[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 222 (Monday, November 17, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67884-67894]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-27151]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Notice of Availability of Funds and Solicitation for Grant
Applications (SGA) for Local Young Offender Planning Grants, State/
Local Juvenile Offender Implementation Grants, and an Intermediary
Juvenile Reentry Grant
AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of
Labor.
Announcement Type: Notice of Solicitation for Grant Applications.
Funding Opportunity Number: SGA/DFA PY 08-09.
Catalog Federal Assistance Number: 17.261.
SUMMARY: The Employment and Training Administration announces the
availability of $17.3 million for Young Offender Grants. The grants
will be awarded through a competitive process for three categories of
projects--(1) Young Offender Planning Grants to be awarded to local
governments; (2) Juvenile Offender Implementation Grants to be awarded
to state/local government partnerships; and (3) a Juvenile Offender
Reentry Grant to be awarded to an organization with experience
conducting demonstrations in multiple cities. The goal of the planning
grants is to allow selected localities to develop comprehensive
blueprints for serving both juvenile and young adult offenders
returning from correctional facilities. To qualify for these planning
awards, applicants will need to provide one-to-one leveraged resources
from a local or national foundation, local or state government, other
federal funds, or other source. The goal of the implementation grants
is to allow state juvenile justice departments and local juvenile
justice agencies to join together to put into place a comprehensive
strategy for serving all youth in the local area returning home from
juvenile correctional or detention facilities. The goal of the
intermediary reentry grant is to allow an organization to design and
implement a model program for serving returning juvenile offenders in
four cities that may be selected competitively after grant award.
This solicitation provides background information and describes the
application submission requirements, outlines the process that eligible
entities must use to apply for funds covered by this solicitation, and
outlines the evaluation criteria used as a basis for selecting the
grantees.
DATES: Key Dates: The closing date for receipt of applications under
this announcement is December 18, 2008. Application and submission
information is explained in detail in Part IV of this SGA.
ADDRESSES: Applications that do not meet the conditions set forth in
this notice will not be considered. No exceptions to the submission
requirements set forth in this notice will be granted. For detailed
guidance, please refer to Section IV.C.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This solicitation consists of eight parts:
Part I provides a description of this funding opportunity.
Part II describes the size and nature of the anticipated awards.
Part III describes eligibility information.
Part IV provides information on the application and submission
process.
Part V describes the criteria against which applications will be
reviewed and explains the Proposal review process.
Part VI provides award administration information.
Part VII contains DOL agency contact information.
Part VIII lists additional resources of interest to applicants and
other information.
I. Overall Funding Opportunity Description
The Employment and Training Administration announces the
availability of $17.3 million for Young Offender Grants. The grants
will be awarded through a competitive process for three categories of
projects--(1) approximately 10 Young Offender Planning Grants of
approximately $300,000 each to be awarded to local governments; (2)
approximately three Juvenile Offender Implementation Grants of
approximately $3,115,260 each to be awarded to state/local government
partnerships; and (3) one Intermediary Reentry Grant of approximately
$5 million to be awarded to an organization with experience
[[Page 67885]]
conducting demonstrations in multiple cities.
Each year, Juvenile Courts in the United States handle roughly 1.6
million delinquency cases and an estimated 144,000 youth are placed in
juvenile correctional facilities. Youth in the juvenile justice system
have high probabilities of returning to crime. For example, the State
of Virginia reports that 79 percent of youth released from state
correctional facilities and 60 percent of youth placed on probation in
the state are arrested for a new crime within three years.
Juvenile offenders do not return evenly to communities across the
United States, but rather return disproportionately to high-crime,
high-poverty areas. The social support system in such communities is
typically overwhelmed by the volume of returning offenders. The purpose
of all three categories of grants being awarded under this solicitation
is to provide selected state and local governments and an intermediary
organization the opportunity to develop comprehensive strategies for
serving all young offenders returning to a city or county. The
Department recognizes that the funds available under the state/local
implementation grants and the intermediary reentry grant may not be
sufficient to serve all youth returning to the local area from juvenile
correctional facilities, but the funds will be enough to serve a
significant number of returning youth and for the state and local area
to put into place strategies that could eventually serve all returning
youth.
The goal of the planning grants is to allow selected localities to
develop comprehensive blueprints for serving all juvenile and young
adult offenders returning from correctional facilities. The
Department's intent in funding these planning grants is that
communities will then use resources outside of these grants to fully
fund the plans that they develop. Applicants will need to show in their
proposals and grantees will need to provide in the plans that they
eventually develop how they intend to use state government, local
government, and foundation resources to implement their plans.
The goal of the implementation grants is to allow state juvenile
justice departments and local juvenile justice agencies to join
together to put into place a comprehensive strategy for serving all
youth in the local area returning home from juvenile correctional or
detention facilities. These grants are designed to be administered by a
partnership of state juvenile justice departments and local juvenile
justice agencies. Either of the state juvenile justice department or
local juvenile justice agency partners is eligible to apply for a grant
and be part of the partnership under this Notice. Each state is limited
to submitting only one application, and this application is limited to
having juvenile offenders from only one county in the state as its
focus. We are requiring a partnership between state and local juvenile
justice agencies in these grants because reentry programs for juvenile
offenders need both pre-release and post-release components. Further,
in many states, the majority of youth in juvenile correctional
facilities come from one city, and improved reentry outcomes for youth
from that city benefit both the state and the locality.
The goal of the intermediary reentry grant is to allow an
organization to design and implement a model program for serving
returning juvenile offenders in four cities across the country. These
cities may be selected after award through a competition open to faith
and community-based organizations. The Department is allowing State/
Local Implementation Grantees and Intermediary Reentry Grantees to use
both time and part of their grant resources to go through a planning
process prior to the implementation of their projects.
The Department's overarching reentry strategy, developed through
the Ready-4-Work, Prisoner Reentry Initiative, and various Youthful
Offender demonstrations, includes three main features: (1) The use of
faith-based and community organizations in partnership with the
juvenile or adult criminal justice system; (2) an emphasis on providing
volunteer mentors for returning offenders; and (3) a focus on education
for younger juvenile offenders and employment for older juvenile
offenders and adult offenders. The Department expects that all three
categories of grants being funded under this solicitation will develop
programs based on this overarching strategy.
The Department also expects that all three categories will form
Community Reentry Teams to design these components. These Community
Reentry Teams will include at a minimum representatives from state and
local juvenile justice agencies, the local workforce system, the local
public school system, the local foster youth system, faith-based and
community organizations, local corporations and businesses, and local
foundations. Since Planning Grantees will also be developing plans for
serving young adult offenders, their Community Reentry Teams should
also include representatives for state and local criminal justice
agencies.
