OpportunityTitle: Add Us In
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: 1.   Eligible Applicants  Under this announcement only consortia may apply for and receive a cooperative agreement.  Each consortium must, at a minimum, have representation from each of the following four organization types:  (1)  A an association of targeted businesses, association of targeted business owners or other similar entity that represents businesses in underrepresented and historically excluded communities; (2) A disability-serving organization; (3) A Local Workforce Investment Board (LWIB) or other organization with demonstrated experience in providing employment and training services and employment-related support services (e.g., One-Stop center but not limited to); and (4) a youth-serving organization.  We encourage the participation of diverse consortia members including, but not limited to: national disability organizations, LGBT organizations, women-owned businesses, small business development centers, minority business development centers, veterans, community-based organizations, colleges and universities (including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs)), Federally recognized or state-recognized American Indian/Alaska Native tribal governments or American Indian/Alaska Native tribally designated organizations.    Consortia must be legal entities, or partnerships or joint ventures of legal entities.  If a partnership or joint venture, then each partner will be individually responsible for the performance of the cooperative agreement, and for the funds awarded there under.  All applications must clearly identify the lead cooperative agreement recipient and fiscal agent, as well as all other members of the consortium applying for the cooperative agreement.  The fiscal agent must have proof of successful operation of Federal or other grants of this size and scope.  In addition, the application must identify the relationship between all of the members of the consortium, and their respective roles in carrying out the project.  According to section 18 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, an organization, as described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, that engages in lobbying activities will not be eligible for the receipt of Federal funds constituting an award, grant, or loan. See 2 U.S.C. 1611; 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(4).  Funding restrictions apply.
Description: The U.S. Department of Labor (&quot;DOL&quot; or &quot;Department&quot;), Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) announces the availability of approximately $1.65 million to be awarded to consortia to fund three cooperative agreements ranging from $500,000 to $550,000. The goal of the Add Us In initiative is to identify and develop strategies to increase the capacity of small businesses and communities, including underrepresented and historically excluded communities, to employ youth and adults with disabilities. Add Us In aims to achieve these goals through: 1) the development and evaluation of replicable models, strategies and policies that would ensure that youth and adults with disabilities from communities that include underrepresented and historically excluded communities have access to a broader range of employment and mentoring opportunities; 2) the development of active and sustainable partnerships between targeted businesses, diversity-serving organizations, youth-serving organizations and disability-serving organizations; and 3) the building of a national and local network of experts skilled in meeting the employment needs of individuals with disabilities and the hiring needs of targeted business owners. The goal of Add Us In will be accomplished through the competitive funding of consortia tasked to design, implement and evaluate innovative systems models that support competitive employment opportunities for people with disabilities within targeted businesses. For the purpose of this solicitation, the inclusion of underrepresented and historically excluded communities, defined below, is a specific focus. The make-up of these communities may vary in different regions, and can include: ethnic and racial minorities including African American, Asian American (including Asian Americans of West Asian decent, e.g., India, and Asian Americans of East Asian decent, e.g., Japan and Korea); Latino or Hispanic American; Federally recognized Tribes and Native American communities (including American Indians; Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Native Pacific Islanders (including American Samoan Natives)); Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) individuals; women; veterans; and other similar groups. Historically excluded communities are areas or groups that face some or all of the following economic challenges: blight, underinvestment, low per capita income, high poverty, high unemployment, discrimination in housing, credit or the labor market, environmental or natural resource degradation, and mass layoffs. A targeted business is a small for-profit enterprise such as a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or joint venture of any kind, physically located in the United States or its trust territories that is at least 51 percent owned, operated and controlled on a daily basis by a United States citizen (or citizens) who are members of underrepresented and historically excluded communities. For the purposes of this solicitation, disability is defined as set forth in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and the ADA Amendments Act (ADAA) of 2008. Add Us In addresses ODEP&#239;&#191;&#189;s goal of building knowledge and advancing disability employment policies in a fast growing area of the American economy. In the United States today, there are approximately 4.1 million minority-owned firms , accounting for more than $668 billion total annual gross receipts. Between 1997 and 2002 the growth of minority-owned firms outpaced the national rate; they increased by 30 percent compared to 10 percent for all classifiable firms. According to the American Community Survey (ACS) more than 10 million civilian, non-institutionalized Americans from ethnic and racial minorities have long-lasting disabling conditions or impairments. According to the 2008 ACS, among racial and ethnic groups, the highest overall estimated disability rate was for American Indians and Alaska Natives at 18.8 percent. Among Blacks or African Americans, the disability rate was 14.3 percent. Among persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, the disability rate was 8.4 percent. Among Asian Americans, the disability rate was 4.6 percent. Among white Americans, the disability rate was 10.2 percent. The Department&#239;&#191;&#189;s Bureau of Labor Statistics released the first official data on the employment status of people with disabilities on February 6, 2009. As of February 2011, the percentage of individuals with disabilities age 16 to 64, participating in the labor force was 31.7 compared to 76.4 for individuals with no disability. The February 2011 employment rate for persons with disabilities age 16 to 64 was 26.3 percent compared to 69.1 percent for persons with no disability, not seasonally adjusted. Over 20 million people with disabilities ages 16 and over were not even in the labor force. The lower median household income for working-age people with disabilities compared to working-age people without disabilities ($39,600 vs. $61,200) is indicative of the obstacles to employment and participation in the labor market for individuals with disabilities, and the resulting unemployment and underemployment of these individuals. When looking at the relationship between disability and employment, researchers have found that minorities with disabilities are often at increased risk for unemployment. For people with severe disabilities, the labor force participation rate is about 30 percent for whites, 21.2 percent for Latinos or Hispanics, and 17.8 percent for Blacks or African Americans. This solicitation provides background information, describes the application requirements, outlines the process that eligible entities must use to apply for funds covered by this solicitation, and outlines the evaluation criteria that will be used as a basis for selecting the grantees. There will be a Prospective Applicant Conference Call held for this grant competition. The date and access information for this Prospective Applicant Conference Call will be posted on ODEP&apos;s Web site at: http://www.dol.gov/odep.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: mitchell.cassandra@dol.gov
GrantorContactText: Cassandra Mitchell &lt;br/&gt;Grants Management Specialist &lt;br/&gt;Phone 202-693-4570