19966 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 76 / Friday, April 20, 2007 / Notices 

Signed at Washington, DC, this 16th day of 

April, 2007. 

Gay M. Gilbert, 

Administrator, Office of Workforce 

Investment, Employment and Training 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. E7–7507 Filed 4–19–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–FN–P 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Employment and Training 

Administration 

Employment and Training 

Administration Workforce Investment 

Act—Migrants and Seasonal 

Farmworkers Program—Solicitation for 

Grant Applications—National 

Farmworker Jobs Program, Housing 

Assistance for Program Year 2007 

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Labor, 

Employment and Training 

Administration. 

ACTION: New. Initial announcement of a 

grant competition for operating the 

Housing Assistance portion of the 

National Farmworker Jobs Program 

(NFJP), under section 167 of the 

Workforce Investment Act of 1998 

(WIA), 29 U.S.C. 2912. 

Funding Opportunity Number: SGA/ 

DFA–PY 06–05. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 17.264. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Labor 

(the Department or DOL), Employment 

and Training Administration (ETA), 

Office of Workforce Investment (OWI), 

Division of Adult Services (DAS), 

announces a grant competition for 

operating the housing assistance portion 

of the National Farmworker Jobs 

Program (NFJP), under section 167 of 

the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 

(WIA), 29 U.S.C. 2912. All applicants 

for grant funds should read this notice 

in its entirety. 

Section 167, paragraph (a) of WIA 

requires the Secretary to award grants or 

contracts on a competitive basis to 

eligible entities for the purposes of 

carrying out the activities authorized 

under section 167. Although housing 

assistance is identified in WIA as one of 

the allowable activities under the NFJP, 

Congressional appropriations language 

directs the Department to make 

available a specific amount of the funds 

appropriated for the NFJP for migrant 

and seasonal farmworkers housing 

assistance grants, and that no less than 

70 percent of the specified amount must 

be used for permanent housing 

activities. Therefore, under this 

solicitation, of the $4,950,000 

appropriated for NFJP Housing 

assistance, approximately $3,465,000 

will be available for permanent housing 

assistance and approximately 

$1,485,000 for temporary and/or 

emergency housing assistance. 

DATES: Key Dates: The closing date for 

receipt of applications under this 

announcement is May 29, 2007. 

Applications must be received at the 

address below no later than 5 p.m. 

Eastern Time. 

ADDRESSES: Applications must be 

directed to the U.S. Department of 

Labor, Employment and Training 

Administration, Division of Federal 

Assistance, Attention: James Stockton, 

Room N–4673, 200 Constitution 

Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Supplementary Information 

Funding Opportunity Description 

The U.S. Department of Labor, 

Employment and Training 

Administration, Office of Workforce 

Investment (OWI), Division of Adult 

Services (DAS), is requesting 

applications for grants to operate the 

housing assistance portion of the 

National Farmworker Jobs Program 

(NFJP) in accordance with Section 167 

of WIA, 29 U.S.C. 9201. The NFJP serves 

economically disadvantaged persons 

who primarily depend on employment 

in agricultural labor performed within 

the United States, including Puerto 

Rico, and who experience chronic 

unemployment or underemployment. 

Housing assistance is a supportive 

service offered to assist migrant and 

seasonal farmworkers to retain 

employment or enter into or complete 

training. Funds for housing assistance 

activities are made available through the 

NFJP appropriation included in the FY 

2007 Continuing Appropriations 

Resolution, Pub. L. 110–5. 

Housing assistance under the NFJP 

became available three decades ago as a 

tool to improve economic outcomes for 

farmworkers and was included as one of 

a number of supportive services to assist 

farmworkers to retain employment or 

enter into and/or remain in training. 

The NFJP regulations consider housing 

assistance one of a number of related 

assistance and/or supportive services 

available to eligible farmworkers 

through the NFJP (20 CFR 669.430). 

Over time, however, a strong link 

between the provision of housing 

assistance and achievement of 

employment, training, and earnings has 

eroded. 

To once again establish a strong link 

between housing assistance activities 

and improved economic outcomes for 

farmworkers, the Department engaged in 

a dialogue with current and former 

housing assistance grantees to develop a 

set of principles and definitions of 

housing assistance that renewed the 

focus on employment and training 

objectives in future solicitations/ 

competitions. The results of the 

dialogue are the Guiding Principles and 

Definitions that follow. Please note that 

a factor in scoring applications will be 

how well these Principles are applied to 

the proposed plan of services requested 

by this solicitation. The Definitions are 

intended to provide clarity for 

applicants as they develop their 

applications, and will also be factored 

into the scoring of the applications. 

Guiding Principles 

Housing Assistance Should Leverage 

Improved Economic Outcomes for 

Farmworkers 

Housing assistance should enable 

migrant and seasonal farmworkers to 

retain employment, enter into, or 

complete job training activities, and 

improve their earnings. Housing is a 

service that supports the economic 

objectives of the NFJP. 

Housing Assistance Services, and the 

Strategies Used To Deliver Them, 

Should Meet the Needs of All 

Farmworkers 

Farmworkers seeking to improve their 

economic future have diverse housing 

needs. Moreover, these needs are not 

static but change over time. Strategies 

used to meet these diverse and dynamic 

housing assistance needs must be 

flexible and based on a mix of 

permanent and temporary housing and 

emergency assistance solutions tailored 

to regional and local needs. 