The Ready-4-Work demonstration placed faith-based and community
organization at the center of social service delivery to returning
offenders. The Department of Labor funded 11 sites serving returning
adult offenders, while the Department of Justice funded seven sites
serving returning juvenile offenders. For more information on the
Ready-4-Work demonstration, see the Public/Private Ventures report When
the Gates Open: Ready4Work-A National Response to the Prisoner Reentry
Crisis at http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/189_publication.pdf. Also see the Department of Labor publication
Ready4Reentry: A Prisoner Reentry Toolkit for Faith-Based and Community
Organizations available at http://www.dol.gov/cfbci/PRItoolkit.pdf.
The Prisoner Reentry Initiative includes both a pre-release
component funded by the Department of Justice and a post-release
component funded by the Department of Labor. The initial set of 30
Prisoner Reentry Initiative grants are now in their third-year of
operation, while a second set of 23 grants are now in their first year
of operation. For more information on this project, see the Coffey
Communications interim report Evaluation of the Prisoner Reentry
Initiative at http://wdr.doleta.gov/research/FullText_Documents/PRI%2DEval%20Interim%20Report%20%2D%206%2D11%2D08%2Epdf.
The Department sees faith-based and community organizations as
important partners because they possess the compassion, commitment and
expertise needed to help young offenders get back on track in their
lives. These organizations also posses an intimate knowledge of the
community, its resources, and potential program participants. Faith-
based and community organizations can provide assistance to young
offenders in a variety of ways, including mentoring, case management,
family support services, and supportive services necessary to help
younger juvenile offenders return to and succeed in school and to help
older juvenile offenders and young adult offenders find and retain
employment.
The Department also expects that projects in all three categories
of grants will emphasize a Shared Youth Vision approach in which
multiple state and local agencies work collaboratively across funding
streams to best serve young people in their jurisdictions. Please go to
the Employment and Training Administration's Web site for more
information on the Shared Youth
[[Page 67886]]
Vision at http://www.doleta.gov/ryf/WhiteHouseReport/VMO.cfm.
The Department believes that a wide variety of programming is
necessary to meet the diverse needs of young offenders, and that the
projects carried out with the state/local implementation grants and the
intermediary reentry grant and the strategies developed with the
planning grants will include all the components listed below. The
state/local implementation grantees and the intermediary reentry
grantee will actually put into place these components, while the
planning grantees will develop strategies for implementing these
components.
1. Employment Strategies. For the state/local
implementation grants and the intermediary reentry grant, the
employment component should be aimed at juvenile offenders ages 18 and
above. For the planning grants, the employment component will be the
main strategy for the young adult portion of the plan and also a key
component for youth ages 18 and above in the juvenile portion of the
plan. The employment component can include strategies such as on-the-
job training; vocational training; subsidized jobs in both the public
and private sectors; participation in conservation and service corps
programs; participation in YouthBuild programs; job readiness training;
job placement; internships for juvenile offenders who return to school;
efforts to expose students to careers and to coordinate with industry-
based youth organizations; and efforts to expand the career awareness
of juvenile offenders and to make them aware of the educational
requirements of various careers. See the Web sites of Skills USA at
http://www.skillsusa.org and Health Occupations Students of America at
http://www.hosa.org/natorg.html for examples of programs that
coordinate with industries in teaching youth about careers.
Designing this component will require coordinating with the local
workforce system to provide access both to the corporations represented
on the Workforce Investment Board and the service providers funded by
the local workforce system. As part of the planning process after grant
award, local areas also will need to do a scan of existing DOL-funded
initiatives in the community, including the WIA formula youth program,
WIRED, Beneficiary Choice projects, community-based job training
projects, youth offender projects, and high-growth job training grants,
to determine potential linkages, if present.
2. Case Management. This component will provide a team of
full-time advocates to serve young offenders returning to the city or
county. The Department sees these case managers or advocates as
assisting parole officers in serving returning young offenders and in
linking these offenders to available social services. The Department
also sees these case managers or advocates getting to know the parents
of juvenile offenders and making home visits to the youth. The
Department expects that case management will start at some point prior
to release to allow young offenders to become familiar with their case
managers prior to release. This component may also include having a
separate team of case managers to work with youth at correctional
facilities to prepare the youth for their release. See the Ready-4-Work
and Prisoner Reentry Initiative publications referenced above for
discussions of implementing case management components for returning
offenders.
3. Educational Strategies. This component will be
primarily aimed at juvenile offenders under the age of 18, but will
also include strategies aimed at serving juvenile offenders ages 18 and
above. Juvenile offenders returning from out-of-home placements face
great difficulties when they re-enroll in school, and the Department
expects that grantees in all three categories will coordinate with
local school districts in developing this component. One study of a
large urban school district found that within a year of re-enrolling in
high school, nearly two-thirds of first-time ninth graders and over
three-fourths of ninth grade repeaters who were incarcerated and then
returned to school withdraw or drop out. The study found that only 12
percent of first-time ninth graders and 15 percent of ninth grade
repeaters completed their high school education within four years.
Educational activities can be operated under this grant both during
pre-release and post-release. The Department sees this educational
component as offering a variety of educational pathways to serve the
diverse needs of youth. The Department expects that this educational
component will include the following elements:
Reading and math remediation;
Assisting young offenders compile the credits they have
received in various schools and correctional facilities they have
attended;
Credit retrieval opportunities to allow young juvenile
offenders to catch up with their age cohort in high school credits;
Transition programs such that juvenile offenders returning
from out-of-home placements do not re-enter classrooms in the middle of
a semester;
Tutoring in high school classes for returning offenders;
and
Having case managers coordinate with teachers and parole
officers to help ensure the success of juvenile offenders when they
return to school.
4. Mentoring. This component will be aimed at providing
adult mentors for returning young offenders. For the State/Local
Implementation Grants and the Intermediary Reentry Grant, the
Department requires that a faith-based or community organization
experienced in providing social services to youth or in operating
mentoring programs have the lead in this component of the program. This
organization may be selected competitively by the grantee after award.
Mentoring can be provided through volunteers recruited through a
variety of ways, and may include one-on-one mentoring, group mentoring,
and service-based mentoring. The Department recognizes that it may not
be possible to provide a mentor for every youth returning from a
juvenile correctional facility, but grantees should develop strategies
to provide a high proportion of returning youth offenders with mentors,
with the goal of eventually serving all such youth.
5. Restorative Justice Projects. The Department expects
that each grantee will develop restorative justice projects that allow
youth offenders to participate in community service projects to give
something positive back to their neighborhood to make up for their
delinquent offenses. Plans should provide for different types of
projects appropriate for the different age groups of offenders. As
examples, age-appropriate work for participants ages 18 and above could
include construction projects such as helping build housing for poor
families or helping build community centers, while age-appropriate work
for younger participants youth could include conservation projects such
as tree planting and clearing trails in parks. The Department expects
that this component will be developed in conjunction with local
conservation and service corps programs, volunteer organizations, and
state and local parks.
