Jobs For the Future's Breaking Through Gets Additional Funding

[From Philanthropy News Digest] Boston-based Jobs for the Future has announced a two-year, $1.9 million grant from the Walmart Foundation to expand its Breaking Through initiative, which promotes and strengthens the efforts of community colleges across the country working to help low-literacy adults prepare for and succeed in occupational and technical degree programs.

JFF will use the grant to help seven community colleges in North Carolina develop occupational and technical pathways for adult students and improve their counseling capacity as well as the capacity of their youth-serving community-partners. The participating colleges — Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, Central Piedmont Community College, the College of the Albemarle, Davidson County Community College, Durham Technical Community College, Fayetteville Community College, and South Piedmont Community College — will enroll at least one thousand adult students in programs designed to help them advance through college coursework.

"Adult students have unique challenges...and many lack the appropriate English and math skills," said JFF vice president Maria Flynn. "Our goal is to help colleges respond to the needs of these low-skilled students and keep them on track toward degrees that will earn them higher-paying jobs."

“Jobs for the Future Receives Grant From the Walmart Foundation to Help Expand Career Pathways for Adults.” Jobs for the Future Press Release 11/18/10.

Veteran Training Funding

[From "Free Money Ate My Brain" blog]

More Sources for Funding a Veteran's Education

"So many good places to look for money for veterans to continue or complete their educations! One I have to return to is the venerable Michigan State University website for veterans, dependents and those studying military science. Another is, of course, a step-by-step walk through the GI Bill to help veterans determine their best scholarship deals. And then there’s this website by the Wounded Warrior Resource Center with information on financing and scholarships. Check out the main WWRC page for all sorts of aid for 'ill, wounded or injured' veterans. It includes housing, employments and benefits information."

Planning and Local Technical Assistance Program

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) has announced the general policies and application procedures for grant-based investments under the Planning and Local Technical Assistance Programs.

These programs are designed to help communities develop the planning and technical expertise to support communities and regions in their comprehensive, entrepreneurial, and innovation-based economic development efforts. Resulting in increased private investment and higher-skill, higher-wage jobs in areas experiencing substantial and persistent economic distress, these programs are designed to enhance the competitiveness of regions.

As of November 26, 2010, the full amount of FY 2011 appropriations is not available since EDA is operating under the authority of the FY 2011 CR. The CR allocates funding based on FY 2010 funding levels, but on a pro-rated basis, until the enactment of the FY 2011 appropriations. Assuming EDA receives FY 2011 appropriations of approximately the same level as in FY 2010, there is estimated a $255,000,000 available for the economic development assistance programs authorized under PWEDA: Public Works and Economic Development Facilities Program; Economic Adjustment Assistance; GCCMIF; Planning; Local Technical Assistance; University Center Economic Development Program; and Research and National Technical Assistance.

The November 26, 2010 FEDERAL REGISTER provides full background and instructions for the development and submission of applications under the Planning and Local Assistance Programs.

Nursing Traineeship

Expected Number of Awards: 350
Estimated Total Program Funding: $16,000,000

Eligible applicants are collegiate schools of nursing, academic health centers, and other private or public nonprofit entities accredited by a recognized body or bodies or State agency, approved for the purpose of nursing education by the Secretary of Education. A new program of nursing that is not accredited at the time of submission of a grant application, by reason of an insufficient period of operation, but eligible for accreditation by a recognized body or bodies or State agency, is eligible to apply for funding if the Secretary of Education finds, after consultation with the appropriate accrediting body or bodies, that there is reasonable assurance that the program will meet the accreditation standards of such body or bodies prior to the beginning of the academic year following the normal graduation date of students of the first entering class. Applicants that are “new programs” just beginning the accreditation process and wish to establish eligibility based on the provisions above should contact the Department of Education, Accreditation and State Liaison Unit at 202-219-7011 for further guidance on securing the required determination from the Secretary of Education.