Housing Developed With WIA 167 

(NFJP) Funding Should Be Actively 

Marketed, and Broadly Accessible, to 

NFJP-Eligible Farmworkers 

While occupancy of year-round and 

migrant rental units is not restricted to 

NFJP-eligible farmworkers, the strong 

link between housing assistance and the 

economic objectives of the NFJP should 

translate directly into broad access by 

NFJP farmworkers to housing assistance. 

Providing housing assistance to NFJPeligible farmworkers should be a 

priority. 

Definitions 

Permanent Housing (and its 

corresponding housing assistance 

services) is defined as housing intended 

to be owner-occupied, or occupied on a 

permanent, year-round basis 

(notwithstanding ownership) as the 

farmworker’s primary residence to 

which he/she typically returns at the 


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end of the work or training day, and 

assists the farmworker to stay employed 

or enter into or complete job training. 

Permanent housing (services) 

includes: Rental units, single family, 

duplexes, and other multi-family 

structures, dormitory, group home and 

other housing types that provide shortterm, seasonal, or year-round housing 

opportunities in permanent structures. 

Modular structures, manufactured 

housing or mobile units placed on 

permanent foundations and supplied 

with appropriate utilities and other 

infrastructure are also considered 

permanent housing. 

Managing permanent housing 

assistance activities may require 

investments in development services, 

project management, resource 

development to secure acquisition, 

construction/renovation and operating 

funds, property management services 

and program management. New 

construction, purchase of existing 

structures, and rehabilitation of existing 

structures, as well as the infrastructure, 

utilities and other improvements 

necessary to complete or maintain those 

structures may also be considered part 

of managing permanent housing. 

Temporary housing (and its 

corresponding housing services, 

including emergency housing 

assistance) is defined as housing 

intended to meet the farmworker’s need 

to temporarily occupy a unit of housing 

for reasons related to seeking or 

retaining employment, or engaging in 

training. It is not owner-occupied 

housing, and those farmworkers most 

likely to utilize it are those engaged in 

migratory employment or seasonal 

workers whose employment requires 

occasional travel outside their normal 

commuting area. 

Temporary housing includes housing 

units intended for temporary occupancy 

located in permanent structures, such as 

rental units in an apartment complex. 

Yurts, mobile structures, and tents that 

provide short-term, seasonal housing 

opportunities are also included. They 

may be moved from site to site, 

dismantled and re-erected when needed 

for farmworker occupancy, closed 

during the off-season, or other similar 

arrangements. 

Temporary housing may also be offfarm housing operated independently of 

employer interest in or control of the 

housing, or on-farm housing operated by 

a nonprofit, including faith based or 

community non-profit organizations, 

but located on property owned by an 

agricultural employer. Managing 

temporary housing assistance may 

involve property management of 

temporary housing facilities, case 

management and referral services, and 

emergency housing payments, including 

vouchers and cash payments for rent/ 

lease and utilities. 

As mentioned earlier, applicants must 

design their programs around the 

aforementioned Guiding Principles and 

Definitions, since they will be used as 

scoring factors. 

Applicants may propose to provide 

permanent housing assistance services 

only, temporary/emergency housing 

assistance services only, or both 

permanent and temporary/emergency 

housing assistance services. The 

proposal must describe the proposed 

housing services to be provided and 

discuss the reasons why the proposed 

service mix is best suited to meet the 

employment and training and program 

performance objectives of the NFJP. 

Awards made in cases where housing 

assistance services are proposed in a 

single category only (permanent or 

temporary/emergency) will reflect 

ETA’s compliance with the 

Congressional mandate that seventy (70) 

percent of housing assistance funds be 

used to provide permanent housing 

assistance services. 

Applicants proposing to offer both 

types of housing assistance services 

must clearly describe the permanent 

and temporary/emergency housing 

assistance services proposed to be 

provided, and discuss the reasons why 

the proposed service strategy is best 

suited to meet the employment and 

training and program performance 

objectives of the NFJP. Such 

applications must include separate 

budgets for the proposed permanent and 

temporary/emergency housing 

assistance, respectively. These separate 

budget requests must conform to the 

Congressional mandate that seventy (70) 

percent of housing assistance funds be 

used to provide permanent housing 

assistance services. 

Housing assistance under the NFJP is 

subject to the requirements of WIA 

section 167 and the Department’s 

regulations at 20 CFR part 669. This 

program is also subject to the 

requirements of 29 CFR parts 93 (New 

Restrictions on Lobbying), 96 (Audit 

Requirements), and 98 (Debarment, 

Suspension, and Drug-Free Workplace 

Requirements); the Department’s nondiscrimination regulations at 29 CFR 

part 34, the non-discrimination 

regulations implementing WIA Section 

188 at 29 CFR part 37, and the Equal 

treatment regulations found at 29 CFR 

Part 2, Subpart D. Applicants should be 

familiar with and consult the WIA 

regulations at 20 CFR parts 660 through 

671 in developing their grant proposals. 

Should the regulations at part 669 of 

WIA conflict with regulations elsewhere 

in 20 CFR, the regulations at part 669 

will control. 