6. Community-Wide Efforts to Reduce Crime and Violence.
The Department expects that grantees will include in each of the
components listed above connections with neighborhood leaders and
institutions which serve youth as part of their missions, such as
faith-based and community groups with youth programs, Settlement
Houses, Boys and Girls Clubs, Girls Inc, YMCAs, and YWCAs. The
Department expects that the overall strategy developed by all
[[Page 67887]]
three categories of grantees will include faith-based and community
organizations and social service organizations in neighborhoods with
large numbers of juvenile offenders joining together to form a
community-wide net to serve juvenile offenders and to prevent youth
violence, as was done in Boston's 10 Point Coalition (http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=212652).
II. Award Information
A. Award Amount
Planning Grants: The Department expects to award 10 planning grants
of approximately $300,000 each.
State/Local Implementation Grants: The Department expects to award
three state/local implementation grants of approximately $3,115,260
each. These grants may receive additional years of funding depending on
the availability of such funds and demonstrated performance.
Intermediary Reentry Grant: The Department expects to award one
Intermediary Reentry Grant of approximately $5 million. This grant may
receive additional years of funding depending on the availability of
such funds and demonstrated performance.
B. Period of Performance
Planning Grants: Planning Grants will be awarded for a 12-month
period of performance.
State/Local Implementation Grants and Intermediary Reentry Grant:
These grants will be funded for an 18-month period of performance that
includes up to six months of planning and 12 full months of operation.
In the Budget Narrative, applicants must provide separate budgets for
planning and operations. Regardless of the length of the planning
period, applicants must budget for a full 12 months of operation.
Grantees should be judicious in their use of funds during the planning
period and careful to use them specifically for planning components
associated with this grant.
III. Eligibility Information and Other Grant Specifications
A. Eligible Applicants
Planning Grants: City and county governments are eligible to apply
for planning grants, with the mayor being the signatory for the city or
county executive being the signatory for the county.
State/Local Implementation Grants: As described above, these grants
are designed to be administered by a partnership of state juvenile
justice departments and local juvenile justice agencies. Either of the
state juvenile justice department or local juvenile justice agency
partners is eligible to apply for a grant under this Notice. Each state
is limited to submitting only one application, and this application is
limited to having juvenile offenders from only one county in the state
as its focus.
Intermediary Reentry Grant: An organization that has experience in
conducting multi-site demonstrations in several localities may apply
for this grant.
Note for all three categories of grants: DOL/ETA's acceptance of a
proposal and award of Federal funds to sponsor any program do not
provide a waiver of any grant requirements and/or procedures. OMB
Circulars require that an entity's procurement procedures must ensure
that all procurement transactions are conducted, as much as practical,
to provide open and free competition. If a proposal identifies a
specific entity to provide services, the DOL/ETA's award does not
provide the justification or basis to sole source the procurement,
i.e., avoid competition, unless the activity is regarded as the primary
work of an official partner to the application.
B. Cost Sharing or Matching
Planning Grants: Planning grants must provide one-to-one leveraged
resources from a local or national foundation, local or state
government, other federal funds, or other source.
State/Local Implementation Grants and Intermediary Reentry Grant:
There are no cost-sharing or matching requirements for state/local
implementation grants or the intermediary reentry grant, but the
development of leveraged resources is strongly encouraged in these
grants and will be one of the factors considered in the review of
proposals.
C. Other Eligibility Requirements
Participant Eligibility. Youth ages 14 and above who have been
involved in the juvenile justice system within the past year, but never
involved in the adult criminal justice system, may be served by the
state/local implementation grants and intermediary reentry grant. The
first priority of service for these grants is youth currently in or
recently released from juvenile correctional facilities. If grant funds
are still available after all such youth from the local area are
served, the second priority for service is youth currently in or
recently released from local juvenile detention centers. If grant funds
are still available after all such youth from the local area are
served, the third priority is youth who have been placed on probation
through the local juvenile justice system. A minimum of 80 percent of
youth enrolled must be those currently in or released within the last
30 days from either juvenile correctional facilities or juvenile
detention centers.
IV. Application and Submission Information
A. Address to Request Application Package
This SGA contains all of the information and links to forms needed
to apply for grant funding.
B. Content and Form of Application Submission
The proposal will consist of two separate and distinct parts--a
cost proposal and a technical proposal. Applications that fail to
adhere to the instructions in this section will be considered non-
responsive and will not be considered.
Part I. The Cost Proposal. The Cost Proposal must include the
following three items:
The Standard Form (SF) 424, ``Application for Federal
Assistance'' (available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/sf424.pdf ), http://www07.grants.gov/agencies/forms_repository_information.jsp and http://www.doleta.gov/grants/find_grants.cfm). The
SF 424 must clearly identify the applicant and be signed by an
individual with authority to enter into a grant agreement. Upon
confirmation of an award, the individual signing the SF 424 on behalf
of the applicant shall be considered the representative of the
applicant. Indicate on Line 12 of SF 424 the category for which you are
applying under this Notice.
All applicants for Federal grant and funding opportunities
are required to have a Dun and Bradstreet (DUNS) number. See Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) Notice of Final Policy Issuance, 68 FR
38402 (June 27, 2003). Applicants must supply their DUNS number on the
SF 424. The DUNS number is a nine-digit identification number that
uniquely identifies business entities. Obtaining a DUNS number is easy
and there is no charge. To obtain a DUNS number, access this Web site:
http://www.dunandbradstreet.com or call 1-866-705-5711.
The SF 424A Budget Information Form (available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/sf424a.pdf), http://www07.grants.gov/
[[Page 67888]]
agencies/forms--repository--information.jsp and http://www.doleta.gov/grants/find_grants.cfm. In preparing the Budget Information Form, the
applicant must provide a detailed backup budget for both the planning
and operations aspects of the project, with a narrative explanation in
support of the request. The budget narrative should break down the
budget and leveraged resources by project activity, should discuss
cost-per-participant, and should discuss precisely how the
administrative costs support the project goals. Administrative costs do
not need to be identified separately from program costs on the SF 424A
Budget Information Form. Please note that applicants who fail to
provide a SF 424, SF 424A and/or a budget narrative will be removed
from consideration prior to the technical review process. If the
proposal calls for integrating WIA or other Federal funds or includes
other leveraged resources, these funds should not be listed on the SF
424 or SF 424A Budget Information Form, but should be described in the
budget narrative and in Part II of the proposal. The amount of Federal
funding requested for the entire period of performance should be shown
on the SF 424 and SF 424A Budget Information Form. Applicants are also
encouraged, but not required, to submit OMB Survey N. 1890-0014: Survey
on Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants, which can be found at
http://www07.grants.gov/agencies/forms_repository_information.jsp and
http://www.doleta.gov/grants/find_grants.cfm.
