Youthbuild (17.274)
Program
17.274 Youthbuild
Federal Agency
Agency: Department of Labor
Office: Employment Training Administration
Authorization
Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998, Title I, Subtitle D, Section 173A, YouthBuild Program, Public Law 109-28. Public Law 105-220, 20 U.S.C. 9201. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Section 2, Public Law 111-5, 115 Stat. 59, VIII U.S.C 2.
Program Number
17.274
Last Known Status
Active
Objectives
Grant funds will be used to provide disadvantaged youth with: the education and employment skills necessary to achieve economic self sufficiency in occupations in high demand and postsecondary education and training opportunities; opportunities for meaningful work and service to their communities; and opportunities to develop employment and leadership skills and a commitment to community development among youth in low-income communities. As part of their programming, YouthBuild grantees will tap the energies and talents of disadvantaged youth to increase the supply of permanent affordable housing for homeless individuals and low-income families and to assist youth develop the leadership, learning, and high-demand occupational skills needed to succeed in today's global economy.
Types of Assistance
PROJECT GRANTS
Uses and Use Restrictions
The funds must be used for: (1) Education and workforce activities, such as: basic skills instruction and remedial education; language instruction educational programs for individuals with limited English proficiency; secondary education services and activities, including tutoring, study skills training, and dropout prevention activities, designed to lead to the attainment of a secondary school diploma, General Education Development (GED) credential, or other state-recognized equivalent (including recognized alternative standards for individuals with disabilities); counseling and assistance in obtaining postsecondary education and required financial aid; alternative secondary school services; work experience and skills training (coordinated, to the maximum extent feasible, with pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship programs) in housing rehabilitation and construction activities; occupational skills training; and other paid and unpaid work experiences, including internships and job shadowing. (2) Counseling services and related activities, such as comprehensive guidance and counseling on drug and alcohol abuse and referral; (3) Youth development activities, such as: community service and peer-centered activities encouraging responsibility and other positive social behaviors, and activities related to youth policy committees that allow YouthBuild participants to engage in local policy and decision-making related to the program. (4) Supportive services and provision of need-based stipends necessary to enable individuals to participate in the program. (5) Supportive services to assist individuals, for a period not to exceed 12 months after the completion of training, in obtaining or retaining employment, or applying for and transitioning to postsecondary education; and job search and assistance. (6) Supervision and training for participants in the rehabilitation or construction of housing, including residential housing for homeless individuals or low-income families, or transitional housing for homeless individuals. (7) Supervision and training for participants in the rehabilitation or construction of community and other public facilities. (8) Payment of a portion of the administrative costs of the grantee. (9) Mentoring of participants by qualified adults (10) Provision of wages, stipends, or benefits to participants in the program. (11) Ongoing training and technical assistance for staff that are related to developing and carrying out the program. (12) Follow-up services. (13) Equipment and/or supplies related to the YouthBuild activities funded through this grant. Funds must be used to provide prescribed education and workforce activities for eligible youth, including construction of housing, including residential housing for homeless individuals or low income families, or transitional housing for homeless individuals. Up to ten percent of the funds may be used in the rehabilitation or construction of a community or other public facilities. One hundred percent of funds are distributed through a competitive grant process.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
Eligible applicants for these grants are public or private nonprofit agency or organization (including a consortium of such agencies or organizations), including: community-based organizations; faith-based organizations; an entity carrying out activities under this WIA, such as a local workforce investment board or One-Stop Career Center; a community action agency; a state or local housing development agency; an Indian tribe or other agency primarily serving Indians; a community development corporation; a state or local youth service conservation corps; or any other relevant public or private nonprofit entity that provides education or employment training and can meet the required elements of the grant.
Beneficiary Eligibility
An eligible youth is an individual who is (1) between the ages of 16 and 24 on the date of enrollment; and (2) a member of a disadvantaged youth population such as a member of a low-income family, a youth in foster care (including youth aging out of foster care), a youth offender, a youth who is an individual with a disability, a child of an incarcerated parent, or a migrant youth; and (3) an individual who has dropped out of high school and re-enrolled in an alternative school, if that re-enrollment is part of a sequential service strategy. Up to (but not more than) 25 percent of the participants in the program may be youth who do not meet the education and disadvantaged criteria above but who are: (1) basic skills deficient, despite attainment of a secondary school diploma, General Education Development (GED) credential, or other State-recognized equivalent (including recognized alternative standards for individuals with disabilities); or (2) have been referred by a local secondary school for participation in a YouthBuild program leading to the attainment of a secondary school diploma.