In addition, this program is subject to 

the provisions of the ‘‘Jobs for Veterans 

Act,’’ Public Law 107–288, which 

provides priority of service to veterans 

and spouses of certain veterans for the 

receipt of employment, training, and 

placement services in job training 

programs directly funded, in whole or 

in part, by the U.S. Department of Labor. 

In circumstances where NFJP housing 

assistance grant recipients must choose 

between two equally qualified 

candidates for housing assistance, one 

of whom is a veteran, the Jobs for 

Veterans Act requires that NFJP housing 

assistance grant recipients give the 

veteran priority of service by admitting 

him or her into the program. Please note 

that, to obtain priority of service, a 

veteran must meet the program’s 

eligibility requirements. ETA Training 

and Employment Guidance Letter 

(TEGL) No. 5–03, along with additional 

guidance, is available at the ‘‘Jobs for 

Veterans Priority of Service’’ Web site at 

http://www.doleta.gov/programs/vets. 

DAS will continue to work with 

grantees to develop a reporting and 

performance management and 

accountability system that allows for 

improved tracking of activities and 

performance results. Until such system 

is established, applicants awarded 

grants will be expected to report in 

narrative form on a quarterly basis. 

Instructions will be provided to 

organizations once grants are awarded. 

II. Award Information 

The type of assistance instrument to 

be used for the NFJP Housing Assistance 

program is a grant. Grants awarded 

through this solicitation will be for a 

two-year period, as prescribed in WIA 

section 167. Please be advised that the 

$4,950,000 provides funding for the 

NFJP for PY 2007 only (July 1, 2007, 

through June 30, 2008). Therefore, 

second year funding will be dependent 

on the availability of funding through 

the FY 2008 appropriation process. 

The amount available nationally for 

the NFJP Housing Assistance program is 

$4,950,000. The FY 2007 Continuing 

Appropriations Resolution, Public Law 

110–5, provides that no less than 70 

percent of this amount shall be used for 

permanent housing activities. Therefore, 

approximately $3,465,000 will be 

available for permanent housing 

activities, and $1,485,000 will be 

available for temporary and emergency 

housing activities. Applicants are 

reminded that separate budgets and 

descriptions of activities are required for 

permanent and temporary and/or 


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emergency housing assistance, 

particularly in cases where the 

applicant organization intends to 

provide both types of services. 

In the past, housing grantees have 

typically provided housing assistance 

services in more than one state or area 

of a state. Therefore, for applications 

covering more than one area, applicants 

will be required to submit detailed 

information about the services to be 

provided in each of the areas covered by 

the proposal, including information 

regarding sub-grantees, if any. The 

application must include a detailed 

budget for each of the sub-grantees and 

describe the housing assistance services 

to be provided by each sub-grantee. 

Applications that propose to use subgrantees but contain one budget for the 

entire project, without the breakdown 

for the sub-grantees, will be considered 

non-responsive and will not be 

reviewed. 

The number and funding amount of 

grants awarded will vary depending on 

the number of applications received and 

found to be fundable. In the past, 

awards have ranged from approximately 

$150,000 to approximately $1,000,000. 

Note: Selection of an organization as a 

grantee does not constitute approval of the 

grant application as submitted. Before the 

actual grant is awarded, the Department may 

enter into negotiations about such items as 

program components, the budget proposal, 

staffing and funding levels, and 

administrative systems in place to support 

grant implementation. If the negotiations do 

not result in a mutually acceptable 

submission, the Grant Officer reserves the 

right to terminate the negotiation and decline 

to fund the application. 

III. Eligibility Information 

Eligible Applicants 

Applicants need not be a current or 

prior housing assistance grantee to be 

eligible for a grant award under this 

solicitation. State workforce agencies 

and State Workforce Boards, Local 

Workforce Investment Boards (LWIBs), 

and faith-based and community 

organizations are examples of the 

entities eligible to apply for a grant 

award. 

To provide housing assistance 

services to eligible migrant and seasonal 

farmworkers under WIA section 167, 

whether permanent, temporary/ 

emergency, or a mix of both, the 

Department will select those proposals 

that are deemed most responsive to the 

requirements of this solicitation, as 

reviewed and scored during the review 

panel process. To that end, proposals 

must show that the applicant: 

—Has an understanding of the housing 

market in the area(s) they propose to 

serve, as well as an understanding of 

the housing needs of migrant and 

seasonal farmworkers; 

—Has a familiarity with the housing 

conditions in the proposed service 

area, the housing assistance available 

from other agencies in the service 

area, and the impact of both those 

elements on the housing needs of 

farmworkers; and 

—Has the capacity to effectively 

administer a housing assistance 

program with the proper 

administrative and fiscal oversight 

and integrity. 

Additionally, to be responsive to the 

requirements of this solicitation, 

applicants must demonstrate how the 

proposed service plan will reflect the 

Guiding Principles described in Section 

I of this solicitation. 

Applicants must describe their 

collaboration and working relationships 

with other agencies in the proposed 

service area that may provide housing or 

employment assistance, such as the 

One-Stop system and the wider 

community of social service agencies, 

including faith-based and community 

organizations. 

The proposal should describe the 

expected results of those relationships 

on the development of and enhanced 

housing assistance services for 

farmworkers under this grant, if an 

award is made. 

Cost Sharing or Matching 

The WIA section 167 program does 

not require grantees to share costs or 

provide matching funds. 

