Workforce Innovation Fund Grants Solicitation for Grant Application (SGA/DFA PY 11-05) Prospective Applicant Webinar

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Gina King Wells, Manpower Analyst, Office of Workforce Investment Presenters Presenters: Gina King Wells, Manpower Analyst, Office of Workforce Investment Ariam Ferro, Grants Management Specialist, Office of Grants Management

Tips and Resources for Viewing this Webinar Have a copy of the SGA when viewing the Webinar View Applying for ETA Competitive Grants: A Web-Based Toolkit for Prospective Applicants http://www.workforce3one.org/page/grants_toolkit

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Examples of Innovation (Section I.B) Better coordination among programs and partners Improving linkages between employment/ training services and labor market needs New procurement strategies New uses of technology

Partnerships (Section I.C.) Regional partnerships with economic development entities and other critical stakeholders Business community partnerships, including business associations, and educational institutions  Partnerships with other federally-funded programs Community-based organization partnerships Workforce intermediary partnerships Partnering with local educational institutions, including community colleges. Local educational institutions, including community colleges.

Three Project Types (Section I.D) Integrating Evaluation into Grant Activities: Three Project Types Project Type A: New and Untested Ideas Project Type B: Promising Ideas Project Type C: Adapting Proven Ideas

Three Project Types cont’d. Project Type A – New and Untested Ideas Conduct a strong logic model demonstrating cost savings/cost effectiveness Describe any prior implementation of the idea if the idea has been carried out in any manner Collect/analyze process, output, and outcome data Create a rigorous method to evaluate impact Proposals must range from $1-3 million; evaluation costs must be no more than 20% of total

Three Project Types cont’d. Project Type B – Promising Ideas Include positive evidence of past success Evaluation strategy should be of a higher level of rigor than evidence cited in the proposal Proposals must range from $3-6 million; evaluation costs must be no more than 20% of total Project Type B awardees may compete for follow-on grants for additional cohorts and longer participant follow-up plans

Three Project Types cont’d. Project Type C – Adapting Proven Ideas Provide compelling arguments for the need and potential for success in expanding the scale of the proposed service, product, and/or system change Must include a minimum 12-month follow-up Proposals must range from $6-12 million; evaluation costs must be no more than 20% of total Project Type C awardees may compete for follow-on grants for additional cohorts and longer participant follow-up plans

II. Award Information

Award Amount & Performance Period Sections II.A and II.B Approximately $98 million in grant funds, with awards ranging from $1 - $12 million to 20-30 grantees Period of Performance: Awards expected in Spring 2012 Project A performance period 36 months Project B-C performance period 40 months from the effective day of grant with an additional 12 months available for evaluation

III. Eligibility Information

Eligible Applicants Section III.A.1 State Workforce Agencies Local Workforce Investment Boards Entities eligible for WIA Section 166 Grants Consortia of State Workforce Agencies Consortia of Local Workforce Investment Boards Consortia of entities eligible WIA Section 166 Grants

Eligible Applicants - Consortiums Section III.A.2 Special Requirements for Consortium Applicants Each consortium must identify a lead applicant to serve as the grantee and have overall fiscal and administrative responsibility for the grant Consortium agreements must be signed by each member Only eligible entities may be members of the consortium If a consortium member drops out, the grantee must conduct a competition to award the remaining funds ETA reserves the right to re-evaluate a consortium award if consortium membership changes and may terminate the award if deemed appropriate

Other Eligibility Criteria Section III.B and III.C Cost Sharing or Matching Applicants strongly encouraged to coordinate/leverage WIA and other federal, state, local and private funds Other Eligibility Criteria Applicants are required to submit a budget, design, and implementation plan to an independent party Only one application per lead applicant; no limit on number of applications submitted as non-lead consortium member Applicant who submit more that one application as the lead applicant will be deemed non-responsive

Other Eligibility Criteria Section III.D and III.E Eligible Participants Participants must meet the eligibility criteria of WIA Adult, Dislocated Worker, Youth, or Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Service programs Veterans Priority for Participants Veterans priority of service provisions require grant recipients give veterans or eligible spouses priority of service For additional information, see at http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2816.

Other Eligibility Criteria Section III.F.1 Other Grant Specifications DOL is committed to a transparent grant award process Posting grant applications on public websites is a means of promoting and sharing innovative ideas Abstracts from Section IV, Part III.A, as well as a version of the Technical Proposal in Section IV, Part II, will be published on the Department’s website or similar location. Applicants are encouraged to maximize the disclosed grant application information and to exercise restraint and redact only when necessary.

IV. Application and Submission Information

Content and Form of Submission Section IV.B Proposals submitted in response to this SGA must include the following: Cost Proposal Technical Proposal Attachments to the Technical Proposal Applications that do not contain all three parts will be considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed.

Part I – Cost Proposal SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance) Application and Submission Information Cost Proposal, Section IV.B.Part I Part I – Cost Proposal SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance) D-U-N-S® Number CCR Registration SF-424A (Budget Information Form) Two Budget Narratives (one for technical activities, one for evaluation activities) Applications that fail to provide a signed SF 424 including a D–U–N–S® Number, CCR registration, SF 424A, and the two budget narratives will be considered non-responsive and not reviewed

Part II – Technical Proposal Application and Submission Information Technical Proposal, Section IV.B.Part II Part II – Technical Proposal Project narrative that demonstrates the applicant’s capabilities to implement the grant project in accordance with the provisions of this solicitation Proposal is limited to 25 double-spaced single- sided 8.5 x 11 inch pages with 12 point text font and 1 inch margins for all grantees except consortia applicants, who are limited to 27 pages with the same requirements. Applications that do not include the Technical Proposal will be considered non-responsive and not be reviewed

