
initiatives that will be started in conjunction with this project,
including new work-based learning opportunities. Explain the role in
the project of business representatives on your local Workforce
Investment Board or Private Industry Council, and the role of major
Corporate Partnerships or Compacts in your area and the role of the
Chamber of Commerce. Also discuss possible mutual agreements in which
the private sector commits jobs or resources in exchange for
commitments from schools, public agencies, or students. Also discuss
how private sector commitments can help sustain this project after
federal funds cease. Examples of possible commitments include the
following:
--A consortium of major corporations agrees to be partners in the
project and assign a staff person responsible for coordinating work-
based internships with target area high schools and identifying job
openings within the corporations for target area youth.
--A firm agrees to be a corporate sponsor of the project and to make
available its management expertise, advertising department, and other
resources to the project.
--Local foundations and corporations form a public/private partnership
to start a college access program for target area youth similar to the
CollegeBound Foundation (410-783-2905) in Baltimore.
--A corporation adopts a high school in the target community and agrees
to provide school-to-work opportunities for students and $1,000 college
scholarships to all youth who graduate with a B average or higher.
--The local Chamber of Commerce recruits small business owners and
operators to serve as mentors and entrepreneurial coaches for youth
interested in business operation (including providing apprenticeship
opportunities).
--A faith-based organization commits to finding mentors for 100 middle
school youth in the target area.
--A university commits to providing 100 student volunteers for an
after-school tutoring program in target area elementary and middle
schools.
--Various community agencies commit to providing part-time jobs for
youth in the target area.
Special Note to Rural Areas: We fully understand that rural sites
will not have as much access to private sector jobs and partnerships as
urban sites, and that some extremely poor rural areas may have few if
any private sector partners with which to work. Rural sites can still
get full credit under this question if they make the best use of
private sector resources available. For example, rural sites could
propose either paid or unpaid internships at small stores or small
companies in the target area. Rural sites can also substitute public
and non-profit sector internships and job placements for private sector
job placements. Rural sites can also propose strong school-to-work
components, which include work-based learning opportunities and class
trips to major corporations in nearby cities to expand the career
horizons of students. Rural sites could also propose school-to-work
efforts to expand the interest of students in science and technology
careers.
6. How Will You Reduce the School Dropout Rate and Increase the College
Enrollment of Youth in the Target Area (10 points)
Increasing high school graduation and college enrollment rates are
fundamental steps to improving the long-term employability of target
area youth. In this section you must present a detailed plan for
increasing the educational attainment of youth growing up in the target
community. We expect that local public schools will have the lead in
developing this section of the proposal, and that the plan presented
includes new initiatives in target area schools and new collaborations
with the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Dramatic increases in
the educational attainment will require new dropout prevention efforts
in neighborhood elementary and middle schools as well as high schools.
Given the age restrictions on this grant, new dropout prevention
efforts in elementary and middle schools must be paid for with other
sources of funds. Your answer to this question must include both
efforts paid for through this grant and new complementary efforts that
are proposed. Your answer must clearly distinguish between what is
being paid for by the grant and what
[[Page 29681]]
will be provided through other resources.
Discuss current efforts and future plans for breaking large high
schools and middle schools in the target area into ``houses'' or
schools-within-schools. Discuss plans for reducing the student-teacher
ratio in target area schools. A dropout prevention model that sites may
wish to consider is the Futures Program operated by the City of
Baltimore's Office of Employment Development (410-396-1910). In this
program, entering ninth graders are provided remedial education in
August prior to starting high school, receive various incentives
throughout their four years of high school, and have case managers who
are stationed at their high school. Other dropout prevention models
include the Rheedlen Foundation's efforts to serve chronic truants in
elementary and middle schools, the Quantum Opportunity Program
developed by Opportunities Industrialization Centers (OIC) of America
(215-236-4500), and the LA's Best After-School Program. Other options
include hiring additional reading teachers, a new remedial reading
program for middle school youth, or hiring outreach counselors to work
with truant youth. Another option is tutoring programs in which high
school youth, local Job Corps youth, or AmeriCorps volunteers serve as
tutors for elementary school children. You may also want to introduce
or expand Communities in Schools programs (703-519-8999) in the target
area middle schools and high schools. You may also may wish to involve
private sector educational services such as Sylvan Learning Centers,
Score! Educational Centers, and Huntington Learning Centers. Grant
funds can be used to pay for tutoring services for youth ages 14 and
above, while matching funds would be needed to pay for tutoring
services for younger youth.
