57670 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 193 / Friday, October 3, 2008 / Notices 

1Berglas, Nancy; Brindis and Cohen, ‘‘Adolescent 

Pregnancy and Childbearing in California.’’ 

California Research Bureau. June, 2003. 

Sacramento, CA. Page 25. 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Employment and Training 

Administration 

Notice of Availability of Funds and 

Solicitation for Grant Applications 

(SGA) To Fund Demonstration Projects 

Announcement Type: New, Notice of 

Solicitation for Grant Applications. 

Funding Opportunity Number: SGA/ 

DFA PY 08–08. 

Catalog of Federal Assistance 

Number: 17.261. 

DATES: Key Dates: The closing date for 

receipt of applications under this 

announcement is November 17, 2008. 

Applications must be received at the 

address below no later than 4:30 p.m. 

(Eastern Time). Application and 

submission information is explained in 

detail in Part IV of this SGA. A Webinar 

for prospective applicants will be held 

for this grant competition approximately 

30 days from date of publication in the 

Federal Register . Access information 

for the Webinar will be posted on the 

U.S. Department of Labor’s, 

Employment and Training 

Administration Web site at: http:// 

www.workforce3one.org. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Labor 

(DOL), Employment and Training 

Administration (ETA) announces the 

availability of approximately $5 million 

to fund demonstration grants that target 

the employment and training needs of 

young parents. The Young Parents 

Demonstration program is to provide 

educational and occupational skills 

training leading to family economic selfsufficiency to both mothers and fathers, 

and expectant mothers ages 16 to 24. 

Projects funded will be encouraged to 

serve young parents in high-risk 

categories, including those who are 

court-involved, in the child welfare or 

foster care system, homeless, or victims 

of child abuse. 

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 details how 

grantees will be selected. 

ADDRESSES: Mailed applications must be 

addressed to the U.S. Department of 

Labor, Employment and Training 

Administration, Division of Federal 

Assistance, Attention: Eileen Banks, 

Reference SGA/DFA PY 08–08, 200 

Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N– 

4716, Washington, DC 20210. Facsimile 

applications will not be accepted. 

Information about applying online can 

be found in Part IV. Section C. of this 

document. Applicants are advised that 

mail delivery in the Washington, DC 

area may be delayed due to mail 

decontamination procedures. Hand 

delivered proposals will be received at 

the above address. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

solicitation consists of eight parts: 

Part I provides background information. 

Part II describes award information. 

Part III describes eligibility information. 

Part IV describes the application and 

submission process. 

Part V describes the applications review 

process. 

Part VI contains award administration 

information. 

Part VII contains DOL agency contact 

information. 

Part VIII lists additional resources of interest 

to applicants. 

Part I. Background Information 

1. Background 

Although the rate has declined by 

one-third since the early 1990’s, the 

United States continues to have one of 

the highest rates of teen pregnancy and 

teen births among industrialized 

nations. In 2006, there were nearly 

420,000 births to adolescents under the 

age of 20. 

Early pregnancy and childbearing is 

closely linked to a host of critical social 

issues reflecting both the disadvantaged 

backgrounds of most teen parents and 

the consequences of early childbearing. 

Teenage mothers and their children 

experience more negative outcomes 

than mothers who delay childbearing 

until they are older. Children of teen 

mothers are more likely to be born 

prematurely and at low birth weight, to 

suffer higher rates of neglect and abuse, 

to perform poorly in school, and to 

become teen parents themselves. Teen 

mothers are more likely to drop out of 

school, live in poverty, have lower 

overall educational attainment, and be 

dependent on public assistance at some 

point in their lives. 

Teens in foster care or transitioning 

out of foster care are at a greater risk of 

becoming teen parents: They are two 

and a half times more likely than their 

peers not in foster care to experience a 

pregnancy by age 19. Many foster youth 

lack the support system a stable family 

can provide; the results are pregnant 

and parenting teens exiting foster care 

with the additional challenge of trying 

to support themselves in addition to 

raising a child. 

Teen childbearing is estimated to cost 

taxpayers at least $9.1 billion each year, 

including public sector health care 

costs, increased child welfare costs, and 

lost tax revenue. Two-thirds of families 

begun by a young unmarried mother are 

low-income and 52 percent of all 

mothers on welfare had their first child 

as a teenager. Current federal welfare 

law places a lifetime limit on the 

amount of financial assistance provided 

to parents with children and is 

increasingly encouraging a work-first 

approach; however, many teen parents 

lack the skills and social support to 

achieve economic self-sufficiency. 

Teen pregnancy is the number one 

reason young women drop out of 

school, and although our society has 

become better at addressing this 

problem, the logistics of parenting and 

completing an education remain a 

challenge for teen parents, schools, 

government, and community and faithbased organizations. Even more 

challenging is the ever increasing need 

for additional education and training to 

enter unsubsidized employment and 

become self-sufficient, as teen mothers 

are less likely to attend college than 

women who delay childbearing. 

Reduced educational attainment of teen 

mothers has an impact on workforce 

participation and subsequent earnings. 

Teen mothers also tend to have more 

children over their lifetime, which has 

a strong negative effect on their labor 

force participation. With less work 

experience prior to parenthood, teen 

mothers have difficulty competing in 

the labor market. Research shows that 

teen parents have lower career 

aspirations, lower occupational prestige, 

and less satisfaction with their job and 

the progress of their career. 

Although most of the focus of teenage 

pregnancy and parenting is on the 

mother, fathers of children born to teens 

also experience the educational and 

financial effects of early childbearing. 

Teen fathers tend to complete fewer 

years of education and are less likely to 

receive a high school diploma or GED. 

The annual earnings of teen fathers are 

10–15 percent less than for men who do 

not have children during their teen 

years.1

As an outgrowth of high teen 

pregnancy rates, programs aimed at 

pregnancy prevention and at fostering 

parenting skills for adolescents with 

children have increased to advance the 

well-being and success of adolescent 

parents. However, research indicates 

programs aimed at teen mothers show 

modest, if any, gains in employment 

and earnings and many of these gains do 

not last. Barriers to education and 

employment include unstable housing, 

lack of suitable child care arrangements, 

unstable relationships, alcohol and drug 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 193 / Friday, October 3, 2008 / Notices 57671 

use, mental health issues, and domestic 

violence. 

Innovative, flexible programs that 

facilitate the long-term self-sufficiency 

of young parents and build their 

parenting capacity must combine 

academics, work experience, intensive 

personal attention and support services. 

Practitioners agree that best practices 

include the provision of quality 

education and training, case 

management, family support services, 

health services, flexible child care, life 

skills education, and programs that 

increase a father’s involvement. 

Complete success involves the ability of 

a teenage parent to enter the labor 

market and become self-sufficient. Many 

of these programs do not have the 

resources to provide comprehensive 

services and must stop short of 

providing employment and 

occupational skills training. Such 

training may not be available within a 

reasonable distance or factors such as 

child care or transportation may 

prohibit active participation. 