Part II. The Technical Proposal. The Technical Proposal will
demonstrate the applicant's capability to plan and implement a project
in accordance with the provisions of this solicitation. The guidelines
for the content of the Technical Proposal are provided in Part V
Section A of this SGA. The Technical Proposal for planning grants is
limited to ten (10) double-spaced single-sided pages with 12 point text
font and one-inch margins. The Technical Proposal for state/local
implementation grants and the intermediary reentry grant is limited to
twenty (20) double-spaced single-sided pages with 12 point text font
and one-inch margins. Any pages submitted in excess of these page
limits will not be reviewed. In addition, applications for planning
grants must include a memorandum of understanding signed by the State
juvenile correctional agency, the State adult correctional agency, and
the local juvenile justice agency committing that these agencies will
work together in carrying out the grant. Applications for State/local
implementation grants must include a memorandum of understanding signed
by the State juvenile correctional agency and the local juvenile
justice agency committing that these agencies will work together in
carrying out the grant. Applications for intermediary reentry grants do
not need to include such agreements because the cities to be served by
this grant and the local sub-grantees may be selected competitively
after grant award. The applications for all three categories must also
include a 2-page Executive Summary. These additional materials do not
count against the 20-page limit for the Technical Proposal.
Applicants submitting proposals in hard-copy must submit an
original signed application (including the SF 424) and one (1) ``copy-
ready'' version free of bindings, staples or protruding tabs to ease in
the reproduction of the proposal by DOL.
C. Submission Date, Times, and Addresses
The closing date for receipt of applications under this
announcement is December 18, 2008. Applications must be received at the
address below no later than 5 p.m. (Eastern Time). Applications
submitted electronically through Grants.gov must be successfully
submitted at http://www.grants.gov no later than 5 p.m. (Eastern Time)
on December 29, 2008, and then subsequently validated by Grants.gov.
The submission and validation process is described in more detail
below. The process can be complicated and time-consuming. Applicants
are strongly advised to initiate the process as soon as possible and to
plan for time to resolve technical problems if necessary.
Applications sent by e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (fax) will not
be accepted.
Applications that do not meet the conditions set forth in this
notice will not be honored. No exceptions to the mailing and delivery
requirements set forth in this notice will be granted.
Mail/overnight mail/hand delivery--Mailed applications must be
addressed to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training
Administration, Division of Federal Assistance, Attention: Chari
Magruder, Reference SGA/DFA PY 08-09, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW.,
Room N-4716, Washington, DC 20210. Applicants are advised that mail
delivery in the Washington area may be delayed due to mail
decontamination procedures. Hand-delivered proposals will be received
at the above address. 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.
Electronic submission--Applicants may apply online through
Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov). It is strongly recommended that
before the applicant begins to write the proposal, applicants should
immediately initiate and complete the ``Get Registered'' registration
steps at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp. These
steps may take multiple days or weeks to complete, and this time should
be factored into plans for electronic submission in order to avoid
unexpected delays that could result in the rejection of an application.
It is highly recommended that online submissions be completed at least
two (2) working days prior to the date specified for the receipt of
applications to ensure that the applicant still has the option to
submit by overnight delivery service in the event of any electronic
submission problems. It is also highly recommended that applicants use
the ``Organization Registration Checklist'' at http://www.grants.gov/assets/Organization_Steps_Complete_Registration.pdf to ensure the
registration process is complete.
Within two business days of application submission, Grants.gov will
send the applicant two e-mail messages to provide the status of
application progress through the system. The first e-mail, almost
immediate, will confirm receipt of the application by Grants.gov. The
second e-mail will indicate the application has either been
successfully validated or has been rejected due to errors. Only
applications that have been successfully submitted and successfully
validated will be considered. It is the sole responsibility of the
applicant to ensure a timely submission, therefore sufficient time
should be allotted for submission (two business days), and if
applicable, subsequent time to address errors and receive validation
upon resubmission (an additional two business days for each ensuing
submission). It is important to note that if sufficient time is not
allotted and a rejection notice is received after the due date and
time, the application will not be considered.
The components of the application must be saved as either .doc,
.xls or .pdf files. Documents received in a format other than .doc,
.xls or .pdf will not be read.
The Grants.gov helpdesk is available from 7 a.m. (Eastern Time)
until 9 p.m. (Eastern Time). Applicants should factor the
unavailability of the Grants.gov helpdesk after 9 p.m. (Eastern Time)
into plans for submitting an application.
[[Page 67889]]
Applicants are strongly advised to utilize the plethora of tools and
documents, including FAQs that are available on the ``Applicant
Resources'' page at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/app_help_reso.jsp#faqs. To receive updated information about critical issues,
new tips for users and other time sensitive updates as information is
available, applicants may subscribe to ``Grants.gov Updates'' at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/email_subscription_signup.jsp.
If applicants encounter a problem with Grants.gov and do not find
an answer in any of the other resources, call 1-800-518-4726 to speak
to a Customer Support Representative or e-mail [email protected].
Late Applications: For applications submitted on Grants.gov, only
applications that have been successfully submitted no later 5 p.m.
(Eastern Time) on the closing date and successfully validated will be
considered. For applicants not submitting on Grants.gov, any
application received after the exact date and time specified for
receipt at the office designated in this notice will not be considered,
unless it is received before awards are made, was properly addressed,
and: (a) Was sent by U.S. Postal Service registered or certified mail
not later than the fifth calendar day before the date specified for
receipt of applications (e.g., an application required to be received
by the 20th of the month must be post marked by the 15th of that month)
or (b) Was sent by professional overnight delivery service to the
addressee not later than one working day prior to the date specified
for receipt of applications. ``Post marked'' 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 or affixed on the date of mailing by an employee
of the U.S. Postal Service. Therefore, applicants should request the
postal clerk to place a legible hand cancellation ``bull's eye''
postmark on both the receipt and the package. Failure to adhere to the
above instructions will be a basis for a determination of
nonresponsiveness. Evidence of timely submission by a professional
overnight delivery service must be demonstrated by equally reliable
evidence created by the delivery service provider indicating the time
and place of receipt.
D. Intergovernmental Review
This funding opportunity is not subject to Executive Order (EO)
12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''
E. Funding Restrictions
All proposal costs must be necessary and reasonable in accordance
with Federal guidelines. Determinations of allowable costs will be made
in accordance with the applicable Federal cost principles. Disallowed
costs are those charges to a grant that the grantor agency or its
representative determines not to be allowed in accordance with the
applicable Federal Cost Principles or other conditions contained in the
grant. Applicants will not be entitled to reimbursement of pre-award
costs. Funds provided under these grants shall only be used for
activities that are in addition to those that would otherwise be
available in the local area in the absence of such funds. Paying for
food is only allowable in circumstances in which it is integral to a
training activity. Grant funds may be used to pay wages to participants
for summer and after-school work experience and internships as long as
participants are assigned real work for these wages, but grant funds
cannot be used for paying stipends to participants. Grantees must
submit an implementation plan and detailed budget for project officer
review and approval prior to starting operations. If grantees are
starting some components sooner than others, they can submit separate
plans for the components as they are ready to start them.