We would also like local community colleges, four-year colleges,
and corporations to take on the challenge of increasing the college
enrollment rate of target area youth. There are numerous ways
corporations could become involved in such an effort. Baltimore's
CollegeBound Foundation is a partnership of major corporations and the
public sector that provides counselors and financial aid to help inner-
city youth enter college. The Chamber of Commerce in Detroit (313-596-
0478) guarantees college financial aid to youth meeting attendance and
academic criteria. There are also examples of colleges making special
efforts to serve youth from particular high-poverty areas. Berea
College (606-986-9341) serves youth from Appalachia; Alice Lloyd
College (606-368-2101) serves youth from specific counties in Kentucky
and Tennessee; and Brandeis University (781-736-3500) has a program
guaranteeing acceptance to youth in certain neighborhoods in Boston who
meet specified criteria.
Should Letters of Support Be Included?
You can include letters of support if they provide specific
commitments. Such letters can increase your score by showing that
commitments presented in the text of your proposal are serious. Form
letters will not be considered. We encourage you to have letters of
support from your chief local elected official and the public school
superintendent. Letters of support must be included as part of the 10
page attachment to your proposal.
Is a Letter from the Governor Required?
If you are not an EZ/EC, you must include a letter from the
Governor stating that your area has been designated as eligible to
apply for one of these grants. We encourage State involvement in all of
these projects and if the State is contributing resources to the
project, then a letter indicating such support from the Governor would
show that the State's commitment is serious. We especially encourage
States to help rural areas prepare their proposals and to contribute
resources to these grants, as these sites may not have the resources
available to them that large cities will have. States must be given an
information copy of all urban and rural proposals when they are
submitted to the Department of Labor.
What Should Be Included in the Financial Proposal? (Please See Part II)
Part V. Application for Native American Grants
Can I Apply for One of These Grants?
You may apply for a Youth Opportunity Grant if you are a Workforce
Investment Act Section 166 (JTPA Section 401) Native American Grantee
and the community that you serve meets both of the following criteria:
(1) It meets the poverty rate criteria set forth in Section 1392
(a)(4), (b), and (d) of the Internal Revenue Code; and
(2) It is located on an Indian reservation or serves Oklahoma
Indians or Alaska Native villages or Native groups (as such defined in
section 3 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act).
Can DOL Native American Grantees Serving Persons in State-Wide or Urban
Programs Apply for One of These Grants?
Except for the provisions pertaining to Oklahoma Indians and
Alaskan Native Villages, Native American Grantees can only apply for
projects serving reservations. Native Americans living in cities and
rural areas outside of reservations can be served in urban and rural
Youth Opportunity Grant projects and we encourage services to such
youth in these proposals, but Local Boards rather than Section 166
Native American Grantees must apply for grants outside of reservations.
How Large of a Grant Can I Apply For?
Reservations with a Native American population of over 70,000 can
apply for a first-year grant of up to $12 million. Reservations and
target areas with a population of 5,000 to 70,000 Native Americans can
apply for a first-year grant of up to $5 million. Reservations and
target areas with a Native American population of less than 5,000 can
apply for first-year grants of up to $2 million.
What Will Be the Criteria for Award for Native American Grants?
Panelists will rate proposals based on answers to the questions
presented below. The weights for each answer are as follows:
(1) Need in the target area (no regular points, but up to 10 bonus
points)
(2) Project design and service strategy (40 points)
(3) Youth development and community service (20 points)
(4) Dropout prevention (20 points)
(5) Management and accountability (20 points)
These questions are discussed in more detail below.
Will There Be a Technical Assistance Conference for Sites Applying for
Native American Grants?