2. Prior Research on Young Parent’s 

Programs 

There are literally hundreds of 

programs for teen parents to complete 

their schooling. In 1999, the National 

Institute on Early Childhood 

Development and Education profiled 43 

programs for pregnant and parenting 

teens in a variety of settings including 

public schools, alternative schools, 

community-based facilities, and medical 

facilities. The focus on education, 

training, and employability reflects a 

recognition that in order to improve the 

long-term economic self-sufficiency of 

young parents and their families, it is 

critical that they obtain a high school 

diploma or equivalency and pursue 

additional education or job training that 

can improve employment and earnings 

in the long run. 

In the welfare reforms of the early 

1990’s, teen parents were required to 

remain in school and most were 

expected to live at home with parents or 

relatives. Due to this focus on school 

completion, few programs for teen 

mothers have been rigorously evaluated 

in terms of employment and earnings 

outcomes since the 1990’s, although the 

findings from the early studies remain 

informative. Information about some of 

these studies is listed below. 

New Chance 

The New Chance program was a 

national research and demonstration 

project in the mid 1980’s that provided 

comprehensive education, training, and 

other services intended to improve the 

prospects and well-being of low-income 

mothers and their children. The 

program’s eligibility criteria were 

designed to assure that the research 

sample represented populations that 

were central to the welfare reform 

debates of the time: families headed by 

young mothers who had their first child 

as teenagers, were high school dropouts, 

and were receiving Aid for Families 

with Dependent Children (AFDC). One 

of the program’s distinguishing features 

was its explicit two-generational focus 

on both mothers and children. The 

program substantially increased young 

parents’ participation in education and 

skills training. Eighteen to 19 year old 

and 20 to 22 year old project 

participants were more likely to earn a 

high school diploma or GED than their 

counterparts in the control group. 

Teenage Parent Demonstration (TPD) 

The TPD operated in Camden and 

Newark, New Jersey and the south side 

of Chicago from 1987 to 1991. All teens 

who applied for AFDC during the 

demonstration period in these sites and 

who were randomly assigned to the 

demonstration program were required to 

participate in education, job training, or 

employment-related activities, as 

appropriate, or be sanctioned until they 

did participate. The sites paid for or 

provided child care, transportation, and 

other services so that such needs were 

not a barrier to participation in required 

activities. Each teen was assigned to a 

case manager who developed a selfsufficiency plan, guided the teen to 

needed services, and monitored the 

teen’s progress in required activities. 

The sites provided initial workshops 

and other services to prepare the teens 

for later education, training, and 

employment-related activities. Program 

costs were modest, averaging $2,200 per 

year per participant (including 

community-provided services, such as 

alternative educational services, but 

neither included AFDC payments nor 

the cost of regular high school 

attendance). 

Some of the sites had positive 

employment and earnings results 

initially, but these results decayed 

because of subsequent pregnancy, 

insufficient child care and other 

services, and low skills. The evaluation 

of the TPD offers important lessons for 

state and local agencies that are 

implementing and have implemented 

the teenage parent provisions of 

Temporary Assistance for Needy 

Families. The highlights of the research 

were that mandatory participation and 

needed support services can be 

implemented successfully for teen 

parents on a large scale and at 

reasonable cost. Linking cash assistance 

to program participation increases the 

level of self-sufficiency activities when 

the participation is mandatory. TPD 

increased rates of school attendance, job 

training, and employment while the 

programs were operating. The increases 

faded after the end of the program. 

Learning, Earning and Parenting 

Program (LEAP) 

The LEAP Program, conducted from 

1989 to 1997, was designed to promote 

school attendance of pregnant and 

parenting teens on welfare, with the 

ultimate goal of producing improved 

employment outcomes and reductions 

in welfare dependence. LEAP provided 

financial incentives for educational 

achievement, case management, and 

support services such as child care and 

transportation assistance. Experimental 

evaluations showed that participation in 

LEAP increased school enrollment, 

school attendance, and college 

enrollment, and decreased welfare 

participation. For the subgroups of 

participants who were enrolled in 

school at the time of program 

enrollment, there were also significant 

positive impacts on high school 

graduation and GED attainment rates as 

well as employment-related outcomes. 

Ohio’s LEAP increased teenage parents’ 

school and GED program attendance 

significantly during the first year after 

they entered the program. The program 

also increased the rates at which teen 

parents completed 9th, 10th, and 11th 

grade during the first three years after 

program entry. 

Parents’ Fair Share (PFS) 

The PFS, a national demonstration 

project authorized by the Family 

Support Act of 1988, was one of the first 

programs providing targeted assistance 

to low-income fathers who were behind 

on child support payments. The PFS 

evaluation studied 5,500 fathers who 

were randomly assigned to a PFS group 

or control group at each of seven sites 

from 1994 to 1996. Some of the key 

findings were that PFS increased 

employment and earnings for the leastemployable men and encouraged some 

fathers, particularly those who were 

least involved initially, to take a more 

active parenting role. Also, men referred 

to the PFS program paid more child 

support than men in the control group. 

Partners for Fragile Families (PFF) 

Sponsored by the Department of 

Health and Human Services and the 

Ford Foundation, the PFF 

demonstration was initially developed 

in 1996 with planning grants to 16 sites. 

From 2000 to 2003, 13 of these sites 

operated in the demonstration phase. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES

57672 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 193 / Friday, October 3, 2008 / Notices 

2The major purpose of this experiment is to 

measure the difference that the program 

intervention makes relative to what would have 

happened—either better or worse—without it 

(counterfactual). The presence of this 

‘‘counterfactual’’ world, or world without the 

presence of the intervention, makes it possible to 

conduct rigorous studies of pilots, demonstrations, 

and existing programs. Random assignment 

experiments provide the best counterfactuals. These 

studies deliberately exclude some members of the 

group from receiving an intervention in order to 

create and observe a ‘‘world without the 

intervention.’’ 

PFF targeted young fathers (age 16–25) 

who had not yet established paternity or 

had extensive involvement with the 

child support enforcement system. The 

demonstration also included 

coordinated technical assistance (TA) 

and program development from the 

National Partnership for Community 

Leadership, a nonprofit provider of TA 

to community-based organizations and 

public agencies serving young fathers 

and fragile families. Some of the key 

findings were that the participants’ 

earnings improved over time but were 

still low ($2,470 earnings per quarter 

one year after enrollment) and that the 

number of child support orders and the 

number and size of child support 

payments by participants increased over 

time. 

3. The Young Parents Demonstration 

The Fiscal Year 2008 Department of 

Labor Appropriations Act provides for 

approximately $5 million in Workforce 

Investment Act (WIA) Pilot, 

Demonstration and Research funds to 

conduct a new demonstration program 

of competitive grants to address the 

employment and training needs of 

young parents. The Young Parents 

Demonstration program is to provide 

educational and occupational skills 

training leading to family economic selfsufficiency to both mothers and fathers, 

and expectant mothers ages 16 to 24. 

Projects funded are to serve young 

parents including, as applicable, those 

in high-risk categories such as victims of 

child abuse, children of incarcerated 

parents, court-involved youth, youth at 

risk of court involvement, homeless and 

runaway youth, Indian and Native 

American youth, migrant youth, youth 

in or aging out of foster care, and youth 

with disabilities. 

