[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 74 (Wednesday, April 17, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18938-18946]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-9260]



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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

[SGA/DFA 02-106]


Grants for States

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Labor.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds and solicitation for grant 
applications (SGA).

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    This notice contains all of the necessary information and forms 
needed to apply for grant funding.

SUMMARY: The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. 
Department of Labor (DOL) announces the availability of funds to be 
awarded to States under one of three separate competitions to award 
grants to (1) States, (2) intermediaries, and (3) small faith-based and 
community-based non-profit organizations. These awards have three 
important objectives:
     Increase the number of faith-based and community-based 
organizations serving as committed and active partners in the One-Stop 
delivery system
     Expand the access of faith-based and community-based 
organizations' clients and customers to the services offered by the 
nation's One-Stops
     Identify, document, showcase and replicate successful and 
innovative instances of faith- and community-based involvement in our 
system-building.
    ETA has identified $14.9 million from the FY 2001 appropriation for 
One-Stop/America's Labor Market Information System and $500,000 from 
funds authorized under Section 171 of the Workforce Investment Act for 
these system-building objectives. A total of $9.9 million is available 
to be awarded to States under this notice.

DATE: The closing date for receipt of applications is Thursday, May 16, 
2002. Application must be received by 4 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) at 
the address below: No exceptions to the mailing and hand-delivery 
conditions set forth in this notice will be granted. Applications that 
do not meet the conditions set forth in this notice will not be 
honored. Telefacsimile (FAX) applications will not be honored. 
Applicants are advised that the Department's receipt of mail has 
encountered delays because of mail screening procedures at local post 
offices.

ADDRESSES: Applications must be mailed to the U.S. Department of Labor, 
Employment and Training Administration, Division of Federal Assistance, 
Attention: B. Jai Johnson, SGA/DFA 02-106, 200 Constitution Avenue, 
NW., Room S-4203, Washington, DC 20210
    Hand Delivered Proposals. If proposals are hand delivered, they 
must be received at the designated address by 4 p.m., Eastern Time on 
Thursday, May 16, 2002. All overnight mail will be considered to be 
hand delivered and must be received at the designated place by the 
specified closing date and time. Telegraphed, e-mail and/or fax 
proposals will not be honored. Failure to adhere to the above 
instructions will be a basis for determination of non-responsive.
    Late Proposals. A proposal received at the designated office after 
the exact time specified for receipt will not be considered unless it 
is received before the award is made and it:
     Was sent by U.S. Postal Service registered or certified 
mail not later than the fifth day (5th) calendar day before the closing 
date specified for receipt of applications (e.g. an offer submitted a 
response to a solicitation requiring receipt of application by the 20th 
of the month must be mailed by the 15th):
     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 deadline date specified for 
receipt of proposals in this SGA. The term ``working days'' excludes 
weekends and U.S. Federal holidays.
    The only acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of an 
application received after the deadline date for the receipt of 
proposals sent by the U.S. Postal Service registered or certified mail 
is the U.S. postmark on the envelope or wrapper affixed by the U.S. 
Postal Service and on the original receipt from the U.S. Postal 
Service. The term ``post marked'' means a printed, stamped, or 
otherwise place impression (exclusive of a postage meter machine 
impression) that is readily identifiable without further action as 
having been supplied or affixed on the date of mailing by employees of 
the U.S. Postal Service.
    Withdrawal of Applications. Applications may be withdrawn by 
written notice or telegram (including mailgram) received at any time 
before an award is made. Application 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 signs a 
receipt for the proposal.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions should be faxed to B. Jai 
Johnson, Grants Management Specialist, Division of Federal Assistance, 
Fax (202) 693-2879. This is not a toll-free number. All inquiries 
should include the SGA number (DFA 02-106) and a contact name, fax and 
phone number. This solicitation will also be published on the Internet 
on the Employment and Training Administration's Homepage at http://www.doleta.gov. Award notifications will also be published on this 
Homepage.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Through the grants awarded under these three 
announcements, ETA seeks to ensure that an important Workforce 
Investment Act tenet--universal access to the programs and services 
offered under WIA--is further rooted in the customer-responsive 
delivery systems already established by the Governors, local elected 
officials and local Workforce Investment Boards. Through these grant 
competitions, ETA also reaffirms its continuing commitment to those 
customer-focused reforms instituted by State and local governments 
which help Americans access the tools they need to manage their careers 
through information and high quality services, and to help U.S. 
companies find skilled workers.
    On January 29, 2001, President George W. Bush issued Executive 
Order 13198, creating the Office for Faith-Based and Community 
Initiatives in the White House and centers in the departments of Labor, 
Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 
Education (ED), Justice (DOJ). President Bush charged the Cabinet 
centers with identifying statutory, regulatory, and bureaucratic 
barriers that stand in the way of effective faith-based and community 
initiatives, and to ensure, consistent with the law, that these 
organizations have equal opportunity to compete for federal funding and 
other support.
    These solicitations reflect the outcome of discussions between the 
Department's Center for Faith-Based and Community-Based Initiatives 
(CFBCI) and ETA to provide expanded opportunities for the Federal-
State-local partnerships under WIA to engage the faith-based and 
community-based organizations in service delivery, while providing 
additional points of entry for customers into the One-Stop system. 
These solicitations also reflect the Administration's interest in 
creating new avenues through which qualified grass-roots organizations 
can more fully participate under the Workforce Investment Act while 
bringing their particular strengths and talents in service provision to 
our customers.