There will be a technical assistance conference specifically for
sites applying for Native American grants on June 23 in Denver. It will
be held at the Stapleton Plaza Hotel & Fitness Center, 3333 Quebec
Street, Denver CO 80207 (1-800-950-6070). A block of hotel rooms have
been reserved. Please indicate to the hotel that you will be attending
the U.S. Department of Labor-Employment & Training Administration
conference.
For general information and up-to-date information regarding this
technical assistance conference, please call 703-299-1680. You should
make hotel reservations on your own, but we would also like you to let
us know you
[[Page 29682]]
will be attending the conference by fax at 703-299-4589 or by e-mail at
[email protected]. Please include the following information: Full
name, Title, Organization, Address, Phone, Fax, and e-mail.
What Should My Application Consist Of?
You must include both a technical proposal and a financial
proposal. The technical proposal must be limited to 30 double-spaced
pages and must be organized to follow the format and questions below.
1. What Is the Need for the Project on Your Reservation or in Your
Target Area? (up to 10 bonus points)
You must provide a good general description of the reservation or,
in the case of Oklahoma Indians or Alaskan Villages, the target area.
Most importantly, you must provide the Native American population of
the reservation or target area, the Native American youth population,
the poverty rate, and the dropout rate of target area high schools. You
can use the best data available to you including statistics from the
Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Department of Health and Human
Services. Dropout rates must be calculated by showing the ninth grade
enrollment at each high school in 1994 and the graduating class in June
of 1998. You must also describe what the target area looks like; the
towns in the area; the elementary, middle, and high schools in the
area; other organizations in the target community that serve youth and
the number of youth they serve; and other features that will help us
understand the area. You must also provide a map of the reservation or
target community, with schools identified and the planned location of
program activities.
2. What Is Your Project Design and Service Strategy? (40 points)
The Department of Labor is committed to ensuring that several core
principles underlie an effective youth strategy. These principles
include: providing comprehensive services; ensuring the participation
of caring adults; a commitment to excellence, and guaranteeing long
term follow-up to all youth participants. These core principles must be
present in all youth Opportunity Grant initiatives. These principles
are quite similar to the effective practices common to successful youth
programs identified by the Promising and Effective Practices Network
(PEPNet). Information from PEPNet can be obtained from the National
Youth Employment Coalition at 202-659-1064 ([email protected]).
Two critical components for ensuring that design requirements will
be enhanced are: Youth Opportunity Community Centers, where most of the
project activities such as case management should take place; and a
core staff of youth development specialists serving as case managers
who will play a critical role in assuring intensive placement, follow-
up, and other identified services are provided to youth. Your plan must
address how these two critical components will be provided.
A. Youth Opportunity Community Center. We expect that Youth
Opportunity Community Centers and perhaps some satellites offices will
be set up on the reservation or in the target area. The center should
be a well-situated place where youth can enroll, receive an individual
assessment, develop their service strategy and meet with youth
development specialists for referrals to job training, intensive
placement, follow-up, job development, other youth programs, and other
services. It should also be a place where there is access to program
information, referrals, and other youth development activities. If
there is a tribal college on your reservation, this may be the most
appropriate place to have the center. Discuss tentative locations for
such centers and satellites and how the proposed Center meets the
criteria discussed in this paragraph. Also, be specific about
renovations that will be needed to establish the center, and the costs
of such renovations.
B. Core Staff. The staff must be of a sufficient size to handle the
expected demand for services. We expect that reservations with total
Native American populations in the 5,000 to 12,000 range will have a
core staff of 25 to 35 youth development specialists working with
youth. We would expect even a larger core staff for a larger
reservation, and less core staff in smaller reservations. Sites must
hold steady the amount of grant funds for core staff throughout the
five years of the grant, even though the overall grant funding will
decline over time. Indicate the expected number of youth each case
worker will be assigned to at a given point in time, understanding that
over time many youth will require less attention and new youth can be
brought onto the caseload. You must indicate how many staff will be
working with out-of-school youth and how many will be working with in-
school youth.
C. Building a Better System for Serving Youth. Describe in this
section the gaps in the current system for serving youth on the
reservation or in the target community. Explain how the services
provided under this grant will improve this system. Describe your
vision of how the new system for serving youth will work as opposed to
the old system. Also describe gaps that will remain, and plans for
building capacity so as to eventually fill these gaps.