To ensure rigorous, valid results from 

the Young Parents Demonstration, each 

grantee must agree to participate in an 

innovative random assignment 

technique called a ‘‘bump-up’’ 

experiment. A ‘‘bump-up’’ experiment 

is a random assignment experiment 2

that provides an additional level of 

services above and beyond what exists 

in the current environment (the bump). 

Project participants have a 50/50 chance 

of receiving the additional level of 

services. Those participants assigned to 

the treatment group would get the 

additional services while participants 

assigned to the control group would 

receive the existing services offered by 

the grantee. Individuals assigned to the 

control group would not be harmed or 

denied services under this design. 

Please note that submissions that do not 

propose a ‘‘bump-up’’ experiment will 

be deemed non-responsive to this 

solicitation and will not be considered. 

ETA encourages applicants who are 

targeting disconnected populations to 

partner with networks of faith and 

community-based organizations. Faith 

and community-based organizations 

have valuable expertise in successful 

strategies for working with disconnected 

populations and can provide outreach 

and wrap around support services as 

needed. For applicants choosing to 

partner with faith and community-based 

organizations, please visit http:// 

www.dol.gov/cfbci/accesspoints.htm for 

specific mechanisms and strategies for 

integrating these organizations into the 

proposal. 

4. Necessary Project Components 

A. Each applicant must currently be 

operating a program with the following 

required components: 

• Education, Training, and 

Employment Strategies—this 

component is focused on providing 

young parents with skills and 

credentials relevant to the industries or 

occupations in demand in the local 

labor market. 

• Mentoring—this component is 

aimed at providing life skills and 

ongoing support to young parents. 

Mentoring can be defined as informal 

activities, such as one-on-one mentoring 

or group mentoring, or formal activities, 

such as home visitation. ETA requires 

that a faith-based or community-based 

organization experienced in providing 

social services to young parents or in 

operating mentoring programs will have 

the lead in this component of the 

program. The mentoring component 

should include a period of mentoring 

and follow-up that is no less than 18 

months in duration and longer if 

possible. 

• Case Management—Case 

management should include the 

identification, assessment, and 

enrollment of young parents in the 

project and the development of a 

personalized service strategy that may 

include personal, educational, or 

employment-related supports and the 

identification of appropriate supportive 

services. Case managers should have a 

central role in ensuring that project 

participants receive all of the necessary 

and appropriate services to overcome 

any barriers to full project participation. 

Case management includes: follow-up 

and retention services intended to 

sustain and advance the gains made in 

education and employment outcomes; 

individualized, consistent follow-up 

after training and during the retention 

period for at least one year; and/or 

intensive follow-up and retention 

services such as home visits or 

employer visits rather than periodic 

phone calls. 

• Supportive Services—this 

component is aimed at reducing barriers 

to stable participation in education and 

employment, which may include child 

care assistance, transportation 

assistance, mental or physical health 

care, parenting education classes, workbased stipends, or other efforts. 

B. This grant will provide an 

opportunity for a grantee to supplement 

their existing program (as described in 

section A above). The grant must 

provide a new, persistent service 

intervention above and beyond the 

grantee’s existing menu of services (i.e. 

a ‘‘bump-up’’ initiative). The grant can 

be used to expand initiatives under the 

education, employment, and training 

component or the mentoring 

component, but NOT the case 

management or supportive services 

components. The ‘‘bump-up’’ initiative 

must not consist of services that could 

otherwise reasonably be provided by an 

existing partner. 

C. The following is a list of examples 

of program services or models for 

specific components that would qualify 

for the ‘‘bump-up.’’ Please note that case 

management and supportive services are 

not eligible components for the 

additional bump-up. However, 

applicants are free to include in their 

proposed design services or models 

other than those provided here. 

Education, Training, and Employment 

• Work with an educational 

institution to develop a vocational 

training program which would 

encompass the flexibility needed by 

pregnant/parenting young adults. 

• Provide alternative education 

options such as credit retrieval or GED 

completion. 

• Provide assistance with transition 

to post-secondary education at a twoyear or four-year institution. 

• Coordinate with employers to 

identify career ladders, establish 

training needs, develop employer-based 

training, and/or hire individuals upon 

completion of the training. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 193 / Friday, October 3, 2008 / Notices 57673 

• Work with employers to develop 

internships specifically for this 

population which would allow 

flexibility to accommodate child care or 

pre-natal care. 

• Increase employment opportunities 

through the addition of Job Developer/ 

Specialist positions that work closely 

with the local One-Stop Career Center 

staff to identify job opportunities for 

young parents. 

• Provide flexible employment/ 

training scheduling such as split shifts, 

night work, or evening classes to ensure 

continuity of child care. 

Mentoring 

• Provide individualized, consistent 

mentoring for participants, with an 

added emphasis on participants who are 

enrolled in off-site activities. 

• Work with employers to develop a 

workplace mentoring program to assist 

expectant mothers and/or young parents 

in retaining employment and advancing 

their careers. 

• Work with educational entities to 

develop mentoring programs to assist 

expectant mothers and/or young parents 

in remaining engaged in and complete 

the education and training program. 

• Provide a comprehensive mentoring 

program that addresses each of three 

types of mentoring strategies: Personal 

Development Mentoring which educates 

and supports youth during times of 

personal or social stress and provides 

guidance for decision making; 

Educational or Academic Mentoring 

which helps a student improve their 

overall academic achievement; and 

Career Mentoring which helps the youth 

develop the necessary skills to enter or 

continue on a career pathway. 

• An example of a program with 

effective mentoring strategies includes: 

• Ready 4 Work—Ready4Work was a 

three-year, $25 million pilot program 

designed to assist men and women 

returning from incarceration through 

faith-based and community-based 

organizations. Over 60 percent of 

Ready4Work participants received 

mentoring as part of their services. 

Participants who met with a mentor at 

least once showed stronger outcomes 

than those who did not participate in 

mentoring. Information on this program 

can be found at http://www.dol.gov/ 

cfbci/ready4.htm. 

• Information on starting mentorship 

programs is available at the MENTOR/ 

National Mentoring Partnership Web 

site at http://www.mentoring.org/, 

including their guide Elements of 

Effective Practice at http:// 

www.mentoring.org/downloads/ 

mentoring_411.pdf and their tool kit 

How to Build a Successful Mentoring 

Program Using the Elements of Effective 

Practice at http://www.mentoring.org/ 

downloads/mentoring_413.pdf. 

Part II. Award Information 

1. Award Amount 

ETA anticipates awarding between 

5–7 grants under this solicitation, with 

individual grants ranging in value from 

$500,000 to $1 million. However, this 

does not preclude ETA from funding 

grants at either a lower or higher 

amount, or funding a smaller or larger 

number of projects, based on the type 

and the number of quality submissions. 

Applicants are encouraged to submit 

budgets for quality projects at whatever 

funding level is appropriate for their 

project. 

2. Period of Performance 

The period of grant performance will 

be up to 36 months from the date of 

execution of the grant documents. This 

performance period shall include all 

necessary implementation and start-up 

activities, participant follow-up for 

performance outcomes, and grant closeout activities. ETA may elect to exercise 

its option to award no-cost extensions to 

grants for an additional period, based on 

the success of the program and other 

relevant factors, if the grantee requests, 

and provides a significant justification 

for, such an extension. 