Part III – Attachments to the Technical Proposal Application and Submission Information Attachments, Section IV.B.Part III Part III – Attachments to the Technical Proposal Abstract, not to exceed three pages A one-page graphic of the project’s logic model (http://www.doleta.gov/workforce_innovation.) Evaluation budget narrative and program evaluation plan for an independent third party evaluation The Project/Performance Site Location(s) form (http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15 ) Non-form letters, Memoranda of Understanding, and other documentation from key leaders and partners to demonstrate their support as described in Section V.1., Criterion 4 – “Strategic Leadership.” A letter from the local WIB (if applicable) A consortium agreement (if applicable) A waiver request (if applicable)

Proposal Submission Section VI.C Proposals must be received by 4:00:00 PM (ET) on the closing date of the SGA. Methods of Submission Regular mail Overnight mail Hand delivery Online at http://www.grants.gov Reference Donna Kelly, Grant Officer, SGA/DFA PY 11-05

Proposal Submission (con’t) Applicants submitting in hard copy Submit an original signed application (including SF-424) and 1 “copy-ready” version free of bindings, staples, or protruding tabs Include identical electronic copy of proposal on compact disc (CD) Using Grants.gov -- Get started now! Significant registration process the first time - takes days or weeks to complete Highly recommended that online submission be completed 2 working days prior to the date specified for receipt of applications Components of the application must be saved as either .doc, .xls, .rtf, or .pdf files If submitted in any other format, the applicant bears the risk that compatibility or other issues will prevent us from considering the application.  Note: This funding opportunity is not subject to Executive Order 12372 “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.”

Funding Restrictions Section IV.E Administrative Costs Not to exceed 10 percent of the grant award Intellectual Property Rights Grantee is required to license all work created with support of the grant For more information on licensing, please visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0 DOL reserves a nonexclusive and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use, and to authorize others to use for Federal purposes, the copyright in all products developed under the grant

V. Application Review Information

Evaluation Criteria Section V.A. Criterion Points 1. Description of Problem or Issue 10 2. Strategic Approach and Logic Model 45 3. Work Plan and Project Management 20 4. Strategic Leadership 5. Performance Accountability Framework 15 6. Bonus Points for Consortium Applications 5 Total: 105

Evaluation Criteria, con’t Section V.A.1 Description of Problem/Issue (10 points) Clearly and convincingly articulate the problem (5 points) Demonstrate the extent of the problem in qualitative and quantitative terms (5 points)

Evaluation Criteria, con’t Section V.A.2 Strategic Approach and Logic Model (45 points) Goals and Outcomes (10 points) Better results for jobseekers and employers Greater efficiency in the delivery of quality services Stronger cooperation across programs and funding streams Strategy and Logic Model (25 points) Visit http://doleta.gov/workforce_innovation Evidence Base for Strategy (10 points)

Evaluation Criteria, con’t Section V.A.3 Work Plan and Project Management (20 points) Work Plan (12 points) Milestones Implementer(s) Timeline Project Management (8 points) Professional qualifications Organizational chart Third party evaluator Past experience working with Tech Assistance & Evaluation Past experience using data to manage grants Past performance

Evaluation Criteria, con’t Section V.A.4 Strategic Leadership (10 points) Strategic Relationships and Leadership Buy-In (5 points) Strategic Communication (2 points) Integration into Formula-Funded Activities (3 points)

Evaluation Criteria, con’t Section V.A.5 Performance Accountability Framework (15 points) Data Collecting and Reporting Provision of a comprehensive data collection approach Ability to distinguish between existing data that is already collected by the workforce system and any new data needed Demonstration that the data collected will be detailed Articulation of data that will inform indicators of success A Management Information System (MIS) to accommodate data A feasible method of measuring costs and/or efficiency Data system to manage and monitor grant activities

Evaluation Criteria, con’t Section V.A.6 Consortium Bonus Points (5 points) Bonus points will awarded to consortium project applications.

Review Criteria for Program Evaluation Component Section V.B Program Evaluation Plan Appropriate level of rigor for the proposed project type Detailed plan for rigorously evaluating the plan Explanation of how this plan can be used to enhance the broader workforce system Clear description for procuring the services of a third-party evaluator Project Evaluation Budget Narrative

Review and Selection Process Section V.C. Technical review panels will meet after closing date to review applications Two-Tier Process Scoring is based on how applicants respond to the evaluation criteria in the SGA in sections V.A. and V.B.

Selection Process Section V.C. Panel scores for the technical proposals will be primary basis for selection of applications Other mitigating factors include: Project Type (A, B, C) representation Variety of strategies Evaluation materials review Geographic balance Availability of funds Advantageous nature of the proposal to the government Panel scores are advisory in nature to the Grant Officer

Award Administration Information Section VI All award notifications will be posted on the ETA homepage (www.doleta.gov). Applicants selected for award will be contacted directly before the grant’s execution. Applicants not selected for award will be notified by mail or email. 45 days to finalize the grant agreement.

Other Program Requirements Section VI.B Administrative and National Policy Requirements Program requirements Other legal requirements Other administrative standards and provisions Special program requirements

Reporting Section VI.C Grantees must provide these reports/documents: Quarterly Financial Reports Quarterly Progress and Annual Performance Records Retention

Agency Contacts Section VII Questions should be submitted to Ariam Ferro at: Ferro.Ariam@dol.gov and reference SGA/DFA PY 11-05 in the email subject line ETA will review questions submitted regarding the SGA and provide a timely response

Additional Resources Section VIII Workforce3 One: Communities of practice Live web-based events Register for updates! For more information about the workforce innovation fund: http://www.doleta.gov/workforce_innovation/

Thank You! www.workforce3one.org