Other Eligibility Criteria 

In accordance with 29 CFR part 98, 

entities that are debarred or suspended 

are excluded from Federal financial 

assistance and are ineligible to receive 

a WIA section 167 housing assistance 

grant. 

Prior to awarding a grant, the 

Department will conduct a 

responsibility review of each potential 

grantee through available records. The 

responsibility review relies on testing 

available records to determine if an 

applicant has a satisfactory history of 

accounting for Federal funds and 

property. The responsibility review is 

independent of the competitive process. 

Applicants failing to meet the 

requirements of this section may be 

disqualified for selection as grantees, 

irrespective of their standing in the 

competition. Any applicant not selected 

as a result of the responsibility review 

will be advised of their appeal rights. 

The responsibility tests that will be 

applied are those present in the WIA 

regulations (20 CFR 667.170). 

Legal Rules Pertaining to Inherently 

Religious Activities by Organizations 

That Receive Federal Financial 

Assistance 

The government is generally 

prohibited from providing direct 

financial assistance for inherently 

religious activities. Please note that, in 

this context, the term direct financial 

assistance means financial assistance 

that is provided directly by a 

government entity or an intermediate 

organization, as opposed to financial 

assistance that an organization receives 

as the result of the genuine and 

independent private choice of a 

beneficiary. These grants may not be 

used for religious instruction, worship, 

prayer, proselytizing, or other 

inherently religious activities. Neutral, 

non-religious criteria that neither favor 

nor disfavor religion must be utilized in 

the selection of grant recipients and subrecipients. The Department’s Equal 

Treatment regulations can be found at 

29 CFR Part 2, Subpart D. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

Address To Request Application 

Package 

This SGA includes all information 

and forms needed to apply for this 

funding opportunity. If additional 

copies of forms are needed, they can be 

found at http://www.doleta.gov/msfw 

and http://www.doleta.gov/sga. 

Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

An application must include two (2) 

separate and distinct parts: Part I—a 

cost proposal, and Part II—a technical 

proposal. Applications that fail to 

adhere to the instructions in this section 

will be considered non-responsive and 

will not be reviewed. Part I of the 

proposal is the Cost Proposal and must 

include the following items: 

• A cover letter, an original plus two 

(2) copies of the proposal, and an inksigned original SF 424, ‘‘Application for 

Federal Assistance,’’ must be submitted. 

As of October 12, 2003, all applicants 

for federal grant and funding 

opportunities are required to have a Dun 

and Bradstreet (DUNS) number (see 

OMB Notice of Final Policy Issuance, 68 

FR 38402, dated June 27, 2003). 

Applicants must supply their DUNS 

number in item #8 of the new SF 424 

issued by OMB (Rev. 10–2005). 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:// 


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www.dunandbradstreet.com or call 

1–866–705–5711. 

• The Standard Form (SF) 424–A. In 

preparing the budget form, the applicant 

must provide a concise narrative 

explanation to support the request. The 

budget narrative should break down the 

budget and discuss precisely how the 

administrative costs support the project 

goals. 

• EEO Survey. Applicants are 

required to submit OMB Survey No. 

1890–0014: Survey on Ensuring Equal 

Opportunity for Applicants, which can 

be found at http://www.doleta.gov/sga/ 

forms.cfm. 

Part II of the application is the 

Technical Proposal, which demonstrates 

the applicant’s capabilities to plan and 

implement the grant project in 

accordance with the provisions of this 

solicitation. The Technical Proposal 

should be limited to 20 numbered 

pages, double-spaced and single-sided, 

in 12-point text font with one-inch 

margins. Any pages over the 20 page 

limit will not be reviewed. It should be 

noted that letters of support and any 

required attachments will not be subject 

to the page limitations; letters of support 

will not be included in the materials 

provided to the panel for review of the 

proposal. 

No cost data or reference to prices 

should be included in the Technical 

Proposal. Instead, applicants should 

include a two-page abstract 

summarizing the proposed project and 

applicant profile information including 

the applicant’s name, the project title, 

and the funding level requested. The 

two-page abstract is not included in the 

20-page limitation. Applications that do 

not meet these requirements will not be 

reviewed. 

Submission Dates and Times 

The closing date for receipt of 

applications under this announcement 

is May 29, 2007. Applications must be 

received at the address below no later 

than 5 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing 

date. Applications may be submitted by 

mail or electronically through 

Grants.gov at the address listed below. 

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. 

Mailed applications must be 

addressed to the U.S. Department of 

Labor, Employment and Training 

Administration, Division of Federal 

Assistance, Attention: James Stockton, 

Reference SGA/DFA PY 04–07, 200 

Constitution Avenue, NW., Room 

N–4673, Washington, DC 20210. 

Applicants are advised that mail 

delivery in the Washington, DC area 

may be delayed due to mail 

decontamination procedures. Handdelivered proposals will be received at 

the above address. 

Applicants may apply online at 

http://www.grants.gov. Any application 

received after the deadline will not be 

accepted. For applicants submitting 

electronic applications via Grants.gov, it 

is strongly recommended that they 

immediately initiate and complete the 

‘‘Get Started’’ steps to register with 

Grants.gov, at http://www.grants.gov/ 

GetStarted. These steps will probably 

take multiple days to complete, which 

should be factored in to an applicant’s 

plans for electronic applications 

submission in order to avoid 

unexpected delays that could result in 

the rejection of the application. Also, it 

is recommended that applicants 

experiencing problems with electronic 

submissions submit their proposals by 

overnight mail until the electronic 

issues are resolved. Other submission 

options are discussed in Section IV of 

this announcement. 