Credentials/Documentation
Grantees must demonstrate adequate organizational capacity to implement a YouthBuild program. Additionally, grantees must provide evidence of the capacity to track and report performance outcomes. OMB Circular No. A-87 applies to this program.
Application and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
Preapplication coordination is required. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application Procedure
OMB Circular No. A-102 applies to this program. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110. Grants for projects are awarded on a competitive basis, announced in Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGAs) in the Federal Register and also on ETA's Internet Web site at http://www.doleta.gov. To compete for a grant, organizations develop a proposal and budget that demonstrate how the organization will provide services to a targeted population. The SGA provides all of the necessary information for applying for Federal assistance.
Award Procedure
Procedures for each project are specified in the applicable request for proposals. Generally, the procedure is as follows: A technical review panel composed of staff from ETA program offices as well as peer reviewers evaluates eligible submitted applications. The panel prepares a report for the ETA Grant Officer identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the application and the cumulative rating. Once selections are made by the Grant Officer, an Award Notification is sent through the appropriate congressional channels for notification. After awardees are notified, the list of awardees is posted on the ETA Web site at www.dol.gov. If an application is rejected, a letter is sent to the applicant as notification that they were not selected as a recipient of the grant.
Deadlines
Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
From 120 to 180 days.
Appeals
Procedures for each project are specified in the applicable Solicitation for Grant Applications.
Renewals
Renewals with funds are not available. However, with significant justification ETA may elect to exercise its option to award no-cost extensions to these grants for an additional period at its own discretion, based on the success of the program and other relevant factors.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
This program has no statutory formula.
Matching Requirements: Percent: 25.%.
This program does not have MOE requirements.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Most projects last 2 to 3 years. Payments to grantees are usually made by Letter of Credit draw-down procedures. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: by letter of credit.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
A quarterly narrative report must be submitted within 45 days following the quarter. Cash reports are not applicable. The quarterly performance report must be submitted within 45 days following the quarter. A quarterly financial report is submitted within 45 days following the quarter. Regional Federal Project Offices conduct monitoring using risk assessments, desk audits, and on-site monotoning.
Audits
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.
Records
Recipients are required to maintain books, records, documents, and other evidence of accounting procedures and practices sufficient to reflect properly all direct and indirect costs of whatever nature claimed to have been incurred for the performance of the grant. Records are to be retained for three years from the date of final payment, unless the grant officer authorizes earlier disposal.
Program Accomplishments
Fiscal Year 2008: Data not yet available. Fiscal Year 2009: Program plans are posted annually and are available on the Internet at:
www.doleta.gov/Performance/eta_default.cfm. Fiscal Year 2010: Once finalized, performance budgets are posted annually and are available on the Internet at:
www.dol.gov/dol/aboutdol/main.htm#budget.
Financial Information
Account Identification
16-0184-0-1-504 - ARRA; 16-0174-0-1-504.
Obligations
(Project Grants) FY 08 $60,000,000; FY 09 est $61,000,000; FY 10 est $77,000,000. (Project Grants) FY 08 $0; FY 09 est $50,000,000; FY 10 est $0
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
Grants ranged from $ 700,000 to $1.1 million.
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
Provided in the applicable Solicitation for Grant Application.
Related Programs
Not Applicable.
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
See Regional Agency Offices. Contact the nearest Employment and Training Administration regional office listed in Appendix IV of the Catalog.
Headquarters Office
Anne Stom 200 Constitution Avenue, NW
Room N-4508, Washington, District of Columbia 20210 Email: stom.anne@dol.gov Phone: 202-693-3377 Fax: 202-693-3861
Web Site Address
Examples of Funded Projects
Not Applicable.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
Criteria for each proposal are specified in the applicable Solicitation for Grant Application.