D. Program Activities. The framework for serving youth under the
Workforce Investment Act and in this project must provide for:
individual needs assessments; individual service strategies;
preparation for employment and/or post-secondary education; linkages
between academic and occupational learning and connections to
intermediaries; a menu of program elements; intensive placement and
follow-up services; and access to information and referrals.
Individual assessments and services strategies. Discuss how you
will actively recruit youth through various strategies rather than
waiting for them to apply. Provide a description of the individual
assessment and service strategy development processes.
Program elements. 20 CFR 664.410 lists ten elements that must be
included in all local workforce investment area youth programs. These
ten program elements can be grouped around four broad themes: (1)
Preparation for and success in employment (including summer jobs, paid
and unpaid work experience, and occupational skills training); (2)
improving educational achievement (including such elements as tutoring,
study skills training, instruction leading to a high school diploma,
alternative school and dropout prevention); (3) Supports for youth
(including meeting supportive service needs, providing mentoring and
follow-up activities; and (4) services to develop the potential of
youth as citizens and leaders (the concept of leadership and youth
development). In addition, as required under program design, these
program elements should incorporate preparation for employment and/or
post-secondary education; linkages between academic and occupational
learning and connections to intermediaries for job development
assistance.
Describe how you will ensure that each of these program elements is
present in your project. Although every youth does not have to be
provided each of the ten program elements (with the exception of
intensive placement and follow-up services), each site must ensure that
they are available. In particular, describe the supportive services
that will be provided to youth.
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Supportive services can include, but are not limited to,
transportation, life skills development, alcohol and drug
rehabilitation, teen pregnancy prevention, and job retention skills.
Supportive services need to be limited to 14 to 21 year-olds, but we
encourage you to find other resources to address the needs of the
entire family through other WIA funds, Welfare-to-Work Funds, or other
resources. DOL expects that the costs for serving individual youth will
vary greatly--from perhaps $20,000 a year for conservation corps
programs to less than $2,000 for youth who primarily need job
placement. The Department of Labor's expects that the average cost for
serving youth will be $7,500 a year in Native American Youth
Opportunity Grant funds. The average cost per youth can be supplemented
with other resources. Applicants can use this average cost figure as a
guide, but will not be penalized for proposing a different average cost
figure.
Work experience. Discuss how you will provide work experience for
youth. In particular, you may wish to establish either a Youth
Conservation and Service Corps or YouthBuild program, or both of these.
Conservation and Service Corps (202-737-6272, www.nascc.org) allow
youth to work on community service and environmental projects. Such
programs can serve large numbers of youth, perhaps 100 at a time. The
California Conservation Corps (916-324-4785, www.ccc.ca.gov/frame.ntm)
is probably the best example of such a program. YouthBuild (617-623-
9900, www.youthbuild.org) teaches construction skills to enrollees
while they rehabilitate houses and public buildings.
Career development. Discuss adding new or expanded fields of study
at the tribal college that would allow youth to get a college degree
yet still return to work on or near the reservation if they so chose.
For example, youth getting degrees in forestry and conservation would
be able to find work for federal land management agencies near their
reservation if they so chose. We are particularly interested in
proposals that link new fields of study in forestry and land management
with efforts to have the reservation become involved in land
preservation and conservation. One example of tribal involvement in
conservation is the work done by the Department of Resource
Preservation in the Pueblo Jemez. We also are very interested in
proposals that include linkages with state universities in which youth
would take the first and possibly second years of study at the tribal
college and then move on to the state university to complete the
degree. We also are interested in links between land grant extension
services at State universities and tribal colleges that could increase
the number of jobs near the reservation in land conservation.
Job training. Discuss how you will provide vocational training or
on-the-job training in occupations in demand on or near the
reservation. For example, job training could be provided in health
professions or construction. We are particularly interested in
commitments from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and nearby federal and
State land management agencies to provide on-the-job training or work
experience slots. Discuss possible links to nearby Job Corps Centers
for vocational training.
