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State	Partnership	Support	Project	Federal	Funding	Opportunity

2016-NIST-MEP-STATE-PARTNERSHIP-01

Frequently	Asked	Questions

1. (A)	Can	a	public	university	be	the	prime	applicant	for	a	proposal? (B)	Are	state	and	or	local	

workforce	development	boards	established	under	the	Workforce	Investment	and	Opportunity	Act	

(WIOA)	eligible	to	apply?		(C)	Are	state	workforce	agencies	eligible	to	apply?

a. Response: Please	refer	to	the	eligibility	section	in	the	FFO	(Section	III.1)	to	determine	if	you	

meet	the	eligibility	requirements.		Please	also	make	sure	you	have	reviewed	the	information	

regarding	System	for	Award	Management	(Sam.gov)	– Please	refer	to	Section	IV.3	and	

Section	IV.7.a.(1).b.	of	the FFO.

2. (A)	The	chart	showing	$750K per	year seemed	to	conflict	with	the	overall	amount	available	for	this	

award	which	is	$4.5M.	 $750K	x	5 years =	$3.75	M,	not	$4.5M.		(B)	What	is	the	purpose	of	the	

increase	around	Year	3	and	an	increased	level	of	funding	in	that	year?

a. Response: Yes,	the	$750k	per	year	is	available	for	the	base	level	activities	for	each	of	the five	

years.		Your	calculation	misses	the	additional	$750K	that	is	available	for	the	single	year	of	

intensified	activities,	which	brings	the	total	available	up	to	$4.5M.		

b. Response:		Around	Year	3,	MEP	is asking	that	the	applicant	show	the	increased	level	of	

activity	and	funding	for	your	proposal	narrative	and	budgeting	purposes.		The	actual	year	in	

which the	intensified	activity	occurs	will	be	determined	jointly	after	the	award	is	issued.		

However,	the	additional	funding	in	the	identified	year	will	enable	more	in-depth	and	targeted	

activities	for	selected	states	or	regions.		In	the	proposal,	MEP would	like	to	see	the	

applicant’s thoughts	on	the	activities	your	organization	is proposing,	the	year	in	which	these	

activities	would	occur	and	why,	the	rationale	for	the	proposed	approach,	and	the	anticipated	

results	to	be	achieved.		(Please	refer	to	Section	I.	Program	Background	for	further	details	

regarding	the	increased	level	of	effort).

4. Should	the	Year	1	budget	be	dated	from	July	1	through	September	30	(to	account	for	the	federal	

fiscal	year)	or	from	July	1	to	June	30?

a. Response: The	project	start	date	is	June	1,	2016,	not	July	1	as	the	slide	initially	showed.		

Therefore,	the	period	of	performance	for	each	of	the	five	years	is	June	1st – May	31st.		The	

first	year	budget	would	cover	June	1,	2016	through	May	31,	2017.

5. Can	we	use	grant	funding	to	cover	the	costs	of	administering	the	grant	and	complying	with	the	

requested	semi-annual	reports?

a. Response:	Yes,	subject	to	applicable	MEP	Program	requirements	and	Federal	Cost	Principles	

contained	in	2	C.F.R.	part	200,	Subpart	E.

6. Is	profit	allowed	to	be	included	in	the	budget?

a. Response:	No	profit, fees	or	other	increments	above	cost	are	allowable	under	the	MEP	

Program.
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7. Are	letters	of	support	encouraged/required?

a.	Response: Letters	of	support	are	not	required	as	part	of	the	application	submission.	It	is	at	

the	applicant’s	discretion	as	to	whether	you	choose	to	provide	these	letters.		These	letters	will	

not	be	considered	as	part	of	the	evaluation	and	they	do	not	count	towards	the	page	limit.

8. Is	there	an	incumbent	for	this	work?	If	so,	may	we	have	their	organization	name?

a. Response:	Yes,	the	State	Science	and	Technology	Institute (SSTI) based	in	Columbus,	Ohio,	is	

the	incumbent	award	recipient.