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    These solicitations also proceed from an ETA-CFBCI mutual premise: 
the involvement of community-based organizations and faith-based 
organizations can complement and supplement the efforts of local 
workforce development systems in providing universal access and serving 
the training-, job- and career-support needs of many of our customers. 
Success in the implementation of the Workforce Investment Act is 
clearly derived from the power of partnerships. Many community-based 
organizations have fully participated with distinction as direct 
recipients or as sub-recipients of Federal resources under the 
Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) , the Job Training 
Partnership Act (JTPA) and are currently doing so under WIA. These 
solicitations are designed to bring other community-based organizations 
to the decision-making and service delivery mechanisms under WIA.
    Faith-based and community-based organizations present credentials 
for full partnership in our mutual system-building endeavors. FBOs/CBOs 
are often trusted institutions within our poorest neighborhood, serving 
the very hardest-to-reach constituents in a cost-effective manner. 
FBOs/CBOs are home to a large number of volunteers who not only bring 
the transformational power of personal relationships to the provision 
of social service but a sustained allegiance to the well-being of their 
participants they serve. Through their daily work and specific 
programs, FBOs/CBOs strive to achieve some common purposes shared with 
government--reduction of welfare dependency, attainment of occupational 
skills, entry and retention of all our citizens in good-paying jobs. 
With appropriate planning, the FBO/CBO programs and resources can be 
leveraged into the workforce investment strategies already embodied in 
State and local strategic plans.
    These three solicitations represent an important element of an 
overall strategy for outreach to the people served by our nation's 
community-based organizations and faith-based organizations. A Training 
and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) will be issued in April 2002 to 
state workforce agencies, worker adjustment liaisons, workforce 
liaisons, and One-Stop Center system leads. The TEGL will request these 
principals to commit to a full engagement with faith-based and 
community-based organizations. The TEGL will encourage local workforce 
boards to appoint member(s) who are familiar with the FBOs/CBOs that 
provide job training, soft skills training and employment services in 
the labor market, and work in conjunction with the state workforce 
agency's faith-based liaison to share ideas and collect promising 
practices. The TEGL also will ask the state principals to collaborate 
with the local workforce investment areas in creating a campaign to 
educate the appropriate FBOs/CBOs about the workforce investment 
system, One-Stop Centers, available grants-in-aid, and to invite their 
participation.
    A total of $500,000 is reserved for from small private non-profit 
organizations to provide authorized services to WIA participants. ETA 
expects to award approximately 20 to 25 grants under this competition.
    The provided services would supplement the services that local One-
Stop delivery systems currently provide. The recipient organizations 
receiving grant funds will partner with the local Workforce Investment 
Boards and One-Stop operators to carry out various services of direct 
benefit to customers. The sub-grantees could offer, for example, 
``soft-skills'' training such as communications, problem-solving, and 
time management which will allow the individual to function in an 
employment environment Other sub-grantee activities can include GED 
tutoring of at-risk youth, after school programs for youth, day care 
for elders, job loss counseling, language translation services, 
``community audits'' (a resource guide to support services within the 
community), and ``cultural sensitivity'' training programs.
    A total of $5.0 million is reserved for grants for eligible 
intermediary organizations. ETA expects to award between 5 to 8 grants, 
with the awards ranging between $500,000 and $1,000,000. ETA will set 
the amount for each grant after reviewing the proposed activities, and 
evaluating the ability of each applicant on a State and multi-State 
basis to achieve the desired system-building objectives. Some 
intermediary grant recipients, therefore, may be authorized to proceed 
with a portion--but not the entirety--of their presented project plan.
    Under this competition, eligible ``intermediaries'' include those 
non-profit, community, and/or faith-based organizations with 
connections to grassroots faith-based and community organizations with 
the ability to connect those organizations to the nation's workforce 
development system in more than one service area. The eligible 
intermediary does not have to be located in more than one jurisdiction 
as long as their reach extends beyond one jurisdiction, and the 
application addresses providing services in more than one jurisdiction.
    The selected intermediaries under this competition will develop 
necessary infrastructure, perform outreach and recruitment of 
community-based and faith-based organizations, conduct information 
dissemination campaigns, and engage in capacity-building efforts to 
establish and strengthen the administrative potential of grassroots 
organizations to receive future grants. These intermediaries will award 
and manage sub-grants to FBOs/CBOs for service provision in local 
workforce development areas.
    Under this award, the intermediary may issue a sub-grant to a 
grassroots organization which
    (a) Is headquartered in the local community to which it provides 
services; and,
    (i) Has a social services budget of $300,000 or less, or
    (ii) Has 6 or fewer full-time equivalent employees.
    The ``$300,000 or less'' budget includes only that portion of an 
organization's budget allocated to providing social services. It does 
not include other portions of the budget such as salaries and expenses. 
For purposes of this announcement local affiliates of national 
organizations are not considered ``grassroots'' and would not be 
eligible for a sub-grant award.
    The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the United 
States Constitution prohibits the government from directly funding 
religious activity. These grants may not be used for instruction in 
religion or sacred literature, worship, prayer, proselytizing or other 
inherently religious practices. The services provided under these 
grants must be secular and non-ideological. Grant or sub-grant 
recipients, therefore, may not and will not be defined by reference to 
religion. Neutral, secular criteria that neither favor nor disfavor 
religion must be employed in their selection. In addition, under the 
WIA and DOL regulations implementing the Workforce Investment Act, a 
recipient may not employ or train a participant in sectarian 
activities, or permit participants to construct, operate, or maintain 
any part of a facility that is primarily used or devoted to sectarian 
instruction or worship. Under WIA, no individual shall be excluded from 
participation in, denied the benefits of, subjected to discrimination 
under, or denied employment in the administration of or in connection 
with, any such program or activity because of race, color, religion, 
sex (except as otherwise permitted under title IX of the