Intensive placement and follow-up services. As required under WIA
section 169, intensive placement and follow-up services must be
provided to every youth enrolled in the program. Since an increased
level of funding is available under this initiative for intensified
follow-up services, the requirement is that every youth must receive
follow-up services for a minimum of 24 months. Describe complementary
strategies for long-term follow-up activities.
E. Case Studies. To help us better understand how your new system
will work in serving youth in the target community, describe how your
project would address the needs of the following youth. Feel free to
add other details to these examples, and contrast how these youth would
be served under the old system and the new system you are planning.
Case Study #1. A 19-year-old who has completed the eighth grade,
has a history of substance abuse, school suspensions due to fighting
and has subsequently dropped out of school with a poor academic record.
This youth has had limited work experience since the age of 14, but has
never held any one job for longer than 3 months. This youth lives in a
household headed by a grandmother who also cares for three younger
siblings. This youth has had minor brushes with the tribal justice
system, but hangs out with other youth and young adults who have
serious criminal records. This youth has been identified by a school
counselor as having certain artistic gifts which have never been
developed.
Case Study #2. An 18-year-old is a teen mother. She has a learning
disability, and is not interested in returning to school. Her main goal
in life is to be able to support herself.
Case Study #3. A brother and sister have become involved in your
program through sports activities you provide. The brother is age 19
and has just lost his job after getting into a fight with his boss. He
does not do well in school, and mainly he wants to work right now. The
sister is age 15 and will be entering ninth grade in the fall. She has
only average grades, but always gets one of the highest scores at her
school on national standardized tests. She has a lot of energy, but has
given little thought to what she wants to do with her life.
3. What Youth Development and Community Service Activities Will You
Establish? (20 points)
DOL expects that youth development will be a key part of Native
American Youth Opportunity Grants. Youth development can include
community service, UNITY (405-236-2800, www.unityinc.org) leadership
development activities, and sports and cultural programs. Some examples
of possible youth development activities include the following. Youth
development specialists from your core staff could serve as the staff
for these programs.
--The forming of a UNITY Youth Council in which youth identify and
carry out community service projects. For example, on one reservation,
youth councils have repaired homes of elders, become Big Brothers and
Big Sisters to elementary school youth, and helped the Forestry
Department by serving as guides and tree planting.
--A leadership development program in which youth visit other
reservations to learn about their culture and tribal governments; visit
Washington, D.C. to learn about the national government; and tour the
United Nations headquarters to learn about international conflict
resolution;
--Computer links to youth from other reservations and other exchanges
and research projects with elders to help youth better understand the
history and shared culture of the various Native American peoples;
--A community service project developed by UNITY in which youth help
promote health on their reservation through a National Fitness
Initiative;
--A comprehensive sports and recreation program, including baseball,
basketball, and soccer leagues;
--A 4-H community service project in which older youth tutor younger
youth; and
--An outdoors group in which youth participate in community service
conservation projects, and also go on hiking, backpacking, cross-
country skiing, and camping trips.
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4. How Will You Reduce the School Dropout Rate and Increase the College
Enrollment of Youth on the Reservation or Target Area? (20 points)
DOL also sees efforts to reduce the dropout rate and increase
college enrollment as critical to Native American Youth Opportunity
projects. We are also interested in programs to better prepare youth
for college so that they have a better chance of graduating once they
get there. We are particularly interested in tribal colleges being
involved in dropout prevention and college bound efforts, especially
instances in which tribal colleges in turn are linked to State
universities or other colleges. We would like to see dropout prevention
efforts at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels. Given
the age restrictions on this grant, new dropout prevention efforts in
elementary and middle schools will need to be paid for with other
sources of funds.
Describe how you will reduce the dropout rate and increase the
college enrollment rate of youth on your reservation.
Dropout prevention and college bound programs you may wish to
consider include the following. Youth development specialists from your
core staff could serve as the staff for these programs. The following
are some examples of successful youth development programs:
--The Futures Program operated by the City of Baltimore's Office of
Employment Development (410-396-1910) provides entering ninth graders
with remedial education in August prior to starting high school;
students receive various incentives throughout their four years of high
school; and students have case managers who are stationed at their high
school.
--The Rheedlen Foundation (212-866-0770) in New York City begins
serving chronic truants in elementary and middle schools. Case managers
make home visits to the families of these children, and attempt to work
with parents and guardians to get children attending school regularly.