Indirect Costs. As specified in OMB Circulars on Cost Principles,
indirect costs are those that have been incurred for common or joint
objectives and cannot be readily identified with a particular cost
objective. In order to utilize grant funds for indirect costs incurred,
the applicant must obtain an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement with its
Federal Cognizant Agency either before or shortly after the grant
award. The Federal Cognizant Agency is generally determined based on
the preponderance of Federal dollars received by the recipient.
Administrative Costs. An entity that receives a grant to carry out
a project or program may not use more than 10 percent of the amount of
the grant to pay administrative costs associated with the program or
project. Administrative costs could be both direct and indirect costs
and are defined at 20 CFR 667.220. Administrative costs do not need to
be identified separately from program costs on the SF 424A Budget
Information Form. They should be discussed in the budget narrative and
tracked through the grantee's accounting system. To claim any
administrative costs that are also indirect costs, the applicant must
obtain an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement from its Federal Cognizant
Agency as specified above.
F. Legal Rules Pertaining to Inherently Religious Activities by
Organizations That Receive Federal Financial Assistance
Direct Federal grants, sub-award funds, or contracts under this
program shall not be used to support inherently religious activities
such as religious instruction, worship, or proselytization. Therefore,
organizations must take steps to separate, in time or location, their
inherently religious activities from the services funded under this
program. Neutral, secular criteria that neither favor nor disfavor
religion must be employed in the selection of grant and sub-grant
recipients. In addition, under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and
DOL regulations implementing the Workforce Investment Act, a recipient
may not use direct Federal assistance to train a participant in
religious activities, or employ participants to construct, operate, or
maintain any part of a facility that is used or to be used for
religious instruction or worship. See 29 CFR 37.6(f). 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 Education Amendments of 1972 and the Religious
Freedom Restoration Act of 1993), national origin, age, disability, or
political affiliation or belief.'' Regulations pertaining to the Equal
Treatment for Faith-Based Organizations, which includes the prohibition
against Federal funding of inherently religious activities, can be
found at 29 CFR Part 2, Subpart D. Provision relating to the use of
indirect support (such as vouchers) is at 29 CFR 2.33(c) and 20 CFR
667.266.
A faith-based organization receiving federal funds retains its
independence from Federal, State, and local governments, and may
continue to carry out its mission, including the definition, practice,
and expression of its religious beliefs. For example, a faith-based
organization may use space in its facilities to provide secular
programs or services funded with Federal funds without removing
religious art, icons, scriptures, or other religious symbols. In
addition, a faith-based organization that receives Federal funds
retains its authority over its internal governance, and it may retain
religious terms in its organization's name, select its board members on
a religious basis, and
[[Page 67890]]
include religious references in its organization's mission statements
and other governing documents in accordance with all program
requirements, statutes, and other applicable requirements governing the
conduct of DOL funded activities.
The Department notes that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act
(RFRA), 42 U.S.C. sec. 2000bb, applies to all Federal law and its
implementation. If your organization is a faith-based organization that
makes hiring decisions on the basis of religious belief, it may be
entitled to receive Federal financial assistance under Title I of the
Workforce Investment Act and maintain that hiring practice even though
Section 188 of the Workforce Investment Act contains a general ban on
religious discrimination in employment. If you are awarded a grant, you
will be provided with information on how to request such an exemption.
V. Application Review Information
A. Evaluation Criteria
This section identifies and describes the criteria that will be
used to evaluate proposals submitted for planning grants and
implementation grants. Note that applications for planning grants do
not need to include a Project Design section in their proposals, as
their project design will be developed through the planning grants.
Also note that that the allocation of points to need varies between the
state/local and intermediary proposals because the intermediary
applicants will not yet have identified the cities in which they will
be operated.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points for state/
Points for local Points for
Criterion planning grant implementation intermediary
applications grant reentry
applications applications
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Local Need............................................. 40 20 10
2. Project design......................................... N/A 35 30
3. Collaboration.......................................... 40 35 20
4. Organizational capacity................................ 20 10 40
-----------------------------------------------------
Total Possible Points................................. 100 100 100
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The rated components listed above make up the Technical Proposal
(along with the additional requirements listed in section IV.B).
1. Local Need
Planning Grants and State/Local Implementation Grants:
The points for local need for both planning grants and State/local
implementation grants will be assigned based on a combination of the
number of delinquency cases in the county to be served by your proposed
project and the justification that you make in your application for the
need for the project. Half of the points under this criterion will be
assigned based on the number of youth in delinquency cases as
determined by the most recent data available provided voluntarily by
juvenile courts across the country to the National Juvenile Court Data
Archive (NJCDA), a project maintained by the National Center for
Juvenile Justice (NCJJ) with funds provided by the Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention. These Juvenile Court statistics
include State and county-level caseload data showing the annual
delinquency, status offense, and dependency cases handled by juvenile
courts. These county-level statistics are available on the OJJDP Web
site under Easy Access to State and County Juvenile Court Case Counts
at http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/ojstatbb/ezaco/asp/TableDisplay.asp. We will
be using the combined number of petitioned and non-petitioned
delinquency cases.
If you are from Kentucky, Louisiana, or Mississippi, please provide
the number of combined petitioned and non-petitioned delinquency cases
in the county that you will be serving for the latest year available as
the national base does not include these statistics for these three
States. If you are applying from any other State, you do not need to
provide in your application the statistics for the area that you will
be serving as we can access that information from the national data
base as long as you indicate in the Needs Section of your application
the county that you will be serving. If you are from Connecticut,
indicate the venue district that you will be serving.
The other half of the points under this criterion will be based on
the justification that you provide in your application for the need for
this project in the area that you will be serving. Make your best case
for why your local area needs this grant. Present the number of youth
from the county placed in a juvenile correctional facility this past
year; the number of youth placed in local detention centers; and the
number who returned home from juvenile correctional facilities. Provide
the source of this data. Discuss the extent of youth gangs in the city
or county. Discuss why the problems of juvenile crime and youth gangs
exist to the extent that they do in the county, what resources are
currently available for serving returning juvenile offenders; and what
gaps currently exist in these services. Applicants for planning grants
also should discuss the extent of the problem of young adult crime in
the city or county to be served, as planning grants will be developing
blueprints for serving young adult as well as juvenile offenders.
Intermediary Reentry Grant:
Discuss what factors indicating local need you will
include in your solicitation for selecting cities competitively after
award, why you believe that these factors are a good indicator of local
need for the project, whether data is available on these factors, and
what weight you will place on need factors.
Discuss why the problems of juvenile crime and gangs exist
to the extent that they do in the country as a whole; what resources
typically are currently available for serving returning juvenile
offenders; and what gaps currently exist in these services.
Planning Grant and State/Local Implementation proposals will be
evaluated under this criterion as follows:
Half of the points under this criterion will be based on
the number of delinquency cases in the county to be served by the
project reported in the Easy Access to State and County Juvenile Court
Case Counts data base. A scale will be used to rank the number of
delinquency cases in a county as high, medium, or low, with the most
points being provided to counties with high numbers of delinquency
cases.
