NOTICES
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Availability of Grant Funds
[48 Pa.B. 988]
[Saturday, February 17, 2018]The Department of Education (Department) announces the availability of the following grant funds on a competitive basis:
1. Availability of approximately $13.5 million in grant funds to be awarded under sections 225 and 231 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) (29 U.S.C.A. §§ 3305 and 3321), combined with approximately $8 million in grant funds to be awarded under the Pennsylvania Adult and Family Literacy Education Act (act) (24 P.S. §§ 6401—6409) for adult basic education in this Commonwealth.
2. Availability of approximately $1.5 million for integrated English literacy and civics education programs under section 243 of WIOA (29 U.S.C.A. § 3333).
3. Availability of up to $150,000 for a State leadership project, Distance Learning Technical Assistance under section 223 of WIOA (29 U.S.C.A. § 3303).
The purpose of this funding is to create a partnership among the Federal government, states and localities to provide, on a voluntary basis, adult education and literacy activities to: assist adults to become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and economic self-sufficiency; assist adults who are parents or family members to obtain the education and skills that are necessary to becoming full partners in the educational development of their children, and lead to sustainable improvements in the economic opportunities for their family; assist adults in attaining a secondary school diploma and in the transition to postsecondary education and training, including through career pathways; and assist immigrants and other individuals who are English language learners in improving their reading, writing, speaking and comprehension skills in English and their mathematics skills; and in acquiring an understanding of the American system of government, individual freedom and the responsibilities of citizenship.
The Department, Bureau of Postsecondary and Adult Education, Division of Adult Education will accept applications for the following grants:
• Adult Basic Education Direct Service.
• Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education Program.
• Statewide Distance Learning Project Direct Service.
• Distance Learning Technical Assistance Project.
Eligible Applicants
Federal: Title II of WIOA
As defined in Title II of WIOA (29 U.S.C.A. §§ 3271—3333), an eligible provider is an organization that has demonstrated effectiveness in providing adult education and literacy activities that may include:
1. A local education agency.
2. A community-based organization or faith-based organization.
3. A volunteer literacy organization.
4. An institution of higher education.
5. A public or private nonprofit agency.
6. A library.
7. A public housing authority.
8. A nonprofit institution that is not described previously and has the ability to provide adult education and literacy activities to eligible individuals.
9. A consortium or coalition of the agencies, organizations, institutions, libraries or authorities described previously.
10. A partnership between an employer and an entity described previously.
For the purposes of determining demonstrated effectiveness to qualify as an eligible provider, the Department will require applicants to provide hard data for the immediate preceding 3 program years. The data must demonstrate the applicant's success in helping students achieve the following outcomes:
1. Improvement of skills in mathematics, reading, writing or English language proficiency, especially for individuals with low literacy.
2. Earning a high school equivalency credential.
3. Getting a job.
4. Retaining a job.
5. Enrolling in postsecondary education or training.
The data must include the numbers in the numerator, denominator and percentage. Applicants also must explain how the data were collected and outcomes determined.
State: Act 143 of 1986 Funds
As defined in the act, an eligible local education provider is an approved educational agency, institution or organization making use of either professional or voluntary personnel, which may be any of the following:
1. School districts.
2. Intermediate units.
3. Area vocational-technical schools.
4. Community colleges.
5. Literacy councils.
6. Local libraries.
7. Community-based organizations that are private, nonprofit organizations and are representative of communities or significant parts of communities and which provide adult or family literacy education programs.
8. Any other educational entity recognized by the Secretary of Education for providing appropriate and effective adult or family literacy education programs.
For the purposes of the competition in this Commonwealth for both Federal and State funds, a consortium or coalition of agencies will be defined as a main grantee with one or more subgrantees. The main grantee will serve as both the fiscal agent for the grant and a provider of some of the services proposed in the grant application. The main grantee is responsible for ensuring that all activities provided are completed as proposed and is responsible for monitoring and compliance of the subgrantees. Answers in the grant application should reflect the work of the consortium/coalition as a whole rather than treat each entity separately. Applicants cannot subcontract with another applicant for a portion of the proposed services. Agencies can only be a main grantee or a subgrantee.
Successful grant applications for the Adult Basic Education Direct Service, Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education Program and the Statewide Distance Learning Project Direct Service will be approved for a 4-year grant cycle. Grant funds will be awarded through annual 1-year notifications of funding contingent upon availability of funds. Each year, grantees will be required to submit budgets and program year specific information by the eGrants system to receive funding. Each year's renewal option and grant amounts will be based on the following criteria:
1. Contract compliance, including success in meeting contracted enrollment and providing the contracted services.
2. Evidence of sufficient progress in meeting the State imposed performance standards.
3. Evidence of continuous program improvement.
4. Compliance with fiscal and programmatic policies and guidelines.
5. The amount of the State and Federal appropriation.
The grant period for the Distance Learning Technical Assistance Project will be 1 year, July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2019, with the option to renew for up to 2 additional years. Funding for the renewal years will be negotiated annually and provided through annual contract renewals. The Department reserves the right to shorten or extend the grant cycle as the situation warrants. Each year's renewal option and grant amount will be based on the following criteria:
1. Contract compliance, including adherence to policy and timely submission of reports.
2. Compliance with fiscal and programmatic policies and guidelines.
3. Amount of the Federal and State appropriation.
4. Results of the project's evaluation, which will include:
a. Meeting outcomes, timelines and completion dates set with the Division of Adult Education at the beginning of each program year.
b. Satisfactory implementation of activities required by the Division of Adult Education under this grant.
c. Participation in an external evaluation.
Title II of WIOA establishes requirements for the grant competition process, including items that must be addressed in the grant applications and items that the Department must take into consideration when awarding grants. This Request for Grant Applications and the questions in the grant narrative are designed to ensure that all necessary information is included. The Division of Adult Education strongly encourages applicants to refer to Programs and Activities Authorized by the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (Title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opporunity Act), published at 81 FR 55526 (August 19, 2016), when completing the grant application. See 34 CFR 463.20 and 46.22 (relating to what is the process that the eligible agency must follow in awarding grants or contracts to eligible providers; and what must be included in the eligible provider's application for a grant or contract).
Applications must be submitted through the Department's eGrants system. For access to the eGrants system and the related grant opportunities, prospective applicants should send an e-mail to ra-able@pa.gov with the subject line of ''Division of Adult Education grant competition.'' In the body of the e-mail, prospective applicants should state the agency name and identify which of the four grants the agency plans to apply for. Prior to sending the e-mail, the applicant should search for the agency record in the Department's Educational Names and Addresses (EdNA) database.
1. Agencies found in EdNA should include in their e-mail their Administrative Unit Number (AUN) and contact information for the individual at the agency who will create and complete the grant applications.
2. Agencies not listed in EdNA should indicate in their e-mail that they are not found in the State database and provide contact information for the agency administrator who will work with the Division of Adult Education to establish a listing and be assigned an AUN.
Further details regarding the funding opportunities will be posted to the Division of Adult Education Grant Competitions webpage as they become available.
PEDRO A. RIVERA,
Secretary
[Pa.B. Doc. No. 18-251. Filed for public inspection February 16, 2018, 9:00 a.m.]
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