Workforce CAP: Department of Labor Announces Green Sector Grants!

2009-07-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

Posted below is a summary of the DoL's 5 green job grant announcements. Regional collaboratives have the potential to qualify, so read on to see if you might! ( or how you can support other eligible applicants in our area!):

Grant Application: Pathways Out of Poverty SGA/DFA PY 08–19

Special Note: Successful applicants will be funded either through the Pathways Out of Poverty or the Energy Training Partnerships SGA. ETA will not fund any one organization as a grantee more than once through these two SGAs. An applicant may submit for both the Energy Training Partnerships SGA and the Pathways Out of Poverty SGA, but grants will only be awarded under one source. An organization that submits an application for one SGA may from participate as a suggested or required partner in applications to the other SGA. An organization may not submit multiple applications in response to any one SGA.

Due Date: September 29, 2009, no later than 4 p.m. Eastern Time

Bidders meeting/information: Webinar will be held on July 14, 2009 from 2–3:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Access information will be posted on the ETA Web site at: http://www.workforce3one.org. The Webinar will be recorded and will be accessible for viewing by July 17, 2009 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time, at the Web site above.

Funding available: $150 million in two grant funds: one for national entities and one for local entities. National entities grants will range from approximately $3 to $8 million. Local entity grants will range from approximately $2 to $4 million.

Purpose of SGA: Connect target populations, including workers affected by significant automotive industry restructuring, to career pathways in green industries: energy-efficient building, construction, and retrofit; renewable electric power; energy efficient and advanced drive train vehicle; bio-fuels; deconstruction and materials use; energy efficiency assessment industry serving residential, commercial, or industrial sectors; Manufacturers that produce sustainable products using environmentally sustainable processes and materials, Transportation; green construction; environmental protection; sustainable agriculture including healthy food production; forestry; and recycling and waste reduction.

The target populations include Unemployed; High school dropouts; Individuals with a criminal record; and Disadvantaged individuals within areas of high poverty.

Eligible Applicants: National entities and local entities will compete separately for funding under this SGA.

National Entities are private non-profits that deliver services through networks of local affiliates or other established partners in 4 or more states and that propose to provide services in 3 to 7 communities in at least 2 states.

Local Entities are public or private non-profit organizations that serve a single community such as a city or county, or interstate region. NFWS regional collaboratives are most likely to qualify as this category of applicant.

Both national and local entities must form strategic partnerships with at least one entity from each of the following five categories:

• Non-profit organizations, such as community or faith-based organizations, which have direct access to the targeted populations;

• The public workforce investment system, such as local Workforce Investment Boards and their One Stop systems;

• The education and training community, which includes the continuum of education from secondary schools to community and technical colleges, four-year colleges and universities, apprenticeship programs, technical and vocational training institutions, and other education and training entities;

• Public and private employers and industry-related organizations; and

• Labor organizations, including but not limited to labor unions and labor management organizations that represent the interests of workers in energy efficiency

Grant Applications: Energy Training Partnership Grants

SGA/DFA PY 08–18

Special Note: Successful applicants will be funded either through the Pathways Out of Poverty [SGA SGA/DFA PY 08–19 or the Energy Training Partnerships SGA [SGA/DFA PY 08–18]]. ETA will not fund any one organization as a grantee more than once through these two SGAs. An applicant may submit for both the Energy Training Partnerships SGA and the Pathways Out of Poverty SGA, but grants will only be awarded under one source. An organization that submits an application for one SGA may from participate as a suggested or required partner in applications to the other SGA. An organization may not submit multiple applications in response to any one SGA.

Due Date: September 4, 2009 by 4 p.m. (Eastern Time)

Bidders meeting/information: Webinar will be held on July 13 from 2–3:30 p.m. ET. Access information for the Webinar will be posted at: http://www.workforce3one.org/.

Funding available: $100million to 20–30 projects ranging from approximately $2 to $5 million each.

Purpose of Grant: Provide training and placement services in the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries for workers impacted by energy and environmental policy, individuals in need of updated training related to the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries, and unemployed workers. Approximately $25 million of the total funds available will be awarded for projects serving communities impacted by auto industry restructuring.

