Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers (17.264)
Program
17.264 Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers
Federal Agency
EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Authorization
Workforce Investment Act of 1998; Title I, Subtitle D, Section 167; Public Law 105-220.
Program Number
17.264
Last Known Status
Active
Objectives
To provide individual employability development assistance and related assistance for those individuals, including their dependents, who are primarily employed in agricultural labor that is characterized by chronic unemployment and underemployment.
Types of Assistance
Formula Grants; Project Grants.
Uses and Use Restrictions
Under Section 167, eligible seasonal farmworkers and their dependents may be offered core services (including initial assessment, One-Stop Center services, job placement and eligibility determination) intensive services developed under a case management system (such as objective assessment, individual employment planning, basic education, allowance payments, dropout assistance, and work experience) training services (such as classroom training that is occupationally specific and on the job training) and related assistance (such as emergency assistance and other supportive services that allow a farmworker to stay employed or continue his or her participation in program activities).
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
(1) Public agencies and units of government (State and local); and (2) private nonprofit institutions/organizations authorized by their charters or articles of incorporation to operate employment and training programs.
Beneficiary Eligibility
Limited to low income individuals and their dependents who have, during any consecutive 12 month period in the 24 months preceding their application for enrollment, been primarily employed in agricultural labor that is characterized by chronic unemployment or underemployment due to the seasonal or migratory nature of the work. Individuals must also be legally available for work and males must not have violated the Selective Service Act registration requirement.
Credentials/Documentation
Applicants must be able to demonstrate an understanding of the problems of seasonal farmworkers and the capacity to respond to their needs, a familiarity with the local agricultural industry, the administrative capacity to administer workforce investment programs and the capacity to be an effective One Stop system partner.
Application and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
The standard preapplication forms as furnished by the Federal agency and required by OMB Circular No. A-102 must be used for this program. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance if the State has selected the program for review.
Application Procedure
Biennial competitive process (a provision for waiver of competition for a maximum four 4 year period may be exercised by the Department). The next required competition will be for Program Years 2003-2004. A Solicitation for Grant Applications will be published in the Federal Register in early 2003.
Award Procedure
Competing applications will be rated according to criteria included in the Solicitation for Grant Application. Awards are made directly to eligible applicants by the Employment and Training Administration.
Deadlines
Contact the headquarters for application deadlines.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Appeals
Petition for reconsideration of nonselection as a potential grantee may be made to an Administrative Law Judge within 21 days of notification of the Department's decision.
Renewals
Grants may be renewed without further competition for a third and fourth year provided performance for the first two years has been satisfactory.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
The program has no statutory formula. The Department has developed a formula for funding of the National Farmworker Jobs Program that is based on relative distribution among the States of the nation's eligible seasonal farmworkers. The formula relies primarily on data from the Census of Agriculture and the National Agricultural Workers Survey. This program has no matching requirements.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Awards initially apply for two years, with the option of a subsequent two-year renewal if performance is satisfactory.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
Quarterly program and financial status reports.
Audits
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," nonfederal entities that receive financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards shall have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.
Records
Grantees are required to maintain complete accounting, personnel, and individual participant records in accordance with OMB Circulars A-102 and A-110. Participant records must support eligibility and the need for services provided.
Program Accomplishments
In program year 2001, an estimated 41,000 farmworkers received job training and supportive services. Fifty-five grants were awarded.
Financial Information
Account Identification
16-0174-0-1-504.
Obligations
(Grants) PY 01 $67,596,408; PY 02 est $69,743,300; and PY 03 est $72,163,800. The program operates on a program year (PY) beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
Grants may range between $100,000 and $7,000,000. The average is not calculated.
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
20 CFR 669.
Related Programs
17.258, WIA Adult Program.
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
None.
Headquarters Office
Division of Seasonal Farmworker Programs, Office of Adult Services, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-4645, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210. Telephone: (202) 693?3843. Fax: (202) 693-3818.
Web Site Address
Examples of Funded Projects
Projects assist farmworkers complete educational goals and learn specific job skills in order to acquire the qualifications employers require for occupations offering permanent full-time employment. This is accomplished through a case management- driven system that uses customer choice to guide the farmworker customer in the development of a strategy for acquiring the job skills and related education that are needed to qualify for the higher skilled job, and consequently the opportunity for earning a better livelihood. Projects also assist farmworkers seeking to remain in farmwork by providing emergency assistance and other supportive services that promote their continued participation in the agricultural workforce.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
Selection criteria are described in the Solicitation for Grant Application published in the Federal Register whenever there is a competition for grant awards.