Agency Name

Health Resources & Services Administration

Description

Grants are awarded to eligible institutions to provide financial support through traineeships for registered nurses enrolled in advanced education nursing programs to prepare nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse- midwives, nurse anesthetists, nurse administrators, nurse educators, public health nurses and nurses in other specialties requiring advanced education. The traineeship program is a formula program. Applications are submitted via a two-phase process. -- Phase I is due in Grants.gov. Applicants will receive instructions via email following submission of Phase I. -- Phase II is due in the HRSA EHB approximately two weeks after Phase I has been submitted.

Link to Full Announcement

https://grants.hrsa.gov/webExternal/SFO.asp?ID=673DF592-F340-4FFD-A5F6-01CC50810329

FY 2011 Planning and Local Technical Assistance Programs Opportunity

Pursuant to PWEDA, EDA announces general policies and application procedures for grant-based investments under the Planning and Local Technical Assistance Programs. These programs will help communities develop the planning and technical expertise to support communities and regions in their comprehensive, entrepreneurial, and innovation-based economic development efforts. Resulting in increased private investment and higher-skill, higher-wage jobs in areas experiencing substantial and persistent economic distress, these programs are designed to enhance the competitiveness of regions. EDA’s Planning and Local Technical Assistance Programs are two of the six economic development assistance programs the agency operates under PWEDA. Under the Planning Program, EDA provides assistance to eligible recipients to create regional economic development plans in order to stimulate and guide the economic development efforts of a community or region. EDA’s Local Technical Assistance Program helps eligible recipients fill the knowledge and information gaps that may prevent leaders in the public and nonprofit sectors in economically distressed regions from making optimal decisions on local economic development issues. Please see the FY2011 Planning and Local Technical Assistance Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO), to which a link is provided below, for more information on the programs.

Link to Full Announcement

FY 2011 Planning and Technical Assistance Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) Announcement

Eligible Applicants

State governments
County governments
City or township governments
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Private institutions of higher education
Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

Road to Recovery Workforce Conference slated

The Employment and Training Administration has announced the Road to Recovery: Strategies for Reemployment Conference. The Conference will be held on December 14-15, 2010, in Arlington, Virginia.

The two days of workshops, lively discussions, informative action clinics, and collegial networking events will be focused on getting America back to work. The Department of Labor has solicited the expertise and talent from all program areas within the workforce system as well as its strategic partners.

Conference speakers and participants will represent staff from the following programs and service areas: Unemployment Insurance, Trade Adjustment Assistance, Rapid Response, Workforce Investment Act, Employment Services, One-Stop Career Centers, Registered Apprenticeship as well as Employers, Economic Development Agencies, Education, and other government and community partners.

The conference sessions are designed to:

• help state workforce systems to target and leverage resources to successfully reemploy unemployed workers;

• provide participants an opportunity to share successful practices and advance the national discussion about the design and delivery of reemployment services for the nation's unemployed;

  Emphasize holistic service delivery strategies, including the continuum of services from all workforce programs;

• Acknowledge and build on the workforce system's reemployment efforts for the last two years including new and expanded efforts funded under the Recovery Act;

• Address the new realities of prolonged unemployment and the need for many workers to up-grade their skills to find good jobs; and

• Share innovative and evidence-based reemployment service delivery strategies that work while also learning from unsuccessful strategies.

Reemployment of UI claimants and connecting UI to the Workforce System is a critical component of this year's State Quality Service Plan. This conference provides an opportunity to learn about innovative practices and to share challenges and solutions. The UI program is a key component of the workforce system and integral to strong reemployment strategies for UI claimants. It is critical to have active and engaged participation from state UI agencies at this important conference.

The Conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. A draft agenda and detailed information are available at: www.roadtorecovery2010.org

Training and Employment Notice 17-10 provides full background, details the logistics, and describes the travel support for State UI staff.

Writing a grant? Planning a project?

This blog is not only about grant postings, but also resources that can help you with supporting data and tools for your proposals and project planning. Visit the Data, Tools, and Models page at http://nwpadata.blogspot.com or click on the tab above.

Also, be sure to utilize the excellent information presented on the Center for Workforce Information and Analysis site at http://www.paworkstats.state.pa.us

Reminder: Career and Education Equipment Grants DUE DEC. 3, 2010

Grant Program Name: Equipment Grants

Deadline: Applications are due Friday, December 3, 2010, by 5:00 p.m.