Late Applications 

Any application received after the 

closing 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 and 

(a) it was sent by the U.S. Postal Service 

registered or certified mail no 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 postmarked by the 15th of that 

month); or (b) it was sent via 

professional overnight delivery service 

or submitted on Grants.gov to the 

addressee not later than one working 

day prior to the date specified for 

receipt of applications. 

The term ‘‘working days’’ excludes 

weekends and Federal holidays. 

‘‘Postmarked’’ means that a printed, 

stamped, or otherwise placed 

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. 

Intergovernmental Review 

Executive Order (E.O.) No. 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs,’’ and the implementing 

regulations at 29 CFR part 17 are 

applicable to this program. Under these 

requirements, an applicant must 

provide a copy of the funding proposal 

for comment to the states that have 

established a consultation process under 

the E.O. Applications must be submitted 

to the state’s Single Point of Contact 

(SPOC), no later than the deadline for 

submission of the application to the 

Department. For states that have not 

established a consultative process under 

E.O. 12372, but have a State Workforce 

Investment Board (State Board), the 

State Board will be the SPOC. For WIA 

implementation purposes, this 

consultative process fulfills the 

requirement of WIA Section 167(e) 

concerning consultation with Governors 

and Local Workforce Investment Boards 

(LWIB). To strengthen the 

implementation of the E.O., the 

Department establishes a timeframe for 

the treatment of comments from the 

state’s SPOC on WIA Section 167 

applications (including housing 

assistance). The SPOC must submit 

comments, if any, to the Department 

and the applicant no later than 30 days 

after the deadline for submission of the 

application. The applicant’s response to 

the SPOC comments, if any, must be 

submitted to the Department no later 

than 15 days after the postmarked date 

of the comments from the SPOC. The 

Department will notify the SPOC of its 

decision regarding the SPOC comments 

and the applicant’s response, and 

implement that decision within 10 days 

after notification to the SPOC. 

The names and addresses of the 

SPOCs are listed in the Office of 

Management and Budget’s (OMB) home 

page at http://www.whitehouse.gov/ 

omb/grants/spoc.html. 

Funding Restrictions 

As mentioned earlier in this 

document, appropriations language 

requires that no less than 70 percent of 

the funds available through this 

solicitation must be spent on permanent 

housing activities. Given this 

requirement, applicants should clearly 

identify the types of housing assistance 

services that will be provided to 

farmworkers, particularly in cases 

where an applicant is proposing to 

provide both permanent and temporary 

housing assistance. 

Applicants are advised that the 

requirement to spend 70 percent of the 

funds available through this solicitation 

on permanent housing may affect the 

number of applications funded and/or 

the amount of funding per grant. 

Administrative costs are limited to 

fifteen (15) percent of the grant (see 

definition of administrative costs at 20 

CFR 667.220). Administrative costs 

limits higher than fifteen (15) percent 

will not be approved. 


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Indirect Cost Rate 

An indirect cost rate is required when 

an organization operates under more 

than one grant or other activity, whether 

Federally-assisted or not. Organizations 

must use the indirect cost rate supplied 

by the cognizant Federal agency. If an 

organization requires a new indirect 

cost rate or has a pending indirect cost 

rate, the Grant Officer will award a 

billing rate for 90 days until a 

provisional rate can be issued. 

Allowable Costs 

The Department shall determine what 

constitutes allowable cost in accordance 

with the following Federal cost 

principles, as applicable: OMB Circular 

A–87, State and Local Governments; 

OMB Circular A–21, Educational 

Institutions; OMB Circular A–122, 

Nonprofit Organizations; and 48 CFR 

Part 31, Profit-making Commercial 

Firms. 

Other Submission Requirements 

All other submission materials are 

identified in the various sections of this 

solicitation. 

V. Application Review Information 

Criteria 

The following full review criteria, 

totaling a maximum of 100 points, 

applies to all applications: 

Understanding the Housing Assistance 

Needs of the Eligible Migrant and 

Seasonal Farmworkers in the Proposed 

Service Area(s)—20 Points 

The Guiding Principles contained in 

Section I of this solicitation reflect 

critical elements for a sound housing 

assistance strategy, including how 

housing assistance services should 

leverage improved outcomes for 

farmworkers, and that housing 

developed with NFJP funding should be 

actively marketed and broadly 

accessible to NFJP-eligible farmworkers. 

These Principles, along with an 

understanding of the housing market in 

the proposed service area(s) and the 

problems faced by migrant and seasonal 

farmworkers in accessing that market, 

are critical to the formulation of an 

effective housing assistance strategy. In 

addition, an effective strategy of 

outreach to migrant and seasonal 

farmworkers is essential to meeting their 

housing assistance needs, as discussed 

in the Principles. 

