FEDERAL AGENCY:

EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

AUTHORIZATION:

Workforce Investment Act of 1998; Title I, Subtitle D, Section 167; Public Law 105-220.

OBJECTIVES:

To provide individual employability development assistance and related assistance for those individuals, including their dependents, who are primarily employed in agricultural labor that is characterized by chronic unemployment and underemployment.

TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:

Formula Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition

Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:   (1) Public agencies and units of government (State and local); and (2) private nonprofit institutions/organizations authorized by their charters or articles of incorporation to operate employment and training programs.

Beneficiary Eligibility:   Limited to low income individuals and their dependents who have, during any consecutive 12 month period in the 24 months preceding their application for enrollment, been primarily employed in agricultural labor that is characterized by chronic unemployment or underemployment due to the seasonal or migratory nature of the work. Individuals must also be legally available for work and males must not have violated the Selective Service Act registration requirement.

Credentials/Documentation:   Applicants must be able to demonstrate an understanding of the problems of seasonal farmworkers and the capacity to respond to their needs, a familiarity with the local agricultural industry, the administrative capacity to administer workforce investment programs and the capacity to be an effective One Stop system partner.

Pre-application Coordination:   The standard pre-application forms as furnished by the Federal agency and required by OMB Circular No. A-102 must be used for this program. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance if the State has selected the program for review.

Application Procedure:   Biennial competitive process (a provision for waiver of competition for a maximum four 4 year period may be exercised by the Department). The next required competition will be for Program Years 2003-2004. A Solicitation for Grant Applications will be published in the Federal Register in early 2003.

Award Procedure:   Competing applications will be rated according to criteria included in the Solicitation for Grant Application. Awards are made directly to eligible applicants by the Employment and Training Administration.

Deadlines:   Contact the headquarters for application deadlines.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:   30 to 90 days.

Appeals:   Petition for reconsideration of nonselection as a potential grantee may be made to an Administrative Law Judge within 21 days of notification of the Department's decision.

Renewals:   Grants may be renewed without further competition for a third and fourth year provided performance for the first two years has been satisfactory.

ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:   The program has no statutory formula. The Department has developed a formula for funding of the National Farmworker Jobs Program that is based on relative distribution among the States of the nation's eligible seasonal farmworkers. The formula relies primarily on data from the Census of Agriculture and the National Agricultural Workers Survey. This program has no matching requirements.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:   Awards initially apply for two years, with the option of a subsequent two-year renewal if performance is satisfactory.

POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:   Quarterly program and financial status reports.

Audits:   In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," nonfederal entities that receive financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards shall have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

Records:   Grantees are required to maintain complete accounting, personnel, and individual participant records in accordance with OMB Circulars A-102 and A-110. Participant records must support eligibility and the need for services provided.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION:

Account Identification:   16-0174-0-1-504.

Obligations:   (Grants) PY 01 $67,596,408; PY 02 est $69,743,300; and PY 03 est $72,163,800. The program operates on a program year (PY) beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:   The range and average varies by year according to appropriation levels. State allocations are published annually in the Federal Register.

In program year 2001, an estimated 41,000 farmworkers received job training and supportive services. Fifty-five grants were awarded.

REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:

20 CFR 669.

INFORMATION CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:   See Regional Agency Offices. See Regional Agency Offices. Regional contact information is available on the NFJP website at http://www.doleta.gov/Farmworker/html/Contact_Us.cfm.

Headquarters Office:   Steven Rietzke 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Room C-4510, Washington, District of Columbia 20210-0001 Email: Rietzke.Steven@dol.gov Phone: 2026933912

Web Site Address:  
http://www.doleta.gov/Farmworker/html/NFJP.cfm

EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:

Projects assist farmworkers complete educational goals and learn specific job skills in order to acquire the qualifications employers require for occupations offering permanent full-time employment. This is accomplished through a case management- driven system that uses customer choice to guide the farmworker customer in the development of a strategy for acquiring the job skills and related education that are needed to qualify for the higher skilled job, and consequently the opportunity for earning a better livelihood. Projects also assist farmworkers seeking to remain in farmwork by providing emergency assistance and other supportive services that promote their continued participation in the agricultural workforce.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:

Selection criteria are described in the Solicitation for Grant Application published in the Federal Register whenever there is a competition for grant awards.