$20 Million Available for Disability Employment Initiative
The Department of Labor will be providing $20 million in grants to state agencies to support a third round of cooperative agreements to improve educational, training and employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Community-based organizations are encouraged to see whether their states will be applying for this opportunity. See the full announcement here and at http://www.doleta.gov/grants/pdf/dei_sga_dfa_py_11_11.pdf.
Here’s an excerpt from the exec summary. Talk to your states!
FYI: New York already used this funding in round 1.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Notice of Availability of Funds and Solicitation for Grant Applications for Cooperative Agreements Under the Disability Employment Initiative
Announcement Type: Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA)
Funding Opportunity Number: SGA/DFA PY-11-11
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 17.207
Key Dates: The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is June 1, 2012. Applications must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Addresses: Mailed applications must be addressed to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Grants Management, Attention: BJai Johnson, Grant Officer, Reference SGA/DFA PY 11-11, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716, Washington, DC 20210. For complete application and submission information, including online application instructions, please refer to section IV.
Summary:
The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), in coordination with Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), announces the availability of approximately $20 million for a third round of cooperative agreements to state agencies that administer the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998. These funds provide an opportunity for states to develop and implement a plan for improving effective and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in the workforce. DOL is using this funding to make six to ten grant awards designed to:
1) improve educational, training, and employment opportunities and outcomes of youth and adults with disabilities who are unemployed, underemployed, and/or receiving Social Security disability benefits;
and 2) help these individuals with disabilities find a path into the middle class through exemplary and model service delivery by the public workforce
system.
The DOL will award DEI grants for a three-year period of performance.
The Appropriation Committee Senate Report 111-66 on H.R. 3292, the Bill that proposed the DEI, states the purpose of the DEI as follows:
“these funds…will improve the accessibility and accountability of the public workforce development system for individuals with disabilities. The Committee further expects these funds to continue promising practices implemented by disability program navigators, including effective deployment of staff in selected states to: improve coordination and collaboration among employment and training and asset development programs carried out at a state and local level, including the Ticket to Work program and build effective community partnerships that leverage public and private resources to better serve individuals with disabilities and improve employment outcomes.”
The DEI was established under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010, Public Law 111-117. Funds for this SGA were appropriated in the Department of Labor Act 2012, Division F of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012, Public Law 112-74. This solicitation provides
background information and describes the application submission requirements, outlines the process that eligible entities must use to apply for funds covered by this solicitation, and outlines the evaluation criteria used as a basis for selecting the grantees.