3. Matching Resources 

Under this solicitation, matching or 

leveraged resources are not required. 

The applicant may provide leveraged 

resources from key entities to strengthen 

the service program offered to project 

participants. For applicants who choose 

to leverage resources, please include the 

following information in the technical 

proposal: (1) The total amount leveraged 

from federal sources; (2) the total 

amount leveraged from non-federal 

sources; (3) the partners contributing the 

resources; and (4) the projected 

activities, broken out by the source of 

the leveraged resource (federal or 

nonfederal), to be implemented utilizing 

these resources. Applicants should 

address leveraged resources (as 

applicable) in the technical proposal but 

should not reflect the leveraged 

resources on the SF–424A form. 

4. Funding Restrictions 

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. 

Limitations on Cost Per Participant. 

Since training costs may vary 

considerably depending on required 

skills and competencies, flexibility will 

be provided on cost per participant. 

However, applications for funding will 

be reviewed to determine if the cost of 

the training is appropriate and will 

produce the outcomes identified. 

Applicants should demonstrate that the 

proposed cost per participant is aligned 

with existing price structures for similar 

training in the local area or other areas 

with similar characteristics. When 

calculating cost per participant, 

applicants must distinguish between 

non-training and training costs utilizing 

grant funds. 

Indirect Costs. As specified in the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) Circular 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. An indirect 

cost rate (ICR) is required when an 

organization operates under more than 

one grant or other activity whether 

federally-assisted or not. Organizations 

must use the ICR supplied by the 

cognizant federal agency. If an 

organization requires a new ICR or has 

a pending ICR, the Grant Officer will 

award a temporary billing rate for 90 

days until a provisional rate can be 

issued. This rate is based on the fact that 

an organization has not established an 

ICR agreement. Within this 90 day 

period, the organization must submit an 

acceptable indirect cost proposal to 

their Federal cognizant agency to obtain 

a provisional ICR. 

Administrative Costs. An entity that 

receives a grant under this solicitation 

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 Standard Form 424A Budget 

Information Form. 

Administrative costs 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. 

Use of Funds for Supportive Services. 

Grant funds under this solicitation may 

not be used to provide supportive 

services, such as transportation and 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES

57674 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 193 / Friday, October 3, 2008 / Notices 

childcare, including funds provided 

through stipends for such purposes. 

Salary and Bonus Limitations. None 

of the funds appropriated in Public Law 

109–149, Public Law 110–5, or prior 

Acts under the heading ‘Employment 

and Training’ that are available for 

expenditure on or after June 15, 2006, 

shall be used by a recipient or subrecipient of such funds to pay the salary 

and bonuses of an individual, either as 

direct costs or indirect costs, at a rate in 

excess of Executive Level II, except as 

provided for under section 101 of Public 

Law 109–149. This limitation shall not 

apply to vendors providing goods and 

services as defined in OMB Circular A– 

133. See Training and Employment 

Guidance Letter number 5–06 for further 

clarification: http://wdr.doleta.gov/ 

directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2262. 

Legal Rules Pertaining to Inherently 

Religious Activities by Organizations 

that Receive Federal Financial 

Assistance. Direct Federal grants, subawards, 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 supported with DOL financial 

assistance 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 supporting 

inherently religious activities with 

direct DOL financial assistance, can be 

found at 29 CFR part 2, Subpart D. 

Provisions relating to the use of indirect 

support (such as vouchers) are at 29 

CFR 2.33(c) and 20 CFR 667.266. 

A faith-based organization receiving 

federal financial assistance 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 supported with 

Federal financial assistance without 

removing religious art, icons, scriptures, 

or other religious symbols. In addition, 

a faith-based organization that receives 

Federal financial assistance 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 

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. 

Faith-based and community 

organizations may reference 

‘‘Transforming Partnerships: How to 

Apply the U.S. Department of Labor’s 

Equal Treatment and Religion-Related 

Regulations to Public-Private 

Partnerships’’ at: http:// 

www.workforce3one.org/public/ 

_shared/ 

detail.cfm?id=5566&simple=false. 

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 

to copyright to which the grantee, 

subgrantee or a contractor purchases 

ownership under an award (including 

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 are 

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. 

Part III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants 

This SGA intends to encourage new 

and continuing partnerships between: 

The publicly funded workforce 

investment system; representatives from 

business, industry, and economic 

development; and the continuum of 

education. 

In order to be eligible for 

consideration under this solicitation, 

the applicant must be either: 

• An accredited educational 

institution in partnership with a 

Workforce Investment Board; 

• A non-profit provider of workforce 

system services determined to be tax 

exempt under section 501(c) of the 

Internal Revenue Code in partnership 

with a Workforce Investment Board. 

Please note that 501(c)(4) organizations 

which engage in lobbying activities are 

not eligible applicants under this 

solicitation; 

• A One-Stop Career Center as 

established under Section 121 of WIA, 

[29 U.S.C. 2841], in partnership with a 

state or local Workforce Investment 

Board. The eligible applicant for OneStop Career Centers is the One-Stop 

Operator, as defined under Section 

121(d) of WIA [29 U.S.C. 2841(d)], on 

behalf of the One-Stop Career Center; 

• An employer or industry 

association in partnership with a 

Workforce Investment Board; or 

• A private, for-profit organization in 

partnership with a Workforce 

Investment Board. 

Applicants must have a letter of 

commitment from the participating 

Workforce Investment Board. Please 

note that applications without a letter of 

commitment from a Workforce 

Investment Board will be considered 

non-responsive and will not be 

reviewed. Please note that each 

applicant must currently be operating a 

program with the required components 

as stated in Part I., Section 4 of the 

solicitation. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 193 / Friday, October 3, 2008 / Notices 57675 

2. Participant Eligibility Requirements 

Eligible Participants. The grants must 

be used to serve young parents (both 

mothers and fathers and in-school and 

out-of-school young parents) and 

expectant mothers ages 16 to 24, 

including those in high-risk categories 

such as victims of child abuse, children 

of incarcerated parents, court-involved 

youth, youth at risk of court 

involvement, homeless and runaway 

youth, Indian and Native American 

youth, migrant youth, youth in or aging 

out of foster care, and youth with 

disabilities. For the purposes of this 

SGA, in-school young parents are 

defined as individuals that are enrolled 

in a secondary or post-secondary 

institution either full or part-time at the 

time of participating in the young parent 

demonstration project proposed. 

Furthermore, given that out-of-school 

expectant mothers and out-of-school 

young parents are more difficult to serve 

and may not have the opportunity to 

receive the extensive array of services 

that is available to in-school young 

parents, ten additional points will be 

awarded to applicants who primarily 

serve out-of-school youth. 

Veterans Priority. The Jobs for 

Veterans Act (Pub. L. 107–288) provides 

priority of service to veterans and 

spouses of certain veterans for the 

receipt of employment, training, and 

placement services in any job training 

program directly funded, in whole or in 

part, by the Department of Labor. In 

circumstances where a grantee must 

choose between two equally qualified 

candidates for training, one of whom is 

a veteran, the Jobs for Veterans Act 

requires that the grantee 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 (September 16, 2003) provides 

general guidance on the scope of the Job 

for Veterans Act and its effect on current 

employment and training programs. 