--The Opportunities Industrialization Centers (OIC) of America (215-
236-4500) Quantum Opportunity Program combines entering ninth graders
into groups of 20 or 25, and students stay with the same group and same
youth worker throughout their four years in high school. Students
participate in community service projects, receive remedial education
and tutoring, make trips to college campuses and cultural events, and
receive stipends and educational accrual accounts based on hours of
participation.
--Sylvan Learning Centers (800-338-2283, www.educate.com./home.html),
Score! Educational Centers (949-363-6764, www.score-ed.com), and
Huntington Learning Centers (201-261-8400, www.tutoringhlc.com) are
for-profit firms that provide remedial education and tutoring. Their
programs can be set up both within schools or after school.
--Baltimore's CollegeBound Foundation (410-783-2905) provides
counselors to let students and their parents know about college, take
students on visits to college campuses, make sure that students take
the necessary courses to go to college, take SAT tests, and apply on
time to colleges and for financial aid. The program also works with
colleges to get youth accepted, and provides ``last dollar'' financial
aid if scholarships and loans do not fully cover students needs.
--A program being developed by UNITY takes students on trips to visit
major corporations in order to widen the occupational awareness and
aspirations of youth.
--2+2+2 Programs link courses in high school, community colleges, and
four-year colleges to increase high school graduation and college
enrollment rates. Such programs could be developed with tribal colleges
and State universities.
--There are efforts in some communities to turn high schools into
``high-technology schools'' with the latest generation of computers and
software and teachers trained in computer technology.
--Bridge projects help youth make the transition from grade school to
middle school, middle to high school, and high school to college.
Examples of bridges to college programs include the American Summer
Bridge program operated by the University of New Mexico (305-277-2611),
and similar programs at Arizona State University, Northern Arizona,
Montana State, and Stanford. The Tribal Institute for Business,
Engineering, and Science also offers such a bridge program.
--The High Plains Rural Systemic Initiative funded by the National
Science Foundation encourages youth to go into math and science
careers, and similar efforts could be funded through this grant.
--Communities in Schools (703-519-8999) provide counseling and a
variety of supportive services to in-school youth.
--State universities could form linkages with tribal colleges to
guarantee admission to two-year graduates of tribal colleges; exchange
professors; and share resources, research projects, and supportive
services available to students.
--On reservations with State-funded public schools, the State could
commit to additional resources for additional reading, math, and
science teachers at the elementary, middle school, and high school
levels.
--Summer Institutes could be set up at tribal colleges to give high
school youth summer jobs, remedial education, and a chance to become
familiar with college environments.
5. How Will the Project Be Managed? (20 points)
A commitment to excellence and quality management reflect both DOL
and PEPNet core principles discussed earlier in this section. You must
discuss in your answer here how this project will be managed to ensure
excellence.
Program Structure. You must provide a diagram to show the sequence
and flow of Youth Opportunity services. You must show coordination
between Youth Opportunity sub-grantees in terms of recruitment,
assessment, and referrals. You must also show links between the Youth
Opportunity program and existing services available to youth in the
target community.
Fiscal Management. Describe the fiscal management systems that you
have in place. Describe the fiscal management experience of your
organization. How will you provide fiscal oversight of sub-grantees?
Staffing Plan. Discuss how you will select a project coordinator
and the qualifications this person should possess. Discuss how you will
recruit and retain quality staff, including paying competitive
salaries. In particular, discuss how you will recruit the project
coordinator and youth development specialists, as these will be key
people for your project. We expect that most youth development
specialists will have attended college, so that they can be role models
for youth to further their education. We expect that you will recruit
widely--either regionally or nationally--for these positions.
Accountability. Which entity (tribal government, tribal college,
employment and training department) will hire the youth development
specialists and other core staff for this project? Describe why this
entity was selected to be the lead for this project and current or past
projects conducted by the entity. If you have a tribal college on your
reservation, the tribal college may be best positioned to be the lead
agency. We wish to avoid situations in which case managers and
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job developers are spread out over several agencies, with little or no
accountability to the lead agency. We also wish to avoid situations in
which case managers are accountable to one agency and job developers to
another. Where possible, the bulk of core staff should be hired by one
agency, and then perhaps out stationed at different sites. For a large
reservation, an alternative would be to divide the target area into
three or four geographic segments and assign agencies to be accountable
for each of these segments.
