TAA assistance

The Department of Labor has announced the availability of approximately $1.2 million in grant funds authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 from the dislocated workers assistance national reserve to provide technical assistance and outreach to dislocated workers impacted by foreign trade. Proposed projects must be developed and implemented through strategic partnerships.

The eligible applicants for this solicitation are National Employer Associations, National Labor Union Organizations, other Labor Union Affiliates, Non-profit Organizations and National Associations with connections to the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers (TAA) program or TAA-certified workers.

The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is April 14, 2010.

The March 15, 2010 FEDERAL REGISTER includes the solicitation announcement.

Community Based Job Training Grants

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration today announced the availability of approximately $125 million in funds for Community-Based Job Training Grants.

"We are delighted to be able to create opportunities for working Americans to train for high-demand occupations with the help of community colleges and community-based organizations," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "These grants will help workers across the country prepare for good jobs. Funding community colleges and career centers ensures that we will reach a broad base of individuals in need."

Community-Based Job Training Grants will be awarded through a competitive process to support workforce training for high-growth/high-demand industries through the national system of community, technical and tribal colleges. In order to be eligible for consideration under this solicitation, an applicant must be: (1) an individual community or technical college, such as a public community college, a nonprofit community college, a tribally controlled college or a tribally controlled university, (2) a community college district, (3) a state community college system, (4) a One-Stop Career Center in partnership with its local workforce investment board that specifies one or more community or technical colleges where education/training activities will occur or (5) another entity proposing to serve an educationally underserved community without access to community or technical colleges that meets requirements outlined in the solicitation for grant applications.

It is anticipated that awards will range from $1 million to $3 million each. The exception is that applications including three or more community, technical or tribal colleges will be considered consortium applications and may request awards ranging from $1 million to $5 million. Additionally, ETA expects to allot up to $50 million of the total designated funds to organizations that have never received a Community-Based Job Training Grant.

The solicitation for grant applications is published in today's Federal Register. It provides background information and the closing date, describes submission requirements, outlines the process that eligible entities must use to apply for funds and details how grantees will be selected. To view the full solicitation online, visit http://www.doleta.gov/grants/find_grants.cfm.

For additional assistance in applying for these grants, interested parties should review ETA's online suite of resources for grant applicants. These tools introduce potential grantees to ETA grants and provide examples to guide applicants through the process. The site also includes "Grant Applications 101," an interactive, self-paced tutorial. The toolkit is available at http://www.workforce3one.org/page/grants_toolkit.

Online Members Project

[From Philanthropy News Digest] American Express and TakePart, a content-driven social-action network created by Participant Media, have announced the launch of the 2010 Members Project, an online initiative that enables individuals to vote on projects with the potential to create positive change in the world.

Building on the initiative's success in 2007 and 2008, this year's campaign allows individuals to register online and vote once a week to determine which charities receive funding from the company. During each three-month voting cycle, five charities will be chosen to receive $200,000 each from a pool of dozens of organizations. AmEx card members also can make one-time or recurring donations to any of the more than one million charities listed on the Members Project site using their American Express cards or by donating Membership Rewards points.

The initiative also aims to help individuals find volunteer opportunities that suit their interests and schedule and will automatically donate to a charity five hundred Membership Rewards points for every logged hour of volunteer service an individual performs, up to ten thousand points or twenty hours of service.

Microsoft supports Veterans

Microsoft has announced that it will contribute $2 million in cash and up to $6 million in software over the next two years to support programs that help prepare veterans and their spouses for twenty-first century jobs.

Building on its Elevate America initiative, Microsoft will award cash, software, and other resources to eligible organizations working to provide technology skills training, job placement, career counseling, and other support services to active-duty service members as well as members of the National Guard and Reserves who are transitioning out of the military and into the civilian workforce. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is the first organization to join the coalition and will work with Microsoft over the next two years on the initiative.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 185,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are unemployed. While veterans often possess abundant leadership skills, many lack the formal education, training, and/or certifications needed to join the civilian work force. More than half of today's jobs require at least some technology skills, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the figure will reach 77 percent within a decade.

"Our servicemen and women are amazing leaders, but to be able to compete in the tough job market when they return from duty, many of them need access to technology training," said Pamela Passman, corporate vice president of Microsoft Global Corporate Affairs. "We are bringing together organizations and companies that can combine their competencies and resources with ours to make the greatest possible impact to help veterans and their spouses."

“Microsoft Announces Initiative to Help Prepare U.S. Veterans for Jobs.” Microsoft Press Release 3/08/10.

DOL Budget

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. Secretary Solis presented the department's fiscal year 2011 budget request and highlighted why the funding is vital to the nation's ongoing economic recovery.

Last summer, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act created more than 300,000 summer jobs for at-risk youth. Local areas can expand the program to create up to 350,000 jobs this summer, providing work experience to help young people build their futures and income their families can use in a weak economy. This goal can be accomplished with an additional investment of $1.2 billion investment in summer and youth employment, including $150 million for competitive grants. The department also supports an additional $500 million to expand on-the-job training, refresh the skills of the long-term unemployed and link them to real employment opportunities as the economy rebounds.

The administration supports an additional $300 million to continue two Recovery Act programs. This funding includes $225 million for Pathways Out of Poverty Grants and $75 million for Energy Training Partnerships. The department received many more quality applications than it could fund. These additional resources would allow the department to quickly fund these high-quality programs.

The total request for the department in fiscal year 2011 is $116.5 billion and 17,800 full-time equivalent employees. The Labor Department's budget request will build on $4.8 billion in discretionary funding as well as the mandatory resources included for the department in the Recovery Act.

