Education and Training ARRA Grant InformationThe U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) ARRA Web page contains an overview of the law as it pertains to all DOL programs (e.g., workforce training, unemployment insurance, trade adjustment) and links to summaries and descriptions of specific provisions. The page will be updated frequently. DOL received $750 million in ARRA funding for a program of competitive grants for worker training and placement in high growth and emerging industries. Of this amount, $500 million was reserved for projects that prepare workers for "green jobs" in the energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors. On Friday, May 15, DOL issued a training and employment notice that describes initial plans for awarding these funds. Five funding areas are listed:
Potential applicants are advised to read training and employment notice 44-08 and begin preparations now. DOL anticipates releasing solicitations for grant applications in June, with due dates in late summer. To join a DOL listserv that posts announcements of future training and employment notices, as well as other DOL news, go to https://service.govdelivery.com/service/user.html?code=USDOL. The service is free but registration is required. The DOL Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is holding Regional Recovery and Reemployment Forums throughout the country. Forums have already taken place in Kansas City and Boston; the remaining forums will be held For more information and to register for a forum, visit http://reemploymentworks.workforce3one.org/page/regions. ETA has posted specific guidance for the use of Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds appropriated under the ARRA. This guidance can be found at www.doleta.gov/recovery. State and local agencies that receive WIA funds should check this site regularly for updates. ETA has also established the Recovery Clearinghouse to provide technical assistance in implementing WIA and other funds appropriated under the ARRA. The site contains answers to questions, a schedule of ETA webinars, and links to register for the webinars, as well as recordings of previous webinars and other resources. Questions about implementating ARRA ETA funds can be emailed to eta.economicrecovery@dol.gov. DOL has frequent focused webinars, many dealing with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act issues. The dates and times of future webinars, as well as recordings of past webinars, are listed on the Workforce3 One Web site. The U.S. Department of Education's ARRA Web page contains an overview of the law as it pertains to educational programs, and links to summaries of amounts provided to each state and descriptions of specific provisions (e.g., funds for construction and renovation). The page will be updated frequently. To receive up-to-date education-related ARRA information, subscribe to the Department of Education RSS feed. (In order to subscribe, you must download an RSS "news reader;" a number of free or shareware news readers (such as Google Reader) are available for download on the Internet. You can then add the Department of Education ARRA RSS feed to your news reader. To do this, add a new entry that points to http://www.ed.gov/rss/arracomms.xml.) The Department of Education will award governors approximately $48.6 billion by formula under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund program in exchange for a commitment to advance essential education reforms to benefit students from early learning through post-secondary education. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will award $8.2 billion in ARRA funding for projects that will stimulate the economy and create or retain jobs, and that have the potential for making scientific progress in two years. At this time NIH intends to fund both recently peer reviewed and new highly meritorious research projects that can be accomplished in two years or less; supplement current grants; and support new activities such as the NIH Challenge Grants in Health and Science Research. The National Center for Research Resources within the National Institutes of Health received $1 billion in ARRA funding for construction, repairs, and alterations in support of all NIH-funded research institutions. See Request for Applications Number RFA-RR-09-007 and Request for Applications Number RFA-RR-09-008 for details. The ARRA also provides $300 million to the National Center for Research Resources for shared instrumentation and other capital equipment to support all NIH activities. See Announcement Number PAR-09-118 for details. The U.S. Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service has released new information on the tax credit bonds in the ARRA. Using these bonds can cut construction costs by as much as half on large projects. The National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities offers a comprehensive summary of the school construction and renovation opportunities through ARRA. Learning Point Associates has developed a "one stop" Web site for educators seeking information on the ARRA. The site contains links to specific pages on the U.S. Department of Education Web site and other education-related Web sites, as well as in-depth explanations and analyses of the different grant opportunities. Learning Point Associates is hosting a webinar on "Leveraging Stimulus Funds for Lasting Change" on April 8 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT. This webinar is specifically targeted to educators and administrators in school districts. Registration is free. Details can be found at Learning Point Associates' Education Recovery and Reinvestment Center. Pre-K Now, a project of the Pew Center on the States, has posted links to information on ARRA funding for early-education programs on its Web site. Highlights include guidance from budget and early-education policy experts, listings of key state and federal resources, and examples of how states are using ARRA funds for pre-k programs. |