Application Information: Application for this grant is done electronically using the e-Grants system that requires a password. Please read the Funding Guidelines below before using e-Grants. http://egrants.ed.state.pa.us

Other Information: 2010-11 Funding Guidelines (PDF)

Program Description:

• High Priority Occupations Alignment and Inclusion of Industry Standards. Enhance and update specific career and technical education programs to meet industry standards through updated curriculum, professional development, and state-of-the-art equipment. The proposal must be linked to one of the identified Pennsylvania targeted industry clusters and a specific high-priority occupation.
  
• Increased Industry Credentials. Improve career and technical education students’ occupational and higher academic knowledge and skills required to perform successfully in high-wage, high-skill positions. Students will gain industry credentials and/or be eligible to sit for credentialing exams, which provide skills portability and career mobility by enhancing lateral and upward career moves. Prospective students must list the projected increase in technical skill attainment and the projected increase in industry certifications as a result of all new equipment.
  
• Curriculum Revisions and Alignment to PA Academic Standards. Curriculum revisions due to the purchase of equipment will be completed within the proposed grant year. Revisions must include identification of PA academic standards and development of assessment items related to the academic standards. Prosepctive applicants must provide a proposal that provides action steps to accomplish the revisions and provides a projected significant increase in PSSA achievement.
  
• Industry Partnerships. Develop partnerships and linkages with business, industry, labor, and community groups through the application of advanced technology. Such partnerships ensure industry-led training which meets the human capital strategy. Therefore, the Workforce Investment Boards (WIB) and Occupational Advisory Committee must provide input into the proposal and a Letter of Support from the WIB must be sent to John Bonchalk at PDE.
  
• Professional Development. The integration of PA academic assessment anchors and occupational skills to meet industry standards is enhanced through a professional development program for faculty (e.g., participation in Governors’ Institute and other Bureau of Career and Technical Education designated professional development activities).

Restrictions on Funding: Eligible expenditures are defined in the guidelines.

Eligible Entities: Area vocational-technical schools/career and technology centers that operate programs approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

School districts with eight or more approved career and technical education programs (two of which are trade and industrial programs) or to school districts offering approved vocational agriculture education programs.

Method of Distribution: Funds are distributed on a competitive basis to eligible educational agencies.

Veterans Find Help with Jobs from Corporate Gifts

[From The New York Times]

By ELIZABETH OLSON Published: November 10, 2010

MANY veterans are finding that jobs in this difficult economy require skills and training they do not have. Government data shows a higher unemployment rate for recent veterans than for the general population. A number of companies, including Microsoft, Wal-Mart, J. C. Penney and Activision Blizzard, which makes Guitar Hero and other video games, have stepped up with millions of dollars for programs that provide computer skills, green expertise and health care training. Many gifts were announced this week, tied to Veterans Day.

Microsoft is giving $2 million in cash and about $4 million in software to programs that help former military members with technology skills, career counseling and job placement.

To help reintegrate veterans, the Wal-Mart Foundation is providing $10 million over five years to nonprofit groups, focusing on job readiness and training and higher education.

Two years ago, it donated $3.6 million to colleges and nonprofit groups, including $750,000 to a group in Denver, Veterans Green Jobs, which trains returning veterans for green industry jobs.

Read the full article here.

New Era Rural Technology Program

Description

The New Era Rural Technology Competitive Grants Program will make grants available to community colleges or advanced technological centers, located in a rural area, for technology development, applied research, and training necessary to produce graduates capable of strengthening the Nation's technical, scientific and professional workforce in the fields of bioenergy, pulp and paper manufacturing, and agriculture-based renewable energy resources. (Note: see definitions of these terms in Part VIII. E., of the Request for Applications (RFA) document to ensure eligibility).

Link to Full Announcement

New Era Rural Technology Competitive Grants Program (RTP)

PennSERVE grants

PennSERVE announces the availability of grant funding for operation of local AmeriCorps programs beginning in August 2011. Eligible applicants are public and private nonprofit organizations, including labor organizations; community and faith-based organizations; government agencies; and institutions of higher education. The grants support the recruitment, training and management of AmeriCorps members who meet local needs in the areas of education, the environment, health, veterans services and other critical needs. A cash or in-kind match is required. Complete applications are due by 3 p.m. on Friday, December 3, 2010. The AmeriCorps Application and Instructions (RFA #2011-ACS-01) are available on the PennSERVE web site located at www.dli.state.pa.us/pennserve or by calling (866) 673-7838.

