Opportunity Information: Apply for FOA ETA 16 04
Apply for FOA ETA 16 04
- The DOL-ETA in the employment, labor and training sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) National Grants for Program Year (PY) 2016" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 17.235.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 15, 2016 and posted on Mar 15, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 29, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $50,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 22 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Opportunity Summary:
The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) National Grants for Program Year (PY) 2016 is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (DOL-ETA), issued under Funding Opportunity Announcement FOA-ETA-16-04 (CFDA 17.235). It makes available approximately $338,520,000 in federal funding authorized by Title V of the Older Americans Act (OAA), as amended in 2006 (Public Law 109-365), to support the Community Service Employment for Older Americans program, widely known as SCSEP. The application deadline for this competition was April 29, 2016, and the Department anticipated making about 22 awards. While the total national funding level is set in the announcement, individual grant awards could be as large as $50,000,000 (award ceiling), reflecting the scale of national grant operations.
SCSEP is described as the only federally sponsored employment and training program aimed specifically at low-income older individuals who can enter or reenter the workforce. The program is built around paid community service assignments that function as work-based training. Participants are placed at local public agencies or nonprofit organizations where they gain recent job experience, develop skills, and build connections that can help them transition back into regular employment. Participants are generally scheduled for about 20 hours per week while they engage in community service and related job training activities, aligning with the statutory and regulatory framework cited in the announcement (including OAA section 502(b)(1)(J) and 20 CFR 641.565(a)).
A key feature of the program is that participants must be paid wages for their training hours, and the wage standard is protective: participants are paid the highest applicable wage among the federal minimum wage, the state minimum wage, the local minimum wage, or the prevailing wage for similar work. In practice, this means SCSEP is not just volunteer service; it is structured, compensated training intended to provide income support while participants gain employable skills and experience in real workplace settings.
The opportunity emphasizes SCSEP's dual mission. First, it seeks to expand and promote useful community service job training opportunities that benefit both participants and the communities served by host agencies. Second, it aims to move participants into unsubsidized employment, meaning regular jobs not supported by SCSEP funds. This focus on transitioning participants to unsubsidized work reflects the program's workforce reentry purpose, not simply short-term community placements.
In terms of grant structure, DOL designed this as a four-year grant award with annual renewals. Renewals each year are not automatic; they depend on meeting annual departmental application requirements and on the availability of federal funds. The announcement also notes the possibility of extending the grant for a fifth year at the Department's discretion. That extension is tied to performance accountability: the grantee must meet or exceed minimum negotiated performance measures required by section 514(a) of the OAA and the performance provisions in 20 CFR 641.700. In other words, continued funding is linked to measurable outcomes and compliance expectations, consistent with how DOL manages large workforce grants.
Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others" with additional details referenced in the full opportunity text, indicating that applicants needed to consult the FOA's eligibility section for precise qualifications. Overall, the PY 2016 SCSEP National Grants competition funded organizations capable of operating large-scale, multi-year programs that provide paid, part-time community service training for low-income older adults, with a strong emphasis on helping participants achieve transitions into unsubsidized employment while also delivering tangible benefits to public and nonprofit host sites.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This opportunity is the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) National Grants for Program Year (PY) 2016, a discretionary grant competition issued by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (DOL-ETA) under Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) FOA-ETA-16-04 (CFDA 17.235).
Which federal agency is offering the SCSEP National Grants?
The SCSEP National Grants are offered by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (DOL-ETA).
What is the purpose of SCSEP as described in the announcement?
SCSEP is described as the only federally sponsored employment and training program aimed specifically at low-income older individuals who can enter or reenter the workforce. It provides paid community service assignments that function as work-based training, helping participants gain job experience, develop skills, and build connections that support a transition into unsubsidized employment.
How much total funding was available under this FOA?
The announcement made available approximately $338,520,000 in federal funding.
How many awards did the Department expect to make?
The Department anticipated making about 22 awards.
What was the maximum (ceiling) size of an individual award?
Individual grant awards could be as large as $50,000,000 (the award ceiling), reflecting the scale of national grant operations.
What law authorizes the funding for this program?
The funding is authorized by Title V of the Older Americans Act (OAA), as amended in 2006 (Public Law 109-365).
What is the application deadline that was listed for this competition?
The application deadline for this competition was April 29, 2016.
What does SCSEP provide to participants?
SCSEP provides paid, part-time community service assignments that serve as work-based training. Participants are placed at local public agencies or nonprofit organizations to gain recent job experience and develop employable skills, with an emphasis on transitioning into unsubsidized employment.
Is SCSEP a volunteer program?
No. The opportunity highlights that participants must be paid wages for their training hours. SCSEP is structured, compensated training intended to provide income support while participants gain skills and experience in real workplace settings.
How many hours per week are participants generally scheduled to work?
Participants are generally scheduled for about 20 hours per week while engaging in community service and related job training activities, consistent with the statutory and regulatory framework cited in the announcement (including OAA section 502(b)(1)(J) and 20 CFR 641.565(a)).
Where do participants complete their community service assignments?
Participants are placed at local public agencies or nonprofit organizations (host agencies) where they gain job experience and training in a real workplace environment.
How are participant wages determined under SCSEP?
Participants are paid the highest applicable wage among the federal minimum wage, the state minimum wage, the local minimum wage, or the prevailing wage for similar work.
What are the two main goals (dual mission) emphasized for SCSEP?
The opportunity emphasizes two goals: (1) to expand and promote useful community service job training opportunities that benefit participants and the communities served by host agencies, and (2) to move participants into unsubsidized employment (regular jobs not supported by SCSEP funds).
What does "unsubsidized employment" mean in this context?
In the context of this opportunity, unsubsidized employment means regular jobs that are not supported by SCSEP funds. The announcement stresses that transitioning participants into unsubsidized work is a core program objective.
How long is the grant period, and are renewals automatic?
DOL designed this as a four-year grant award with annual renewals. Renewals are not automatic; they depend on meeting annual departmental application requirements and on the availability of federal funds.
Is there a possibility of extending the grant beyond four years?
Yes. The announcement notes the possibility of extending the grant for a fifth year at the Department's discretion.
What conditions are tied to a possible fifth-year extension?
A fifth-year extension is tied to performance accountability. The grantee must meet or exceed minimum negotiated performance measures required by section 514(a) of the OAA and the performance provisions in 20 CFR 641.700.
What kinds of organizations were eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with additional details referenced in the full opportunity text. Applicants would have needed to consult the FOA's eligibility section for the precise qualifications.
What type of entities are these national grants intended to support?
Based on the description, the competition funded organizations capable of operating large-scale, multi-year programs that provide paid, part-time community service training for low-income older adults, with a strong emphasis on transitioning participants into unsubsidized employment while delivering tangible benefits to public and nonprofit host sites.
Which program identifiers should applicants use to reference this opportunity?
Applicants and interested parties can reference FOA-ETA-16-04 and CFDA 17.235, as provided in the opportunity description.
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| Project to Reduce the Exploitation of Children in the Sava Region of Madagascar Apply for FOA ILAB 16 08 Funding Number: FOA ILAB 16 08 Agency: DOL-ETA-ILAB Category: Employment, Labor and Training Funding Amount: $4,000,000 |
| EMPOWER: Increasing Economic and Social Empowerment for Adolescent Girls and Vulnerable Women in Zambia Apply for FOA ILAB 16 12 Funding Number: FOA ILAB 16 12 Agency: DOL-ETA-ILAB Category: Employment, Labor and Training Funding Amount: $5,000,000 |
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