Applicants must describe the housing 

market in the proposed service area(s), 

including a description of employerprovided housing, if any; publiclysubsidized housing, if any; and the 

problems encountered by migrant and 

seasonal farmworkers in accessing 

affordable housing. Include a discussion 

of the problems faced by migrant and 

seasonal farmworkers in getting and 

keeping a job, or in participating in 

training activities that lead to improved 

economic outcomes, as a result of 

housing needs going unmet. Applicants 

must also describe their strategy for 

identifying and conducting outreach to 

eligible farmworkers with housing 

needs. In cases where a number of 

different organizations are jointly 

applying, this section must include the 

requested information for each of the 

areas covered by the potential subgrantee organizations. Scoring on this 

factor will be based on how the tenets 

included in the Principles were 

incorporated in the applicant’s analysis 

of the housing market in the area(s) of 

proposed services, as well as any 

studies and analyses conducted to 

determine farmworker housing 

assistance needs. Scoring will also take 

into account the quality of the 

applicant’s analysis of housing 

assistance available through other 

housing assistance organizations, 

including faith-based and community 

organizations, and the applicants’ plans 

to integrate their housing assistance 

services with those already present in 

the proposed area(s). The applicant’s 

analysis must demonstrate an in-depth 

knowledge of the housing market in the 

service area(s) and how housing 

availability impacts a farmworker’s 

ability to obtain and retain employment, 

or participate in training or other 

activities that lead to improved 

economic outcomes. 

Familiarity With the Proposed Service 

Area(s)—20 Points 

Familiarity with the housing 

conditions in the proposed service 

area(s) and the housing assistance 

available from other sources in that 

area(s) is essential to providing housing 

assistance services that are appropriate 

for the migrant and seasonal 

farmworkers in need of services, to 

assure non-duplicative use of WIA 

Section 167 housing assistance funds, 

and to reflect the Principles described in 

Section I of this solicitation. 

Applicants must provide an analysis 

of the housing assistance resources 

available from all sources in the 

proposed service area(s), including 

employer-sponsored housing, state and 

local agencies, the One-Stop system, 

and housing assistance organizations, 

including faith-based and community 

organizations. Applicants must describe 

their efforts to engage these resources on 

behalf of farmworkers, including any 

successful efforts in the past, and the 

results of those efforts. Applicants must 

also describe the strategies they propose 

to ensure access to these housing 

opportunities by eligible migrant and 

seasonal farmworkers, emphasizing the 

different strategies for each farmworker 

population. In cases where a number of 

different organizations are jointly 

applying, this section must include the 

requested information for each of the 

areas covered by the potential subgrantees. 

Scoring on this factor will be based on 

the comprehensiveness and quality of 

the mapping of housing assistance 

resources available from sources other 

than WIA section 167 funds, and the 

applicant’s strategy for using other 

housing assistance funds to maximize 

the housing assistance services available 

to migrant and seasonal farmworkers. 

Administrative Capacity—20 Points 

The capacity to effectively administer 

a housing assistance program is 

contingent on effective and efficient 

systems to assure program and fiscal 

oversight and integrity. 

Applicants must describe the 

management information and 

performance management systems to be 

used for reporting, and its performance 

accountability and management, fiscal 

management, and case management 

systems. The applicant must include a 

clear description of its experience with 

performance management systems and 

how the results achieved were applied 

to improved customer service. The 

discussion should include: 

• A description of how eligibility to 

receive housing assistance services will 

be determined, including how that 

relates to improved employment 

outcomes for farmworkers; 

• a discussion of whether the criteria 

used to determine eligibility differs 

among migrant and seasonal farmworker 

groups, and, if so, what the differences 

are, and the rationale for them. 

Applicants must also describe their 

recordkeeping system in sufficient 

detail to demonstrate that it is sufficient 

to prepare financial reports and to trace 

funds to adequate levels of expenditures 

to ensure lawful spending. Please note 

that in cases where a number of 

different organizations are applying 

together, the lead agency will be 

expected to prepare a ‘‘roll-up’’ or 

aggregated report that clearly identifies 

the expenditures of each sub-grantee 

individually, as well as the combined 

total. 

The WIA section 167 housing 

assistance program is required to use 

electronic reporting via the Internet. The 

applicant must describe its capacity to 

provide the equipment (including 

Personal Computers, software for word 


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processing and spreadsheets, individual 

e-mail accounts), access (including 

Internet access), and staff qualified to 

perform on-line reporting. 

Scoring on this factor will be based on 

the quality and comprehensiveness of 

evidence presented to demonstrate that 

the applicant has effective management, 

program and fiscal accounting and 

reporting systems. 

Proposed Activities and Services—40 

Points 

The applicant’s discussion of the 

proposed approach to providing specific 

housing assistance services (permanent, 

temporary/emergency, or both) is the 

most important single element of the 

application, and must reflect the 

Principles contained in Section I of this 

solicitation. With regard to the 

requirements below, this section should 

clearly indicate whether different 

housing services strategies will be 

employed to meet the housing and 

related employment and training needs 

of seasonal farmworkers versus migrant 

farmworkers. 

Permanent Housing Assistance 

Applicants proposing to carry out 

permanent housing activities only must 

describe their system for identifying 

farmworkers in need of permanent 

housing assistance, including the 

process for eligibility determination and 

coordination with the NFJP grantee and 

the relevant state and local One-Stop 

system to ensure that the housing 

assistance supports an employment 

outcome or training objective for 

farmworkers eligible for NFJP services. 