Eligible Applicants: Applicants may apply either as national non-profit labor management organizations or as statewide or local non-profit entities.

A national labor management organization is a nonprofit entity, such as a training fund, training trust fund, or an education trust fund, with joint participation of employers and labor organizations on its executive board or governing body.
Applicants for the state and local category are local or statewide nonprofit entities with a joint partnership of labor organizations, employers, or industry organizations, Workforce Investment Boards and One Stop Career Centers. NFWS regional colalboratives are most likely to qualify in this category of applicant, if they have a relationships with labor organizations, employers, and Workforce Investment Boards.

Projects must be developed and implementedthorough strategic partnerships with other stakeholders, including labor organizations, public or private employers in the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries, Workforce Investment boards, and other organizations in the workforce system.

Grant Application: State Labor Market Information Improvement

SGA/DFA PY 08–17

Due Date: August 14, 2009 by 4 p.m (Eastern Time)

Bidders meeting/information: Pre-recorded Webinar will be online (http://www.workforce3one.org/) and accessible for viewing on July 10, 2009 by 3 p.m. ET.

Funding available: $50 million for the Workforce Agencies or a consortium of such agencies. Awards to single state applicants will range from $750,000 to $1,250,000. Grant awards to applications from a consortium of states a will range from $2 to $4 million.

Purpose of Grant: Collect, analyze, and disseminate labor market information, and to enhance the labor exchange infrastructure for careers within the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries. The DOL will fund workforce development research and training projects that will help connect target populations, including auto and auto related industry workers affected by significant automotive-related restructurings, to career pathways in green industries.

Eligible Applicants: The eligible applicant is the State Workforce Agency. Collaborative approaches, whereby multiple States apply as a consortium to conduct research that may potentially have a regional, multi-State, or national impact, are encouraged.

Grant Application: Green Capacity Building Grants

SGA/DFA PY–08–21

Due Date: August 5, 2009 no later than 4 p.m. Eastern Time.

Bidders meeting/information: A prerecorded Webinar will be available at: http://www.workforce3one.org starting on July 10, 2009 by 3 p.m. Eastern Time.

Funding available: $5 million for 50 to 100 grants, with awards ranging from $50,000 to $100,000.

Purpose of Grant: The purpose of this SGA is to build the capacity of active DOL grantees to provide training for entry-level positions leading to career pathways and/or additional training in the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries. Capacity building under this SGA includes purchase of equipment, staff professional development, curriculum development and/or adaptation, partnership development, and where necessary, the hiring of additional staff.

Eligible Applicants: Only active DoL funded grantees listed below are eligible to apply under this SGA. Eligible applicants are limited to DOL grantees who received funding through the SGA number indicated in the parentheses:

Indian and Native American Program (SGA/DFA PY 07–04), National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) (SGA/DFA PY 06–04),

Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative (PRI) (SGA/DFA PY 08–03 & SGA/DFA PY 07–05),

Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) (SGA/DFA PY 07–02 & SGA/DFA PY 05–06),

Women in Apprenticeship and Non-Traditional Occupations (WANTO) (SGA/DFA PY07–08 & SGA/DFA PY 06–01),

Advancing Registered Apprenticeship into the 21st Century: Collaborating for Success (SGA/DFA PY 08–11),

YouthBuild (SGA/DFA PY 08–07 & SGA/DFA PY 06–08),

Young Offender Grants (SGA/DFA PY 08–09, SGA/DFA PY 06–10, & SGA/DFA PY 06–14).

Organizations with multiple DOL-funded training programs may only submit one application.

State Energy Sector Partnership (SESP) and Training Grants

SGA/DFA PY–08–20

Due date: October 20, 2009, 4:00 PM.

Bidders meeting/information: A pre-recorded webinar will be available online on July 10, 2009, at 3:00 p.m. ET, at http://www.workforce3one.org/.

Funding Available: Approximately $190 million total for awards ranging from approximately $2 million to $6 million.