TEGL No. 5–03, along with additional 

guidance, is available at the Jobs for 

Veterans Priority of Service Web site: 

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

Part IV. Application and Submission 

Process 

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 must consist of two (2) 

separate and distinct parts, Part I—The 

Cost Proposal and Part II—The 

Technical Proposal. Applications that 

fail to adhere to the instructions in this 

section will be considered nonresponsive and may not be given further 

consideration. Applicants who wish to 

apply do not need to submit a Letter of 

Intent. The completed application 

package is all that is required. 

Part I—The Cost Proposal must 

include the following three items: 

• The Standard Form (SF)–424, 

‘‘Application for Federal Assistance’’ 

(available at http://www.doleta.gov/sga/ 

forms.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 will be considered the 

Authorized Representative of the 

applicant. 

• All applicants for federal grant and 

funding opportunities are required to 

have a Data Universal Numbering 

System (DUNS) number provided by 

Dun and Bradstreet. See 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, 

www.dunanbradstreet.com, or call 

1–866–705–5711. 

• The SF–424A Budget Information 

Form (available at http:// 

www.doleta.gov/sga/forms.cfm). In 

preparing the Budget Information Form, 

the applicant must provide a concise 

narrative explanation to support the 

request. The budget narrative should 

explain the administrative costs and 

how they support the project goals. All 

applicants should indicate training 

costs-per-participant by dividing the 

total amount of the budget designated 

for training by the number of 

participants trained. Please note that 

applicants that fail to provide an SF– 

424, SF–424A and 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. The 

amount of federal funding requested for 

the entire period of performance should 

be shown together on the SF–424 and 

SF–424A Budget Information Form. 

Applicants are also encouraged, but not 

required, to submit the 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—The Technical Proposal of the 

application demonstrates the applicant’s 

capabilities to fulfill the intention of the 

SGA. The Technical Proposal is limited 

to twenty (20) double-spaced, singlesided, 8.5 inch x 11 inch pages with 

twelve point text font and one-inch 

margins. The first page of Part II—The 

Technical Proposal must consist 

entirely of an executive summary not to 

exceed one page. Applicants should 

number the Technical Proposal 

beginning with page number one. Any 

pages over the 20-page limit will not be 

reviewed. The required letter(s) of 

commitment and/or documentation of 

partnership must be submitted and will 

not count against the first 20 allowable 

pages. Please note, letters of 

commitment should be sent with or 

attached to the application. 

Additionally, the applicant must 

reference grant partners by 

organizational name in the text of the 

Technical Proposal. No cost data or 

reference to prices should be included 

in the Technical Proposal. Applications 

may be submitted electronically on 

www.grants.gov or in hard-copy via U.S. 

mail, professional overnight delivery 

service, or hand delivery. These 

processes are described in further detail 

in Part IV.C. 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 

USDOL/ETA. 

C. Submission Date, Times and Mailing 

Address 

The closing date for receipt of 

applications under this announcement 

is November 17, 2008. Applications 

must be received at the address below 

no later than 4:30 p.m. (Eastern Time). 

Applications sent by e-mail, telegram, or 

facsimile 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. 

To apply by mail, please submit one 

(1) blue-ink signed, typewritten original 

of the application and two (2) signed 

photocopies in one package to the U.S. 

Department of Labor, Employment and 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES

57676 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 193 / Friday, October 3, 2008 / Notices 

Training Administration, Division of 

Federal Assistance, Attention: Eileen 

Banks, Reference SGA/DFA PY 08–08, 

200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room 

N–4716, Washington, DC 20210. 

Information about applying online 

through http://www.grants.gov can be 

found in Section IV.B of this document. 

Applicants are advised that mail 

delivery in the Washington area is 

delayed due to mail decontamination 

procedures. Hand delivered proposals 

will be received at the above address. 

Applicants may apply online through 

grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov). It is 

strongly recommended that applicants 

applying online for the first time via 

grants.gov 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 application 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. 

If submitting electronically through 

grants.gov, the components of the 

application must be saved as either .doc, 

.xls or .pdf files. 

Late Applications. 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 postmarked by the 

15th of that month) or (b) was sent by 

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. An application 

submitted though grants.gov will not be 

considered ‘‘received’’ by the 

Department of Labor unless it is: 

Electronically submitted on grants.gov 

prior to the deadline; ‘‘validated’’ by 

grants.gov; and forwarded by grants.gov 

to the Department of Labor. It is highly 

recommended that online submissions 

be completed two working days prior to 

the date specified for receipt of 

applications to ensure that the applicant 

still has the option to submit by 

professional overnight delivery service 

in the event of any electronic 

submission problems. Applicants take a 

significant risk by waiting until the last 

day to submit by grants.gov. 

‘‘Postmarked’’ means 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. 

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 non-responsiveness. 

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. Withdrawal of applications 

Applications may be withdrawn by 

written notice at any time before an 

award is made. Applications may be 

withdrawn in person by the applicant or 

by an authorized representative thereof, 

if the representative’s identity is made 

known and the representative signs a 

receipt for the proposal. 

Part V. Applications Review Process 

This section identifies and describes 

the criteria that will be used to evaluate 

proposals for the Young Parents 

Demonstration. The criteria and 

maximum point values are: 

Criterion Points 

1. Description of Existing Program 

and Program Outcomes ............ 15 

2. Statement of Need and Targeted Population ....................... 10 

3. Project Design and Service 

Strategy ..................................... 40 

4. Program Management and Organizational Capacity ................ 20 

5. Linkages to Key Partners ......... 15 

Bonus Points (Programs Serving Out-of-School Expectant 

Mothers and Out-of-School 

Young Parents) ..................... 10 

Total Possible Points (including bonus) ............ 110 

1. Description of Existing Program and 

Program Outcomes (up to 15 Points) 

The applicant should fully describe 

the existing program and document the 

past accomplishments of the program 

for expectant mothers and/or young 

parents. Please explain: 

• How long the program has been in 

operation; 

• What education, training and 

employment strategies are included; 

• How case management services 

(including follow-up and retention) are 

provided; 

• The type of mentoring available; 

and 

• The support services provided in 

the existing program. 

The applicant should also provide 

annual performance data on the 

following factors, as applicable: 

• Number of youth recruited; 

• Number of youth enrolled; 

• Number of youth that have 

completed the program; 

• Number and percent of youth 

receiving their GED or high school 

diploma (Please differentiate between 

the two.); 

• Rate of literacy and numeracy gains 

by participants; 

• Number and percent of youth who 

have entered employment; 

• Employment retention rates; 

• Number and percent of youth who 

have entered post-secondary training or 

education; 

• Post-secondary training or 

education retention rates; where 

available, please indicate the number of 

participants who have completed postsecondary training or education and 

have achieved a credential; 

• Number and percent of youth who 

have entered registered apprenticeship 

programs; and 

• Annual cost per participant. 