The proposal must: 

• Describe all the phases of the 

permanent housing project, including 

pre-development activities, housing 

development, construction, lease-up, 

and post-leasing activities (or the 

activities leading to successful 

rehabilitation of existing permanent 

housing), and include a timeline that 

estimates the length of time required for 

each project to be undertaken; 

• Include a description of the housing 

counseling activities to be provided to 

farmworkers (including information on 

first-time home ownership); 

• Include the types of technical 

assistance to be provided to other 

housing organizations, if appropriate; 

and 

• A description of the system that 

will be used to capture the number of 

referrals made from the NFJP grantee or 

other One-Stop system partners to 

permanent housing facilities or units 

established through a permanent 

housing program. 

The proposal should include an 

estimate of the number of farmworkers 

to be assisted through the permanent 

housing program, and an estimate of 

how many of those farmworkers are also 

NFJP-eligible farmworkers. 

Temporary and/or Emergency Housing 

Assistance 

Applicants proposing to carry out 

temporary and/or emergency housing 

assistance only must describe their 

system for identifying farmworkers in 

need of temporary and/or emergency 

housing assistance, including the 

process for eligibility determination and 

coordination with the NFJP grantee in 

the state and, if applicable, with the 

relevant state and local One-Stop 

system, to ensure that the housing 

assistance supports an employment 

outcome or training objective for those 

farmworkers who are NFJP-eligible. The 

proposal must: 

• Include a description of the case 

management approach to be used and 

the way the organization proposes to 

manage the delivery of temporary and/ 

or emergency housing assistance 

services; and 

• Describe the specific housing 

assistance services to be offered and the 

estimated number of migrant and 

seasonal farmworkers to be served 

through each proposed service (i.e., 

temporary and emergency housing, 

respectively). Separate information 

should be provided for temporary 

housing and for emergency housing; 

• Describe how eligible farmworkers’

housing assistance will be coordinated 

with training and related assistance 

services provided through the NFJP 

grantee if the applicant did not apply for 

or is not awarded an NFJP grant, as well 

as the Local Workforce Investment 

Board(s), which oversees strategic 

planning for all One-Stop partner 

programs. 

Permanent and Temporary/Emergency 

Housing Assistance 

Applicants proposing to conduct a 

plan of service that encompasses both 

permanent and temporary/emergency 

housing activities must provide all of 

the information requested above. 

All applicants are responsible for 

clearly identifying the organization that 

will be responsible for delivering the 

services, whether permanent or 

temporary and/or emergency, in each 

proposed service area, i.e., the 

descriptions requested above must be 

included for each organization that will 

deliver housing services in cases where 

a number of different organizations are 

applying jointly. 

Scoring on this factor will be based on 

evidence that the applicant has 

effectively used its knowledge and 

experience as presented in the previous 

sections, as applicable, to develop a 

housing assistance strategy. The housing 

strategy and plan of service must 

successfully meet the objectives of the 

Guiding Principles described in Section 

I of this solicitation and be tailored 

appropriately to meet the needs of 

migrant and seasonal farmworkers in 

the service area(s). 

Review and Selection Process 

The Grant Officer will select potential 

grantees utilizing all information 

available to him/her. A review panel 

will rate each proposal according to the 

criteria specified in this solicitation. 

Panel reviews are critical to the 

selection of grantees but are advisory in 

nature, and their recommendations are 

not binding on the Grant Officer. The 

Grant Officer will make the final 

selection determination based on what 

best meets the needs of migrants and 

seasonal farmworkers. The Grant Officer 

may, at his/her discretion, request an 

applicant to submit additional or 

clarifying information if needed to make 

a selection. Please note that selections 

may be made without further contact 

with the applicants. In such situations, 

an award will be based on the SF 424, 

which constitutes a binding offer. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

Award Notices 

The Grant Officer will notify 

applicants, in writing, if they are 

selected as potential grantees. The 

notification will invite each potential 

grantee to negotiate the final terms and 

conditions of the grant, as applicable, 

will establish a reasonable time and 

place for negotiations, and will indicate 

the specific service delivery area and 

amount of funds to be allocated under 

the grant. FY 2007 funds will be 

awarded for the period July 1, 2007, 

through June 30, 2008. 

An applicant that is not selected as a 

potential grantee or whose application 

has been denied in whole or in part by 

the Department will be notified in 

writing by the Grant Officer and advised 

of all appeal rights. 

Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

There are no additional 

administrative or national policy 

requirements besides those discussed 

elsewhere in this solicitation. 

Reporting 

Reporting for the WIA section 167 

housing assistance program is under 


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consideration; applicants awarded 

grants will be apprised of the progress 

and the implications for grantees. 

Grantees will be required to submit 

reports on financial expenditures on a 

quarterly basis. In addition, until a 

reporting system is operational, grantees 

will be required to submit narrative 

reports on program participation and 

participant outcomes. 

VII. Agency Contacts 

Questions related to this solicitation 

may be directed to Ms. Mamie Williams, 

Grants Management Specialist; phone 

202–693–3341; fax: 202–693–2879 (this 

is not a toll-free number). Please include 

a contact name, fax and telephone 

number. 

This announcement is also being 

made available on the ETA Web site at 

http://doleta.gov/sga/sga.cfm and http:// 

www.grants.gov. 

Signed at Washington, DC, this 16th day of 

April, 2007. 

James W. Stockton, 

Grant Officer. 