The other half of the points under this criterion will be
based on the case
[[Page 67891]]
you make in your proposal for the local need for your project. Based on
evidence that you provide regarding the number of youth from the county
placed in a juvenile correctional facility this past year; the number
of youth placed in local detention centers; the number who returned
home from juvenile correctional facilities; and current gaps in
services to juvenile offenders, the review panel will rank the
seriousness of the problems of juvenile crime and youth gangs in your
county as severe, moderate, or low. Local areas with severe juvenile
crime and youth gangs will receive the most points. Planning grant
applications will also be ranked based on the evidence provided
regarding the seriousness of their adult crime problem.
Intermediary Grant proposals will be evaluated under this criterion
as follows:
The review panel will evaluate how you will include local
need as part of your competitive selection of cities. The review panel
will consider how well you have thought through what factors of local
need should be included in your solicitation for the cities that will
be part of your project; whether data is available on the factors that
you propose; and the extent to which these factors accurately reflect
local need. Panelists will rate your response on a scale of fair, good,
and excellent, with excellent receiving the most points (5 points).
The review panel will evaluate your response regarding why
juvenile crime and youth gangs exist to the extent that they do in the
country as a whole; what resources typically are currently available
for serving returning juvenile offenders; and what gaps currently exist
in these services. The panel will consider how well you have thought
through these issues and how insightful your analysis is of existing
gaps in services. Panelists will rate your response on a scale of fair,
good, and excellent, with excellent receiving the most points (5
points).
2. Project Design (Applications for Planning Grants Do Not Complete
This Section)
State/Local Implementation Grants and Intermediary Reentry Grants:
Discuss how you will implement each of the required project components
in Part I of the grant announcement:
Community Reentry Team: Discuss which agencies will serve
on this team. Discuss the roles and responsibilities of the Community
Reentry Team.
Employment Strategies: Discuss how you plan to place older
juvenile offenders in jobs. Discuss how you will link with the local
Workforce Investment Board, One-Stop Centers, and corporations.
Case Management: Discuss how you will carry out this
component, including the number of case managers or advocates you
expect to hire, how these case managers or advocates will interact with
guidance counselors and staff, the expected number of students to be
served each year in this component, and the anticipated case load size.
Educational Strategies: Discuss the educational strategies
that you will implement with grant funds. Provide details regarding how
you will implement each strategy, including the number of full-time
staff positions that will be dedicated to each new strategy and the
expected number of students to be served each year by each strategy.
Describe the level of staff development that will be provided in
implementing these educational strategies.
Mentoring: Describe how the mentoring component will be
carried out, including how mentors will be recruited, screened, and
trained, the anticipated number of youth who will receive mentors, and
the number of full-time staff to be hired for this component. Also,
discuss the extent to which you will use one-on-one mentoring, group
mentoring, service-based mentoring, and work-based mentoring.
Restorative Justice: Discuss how you will implement
community service projects for juvenile offenders both ages 18 and
above and ages 17 and below. Discuss possible links with local
conservation and service corps programs, volunteer organizations, and
state and local parks.
Community-Wide Violence Reduction Efforts: Discuss plans
for churches and social service organizations in neighborhoods served
by the grant to join together to prevent youth violence and serve
juvenile offenders.
State/Local Implementation Grant proposals and Intermediary Reentry
Grant proposals will be evaluated under this criterion for each of the
six required components plus the Community Reentry Team as follows:
For State/Local Implementation Grant proposals, up to 5 points will
be awarded for each of the six required components plus the Community
Reentry Team. For Intermediary Reentry Grant proposals, up to 5 points
each will be awarded for the employment and education components and up
to 4 points each will be awarded for the other four components and the
Community Reentry Team. The points for each of the required components
and the Community Reentry Team will be rated by the panel based on:
The extent to which the applicant demonstrates that it has
thought through how it will implement the component;
The practicality and likelihood of success of the design
that the applicant is proposing for the component; and
The potential for the component as designed by the
applicant to have large impact on the young offender population in the
communities to be served.
3. Collaboration
This section should include for all three categories a discussion
of how the project will be carried out in a shared youth vision
framework in which multiple state and local agencies work
collaboratively across funding streams to best serve young people in
their jurisdictions.
Planning Grants: This section should include:
A discussion of each of the key partners that will be
involved in the project, including the state and local juvenile justice
agencies, state and local agencies responsible for returning adult
offenders, the school district, the workforce investment system, local
foundations, and corporations.
A discussion of the community's potential commitment to
the project, including a description of organizations that serve
neighborhoods with large numbers of returning young offenders,
including churches with youth programs, Settlement Houses, Boys and
Girls Clubs, Girls Inc, YMCAs, and YWCAs, and how these organizations
could help serve as a community-wide net for at-risk youth.
A description of the one-to-one leveraged resources and
the extent to which the leveraged resources represent funding or
staffing that would not otherwise be dedicated to improving services
for juvenile and young adult offenders.
State/Local Implementation Grants: This section should include:
A discussion of each of the key partners that will be
involved in the project, including the state and local juvenile justice
agencies, the school district, the workforce investment system, local
foundations, and corporations.
A discussion of the community's potential commitment to
the project, including a description of organizations that serve
neighborhoods with large numbers of returning young offenders,
including churches with youth programs, Settlement Houses, Boys and
Girls Clubs, Girls Inc, YMCAs, and YWCAs, and how these organizations
[[Page 67892]]
could help serve as a community-wide net for at-risk youth.
A description of the leveraged resources that will provide
and the extent to which these resources represent funding or staffing
that would not otherwise be dedicated to improving services for
juvenile and young adult offenders.
A description of the requirements that will go into the
grant announcement for selecting faith-based and community
organizations as sub-grantees/contractors. The Department strongly
encourages the competitive selection of sub-grantees and contractors
either before or after grant award.
Intermediary Reentry Grants: Because cities in which the project
will be operated will not be selected until after grant award,
applicants will not be able to list specific local partners in this
section. Rather, discuss the types of local organizations that you will
seek out as partners. This section should include:
A discussion of how you plan to involve key local
partners, including the state and local juvenile justice agencies, the
school district, the workforce investment system, local foundations,
and corporations.
A description of the types of local organizations that the
applicant will seek to include in this project, including churches with
youth programs, Settlement Houses, Boys and Girls Clubs, Girls Inc,
YMCAs, and YWCAs, and how these organizations could help serve as a
community-wide net for at-risk youth.
A description of the types of leveraged funds that will be
sought to carry out these grants.
A description of the requirements for local state and
local collaboration that will go into the grant announcement for
selecting cities and local subgrantees. The Department strongly
encourages the competitive selection of sub-grantees and contractors
either before or after grant award.
Planning Grant proposals will be evaluated under this criterion
based on:
The extent of planned partnerships between the state and
local juvenile justice agencies, the school district, the workforce
investment system, state and local agencies responsible for adult
offenders, local foundations, and corporations (15 points).