To review the department's full 2011 budget request, visit http://www.dol.gov/budget/. Secretary Solis' testimony is available at http://www.dol.gov/_sec/media/congress/20100310_appropriations.htm.

Investing in Innovation Fund

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the Department of Education's final priorities and the grant application for the $650 million Investing in Innovation Fund (i3). The fund, which is part of the historic $5 billion investment in school reform in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will support the development of path-breaking new ideas, the validation of approaches that have demonstrated promise, and the scale-up of the nation's most successful and proven education innovations.

Individual school districts or groups of districts can apply for the i3 grants, and entrepreneurial nonprofits can join with school districts or a consortium of schools to submit applications. To qualify for the competitive grants, applicants will need to address one of the four areas that are driving the Obama administration's school reform agenda: supporting effective teachers and principals; improving the use of data to accelerate student achievement; complementing the implementation of standards and assessments that prepare students for success in college and careers; and turning around persistently low-performing schools.

Applications will be due in mid-May and grants will be awarded in September. In the coming weeks, officials from the Department's Office of Innovation and Improvement will hold informational workshops in Atlanta, Baltimore and Denver that will be web-accessible. President Obama has proposed an additional $500 million of the i3 program in his fiscal 2011 budget.

Applications available here: http://www.ed.gov/programs/innovation/index.html

Warren Co. workshops on Federal funding

[From Warren Times Observer] Local firefighters can receive some pointers on how to more effectively apply for federal funding later this month. Todd Lake, the county's public safety director, informed members of the Warren County Council of Governments at Wednesday evening's meeting of an upcoming workshop for that purpose. Lake said a Federal Emergency Management Administration representative will be at the Youngsville Fire Department between 6 and 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 25, to discuss the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program.

The event is free, Lake said, and open to the public. It will cover what to apply for and how to do so. Over the years, Lake said, the program has brought nearly $3.2 million to departments in the county with Warren getting a new ladder truck and Pleasant and Bear Lake also getting new trucks. Departments shouldn't expect to get new trucks if their current ones are from 2001 or newer, Lake said, as one which was replaced dated to 1951.

A program for state funding will also be held for municipal coordinators and supervisors at the Rouse Annex Building on March 22. Sessions will be held from 10 a.m. to noon and from 7 to 9 p.m.

Erie Community Foundation grant workshop

Tuesday, Mar 16 @ 9:00 am

The Erie Community Foundation hosts technical workshops explaining our grant process for any new applicants or other interested parties. Hosted by David González, M.S., program officer of The Erie Community Foundation, the workshops run from 9 to 11 a.m. Please call (814) 454-0843 to register or for more information.

Dept. of Labor online tools for grant applicants

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today launched an online suite of resources for grant applicants. Created by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, the new site will introduce potential grantees to ETA grants and provide examples to guide people through the process of applying.

"Success begins with knowledge. In that spirit, the Department of Labor is committed to ensuring all eligible groups — especially smaller community-based organizations and those that have never submitted an application for a federal grant — know how to apply for funding," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "Our new site explains the factors that are at the core of a successful application, and it helps those applicants who are new to applying for federal funds better understand the requirements of the grant process."

Included in the new site is an annotated sample solicitation for grant applications. It is an actual solicitation that was published in the summer of 2009. The document includes advice on how to respond to particular sections; hints on areas of solicitations that can be particularly challenging; suggestions for avoiding common pitfalls; and links to direct applicants to helpful Web sites and additional outside resources.

Additionally, the site includes "Grant Applications 101," an interactive, self-paced tutorial on the ETA grant-making process. The tutorial is designed specifically for small community organizations and first-time applicants. A compilation of resources that may help prospective applicants develop competitive grant applications is also available.

Visit the new site at http://www.workforce3one.org/page/grants_toolkit. To learn more about the range of Department of Labor employment and training programs, visit http://www.doleta.gov.

PA supports suppliers to oil and gas firms at global petroleum show

Oil and gas companies looking to receive expertise and logistical coordination to attend the industry’s most significant annual event in North America – the Global Petroleum Show 2010 in Calgary, Canada, in June – can get help from Pennsylvania.

Specifically, DCED is organizing a delegation and hosting a Pennsylvania pavilion at the show, and being part of it could help Pennsylvania-based oil and gas companies bring new orders and a greater demand for their services.

According to DCED Secretary George Cornelius, increased access to oil from Canada’s oil sands, new carbon sequestration and nuclear generation projects, and ongoing environmental mitigation and remediation represent huge opportunities to Pennsylvania companies supplying the industry.

“Canadian oil sands and shale gas present great opportunities for Pennsylvania companies,” Cornelius explains. “However, companies need to meet face-to-face with potential partners and buyers to be successful in this market. The commonwealth is providing that opportunity.”

Cornelius added that the show, which expects more than 60,000 visitors, also will offer great opportunities for Pennsylvania’s nuclear companies. Major oil companies are considering nuclear energy to power their extraction and refinement work in the oil sands because of the technology’s massive generation capacity and lack of greenhouse gas emissions.

During the 2008 Global Petroleum show, an 11-company Pennsylvania delegation met with more than 100 buyers and potential partners through appointments arranged by Pennsylvania’s trade representative in Toronto.

“The pavilion provided us with an outstanding platform for us to demonstrate how we can bring value to industrial gas users engaged in the largest energy projects in North America,” said John Hogan, UIG (www.uigi.com )sales manager for the chemical and petroleum industries. “As a result, we have developed valuable contacts and opportunities that will enable us to expand our business.”

Deadline for registration is March 1, but interested firms are urged to register as soon as possible. For more information on Global Petroleum Show 2010 and possible financial assistance for qualifying Pennsylvania firms, contact DCED’s Center for Trade Development at jkolokitha@state.pa.us or 717-346-0178.