[FR Doc. E7–7496 Filed 4–19–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–FN–P 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Employment and Training 

Administration 

Workforce Investment Act—Migrants 

and Seasonal Farmworkers Program 

Solicitation for Grant Applications—

National Farmworker Jobs Program for 

Program Year 2007 

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Labor, 

Employment and Training 

Administration. 

ACTION: New. Initial announcement of a 

Program Year (PY) 2007 grant 

competition for operating the National 

Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) under 

section 167 of the Workforce Investment 

Act of 1998 (WIA), 29 U.S.C. 2912. 

Funding Opportunity Number: SGA/ 

DFA–PY 06–04. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 17.264. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Labor 

(the Department or DOL), Employment 

and Training Administration (ETA), 

Office of Workforce Investment (OWI), 

Division of Adult Services (DAS), 

announces a grant competition for 

operating the National Farmworker Jobs 

Program (NFJP), under section 167 of 

the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 

(WIA), 29 U.S.C. 2912. All applicants 

for grant funds should read this notice 

in its entirety. Under WIA section 167 

(a) the Secretary must award grants or 

contracts on a competitive basis to 

eligible entities for the purposes of 

carrying out the activities authorized 

under section 167. Under this 

solicitation, DAS anticipates that 

approximately $74,302,000, allotted 

among state service areas, will be 

available for grant awards for the NFJP. 

DATES: Key Dates: The closing date for 

receipt of applications under this 

announcement is May 29, 2007. 

Applications must be received at the 

address below no later than 5 p.m., 

Eastern Standard Time. 

ADDRESSES: Mailed applications must be 

directed to the U.S. Department of 

Labor, Employment and Training 

Administration, Division of Federal 

Assistance, Attention: James Stockton, 

Room N–4673, 200 Constitution 

Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210. 

Other submission options are discussed 

in Section IV of this solicitation. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

The U. S. Department of Labor, 

Employment and Training 

Administration, Office of Workforce 

Investment (OWI), Division of Adult 

Services (DAS) is requesting grant 

applications for operating the National 

Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) in 

accordance with section 167 of the 

Workforce Investment Act of 1998 

(WIA), 29 U.S.C. 2912. The NFJP is 

designed to serve economically 

disadvantaged persons who primarily 

depend on employment in agricultural 

labor performed within the United 

States, including Puerto Rico, and who 

experience chronic unemployment or 

underemployment. Qualifying 

participants are typically those persons 

employed on a seasonal or part-time 

basis in the unskilled and semi-skilled 

manual labor occupations in crop and 

animal production. Through training 

and other workforce development 

services, the program is intended to 

assist eligible migrants and seasonal 

farmworkers and their families to 

prepare for jobs likely to provide stable, 

year-round employment both within 

and outside agriculture. 

The economic transformation brought 

about by advances in technology and 

information has ushered in the 

globalization era; in turn, this has 

caused the U.S. economy to put in place 

strategic and structural changes that 

allow businesses to adapt quickly to 

different business conditions. For 

workers, globalization has meant an 

increased emphasis on their ability to 

retool their skill requirements in 

response to new business needs. 

Agricultural employers and 

farmworkers face substantial challenges 

in adapting to the new, global economy. 

Increasingly, globalization has caused 

U.S. agricultural employers, particularly 

those smaller agricultural entities in 

rural areas, to face worker shortages and 

decreased markets for their products. 

Farmworkers and other agricultural 

laborers have found increasingly tighter 

employment markets, due in part to 

technological advances in harvesting a 

variety of crops, and the increased use 

of foreign agricultural workers by U.S. 

agricultural entities. In response to these 

developments, ETA has pursued, for the 

last five years, a strategy to assist 

agricultural employers and farmworkers 

alike by emphasizing greater access to 

the full spectrum of services available 

from locally-operated One-Stop Career 

Centers, not just services funded 

through the WIA Section 167 program 

(NFJP). This strategy is intended to 

continue the workforce system’s 

movement towards integrated service 

delivery that is responsive to the 

demands of the labor market. 

At the same time, ETA recognizes that 

while global competition is a national 

challenge, the effects are largely seen at 

the local/regional level, where localities 

and regions strive to develop innovative 

solutions to restart or reshape their 

economies. In an effort to assist such 

regional economies in accomplishing 

their goals for economic transformation, 

and to expand employment and 

advancement opportunities for 

American workers, ETA launched the 

Workforce Innovation in Regional 

Economic Development (WIRED) 

initiative in February 2006. The WIRED 

framework brings together all the key 

players in a region to leverage their 

collective public and private sector 

assets and resources in order to devise 

strategies that focus on infrastructure, 

investment, and talent development that 

will optimize innovation and successful 

regional transformation. The role of the 

workforce investment system under the 

WIRED framework is to focus on talent 

development strategies that provide new 

opportunities for American workers and 

catalyzes new job growth and regional 

economic competitiveness. Applicants 

are strongly encouraged to visit http:// 

www.doleta.gov/WIRED for additional 

information on the WIRED initiative. 

ETA believes that the NFJP can 

benefit from principles established 

under WIRED, particularly talent 

development strategies, and a continued 

commitment to an integration strategy 

established in previous years. Therefore, 

the PY 2007 SGA contains elements of 

both; i.e., it requires applicants 

responding to this SGA to design their 

programs around priorities that 


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