Your plan must propose expected levels of performance. (The levels
of performance will be negotiated with the Department before the grant
is awarded.) Your plan must indicate the number of 14-18 year-olds and
19-21 year-olds you plan to enroll during the first year of the
project. For 19-21 year-olds, you must indicate the number of first-
year enrollees who will enter unsubsidized employment, enter education
or training programs, join the military, be retained in employment for
six months, one year, and two years, and the earnings of these youth
six months, one year, and two years after placement. For 14-18 year-
olds, you must indicate the number of first-year enrollees who will
attain basic skills, work readiness skills, and occupational skills;
attain high school diplomas or GEDs; and be placed and retained in
post-secondary education, employment, the military, or apprenticeships.
In particular, we want to know the overall number of youth who will be
placed in jobs, school, training, college, and the military. You must
also estimate the proportion of employers and participants who will
indicate satisfaction with services received in surveys which you will
need to conduct. You can also propose other performance measures for
the indicators of performance described in WIA section 136, to either
replace some of the above measures or complement them, and we will
negotiate the measures with you prior to grant award. DOL expects to
implement a performance incentive system in which the best performing
sites receive some increases in grant funds, while sites not meeting
their goals are subject to sanctions. Urban, rural, and Native American
sites will be judged separately in determining these incentives.
Community Involvement. How will the tribal government encourage
community participation and ownership in this project? We encourage the
tribal government to set up a community advisory board made up of the
various partner agencies, community residents, and youth to participate
in the planning and oversight of this project. Discuss what the role of
this community advisory board will be. Discuss how you plan to have
community residents and families involved in program efforts, including
sports leagues and cultural activities.
Staff Development. Discuss how you provide initial training and
offer development opportunities to project staff, including educational
opportunities at local community colleges and four-year colleges and
additional training to help support the case managers and job
developers with the demands of their jobs.
Summary Table of New Initiatives. Include a summary table of the
various new initiatives started under this grant, numbers of youth to
be served by each initiative each year, and annual funding levels. An
example of such a summary table is provided below:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
DOL grant
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Youth Development Specialists (staff of 30)............. $1,080,000
Conservation corps (80 youth @ $20,000)................. 1,600,000
Tribal College 2+2+2 Pre-Forestry Program............... 320,000
Work experience (50 youth @ $3,000)..................... 150,000
Pre-construction training (50 youth @ $3,000)........... 150,000
Futures program in high school (100 @ $4,000)........... 400,000
Sylvan, Score!, or Huntington Learning Center........... 200,000
College Bound program (100 youth @ $2,000).............. 200,000
Youth Leadership Program (100 youth @$1,000)............ 100,000
Community Service Projects (100 youth @ $2,000)......... 200,000
Residential summer program (100 youth @ $1,000)......... 100,000
Transportation and other supportive services............ 200,000
Sports and cultural program............................. 100,000
Making the high school a ``High-Tech School''........... 200,000
Job Corps (50 youth).................................... ..............
---------------
Total............................................... 5,000,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Should Letters of Support Be Included?
You can include letters of support if they provide specific
commitments. Such letters can increase your score by showing that
commitments presented in the text of your proposal are serious. Form
letters will not be considered. You must have a letter from tribal
government and we encourage a letter from the tribal college if one
exists on your reservation. Letters of support must be included as part
of the 10 page attachment to your proposal. The closing date for
receipt of proposals is September 30, 1999. Your application should
specify on the cover sheet, whether you are applying for an urban,
rural, or Native American grant.
Signed at Washington, DC this 26th day of May 1999.
Janice E. Perry,
Chief, Division of Federal Assistance.
Appendices
1. Appendix A--Cover Sheet, Application for Federal Assistance
(Standard Form 424), and Budget Information Sheet.
2. Appendix B--Application Checklist.
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[FR Doc. 99-13920 Filed 6-1-99; 8:45 am]
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