Scoring under this criterion will be 

based on the extent to which applicants 

describe their existing program and 

their performance accomplishments 

including: 

• The inclusion of the necessary 

program components listed in Part I, 

Section 4; 

• The types of education, training and 

employment activities undertaken; 

• The degree to which youth are 

exposed to and trained in a variety of 

high-growth and high-demand fields; 

and 

• The degree to which the 

performance data is provided and 

documented. 

2. Statement of Need and Targeted 

Population (up to 10 Points) 

The applicant must clearly describe 

the need for the additional services 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 193 / Friday, October 3, 2008 / Notices 57677 

3To obtain these indicators, applicants can use 

Census Tract Data from the 2000 Census—go to 

http://factfinder.census.gov and use the link on the 

left for People. 

provided under this grant opportunity. 

Applicants will describe in detail the 

community in which the grant will 

operate, the need in that community for 

the grant resources, and the pool of 

individuals who will be receiving the 

grant services. Scoring under this 

criterion will be based on the extent to 

which applicants describe the 

following: 

• The community where the Young 

Parents Demonstration Grant will 

operate. If there are particular 

neighborhoods within the community 

where the grant will be focused, 

describe these neighborhoods and 

provide available data and data sources 

specific to those areas. Required 

information includes the population of 

the area, its poverty rate, its 

unemployment rate, the drop-out rate, 

and the number of 16–24 year olds 

without a high school diploma; 3

• The needs of the community that is 

proposed to be served through the grant 

and the benefits to the community of the 

additional service intervention; and 

• The characteristics of the targeted 

expectant mothers and/or young 

parents, ages and number to be served 

by the grant. Please identify, if any, the 

high-risk category to which the targeted 

participants belong including: Victims 

of child abuse, children of incarcerated 

parents, court-involved youth, youth atrisk of court involvement, homeless and 

runaway youth, Indian and Native 

American youth, migrant youth, youth 

in or aging out of foster care, and youth 

with disabilities. 

All of these indicators should be 

presented in chart form and the 

applicant must provide the sources for 

the data provided. 

3. Project Design and Service Strategy 

(up to 40 Points) 

a. Bump-Up Experiment Strategy (15 

Points) 

Applicants are requested to specify 

the purpose of the proposed project and 

demonstrate how the proposed program 

intervention (bump-up service) will 

provide solutions to the workforce 

challenges of young parents. Scoring 

under this criterion will be based on the 

extent to which applicants describe: 

• The new intervention proposed and 

how it will upgrade the education, basic 

and occupational skills of the 

participants. Please note that the 

intervention must be a new, persistent 

service intervention above and beyond 

the grantee’s existing or committed 

menu of services (i.e., a ‘‘bump-up’’ 

initiative). The grant can be used to 

expand initiatives under the education, 

employment, and/or training 

component or the mentoring component 

(but NOT the case management or 

supportive services components). Please 

see Part I, Section 4 for more 

information on this requirement. 

• How the additional ‘‘bump-up’’ 

services will be used to enhance 

participants’ educational attainment, 

training services and employment 

prospects and how such methodologies 

will be provided (i.e., at the program 

facilities, high school, community 

college, community center, One-Stop 

Career Center, etc.). 

• How the services will shorten the 

period of time required for expectant 

mothers and/or young parents to acquire 

basic and occupational skills, and 

credentials demanded by local highgrowth industry employers; and 

incorporate follow-up retention services 

intended to sustain and advance the 

gains made in education and 

employment and increase the 

participants’ opportunities for economic 

self-sufficiency. 

b. Participant Recruitment (5 Points) 

Applicants must provide a 

description of how eligible youth will 

be selected as participants, including a 

description of arrangements that will be 

made with Local Workforce Investment 

Boards, One-Stop Career Centers, faithbased and community-based 

organizations, state educational agencies 

or local educational agencies, public 

assistance agencies, the courts of 

jurisdiction, and other appropriate 

public and private agencies. As 

appropriate, please fully describe the 

special outreach efforts that will be 

undertaken to recruit expectant mothers 

and/or young parents from the high-risk 

categories mentioned previously. 

Applicants will be evaluated on the 

quality and comprehensiveness of their 

recruitment strategy including methods 

for outreach, referral, and selection. 

c. Education and Occupational Skills 

Training Service Delivery (10 Points) 

Applicants must describe the 

educational and job training activities, 

work opportunities, post-secondary 

education and training opportunities, 

and other services that will be provided 

to participants (whether they are part of 

the existing service strategy or bump-up 

component), and how those activities, 

opportunities, and services will prepare 

participants for employment in 

occupations in demand in the local 

labor market. Scoring under this 

criterion will be based on the extent to 

which applicants describe: 

• The service process that will be 

used in the project including any 

sequence of services in the overall 

process (i.e., assessment, case 

management, referrals, training, etc.), 

how specific services for participants 

will be determined, and which 

partner(s) will provide the services. 

Also, the applicant must identify when 

the services will become available to the 

participants (i.e., before, during or after 

training, or pre- or post-employment/ 

placement), and describe how these 

services will facilitate young parents’ 

participation in the program; 

• How these activities are integrated 

with the academic, skills training, and 

career exploration and employment 

components of the program; and 

• A comprehensive service delivery 

program that includes education, 

training and/or employment, case 

management services, ongoing services 

such as mentoring and life skills, and 

other related services that may mitigate 

barriers to stable program participation 

such as: child care assistance, 

transportation assistance, mental or 

physical health care, and parenting 

education classes, among others. 

i. Education Program 

The applicant must indicate the type 

of academic credential that participants 

earn while in the program (such as a 

GED or high school diploma). Under 

this sub-criterion, applicants will be 

rated on evidence of the following: 

• The quality of the academic 

program and the qualifications of the 

teaching staff; 

• The presence of innovative and 

successful strategies that the program or 

initiative has used to address low basic 

skills of participants. If distance 

learning and/or credit retrieval is used, 

please fully describe how this is 

incorporated into the overall academic 

program; 

• The relationship between the 

program and the local school district(s) 

(if applicable); 

• How the academic program is 

integrated with the occupational skills 

training component of the program; 

• The interaction of the academic and 

occupational skills training; 

• The program’s linkages to local high 

schools, community colleges and trade 

schools; 

• The types of college exploration, 

planning, preparation, and assistance 

that will be provided; and 

• The types of follow-up services that 

will be provided to support youth as 

they transition to post-secondary 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES

57678 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 193 / Friday, October 3, 2008 / Notices 

4For a list of the U.S. Department of Labor’s 

Employment and Training Administration’s 

Targeted High-Growth Industries, go to: http:// 

www.doleta.gov/BRG/eta_default.cfm. 

education and ensure that they 

graduate. 

ii. Occupational Skills Training 

The applicant must discuss the 

occupational skills training component 

of the program. Under this sub-criterion, 

applicants will be rated on evidence of 

the following: 

• Where and how the training will be 

conducted, 

• How the curriculum is developed, 

• The existence of a career ladder, 

• The type of industry recognized 

credentials that result from the training, 

and 

• The involvement of industry 

partners in the development of the 

training. 