Deadline, December 3, 2010.

Career and Technical Education Equipment Grants

Grant Program Name: Equipment Grants

Deadline: Applications are due Friday, December 3, 2010, by 5:00 p.m.

Application Information: Application for this grant is done electronically using the e-Grants system that requires a password. Please read the Funding Guidelines below before using e-Grants. http://egrants.ed.state.pa.us

Other Information: 2010-11 Funding Guidelines (PDF)

Program Description:

• High Priority Occupations Alignment and Inclusion of Industry Standards. Enhance and update specific career and technical education programs to meet industry standards through updated curriculum, professional development, and state-of-the-art equipment. The proposal must be linked to one of the identified Pennsylvania targeted industry clusters and a specific high-priority occupation.
  
• Increased Industry Credentials. Improve career and technical education students’ occupational and higher academic knowledge and skills required to perform successfully in high-wage, high-skill positions. Students will gain industry credentials and/or be eligible to sit for credentialing exams, which provide skills portability and career mobility by enhancing lateral and upward career moves. Prospective students must list the projected increase in technical skill attainment and the projected increase in industry certifications as a result of all new equipment.
  
• Curriculum Revisions and Alignment to PA Academic Standards. Curriculum revisions due to the purchase of equipment will be completed within the proposed grant year. Revisions must include identification of PA academic standards and development of assessment items related to the academic standards. Prosepctive applicants must provide a proposal that provides action steps to accomplish the revisions and provides a projected significant increase in PSSA achievement.
  
• Industry Partnerships. Develop partnerships and linkages with business, industry, labor, and community groups through the application of advanced technology. Such partnerships ensure industry-led training which meets the human capital strategy. Therefore, the Workforce Investment Boards (WIB) and Occupational Advisory Committee must provide input into the proposal and a Letter of Support from the WIB must be sent to John Bonchalk at PDE.
  
• Professional Development. The integration of PA academic assessment anchors and occupational skills to meet industry standards is enhanced through a professional development program for faculty (e.g., participation in Governors’ Institute and other Bureau of Career and Technical Education designated professional development activities).

Restrictions on Funding: Eligible expenditures are defined in the guidelines.

Eligible Entities: Area vocational-technical schools/career and technology centers that operate programs approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

School districts with eight or more approved career and technical education programs (two of which are trade and industrial programs) or to school districts offering approved vocational agriculture education programs.

Method of Distribution: Funds are distributed on a competitive basis to eligible educational agencies.

Minority Community Grants Program

The objective of the Minority Community Grants program is to provide support for improving community service systems for the developmental disability community. Grants will be awarded up to a maximum of $10,000 for a term of up to 15 months with the grantee providing a one-third match of in-kind or other non-federal money. The period the award will cover is July 1^st, 2011 to September 30^th, 2012. The funds are intended to assist minority groups and organizations in their efforts to identify racial/ethnic barriers to services and implement strategies that resolve issues specific to minorities within the community systems that support people with disabilities.

Click here for a Word version and click here for a .pdf version. If you have any questions, please contact the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council directly, visit their website at http://www.paddc.org/ or contact me at the number below.

My Future Career Tools

The Department of Defense has recently announced the launch of Myfuture.com which helps young adults plan their next steps in life by bringing together the most recently available information about colleges, careers and military services. Designed primarily for individuals between 16 and 24, the site features information drawn and collated from the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Defense, Education and Labor. The site contains information on more than 1,000 military and civilian careers and nearly 7,000 accredited colleges, universities and trade schools, and can serve as a central resource for valuable background on college admission requirements, employment trends and military benefits.

MyFuture also provides useful advice across a wide spectrum -- help on taking the SAT examination to interviewing for a first job to preparing for boot camp. Step-by-step planning checklists are also available along with the capability to store favorite job and educational information for future visits.