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Education Amendments of 1972), national origin, age, disability, or 
political affiliation or belief.
    Through these grants, the Department expects to assist the State, 
local partners and new intermediaries in reaching out to additional 
customers who would otherwise not be served by the publicly-funded 
workforce development system. The Department views these investments as 
instrumental in supporting and broadening partnerships which will 
strengthen One-Stop service delivery.
    These grants are made under the following authorities:
     The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA or the Act) 
(Public Law 105-220, 29 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.)
     WIA Final Rule, 20 CFR parts 652, 660-671 (65 FR 49294 
(August 11, 2000));
     Interim Final Rule implementing the nondiscrimination and 
equal opportunity provision (section 188) of WIA, 29 CFR part 37 (64 FR 
61692 (November 12, 1999));
     Planning Guidance and Instructions for Submission of the 
Strategic Five-Year State Plan for title I of the Workforce Investment 
Act of 1998 and the Wagner-Peyser Act (64 FR 9402 (February 25, 1999))
     Final Unified Plan Planning Guidance (65 FR 2464 (January 
14, 2000))
     Executive Order 13198; ``Rallying the Armies of 
Compassion''
     ``Report on a Unlevel Playing Field: Barriers to 
Participation by Faith-Based and Community Organization in Federal 
Service Programs''
    Period of Performance: The period of performance is one year.