The applicant should provide labor 

market information for the community, 

state, and/or region where the grant will 

be implemented, including both current 

data (as of the date of submission of the 

application) and projections of career 

opportunities in growing industries. The 

applicant should explain how the grant 

will prepare youth for the local labor 

market in demand driven occupations 

and other high-growth career fields. 

d. Mentoring and Other Supportive 

Services (5 Points) 

Applicants must describe mentoring 

services and other supportive services 

that will be available for expectant 

mothers and/or young parents through 

the proposed program, and the 

qualifications of instructors, mentors 

and other required professionals in 

charge to facilitate the young parents’ 

participation. The applicant must 

indicate how the mentoring and other 

supportive services fit into the overall 

service plan for the project participants. 

Proposed mentoring projects should 

seek to address each of three types of 

mentoring strategies: Personal 

Development Mentoring which educates 

and supports youth during times of 

personal or social stress and provides 

guidance for decision making; 

Educational or Academic Mentoring 

which helps a student improve their 

overall academic achievement; and 

Career Mentoring which helps the youth 

develop the necessary skills to enter or 

continue on a career path. The proposed 

mentoring strategies should include a 

period of mentoring and follow-up that 

is no less than 18 months in duration. 

The Department does not expect that 

every project participant will have a 

mentor, but that a sufficient proportion 

of the project participants have a 

mentor. 

e. Post-Program Transition (5 Points) 

The applicant must describe the types 

of post-program transition services that 

will be offered to prepare youth for a 

career pathway and/or educational 

opportunities and placements. Scoring 

under this criterion will be based on the 

extent to which applicants describe the 

following: 

• The program’s assessment of each 

participant’s work readiness and how 

work readiness training will be 

provided, how an individual’s readiness 

for placement in secondary or postsecondary education and/or 

apprenticeship programs will be 

assessed, and the types of career 

exploration and planning activities that 

will be offered by the program, 

particularly for high-growth, highdemand, and high-wage occupations; 4

• The program’s job placement and 

retention strategy, including how the 

program will work with employers and/ 

or One-Stop Career Centers to identify 

and create job openings for the young 

parents served by the program; and 

• The types of follow-up that will be 

provided to young parents after 

completing the program. These services 

should relate to employment placement 

and retention, post-secondary transition 

and degree attainment. Describe how 

appropriate continued support services 

will be provided. 

4. Program Management and 

Organizational Capacity (up to 20 

Points) 

The applicant must describe their 

organization and state its qualifications 

for running a Young Parents 

Demonstration Grant including years of 

operation, current annual budget, 

experience of staff working with the 

targeted population and continuity of 

leadership and their relevant 

experience. Scoring under this criterion 

will be based on the extent to which 

applicants describe the following: 

• The previous experience of the 

organization in operating grants from 

either federal or non-federal sources; 

• The organization’s capacity to 

accomplish the goals and outcomes of 

the project, including the ability to 

collect and manage data in a way that 

allows consistent, accurate, and 

expedient reporting for the project 

evaluation; 

• The fiscal controls in place in the 

organization for auditing and 

accountability procedures; 

• The organization’s ability to handle 

multiple funding streams. As some 

grantees may be simultaneously 

managing grants from other federal or 

state agencies, or private organizations, 

it is especially important that 

organizations be able to demonstrate 

that they have accounting systems in 

place that are able to manage multiple 

funding streams in an organized and 

delineated manner; 

• The proposed project management 

structure including, where appropriate, 

the identification of a proposed project 

manager, discussion of the proposed 

staffing pattern, and the qualifications 

and experience of key staff members; 

• The time commitment of all 

proposed staff; and 

• The roles and contribution of staff, 

consultants, and collaborative 

organizations. 

5. Linkages to Key Partners (up to 15 

Points) 

The applicant must demonstrate that 

the proposed project will be 

implemented by a strategic partnership. 

Collaboration across youth serving 

agencies/organizations is critical to the 

success of any youth initiative or 

program. A single organization does not 

typically have the resources to respond 

to the myriad of issues that impact 

youth most in need. Partnering across 

youth serving organizations that address 

specific youth barriers is critical to the 

success of any youth serving entity. 

Because of the importance of 

collaboration and partnership, DOL is a 

member of the Shared Youth Vision 

Federal Partnership. The Federal 

Partnership has a mission to collaborate 

and coordinate across agencies in order 

to effectively serve the youth most in 

need. There are a number of states 

(currently over half) who have formed 

Shared Youth Vision State teams. Please 

go to the ETA’s Web site for a list of 

state teams and more information on the 

Shared Youth Vision at http:// 

www.doleta.gov/ryf/WhiteHouseReport/ 

VMO.cfm. 

Points for this factor will be awarded 

based on: (a) The comprehensiveness of 

the partnership and the degree to which 

each key partner plays a committed role, 

either financial or non-financial, in the 

proposed project; (b) the breadth and 

depth of each key partner’s 

contribution, their knowledge and 

experience concerning the proposed 

grant activities, and their ability to 

impact the success of the project; (c) 

evidence, including letters of 

commitment, that key partners have 

expressed a clear dedication to the 

project and understand their areas of 

responsibility; and (d) the inclusion of 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 193 / Friday, October 3, 2008 / Notices 57679 

existing statewide and local 

collaborations focused on implementing 

a coordinated and jointly funded overall 

youth strategy. 

Applicants should provide evidence 

of a plan for interaction and 

communication between partners and 

the demonstrated ability of the lead 

agency to successfully manage 

partnerships. Scoring under this 

criterion will be based on the extent to 

which applicants describe: 

• The qualifications of the key 

partners who will be involved in the 

proposed project. Specifically, the 

applicant should describe in detail the 

activities to be undertaken by partners, 

the level of commitment from each 

partnering organization, and their 

qualifications to assist with this project. 

As an attachment, the applicant should 

include a letter of commitment from 

each key partner; 

• How the existing program 

coordinates or will coordinate its 

services with those provided by other 

entities including public schools, 

community colleges, national service 

programs, other youth service providers, 

the juvenile justice system, foster care, 

housing, faith-based and communitybased organizations such as those 

providing mentoring, and other 

community entities; 

• The specific role of employer 

partners in the proposed program, such 

as their role in developing the new 

‘‘bump-up’’ intervention, providing onthe-job training, job shadowing, 

internships, or placement activities. 

Bonus Points (10 Points) 

Given that out-of-school expectant 

mothers and out-of-school young 

parents are more difficult to serve and 

may not have the opportunity to receive 

the extensive array of services that is 

available for in-school young parents, 

ten bonus points will be granted to 

applicants who serve out-of-school 

expectant mothers and/or young 

parents. 

Review and Selection Process. 

Applications will be accepted after the 

publication of this announcement until 

the closing date. A technical review 

panel will make a careful evaluation of 

applications against the criteria set forth 

in Part V of this Solicitation. These 

criteria are based on the policy goals, 

priorities, and emphases set forth in this 

SGA. The ranked scores will serve as 

the primary basis for selection of 

applications for funding, in conjunction 

with other factors such as: Urban-rural, 

and geographic balance; the availability 

of funds; and which proposals are most 

advantageous to the Government. The 

panel results are advisory in nature and 

not binding on the Grant Officer, who 

may consider any information that 

comes to his attention. The Government 

will consider applications rated by the 

evaluation panels with a score of 80 or 

above to be eligible for a grant award. 