The extent of the potential commitment to the project of
faith-based and community organizations that are operating in
neighborhoods with large numbers of returning young offenders likely to
be served by the grant (15 points).
The extent to which the one-to-one leveraged resources
represent funding or staffing that would not otherwise be dedicated to
improving services for juvenile and young adult offenders (10 points).
State/Local Implementation Grant proposals will be evaluated under
this criterion based on:
The extent of planned partnerships between the state and
local juvenile justice agencies, the school district, the workforce
investment system, state and local agencies responsible for adult
offenders, local foundations, and corporations (9 points).
The extent of the potential commitment to the project of
faith-based and community organizations that are operating in
neighborhoods with large numbers of returning young offenders likely to
be served by the grant (9 points).
The amount of leveraged resources and the extent to which
these leveraged resources represent funding or staffing that would not
otherwise be dedicated to improving services for juvenile offenders (9
points).
The extent to which the requirements that will go into the
solicitation for selecting faith-based and community sub-grantees and
contractors are practical and able to differentiate between proposals
of different levels of merit (8 points).
Intermediary Reentry Grant proposals will be evaluated under this
criterion based on:
The practicality and likelihood of success of the plan for
involving key local partners in the project, including state and local
juvenile justice agencies, the school district, the workforce
investment system, state and local agencies responsible for adult
offenders, local foundations, and corporations (5 points).
The likelihood of success and the potential of having a
large impact on the juvenile offender population of the plan for
involving faith-based and community organizations in this project (5
points).
The likelihood of success of the plan for leveraging
additional funds for the project, the amount of expected leveraged
resources, and the extent to which these leveraged resources will
represent funding or staffing that would not otherwise be dedicated to
improving services for juvenile offenders (5 points).
The extent to which the requirements that will go into the
solicitation for selecting faith-based and community sub-grantees and
contractors are practical and able to differentiate between proposals
of different levels of merit (5 points).
4. Organizational Capacity
Planning Grants: Discuss the capacity of the organization
to lead this planning process. Discuss experience of the organization
in carrying out previous planning efforts. Discuss the capacity of the
organization to have the lead in following through to implement the
blueprints for reform developed through the 12-month planning period
funded by these grants. Discuss the experience of key staff related to
the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Discuss the organization's
previous success in operating projects in a shared youth vision
approach involving collaboration among agencies and the use of
leveraged resources.
State/Local Implementation Grants: Discuss the capacity
and the commitment to this project of the State juvenile justice
department. Discuss the capacity and commitment of the local juvenile
justice agency. Discuss each organization's previous success in
providing services in a shared youth vision approach involving
collaboration among agencies and the use of leveraged resources.
Discuss the experience of key staff related to the juvenile justice
system.
Intermediary Reentry Grant: This section should include
discussions of the organization's direct experience in conducting
multi-site demonstrations; the proposed staff's direct experience in
conducting multi-site demonstrations; the organization's and the key
staff's direct experience relating to each of the seven required
program components discussed above--community reentry teams, case
management, employment, education, mentoring, balanced and restorative
justice, and community violence reduction efforts; and the
organization's previous success in operating demonstrations in a shared
youth vision approach involving collaboration among agencies and the
use of leveraged resources.
Planning Grant proposals will be evaluated under this criterion
based on:
The experience of the organization in carrying out
previous planning efforts (7 points).
The experience of key staff related to the juvenile and
criminal justice systems (7 points).
The organization's previous success in operating projects
in a shared youth vision approach involving collaboration among
agencies and the use of leveraged resources (6 points).
State/Local Implementation Grant proposals will be evaluated under
this criterion based on:
[[Page 67893]]
The experience of the State juvenile justice department
and key staff in collaborating with other agencies (5 points).
The experience of the local juvenile justice agency and
key staff in collaborating with other agencies (5 points).
Intermediary Reentry Grant proposals will be evaluated under this
criterion based on:
The organization's direct experience in conducting multi-
site demonstrations (9 points).
The proposed staff's direct experience in conducting
multi-site demonstrations country (9 points).
The organization's and the key staff's direct experience
relating to each of the seven required program components discussed
above--community reentry teams, case management, employment, education,
mentoring, balanced and restorative justice, and community violence
reduction efforts (9 points).
The organization's previous success in operating
demonstrations in a shared youth vision approach involving
collaboration among agencies and the use of leveraged resources (8
points).
B. Review and Selection Process
Proposals that are timely and responsive to the requirements of
this SGA will be rated against the criteria listed above by an
independent panel that may be comprised of representatives from DOL and
other reviewers. Proposals will be grouped by the category for which
they apply, and the proposals within each category will be rated
separately. The ranked scores will serve as the primary basis for
selection of applications for funding, in conjunction with other
factors such as geographic balance; the availability of funds; and
which proposals are most advantageous to the Government. Any
applications that receive a score of 80 and above will be considered
for award. The panel results are advisory in nature and not binding on
the Grant Officer, and the Grant Officer may consider any information
that comes to his/her attention. If no fundable proposals are received
for a given category or if fewer fundable proposals are received for a
category than we intended to fund, additional awards may be made in the
other categories. The Government may elect to award the grant(s) with
or without discussions with the applicants. Should a grant be awarded
without discussions, the award will be based on the applicant's
signature on the SF 424, which constitutes a binding offer by the
applicant (including electronic signature via E-Authentication on
http://www.grants.gov).
VI. Award Administration Information
A. Award Notices
All award notifications will be posted on the ETA homepage (http://www.doleta.gov). The notice of award signed by the Grants Officer will
serve as the authorizing document. Applicants not selected for award
will be notified as soon as possible.
B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
1. Administrative Program Requirements
All grantees, including faith-based organizations, will be subject
to all applicable Federal laws, regulations, and the applicable OMB
Circulars. The grant(s) awarded under this SGA will be subject to the
following administrative standards and provisions:
a. Non-Profit Organizations--OMB Circulars A-122 (Cost Principles)
and 29 CFR Part 95 (Administrative Requirements).
b. Educational Institutions--OMB Circulars A-21 (Cost Principles)
and 29 CFR Part 95 (Administrative Requirements).
c. State and Local Governments--OMB Circulars A-87 (Cost
Principles) and 29 CFR Part 97 (Administrative Requirements).
d. Profit Making Commercial Firms--Federal Acquisition Regulation
(FAR)--48 CFR Part 31 (Cost Principles), and 29 CFR Part 95
(Administrative Requirements).
e. All entities must comply with 29 CFR Parts 93 and 98, and, where
applicable, 29 CFR Parts 96 and 99.
f. 29 CFR Part 2, subpart D--Equal Treatment in Department of Labor
Programs for Religious Organizations, Protection of Religious Liberty
of Department of Labor Social Service Providers and Beneficiaries.
g. 29 CFR Part 31--Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs
of the Department of Labor--Effectuation of Title VI of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964.
h. 29 CFR Part 32--Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap in
Programs and Activities Receiving or Benefiting from Federal Financial
Assistance.
i. 29 CFR Part 33--Enforcement of Nondiscrimination on the Basis of
Handicap in Programs or Activities Conducted by the Department of
Labor.
j. 29 CFR Part 35--Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Age in
Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance from the
Department of Labor.
k. 29 CFR Part 36--Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in
Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial
Assistance.