The site has gained early acceptance. The military information pages have earned 100,000 page views so far, and more than 3,000 visitors have created accounts on the website. As part of the outreach campaign, the website is also being highlighted on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

The site architects do note that Myfuture does not offer career counseling, but acknowledges that self-assessment is key to developing career goals. This site joins the One-Stop joins www.careeronestop.org and www.mySkillsmyFuture.org in the constellation of governmental websites designed to assist all Americans in their educational pursuits, career-decision making, job search, and reemployment ambitions.

Veteran Hiring Toolkit for Employers

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor announced the availability of a new online toolkit to guide employers through the process for hiring veterans. The free toolkit is designed to assist and educate employers who have made the proactive decision to include veterans and wounded warriors in their recruitment and hiring initiatives.

Developed as part of the department's "America's Heroes at Work" initiative, the Veterans Hiring Toolkit features a straightforward six-step process pinpointing helpful tools for a business to design a veterans hiring initiative. These steps include creating an educated and welcoming environment for veteran employees; actively recruiting veterans, wounded warriors and military spouses; learning how to accommodate qualified veterans and wounded warriors in the workplace; and promoting an inclusive workplace to help retain veteran employees. The toolkit also helps employers navigate the plethora of resources for hiring veterans available to them.

"The launch of this toolkit is especially timely given the October observance of National Disability Employment Awareness Month," said Kathleen Martinez, assistant secretary for the department's Office of Disability Employment Policy. "Disabled veterans, including those experiencing the ‘invisible' wounds of war like traumatic brain injury and combat stress, are an important segment of the disability population that needs our support when transitioning to civilian employment."

The final section of the toolkit features a quick reference list of reputable online resources to help users find and welcome talented and skilled veterans into their companies. Examples include links to veterans employment service organizations, places to receive consultations on workplace accommodations and answers to common employer questions about hiring veterans and wounded warriors. Whether users are looking to create a veterans hiring program from scratch or retool existing efforts, the toolkit can help them design and implement a customized initiative.

To access the toolkit, visit http://www.AmericasHeroesAtWork.gov/forEmployers/HiringToolkit.

Guide to Gov't Funding for Nonprofits Workshop

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Successful federal and state grantseeking necessitates understanding the government’s purpose in establishing specific grants and eligibility requirements. Identifying where to look for resources is the first step when seeking government grants. This workshop will provide a basic understanding of the grantseeking process and instruct how to research federal and state grants using government websites.

Please call the Foundation Center at 412-622-6277 to register for this program. Email registrations will not be accepted.

Location:

PC Center - Main

4400 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Contact:

Foundation Center

412-622-6277

Work and Family Researchers Network comes to PA

[From Philanthropy News Digest] The University of Pennsylvania has announced a grant of $990,000 from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to expand and relocate the Work and Family Researchers Network.

The grant will enable the network to transition from a foundation-funded project to a sustainable organization engaged in work-family research and scholarship. Currently located at Boston College, the network will move to Philadelphia, where it will build on the work it has conducted since 1997, the year it was established with help from the Sloan Foundation.

At Penn, the network will include a virtual online community, biennial conferences, and two new cohorts of Boston College's Early Career Scholars Program. More than a hundred and fifty scholars have signed on as members, and they'll be tasked with populating the new network's open-access Web site with content — a departure from the current network's model of staff-produced content. The Web site will also archive much of the current network's content and include a repository of work-family literature, a "news tagging" system for updates in the field, a "Who's Who" database, and a document-download center

Jerry A. Jacobs, a Penn sociology professor and leading work-family scholar, will be principal investigator for and executive officer of the project. Principal investigator Judith Casey, who served as director of the network in its Boston College incarnation, will continue in that role.

"The challenges of combining work and family confront a large and growing segment of American society," said Jacobs. "This grant provides an exciting opportunity to bring together scholars and researchers from diverse disciplines, to communicate more effectively, to share ideas, and to advance the ability of America's institutions to address the needs of our nation's families."

“Penn Awarded $990,000 Sloan Foundation Grant for Next-Generation Work/Family Research Network.” University of Pennsylvania Press Release 10/25/10.