Application of Guidelines

Eligible Applicants

    All states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands 
are eligible to apply for these grants.

    Note: Except as specifically provided, DOL/ETA acceptance of a 
proposal and an award of federal funds to sponsor any program(s) 
does not provide a waiver of any grant requirement and/or 
procedures. For example, the OMB circulars require that an entity's 
procurement procedures must require that all procurement 
transactions must be conducted, as practical, to provide open and 
free competition. If a proposal identifies a specific entity to 
provide the services, the DOL/ETA's award does not provide the 
justification or basis to sole-source the procurement, i.e., avoid 
competition.

Application Process

    The application must clearly identify the applicant (or the fiscal 
agent), the grant recipient (and/or fiscal agent), and its capacity to 
administer this project. Applicants must submit one copy with an 
original signature and two additional copies of their proposal. The 
proposal must contain the Standard Form (SF) 424, Application for 
Federal Assistance, signed by the Governor or the individual designated 
in the State Workforce Investment Act Strategic Plan.
    The application's Statement of Work must be double-spaced, and on 
single-sided, numbered pages. A font size of at least twelve (12) pitch 
is required throughout.
    There are three required sections:

Section I--Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424A)
Section II--Statement of Work,
Section III--Budget Information (SF 424B)

    ETA will not consider applications that fail to provide complete 
information in these three sections.

Section I --Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424A)

    (See Attachment ``A'')

Section II --Statement of Work (not to exceed 15 pages)

    The Statement of Work sets forth a strategic context for the use of 
these funds, establishes measurable goals for increasing 
``organizational'' participation, and documents those sustainable State 
and local partner actions to more fully serve the clientele and members 
of community-based and faith-based organizations. The narrative in 
Section II will be evaluated in accordance with the guidance under 
``Review Process and Evaluation Criteria'' contained in this 
announcement.

Section III --Budget Information (SF-424B)

    (See Attachment ``B'')

Note: Administrative Costs

    Pursuant to 20 CFR 667.210(b), grantees are advised that there is a 
10% limitation on administrative costs on funds administered under this 
grant. The Grant Officer may, however, approve additional 
administrative costs, up to a maximum of 15% of the total award amount, 
for that grantee providing adequate justification. In no event, may 
administrative costs exceed 15% of the total award amount. The cost of 
administration shall include those disciplines enumerated in 20 CFR 
667.220(b) and (c).

Section IV--Review Process and Evaluation Criteria

    (Note: Please follow the evaluation criteria when writing and 
assembling your proposal.) ETA, CFBCI and other Federal agency staff 
are expected to serve on the technical panel(s) that will review all 
applications against the criteria listed below. The panel 
recommendations are advisory. The ETA grant officer will fully consider 
the panel recommendations but take into account geographic balance and 
other factors to ensure the most advantageous award of these funds to 
accomplish the system-building purposes outlined in the Summary and 
Statement of Work. The grant officer may consider any information that 
comes to his or her attention. The grant officer reserves the right to 
award without further negotiation.
    Each application will be evaluated against the following rating 
criteria.