Purpose of Grant: Training, job placement, and related long-term career advancement activities that reflect a comprehensive statewide energy sector strategy including the Governor’s overall workforce vision, State energy policies, and training activities that lead to employment in targeted industry sectors. DOL encourages a strategic planning process to develop a statewide energy sector strategy through a comprehensive partnership and development of a Sector Plan.

A broad range of target populations my be served through the grant, including: workers impacted by national energy and environmental policy; individuals in need of updated training related to the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries; veterans, or past and present members of reserve components of the Armed Forces; unemployed individuals; individuals, including at-risk youth, seeking employment pathways out of poverty and into economic self-sufficiency; and individuals with a criminal record. Other individuals, such as untapped labor pools and entry-level and incumbent workers that do not fit into the categories above, may also be served through these projects.

Eligible applicants: State Workforce Investment Boards

"Build a Healthier America" submitted by Shiloh Turner

2009-05-05T07:38:00.000-07:00

Recently, I participated in an audio conference summarizing the results of a new initiative by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to “Build a Healthier America”. I found the concepts of this initiative to be quite relevant to the first strategy identified by the CAP, which was to Develop a community understanding of and vision for access to care. Below is a brief description of RWJ’s work, including the recommendations issued.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America believes that there is more to good health than health care. The Commission issued 10 recommendations that identify how to enable Americans, particularly those who face the greatest barriers to good health, to lead healthy lives.

The recommendations are rooted in a twin philosophy:

1. Building a healthier America requires individuals to make healthy choices for themselves and their families

2. A societal commitment to remove the obstacles preventing too many Americans from making healthy choices.

The Commission's recommendations - which focus on how and where people live, learn, work and play - are a call for each of us to take responsibility for our health and for leadership across sectors to promote greater opportunities for every one of us to live healthy and productive lives. For more information, please visit: http://www.commissiononhealth.org/

I look forward to your response to this work, and encourage you to post your thoughts to the group.

2009-2010 Meeting Schedule

2009-04-27T07:19:00.000-07:00

The Community Access Panels meet regularly in The Erie Community Foundation board room as follows:

Health Care meets from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.:
July 8, 2009
October 14, 2009
January 13, 2010
April 14, 2010
July 14, 2010

Workforce Solutions meets from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.:
June 24, 2009
October 28, 2009
January 27, 2010
April 28, 2010
October 27, 2010

Early Childhood Education meets from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.:
September 23, 2009
December 16, 2009
March 17, 2010
June 16, 2010
September 15, 2010
December 15, 2010

Please note that the CAPs meetings are "invitation-only" member meetings designed for the betterment of our community.

For more information about CAPs, please contact Shiloh Turner, Vice President of Programs at 814-454-0843. For questions about the blog, please contact Erin Fessler, Marketing & Public Relations Director at the same number. To learn more about The Erie Community Foundation, visit www.ErieCommunityFoundation.org

2009-04-07T12:53:00.000-07:00

CAP's are the next logical step in the work The Erie Community Foundation has done thus far. In the Spring of 2006, we convened a group of committed volunteers to study issues related to poverty. The volunteers reviewed demographic data, conducted interviews with a cross-section of stakeholders and conducted a literature review.

This good work led to the publication of two Community Connections. In April 2007, we produced “The High Cost of Poverty: It Affects Us All.” In May 2008, we produced “The High Cost of Poverty: Past Accomplishments, Next Steps and What You Can Do.”

We have also made a significant grant to the Mercyhurst Civic Institute to enhance a commitment made by our Erie Women’s Fund to reduce poverty in targeted and select neighborhoods.

CAPS will convene for a two year period. They will be comprised of Erie Community Foundation trustees and select community leaders. We anticipate that each panel will work with national funding sources to further leverage The Erie Community Foundation's resources.

These are exciting times because we are rolling up our sleeves and getting to work on big agenda items that impact our community. If you are interested in learning more, please call The Erie Community Foundation at 814-454-0843....otherwise, stay tuned to our CAPS BLOG!

Community Advisory Panels--CAPs!

Workforce CAP: Department of Labor Announces Green Sector Grants!

"Build a Healthier America" submitted by Shiloh Turner

2009-2010 Meeting Schedule