We are a continuation of a School to Work Transition program. When is our proposal due? All proposals for continuation of projects initiated in 2006 must be received no later than 4:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on August 15, 2007. Proposals received after 4:30 p.m. will not be considered.
Does anything special need to be submitted for a continuation project besides what is listed in the RFF? No
Can you clarify what attachments are excluded from the 12 page limit (can an objectives chart be used?)? The 12 pages are to be a succinct "to the point" explanation of how you plan to accomplish your project and the outcomes you are going to deliver. You may submit letters of support, resumes outside of the 12 page proposal. Since your objectives tie to the project, they should be part of the 12 page limit.
Can the 21.3% match for new proposals include monies from other government entities? Yes, but no federal funds may be used for the match
Can some of the allowable costs (staff costs) include a for-profit agency doing contracted work? Yes, but the grantee is held responsible for outcomes/deliverables and any other legal issues.
What does “potentially VR eligible” mean? Does that make it unacceptable to work with younger kids or does that mean that we can serve them as long as they can potentially be a referral in the future? Depends on your definition of "younger" - we DO want to see work experience programs started and maintained in schools. However, we also want to make sure that formal referrals are made to VR in the junior year of high school. It appears from what you indicated in your question thatyour proposalwouldbe appropriate as long as the students are not too young to work.
There is a clear mandate for no stipends or wages from funds. Does this mean that all work experience is volunteer based? Also, since the youth would not be paid on a job site, who will be paying the liability insurance at the places of businesses? Paying for work experience is part of start-up of transition programs. We will not pay wages or stipends for individual students. However, grantees need to understand that work experience is not some thing we can support once the grant is over. While it is an essential element of a comprehensive Transition program, funding will have to come from another source once the grant is over. As far as the liability issue is concerned for unpaid work experiences, we know that a number of providers have had the school’s lawyer’s draw up a “release of liability” form that the parents signed releasing the school, the employer and the provider from any liability and agreeing the family insurance would be used for any claims. It was similar in concept to a release parents would sign for sports participation, field trips, etc. Of course, for paid work, the employer is responsible for all insurance. For the Provider’s staff, the provider is always responsible. Additionally, people that do "internships" are typically covered under most businesses liability insurance.
Are attachments, such as letters of support; resumes, etc. counted in the 12 page limit? No - feel free to attach any letters of support and resumes you like.
On page 5 of the RFF, it states that 'federal VR funds can not be used to establish or expand 'Work Services' or 'Sheltered Employment' programs'. What are 'Work Services?' 'Work Services' is a federal term for sheltered employment.
Under allowable costs ~ staff costs. Can existing staff be used for the grant position, on a part-time basis? We did not receive a grant in FY 07, so this would be a new role for existing personnel. The answer to your question is multi-faceted in nature. While it IS possible for you to use existing personneltowork on this grant part-time, youpose a potentially dangerous situation for your business if your business cannot show that the work that the existing person is leaving behind is being performed by another staff person and so on. The federal term for this is called “supplanting”.
We understand the 21.3% match requirement cannot be in-kind. Can it include overhead/administration of the project? We are allowing up to 10% of the total project cost to be billed under admin costs.
Please define for us what is classified as "in kind" match. We have always worked under the assumption that actual cash outlays by a partner organization (such as salaries, transportation costs, etc.) are considered "cash" match. "In-kind" is defined as goods and services that, if the grantee, sub grantee, or contractor receiving the contribution had to pay for them, the payments would have been an indirect costs. Costs sharing or matching credit for such contributions shall be given only if the grantee, sub grantee, or contractor has established, along with its regular indirect cost rate, a special rate for allocating to individual projects or programs the value of the contributions. A good example is if FSSA were to hold a conference and one of the sponsors was a local newspaper. FSSA could use "in-kind" services by allowing the newspaper to run a full page conference advertisement in their newspaper for an "in-kind" fee. In turn, FSSA would put that newspapers logo on all of conference literature, yet not monies would change hands.
Does the limitation on travel costs apply to out-of-state consultants? No – consultants’ costs should be all-inclusive and should not be broken out separately.
Can the improved use of technology to improve effectiveness of Employment Specialists include the purchase of laptops or is the technology to be strictly assistive in nature? You are allowed to purchase laptops and other technology to improve employee effectiveness, but remember it has to be for a new program or expansion of a program and cannot replace current equipment.
Once grant funding is over for individual projects, do they go away if non-VR funding can not be found to continue the projects established with VR federal funds? The purpose of VR Establishment Grants is to establish programs to better serve individuals who are potentially eligible for VR services. For the most part, successful grant projects will be supported, at least in part, through normal VR client services funds following grant's end. I should add that grant funding can end at the request of the grantee if the program is finding early success, and it is concluded the program could likely be supported by normal client service avenues. Grant funding can also end at the discretion of DDRS/VR due to grantee performance problems.