Strategic Context (10 points)

    The State application must relate the investments and activities 
under this grant to the workforce development vision, goals and 
objectives reflected in its current WIA Strategic Plan. The application 
should clearly establish a link between unmet customer service needs 
and the ability of community-based and faith-based organizations to 
help bridge those needs. (5 points)
    The application in this section and in its entirety should evidence 
the capability to document successful instances of faith-based and 
community-based organization involvement (both existing as well as 
those made possible through this grant). Describe how these examples 
can be successfully transferred and replicated consistent with the 
Federal-state-local emphasis on ``promising practices.'' Describe how 
this investment would fit with other Federally funded initiatives which 
engage the CBOs/FBOs. (5 points)

Community-Based and Faith-Based ``Organizational'' Involvement (50 
points)

    Describe State plans to conduct outreach to community-based 
organizations and faith-based organizations to seek their new (or 
enlarged) participation in the One-Stop delivery system. Identify the 
stakeholders and principals in the State and local workforce 
development systems who will contribute to the outreach and evaluation 
responsibilities identified in these plans. Summarize the innovative 
approaches that will be used in working with grassroots organizations 
to catalogue the full range of community

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services that are available for those served by the workforce 
investment system. (10 points)
    Describe the formal State evaluation criteria for measuring the 
success of engagement with the grass-roots organizations under this 
grant. Describe how these criteria will be developed through 
consultation with One-Stop operator(s), State and local board(s). (10 
points)
    Describe ``leveraging opportunities': i.e., how these grant funds 
can leverage (and can also be leveraged) with financial and non-
financial resources provided by the community-based and faith-based 
organizations in service of the workforce preparation needs of each 
community. (10 points)
    Outline how State and local governance will ``add the voice'' of 
community-based and faith-based organizations (individually or within 
coalitions) in future board-based strategic planning. (10 points)
    Describe how the applicant will ensure that signatories to the 
``memorandum(a) of understanding'' in each local area of the State are 
thoroughly briefed on the purposes of the CFBCI/ETA faith- and 
community-based initiative and the purposes of these grants-in-aid. 
Describe how local partner suggestions and ideas for further 
strengthening these CBO and FBO relationships with the workforce 
development system have been incorporated into this application. (10 
points)

Providing ``Universal Access'' to Workforce Investment Act Services (40 
points)

    Describe how the grant funds will be used to expand the opportunity 
of individuals served by the community-based organizations and faith-
based organizations to learn about and gain access to the services 
offered by the One-Stop delivery system within the State. Describe 
plans to sustain the increased access of individuals served by CBOs and 
FBOs beyond the term of this grant. (20 points)
    Describe how customers and the staff who serve them are provided 
with suitable access to the web-based, State-developed applications and 
websites which provide valuable information on services, training, 
jobs, career and the local labor markets as well as those electronic 
tools contained within America's Labor Market Information System and 
America's Career Kit (America's Job Bank, America's Career InfoNet, 
O*NET, and Workforce Tools of the Trade). Describe the training and 
tutoring support that will be provided on these electronic tools. 
Summarize how the CBOs/FBOs and the individuals they serve will gain 
knowledge about the Federal Bonding Program and Work Opportunity Tax 
Credit programs. (20 points)

Reporting Requirement

    The grantee must submit quarterly narrative progress and financial 
reports. The grantee must also prepare and submit a final report 
summarizing all accomplishments under the grant. The format of all 
reports and submission instructions will be contained in the grant 
document.

    Signed in Washington, DC, this 10th day of April, 2002.
James W. Stockton,
Grant Officer.

Appendix A: (SF) 424--Application Form

      

Appendix B: (Budget Information Form)

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[FR Doc. 02-9260 Filed 4-16-02; 8:45 am]
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