The following administrative standards and provisions may be
applicable:
a. Workforce Investment Act--20 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
Part 667 (General Fiscal and Administrative Rules).
b. 29 CFR Part 30--Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship
and Training; and
c. 29 CFR Part 37--Implementation of the Nondiscrimination and
Equal Opportunity Provisions of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.
In accordance with Section 18 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of
1995 (Pub. L. 104-65) (2 U.S.C. 1611) non-profit entities incorporated
under Internal Revenue Service Code section 501(c)(4) that engage in
lobbying activities are not eligible to receive Federal funds and
grants.
Note: Except as specifically provided in this Notice, DOL/ETA's
acceptance of a proposal and an award of Federal funds to sponsor
any program(s) does not provide a waiver of any grant requirements
and/or procedures. For example, OMB Circulars require that an
entity's procurement procedures must ensure that all procurement
transactions are conducted, as much as practical, to provide open
and free competition. If a proposal identifies a specific entity to
provide services, the DOL/ETA's award does not provide the
justification or basis to sole source the procurement, i.e., avoid
competition, unless the activity is regarded as the primary work of
an official partner to the application.
2. Special Program Requirements
Evaluation. DOL will require that State/Local Implementation
Grantees and the Intermediary Reentry Grantee cooperate in an
independent evaluation of their projects. This evaluation will make use
of program MIS data, local administrative data on juvenile crime and
recidivism, and program progress reports. DOL recognizes that there
will be limitations on this cooperation due to state confidentiality
requirements regarding data on individual juvenile offenders.
Intellectual Property Rights. The Federal Government reserves a
paid-up, nonexclusive and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish or
otherwise use, and to authorize others to use for federal purposes: (i)
The copyright in all products developed under the grant, including a
subgrant or contract under the grant or subgrant; and (ii) any rights
of copyright to which the grantee, subgrantee or a contractor purchases
ownership under an award (including
[[Page 67894]]
but not limited to curricula, training models, technical assistance
products, and any related materials). Such uses include, but are not
limited to, the right to modify and distribute such products worldwide
by any means, electronically or otherwise. Federal funds may not be
used to pay any royalty or licensing fee associated with such
copyrighted material, although they may be used to pay costs for
obtaining a copy which is limited to the developer/seller costs of
copying and shipping. If revenues are generated through selling
products developed with grant funds, including intellectual property,
these revenues are program income. Program income is added to the grant
and must be expended for allowable grant activities.
C. Reporting and Accountability
The state/local implementation grants and the intermediary reentry
grant will be subject to performance standards measuring their progress
in meeting the goals of the grants. National goals will be set after
grant award in the following areas:
Reducing the recidivism rate of youth returning from out-
of-home placements;
Increasing the employment rate of returning juvenile
offenders ages 18 and above;
Increasing the rate which returning juvenile offenders
ages 18 and above enter post-secondary education or training;
Increasing the school retention rate of returning juvenile
offenders under the age of 18;
Increasing the rate which returning juvenile offenders
under the age of 18 achieve a high school diploma.
The planning grants will not be subject to performance standards,
but DOL/ETA staff will review the completed plans submitted by grantees
and will provide comments and suggestions to the grantees regarding
their plans. The plans submitted by these grantees will also be shared
with other localities in the country.
Quarterly financial reports, quarterly progress reports, and MIS
data will be submitted by the grantee electronically. Grantees must
agree to meet DOL reporting requirements. The grantee is required to
provide the reports and documents listed below:
Quarterly Financial Reports. A Quarterly Financial Status Report is
required until such time as all funds have been expended or the grant
period has expired, whichever is sooner. Quarterly reports are due 45
days after the end of each calendar year quarter. Grantees must use
ETA's On-Line Electronic Reporting System; information and instructions
will be provided to grantees.
Quarterly Progress Reports. The grantee must submit a quarterly
progress report based on a DOL template to its designated Federal
Project Officer within 45 days after the end of each quarter. This
report should provide a detailed account of activities undertaken
during that quarter. The quarterly progress report should be in
narrative form and should include:
1. In-depth information on accomplishments, including project
success stories, upcoming grant activities, and promising approaches
and processes.
2. Progress toward meeting performance outcomes.
3. Challenges being faced by the grantee in implementing the
project.
MIS Reports. Organizations will be required to submit updated MIS
data within 45 days after the end of each quarter based on a DOL
template that reports on enrollment, services provided, placements,
outcomes, and follow-up status.
VII. Agency Contacts
For further information regarding this SGA, please contact B. Jai
Johnson, Grants Management Specialist, Division of Federal Assistance,
at (202) 693-3296 (please note this is not a toll-free number).
Applicants should fax all technical questions to (202) 693-2705, or e-
mail: [email protected] and must specifically address the fax to the
attention of B. Jai Johnson and should include SGA/DFA PY 08-09, a
contact name, fax and phone number, and e-mail address. This
announcement is being made available on the ETA Web site at http://www.doleta.gov/grants/find_grants.cfm, http://www.grants.gov, and in
the Federal Register.
VIII. Additional Resources and Other Information
A. Resources for the Applicant
DOL maintains a number of web-based resources that may be of
assistance to applicants:
Questions and responses submitted to the Grant Officer
regarding the SGA will be posted on the Employment and Training Web
site at http://www.doleta.gov. Questions will be received for one month
after publication.
B. Other Information
OMB Information Collection No. 1225-0086.
Expires September 30, 2009.
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are
required to respond to a collection of information unless such
collection displays a valid OMB control number. Public reporting burden
for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 hours per
response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing
data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing
and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding
the burden estimated or any other aspect of this collection of
information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the OMB
Desk Officer for ETA, Office of Management and Budget, Room 10235,
Washington, DC 20503. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR COMPLETED APPLICATION
TO THE OMB. SEND IT TO THE SPONSORING AGENCY AS SPECIFIED IN THIS
SOLICITATION.
This information is being collected for the purpose of awarding a
grant. The information collected through this ``Solicitation for Grant
Applications'' will be used by the Department of Labor to ensure that
grants are awarded to the applicant best suited to perform the
functions of the grant. Submission of this information is required in
order for the applicant to be considered for award of this grant.
Unless otherwise specifically noted in this announcement, information
submitted in the respondent's application is not considered to be
confidential.
Signed at Washington, DC, this 10th day of November 2008.
Chari A. Magruder,
Employment and Training Administration, Grant Officer.
[FR Doc. E8-27151 Filed 11-14-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-FT-P