Applicants that score less than 80 will 

not be eligible for a grant award. It is 

possible that ETA may not award grants 

under this Solicitation, depending on 

the quality and quantity of proposals 

submitted. ETA may elect to award the 

grant(s) with or without prior 

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. 

Part VI. Award Administration 

Information 

A. Award Notices 

All award notifications will be posted 

on the ETA Web site at 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 as soon 

as possible. 

Note: Selection of an organization as a 

grantee does not constitute approval of the 

grant application as submitted. Before the 

actual grant is awarded, ETA may enter into 

negotiations about such items as programs 

components, staffing, and administrative 

systems in place to support grant 

implementation. If 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. 

B. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

1. Administrative Program 

Requirements 

All grantees 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, if applicable: 

a. Workforce Investment Act—20 CFR 

part 667. (General Fiscal and 

Administrative Rules). 

b. Non-Profit Organizations—OMB 

Circulars A–122 (Cost Principles) and 

29 CFR part 95 (Administrative 

Requirements). 

c. Educational Institutions—OMB 

Circulars A–21 (Cost Principles) and 29 

CFR part 95 (Administrative 

Requirements). 

d. State and Local Governments— 

OMB Circulars A–87 (Cost Principles) 

and 29 CFR part 97 (Administrative 

Requirements). 

e. Profit Making Commercial Firms— 

FAR—48 CFR part 31 (Cost Principles), 

and 29 CFR part 95 (Administrative 

Requirements). 

f. All entities must comply with 29 

CFR parts 93 and 98, and, where 

applicable, 29 CFR parts 96 and 99. 

g. The following administrative 

standards and provisions may also be 

applicable: 

i. 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; 

ii. 29 CFR part 30—Equal 

Employment Opportunity in 

Apprenticeship and Training; 

iii. 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; 

iv. 29 CFR part 32— 

Nondiscrimination on the Basis of 

Handicap in Programs and Activities 

Receiving or Benefiting from Federal 

Financial Assistance; 

v. 29 CFR part 33—Enforcement of 

Nondiscrimination on the Basis of 

Handicap in Programs or Activities 

Conducted by the Department of Labor; 

vi. 29 CFR part 35— 

Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Age 

in Programs or Activities Receiving 

Federal Financial Assistance from the 

Department of Labor; 

vii. 29 CFR part 36— 

Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex 

in Education Programs or Activities 

Receiving Federal Financial Assistance; 

viii. 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, 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, 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. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES

57680 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 193 / Friday, October 3, 2008 / Notices 

C. Special Program Requirements 

ETA will require that the program or 

project participate in a formal 

evaluation of overall grant performance. 

To measure the impact of the grant 

program, ETA will conduct an 

independent evaluation of the outcomes 

and benefits of the projects. Grantees 

must agree to make records on 

participants, employers and funding 

available, and to provide access to 

program operating personnel and 

participants, as specified by the 

evaluator(s) under the direction of ETA, 

including after the expiration date of the 

grant. Please note that each grantee must 

agree to participate in a ‘‘bump-up’’ 

random assignment experiment. Please 

see Part I, Section 3 for more 

information on this requirement. ETA 

will provide both a technical assistance 

and evaluation contractor to assist 

grantees in developing and 

implementing the individual random 

assignment demonstrations to ensure 

project fidelity across the sites. 

D. Reporting 

As a condition of participation in the 

grant program, applicants will be 

required to submit periodic reports such 

as the Quarterly Financial Reports, 

Progress Reports and Final Reports as 

follows: 

Quarterly Financial Reports. A 

Quarterly Financial Status Report (ETA 

9130)/OMB Approval No. 1205–0461 is 

required until such time as all funds 

have been expended and/or the grant 

period has expired. Quarterly financial 

reports are due 45 days after the end of 

each calendar year quarter. Grantees 

must use ETA’s Online Electronic 

Reporting System. 

Quarterly Progress Reports. The 

grantee must submit a quarterly 

Performance Progress Report, SF–PPR/ 

OMB Approval Number: 0970–0443 to 

the designated Federal Project Officer 

within 45 days after the end of each 

calendar year quarter. Two copies are to 

be submitted providing a detailed 

account of activities undertaken during 

that quarter. ETA may require 

additional data elements to be collected 

and reported on either a regular basis or 

special request basis. Please see Part V 

Section 1 of this SGA for the types of 

data elements ETA will require for 

quarterly submission. Grantees must 

agree to meet ETA’s reporting 

requirements. 

The quarterly progress report must be 

in narrative form and must include: Indepth information on accomplishments 

including project success stories, 

upcoming grant activities, promising 

approaches and processes, and progress 

toward performance outcomes, among 

others. Also, reports should include 

updates on product, curricula, training 

development, challenges, barriers, or 

concerns regarding project progress. 

Reports should also include lessons 

learned in the areas of project 

administration and management, project 

implementation, partnership 

relationships, and other related 

information. ETA will provide grantees 

with guidance and tools to help develop 

the quarterly reports once the grants are 

awarded. 

Final Report. A draft final report must 

be submitted no later than 60 days prior 

to the expiration date of the grant. This 

report must summarize project 

activities, employment outcomes, and 

related results of the training project, 

and should thoroughly document 

capacity building and training 

approaches. The final report should also 

include copies of all deliverables, e.g. 

curricula and competency models. After 

responding to ETA questions and 

comments on the draft report, three 

copies of the final report must be 

submitted no later than the grant 

expiration date. Grantees must agree to 

use a designated format specified by 

ETA for preparing the final report. 

Part VII. Agency Contact Information 

For further information regarding this 

SGA, please contact Eileen Banks, 

Grants Management Specialist, (202) 

693–3403. (Please note this is not a tollfree number.) Applicants should fax all 

technical questions to (202) 693–2879 

and must specifically address the fax to 

the attention of Eileen Banks and should 

include SGA/DFA PY–08–08, a contact 

name, fax and phone number, and email address. B. Jai Johnson is the 

Acting Grant Officer for this 

announcement and Jim Stockton is the 

Senior Grant Officer for this 

announcement. This announcement is 

being made available on the ETA Web 

site at http://www.doleta.gov/sga/ 

sga.cfm, at http://www.grants.gov, as 

well as in the Federal Register. 

Part VIII. Additional Resources of 

Interest to Applicants 

Resources for the Applicant 

ETA maintains a number of Webbased resources that may be of 

assistance to applicants. 

• America’s Service Locator at 

http://www.servicelocator.org provides a 

directory of the nation’s One-Stop 

Career Centers. 

• Applicants are encouraged to 

review ‘‘Help with Solicitation for Grant 

Applications’’ at http://www.dol.gov/ 

cfbci/sgabrochure.htm. 

• For a basic understanding of the 

grants process and basic responsibilities 

of receiving Federal grant support, 

please see ‘‘Guidance for Faith-Based 

and Community Organizations on 

Partnering with the Federal 

Government’’ available at http:// 

www.whitehouse.gov/government/fbco/ 

guidance/index.html. 

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 the 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 

applicants 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 24th day of 

September 2008. 

James Stockton, 

Grant Officer, Employment and Training 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. E8–23319 Filed 10–2–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–FT–P 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES