[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 119 (Thursday, June 24, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33249-33255]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-13382]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for Selection as a Performance Partnership Pilot;
Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth
AGENCY: Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, Department of
Education.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of Education (ED or Department) is issuing a
notice inviting applications for selection as a performance partnership
pilot for fiscal year (FY) 2021 under the Performance Partnership
Pilots for Disconnected Youth (P3) authority. This notice relates to
the approved information collection under OMB control number 1830-0575.
DATES:
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 23, 2021.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: October 22, 2021.
Deadline for Requests for Technical Assistance (optional): July 26,
2021.
ADDRESSES: Braden Goetz, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland
Avenue SW, Room 11141, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202.
Telephone: (202) 245-7405. Email: [email protected]. Or Corinne
Sauri, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room
10362, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202)
245-6412.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Braden Goetz, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 10401, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 245-7405. Email:
[email protected]. Or Corinne Sauri, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 10362, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 245-6412.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-
800-877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Full Text of Announcement
I. Pilot Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: P3 was first authorized by Congress in FY 2014
by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (2014 Act), and the
authority has been included by Congress in appropriations acts each
year since FY 2014, most recently in the Consolidated Appropriations
Act, 2021 (Pub. L. 116-260) (2021 Act). The FY 2021 P3 authority
enables pilot sites to blend FY 2021 Federal funds and obtain waivers
of program requirements, including statutory, regulatory, and
administrative requirements that are barriers to achieving improved
outcomes for youth-serving programs included in the authority. Under
P3, pilots can test innovative strategies to achieve significant
improvements in
[[Page 33250]]
educational, employment, and other key outcomes for disconnected youth
using the flexibility provided by P3.
Background:
The economic crisis that has resulted from the coronavirus disease
2019 (COVID-19) pandemic threatens to erase nearly a decade of progress
in reducing the percentage of young people ages 16 to 24 in the United
States who are neither employed nor enrolled in school, also known as
disconnected youth. Between 2010 and 2018, the most recent year for
which complete data are available, the percentage of youth who were
disconnected dropped from 14.7 percent to 11.2 percent.\1\ However, the
COVID-19 recession has had a severe impact on the employment of young
adults ages 16 to 24, with one-quarter of them losing their jobs from
February to May 2020.\2\ While the youth unemployment rate has declined
somewhat since that time, it remains high. In April 2021, the
unemployment rate for 16- to 19-year-olds was 12.3 percent, while the
unemployment rate for 20- to 24-year-olds was 10.5 percent.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Lewis, Kristen (2020), A Decade Undone: Youth Disconnection
in the Age of Coronavirus. New York: Measure of America, Social
Science Research Council. Retrieved from: https://ssrc-static.s3.amazonaws.com/moa/ADecadeUndone.pdf.
\2\ Kochhar, Rakesh (June 9, 2020), Fact Tank News in Numbers:
Hispanic women, immigrants, young adults, those with less education
hit hardest by COVID-19 job losses. Washington, DC: Pew Research
Center. Retrieved from: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/06/09/hispanic-women-immigrants-young-adults-those-with-less-education-hit-hardest-by-covid-19-job-losses/www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/06/09/hispanic-women-immigrants-young-adults-those-with-less-education-hit-hardest-by-covid-19-job-losses/.
\3\ Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor (May 7,
2021), Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey.
Retrieved from: https://www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cpseea10.htmwww.bls.gov/web/empsit/cpseea10.htm.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Even prior to the current recession, however, large gaps in the
percentage of young people ages 16 to 24 who were neither working nor
enrolled in school persisted among young people of different racial and
ethnic groups. In 2018, the disconnection rate for white youth was 9.2
percent, while the disconnection rates for Black, Hispanic, and Native
American youth were 17.4 percent, 12.8 percent, and 23.4 percent,
respectively. While the overall disconnection rate was lowest for Asian
youth, 6.2 percent, there were high rates of disconnection among some
Asian subgroups, with 13.8 percent of Cambodian youth and 10.2 percent
of Hmong youth disconnected in 2018.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Lewis, op cit., p. 22.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
President Biden has committed the full resources of the Federal
government to reversing the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. In
Executive Order 14002, Economic Relief Related to the COVID-19
Pandemic, he directed Federal agencies to consider actions that improve
access to, reduce unnecessary barriers to, and improve coordination
among programs funded in whole or in part by the Federal Government.\5\
In Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for
Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, the President
committed the Administration to a whole-of-government equity agenda to
address inequities and systemic racism. Federal agencies were
challenged to take a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for
all, including people of color and others who have been historically
underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty
and inequality.\6\ P3 may be a useful tool for advancing policy
objectives in both Executive orders.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/27/2021-01923/economic-relief-related-to-the-covid-19-pandemicwww.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/27/2021-01923/economic-relief-related-to-the-covid-19-pandemicwww.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/27/2021-01923/economic-relief-related-to-the-covid-19-pandemicwww.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/27/2021-01923/economic-relief-related-to-the-covid-19-pandemic.
\6\ https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/25/2021-01753/advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-governmentwww.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/25/2021-01753/advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
P3 gives ED; the Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human
Services (HHS), and Justice (DOJ); \7\ the Corporation for National and
Community Service (CNCS); and the Institute of Museum and Library
Services (collectively, the Agencies) authority, provided certain
conditions and requirements are met, to waive Federal statutory and
regulatory requirements that inhibit access to assistance and effective
service delivery for disconnected youth.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ DOJ's Office of Justice Programs was first authorized to
enter into performance agreements by the Consolidated and Further
Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
P3 authorizes the Agencies to enter into Performance Partnership
Agreements (performance agreements) with State, local, or Tribal
governments. The performance agreements provide pilots with additional
flexibility in the use of certain of the Agencies' discretionary
funds,\8\ including competitive and formula grant funds. Pilots must
include two or more Federal programs (at least one of which is
administered in whole or in part by a State, local, or Tribal
government) that are targeted on disconnected youth, or designed to
prevent youth from disconnecting from school or work, and that provide
education, training, employment, and other related social services.
Entities that seek to participate in these pilots should commit to
achieving significant improvements in outcomes for disconnected youth
in exchange for flexibility permitted under P3. The authorizing statute
states that improving outcomes for disconnected youth means increasing
the rate at which individuals between the ages of 14 and 24 (who are
low-income and either homeless, in foster care, involved in the
juvenile justice system, unemployed, or not enrolled in or at risk of
dropping out of an educational institution) achieve success in meeting
educational, employment, or other key goals (Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2014, Division H, Section 526(a)(2)).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ For the purposes of P3, discretionary funds are funds that
Congress appropriates on an annual basis, rather than through a
standing authorization. They exclude ``entitlement'' (or mandatory)
programs, such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, most Foster
Care IV-E programs, Vocational Rehabilitation State Grants, and
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. Discretionary programs
administered by the Agencies support a broad set of public services,
including education, workforce development, health and mental
health, and other low-income assistance programs.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This notice invites applications for selection as FY 2021 pilots
and offers opportunities for prospective applicants to obtain optional
technical assistance from the Agencies prior to applying. The purpose
of the pre-application technical assistance is to help prospective
applicants identify and propose to address, through waivers, blending
of funds, or other flexibilities, Federal barriers to effective and
integrated service delivery that will improve the educational and
employment outcomes of disconnected youth.
If interest in technical assistance exceeds the Agencies' capacity
to provide it, the Agencies will give first priority to assisting
eligible entities that intend to serve communities that have
experienced civil unrest because the statutory authority for FY 2021
directs the Agencies to include such communities among the designated
pilots. Second priority will be given to requests for technical
assistance from applicants that propose to serve the highest numbers of
disconnected youth.
Flexibilities Available Under P3
P3 provides important opportunities to improve access to Federal
programs
[[Page 33251]]
and their effectiveness in addressing the needs of disconnected youth.
The Agencies have published on Youth.gov a list of the waivers
previously granted to pilots under the prior rounds of P3 in which
pilots were designated.\9\ These waivers were helpful to the pilots
that received them, and, in this latest round, the Agencies hope that
applicants propose even more ambitious and bold efforts to remove
Federal constraints on effective and innovative service delivery for
disconnected youth. We provide several examples below.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ The list of previously granted waivers is available at
https://youth.gov/sites/default/files/P3-Waiver-List-FINAL_2018-12-10.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
These examples are provided for illustrative purposes only, and the
allowability of specific proposals will depend on the unique
circumstances of individual applicants. Any waivers must be consistent
with the statutory safeguards that apply to P3, discussed below, and
the Agencies will consider whether the inclusion of a program in a
specific pilot is consistent with, or conflicts with, other significant
legal or policy considerations. Also, the Agencies will review the
blending of competitive grants on a case-by-case basis to consider how
the scope, objectives, and target populations of the existing award
align with the proposed pilot. Any changes in terms and conditions of
the existing competitive grant awards required for pilot purposes must
be justified by the applicant. In addition, the Agencies can only waive
Federal statutory or regulatory requirements. The Agencies encourage
applicants to analyze whether their request also requires State or
local rule changes to implement, as those rules are not under the
jurisdiction of the Agencies to waive for P3.
Example A: P3 enables State, local, and Tribal governments to blend
dollars from multiple Federal funding streams to provide more
comprehensive, holistic services for youth without having to allocate
costs among the contributing programs and separately track and report
on each source of funding. For example, a State could propose to use P3
to support a comprehensive education, training, and reentry services
program for youthful offenders before, during, and after their
confinement. Funding for the project could be contributed from the
Governor's reserve of the State's Workforce Innovation and Opportunity
Act (WIOA) Title I Youth program grant, the State's Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention Act Title II State grant, and the State
educational agency's Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
(ESEA) Title I, Part D grant for Prevention and Intervention Programs
for Children and Youth Who are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk of
Dropping Out. The State also could propose to use P3 to waive the
statutory performance indicators and reporting requirements under the
three programs, replacing them with one set of indicators tailored to
match the objectives of the project that the State reports on annually.
Funds available to the State for evaluation under section 116(e)(1) of
WIOA could be used to evaluate the program.
Example B: A number of Federal grant programs that award funds by
formula to States, such as the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical
Education Act of 2006, as amended by the Strengthening Career and
Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V), require or
allow States to set aside funds for State-level activities. In most
cases, program statutes specify through a list of authorized or
required activities how States may or must use funds reserved for
State-level activities. A State could request a waiver that would allow
it to use State-level funds to support an activity that goes beyond the
required and permissive activities set out in the relevant program
statute. More specifically, a State might propose to use funds for an
activity that, while not clearly included as an allowable use of funds
under the relevant statutory list of authorized activities, is designed
to improve outcomes for disconnected youth and is consistent with the
statutory purposes of the program. For example, section 124 of Perkins
V contains a list of allowable activities that States may use State-
level set-aside funds to support. Through P3, a State might seek a
waiver to allow it to use State-level Perkins V set-aside funds to
support an activity that is designed to improve career and technical
education, even though that activity is not specifically included as an
authorized activity under section 124 of Perkins V. A State could
propose to blend State leadership funds available under section 124 of
Perkins V with funds available to the State from its Student Support
and Academic Enrichment Grant under Title IV, Part A of the ESEA to
support career and technical education instruction for disconnected
youth who are working in transitional \10\ jobs that are part of a
construction project that aims to bring high-speed internet
connectivity to six rural counties in a remote area of the State. The
local workforce development boards that serve the six counties under
WIOA could contribute funds for the project from their WIOA Title I
Adult program grants, obtaining a waiver to increase the share of local
WIOA Title I Adult funds that can be spent on transitional jobs from 10
to 15 percent.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\10\ Transitional jobs are time-limited, subsidized paid work
experiences that are provided in combination with education and
training services for individuals who are chronically unemployed or
have an inconsistent work history to establish a work history,
demonstrate success in the workplace, and develop the skills that
lead to entry into and retention in unsubsidized employment. See
section 134(d)(5) of WIOA.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Example C: Some Federal programs contain statutory or regulatory
requirements that limit the duration of an individual's participation
in a program. Due to service interruptions and disruptions caused by
the pandemic, participants may not have been able to take full
advantage of the opportunities provided by a program over the last
year. A P3 applicant could seek flexibility to waive eligibility
requirements to extend the duration of an individual's participation in
the program as part of a larger strategy to compensate for the time and
learning that youth lost to the pandemic. For example, a State, local,
or Tribal governmental unit administering a YouthBuild grant \11\ could
seek to extend program services to individuals beyond 24 months; a
State recipient of a 7-year Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for
Undergraduate Programs grant \12\ could seek to extend services through
a participant's second year of enrollment in an institution of higher
education; and a private nonprofit organization managing a Transitional
Living program grant \13\ for homeless youth could apply in partnership
with a State, local, or Tribal government to extend the duration of its
services beyond 540 days or to serve youth older than age 21.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\11\ The YouthBuild grant program is authorized by section 171
of WIOA (29 U.S.C. 3226).
\12\ The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate
Programs grant program is authorized by section 404A of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a-21).
\13\ The Transitional Living grant program is authorized by
section 321 of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act
(34 U.S.C. 11221). For this program, the term ``homeless youth'' is
defined in 45 CFR 1351.1(f) as ``a person under 18 years of age who
is in need of services and without a place of shelter where he or
she receives supervision and care.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Example D: P3 authority can also be used by applicants to propose
changes to projects funded under multiple Federal grants that are each,
separately, intended to support programs designed to help disconnected
youth achieve greater success in meeting their educational and
employment goals. A public college or university that is
[[Page 33252]]
considered a unit of State or local government could request waivers to
blend discretionary, non-entitlement student aid funds under Title IV
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), dollars received through
various Federal formula programs, and competitive grant funds in ways
that would achieve better outcomes for disconnected youth. For example,
a public college or university might propose to increase the share of
the Federal Work Study (FWS) program funds available for Job Location
and Development programs and waive the 25 percent cap on the amount of
the school's allocation that may be used to pay wages to students
employed with private, for-profit organizations so that it could use
all or more than 25 percent of its FWS funds to provide students who
are at risk of dropping out with subsidized career internships in the
private sector that are aligned with students' educational and career
goals. To help students identify their career goals, the college or
university could partner with a local American Job Center, which uses
funds from the WIOA Title I Adult program, to provide students with
intensive career counseling and information relating to local
occupations in demand and their earnings and skill requirements.
Similarly, a community college could request waivers to blend and use a
portion of a TRIO Educational Opportunity Center grant and its WIOA
Title II Adult Education and Family Literacy Act program subgrant to
implement an intensive integrated education and training program for
young adults who lack a high school credential.
Example E: P3 waivers can help a State, local, or Tribal government
and its partners use funds from multiple competitive and formula grants
more cohesively and effectively and relieve some of the paperwork or
reporting requirements associated with these grants. For example, a
State or local government could establish a pilot in partnership with a
community-based organization that serves Native Hawaiians that is the
recipient of a Social and Economic Development Strategies grant from
the Administration for Native Americans in HHS, a Native Hawaiian
Education program grant under the ESEA and a Native Hawaiian Career and
Technical Education grant from ED, and an Indian and Native American
Program Employment and Training Grant from DOL. Under the pilot, this
organization could work with its governmental partner to obtain P3
waivers and other flexibilities that would enable it to blend these
funds to carry out a pre-apprenticeship program for Native Hawaiian
youth that prepares them for a Registered Apprenticeship. Through P3,
it also could request to replace the reporting requirements associated
with each of these grants with a single set of outcome goals that the
governmental partner and the organization deem most critical for Native
Hawaiian youth.
Example F: P3 waivers can help programs reach currently unserved
disconnected youth. Current ED regulations for the TRIO programs limit
participation in these programs to citizens or permanent residents of
the United States, or individuals who are in the United States for
other than a temporary purpose who provide evidence from the
Immigration and Naturalization Service of their intent to become a
permanent resident.\14\ Applying in partnership with affiliated local
public institutions of higher education that administer TRIO grants, a
multi-State consortium of public college or university systems that are
considered units of State government could seek a waiver of this
requirement so that their affiliated schools could use TRIO funds to
serve disconnected youth who qualify for the Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program \15\ or who have Temporary Protected
Status.\16\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\14\ See 34 CFR 643.3 (Talent Search), 34 CFR 644.3 (Educational
Opportunity Centers), 34 CFR 645.3 (Upward Bound), 34 CFR 646.3
(Student Support Services), and 34 CFR 647.3 (Ronald E. McNair
Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program).
\15\ In 2012, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began
implementing the DACA policy, which allows youth who were brought to
the United States as children and who meet certain criteria to
request consideration for deferred action, involving a case-by-case
determination by DHS not to pursue an individual's removal from the
United States for an initial two-year period as a matter of
prosecutorial discretion. DACA recipients can live and go to school
in the United States and may be eligible to obtain work
authorization while their deferred action remains in effect. For
more information, see https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/consideration-of-deferred-action-for-childhood-arrivals-dacawww.uscis.gov/humanitarian/consideration-of-deferred-action-for-childhood-arrivals-dacawww.uscis.gov/humanitarian/consideration-of-deferred-action-for-childhood-arrivals-dacawww.uscis.gov/humanitarian/consideration-of-deferred-action-for-childhood-arrivals-daca.
\16\ The Secretary of Homeland Security may designate a foreign
country for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) due to conditions in
the country that temporarily prevent the country's nationals from
returning safely, or in certain circumstances, where the country is
unable to handle the return of its nationals adequately. United
States Citizenship and Immigration Services may grant TPS to
eligible nationals of certain countries (or parts of countries), who
are already in the United States. During a designated period,
individuals who are TPS beneficiaries are not removable from the
United States and can obtain work authorization. For more
information, see https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/temporary-protected-statuswww.uscis.gov/humanitarian/temporary-protected-statuswww.uscis.gov/humanitarian/temporary-protected-statuswww.uscis.gov/humanitarian/temporary-protected-status.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Example G: P3 waivers can make childcare more accessible for youth
who are parents and pursuing a postsecondary degree or credential but
at risk of leaving without a degree or credential or employment due to
the lack of childcare. A public college or university that receives
funds under the Strengthening Institutions program authorized by Title
III, Part A of the HEA could obtain a waiver of the regulatory
prohibition against using a portion of these funds for childcare
services in order to augment the childcare services it provides with
its Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program grant. Although
the P3 authority provides broad waiver authority to increase
flexibility and relieve burden in order to improve the effectiveness of
Federal funding for disconnected youth, it is important to note that
there are some limitations on the waivers. In particular, as stated in
the original statutory authority for P3, the P3 waivers--
May not involve any requirement related to
nondiscrimination, wage and labor standards, or the allocation of funds
to State and sub-State levels;
Must be consistent with the statutory purposes of the
Federal program for which such discretionary funds were appropriated;
May not result in denying or restricting the eligibility
of any individual for any of the services that (in whole or in part)
are funded by the agency's programs and Federal discretionary funds
that are involved in the pilot;
Based on the best available information, may not otherwise
adversely affect vulnerable populations that are the recipients of such
services;
Must be necessary to achieve the outcomes of the pilot as
specified in the performance agreement, and no broader in scope than is
necessary to achieve such outcomes; and
Must result in either: (a) Realizing efficiencies by
simplifying reporting burdens or reducing administrative barriers with
respect to such discretionary funds; or (b) increasing the ability of
individuals to obtain access to services that are provided by the
discretionary funds.
FY 2021
P3 was reauthorized for FY 2021 for programs administered by all of
the six Agencies, and the Agencies may select up to 10 pilots.
[[Page 33253]]
An applicant must propose to include FY 2021 funds from at least
one of the six Agencies.
If Congress extends the P3 authority in future years, pilots may
propose to amend the number of Federal programs supporting pilot
activities using future funding appropriated. However, authority for
pilots to expand in future years is subject to congressional action as
well as agency discretion.
Application Requirements:
The application requirements for this opportunity are from the
notice of final priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection
criteria for this program published on April 28, 2016, in the Federal
Register (81 FR 25339) (P3 NFP) and are as follows:
(a) Executive summary. The applicant must provide an executive
summary that briefly describes the proposed pilot, the flexibilities
being sought, and the interventions or systems changes that would be
implemented by the applicant and its partners to improve outcomes for
disconnected youth.
(b) Flexibility, including waivers:
Federal requests for flexibility, including waivers. For each
program to be included in a pilot, the applicant must complete Table 1,
Requested Flexibility. The applicant must identify two or more
discretionary Federal programs that will be included in the pilot,\17\
at least one of which must be administered (in whole or in part) by a
State, local, or Tribal government.\18\ In Table 1, the applicant must
identify one or more program requirements that would inhibit
implementation of the pilot and request that the requirement(s) be
waived in whole or in part. Examples of potential waiver requests and
other requests for flexibility include, but are not limited to,
blending of funds and changes to align eligibility requirements,
allowable uses of funds, and performance reporting.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\17\ Applicants are encouraged to consult the list of examples
of programs that are potentially eligible for inclusion in pilots at
https://youth.gov/youth-topics/reconnecting-youth/performance-partnership-pilots.
\18\ Local governments that are requesting waivers of
requirements in State-administered programs are strongly encouraged
to consult with the State agencies that administer the programs in
preparing their applications.
Table 1--Requested Flexibility
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Program requirements
Program name Federal Agency to be waived in whole Statutory or Name of program Blending funds? (yes/
or in part regulatory citation grantee no)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Please note in ``Name of Program Grantee'' if the grantee is a State, local, or Tribal government, or nongovernmental entity.
Program Requirements:
The program requirement for this opportunity is from the P3 NFP.
Performance Agreement. Each P3 pilot, along with other non-Federal
government entities involved in the partnership, must enter into a
performance agreement that will include, at a minimum, the following
(as required by section 526(c)(2) of Division H of the 2014 Act):
(a) The length of the agreement;
(b) The Federal programs and federally funded services that are
involved in the pilot;
(c) The Federal discretionary funds that are being used in the
pilot;
(d) The non[hyphen]Federal funds that are involved in the pilot, by
source (which may include private funds as well as governmental funds)
and by amount;
(e) The State, local, or Tribal programs that are involved in the
pilot;
(f) The populations to be served by the pilot;
(g) The cost-effective Federal oversight procedures that will be
used for the purpose of maintaining the necessary level of
accountability for the use of the Federal discretionary funds;
(h) The cost-effective State, local, or Tribal oversight procedures
that will be used for the purpose of maintaining the necessary level of
accountability for the use of the Federal discretionary funds;
(i) The outcome (or outcomes) that the pilot is designed to
achieve;
(j) The appropriate, reliable, and objective outcome measurement
methodology that will be used to determine whether the pilot is
achieving, and has achieved, specified outcomes;
(k) The statutory, regulatory, or administrative requirements
related to Federal mandatory programs that are barriers to achieving
improved outcomes of the pilot; and
(l) Criteria for determining when a pilot is not achieving the
specified outcomes that it is designed to achieve and subsequent steps,
including:
(1) The consequences that will result; and
(2) The corrective actions that will be taken in order to increase
the likelihood that the pilot will achieve such specified outcomes.
Definitions: The following definitions are from the P3 NFP.
Blended funding is a funding and resource allocation strategy that
uses multiple existing funding streams to support a single initiative
or strategy. Blended funding merges two or more funding streams, or
portions of multiple funding streams, to produce greater efficiency
and/or effectiveness. Funds from each individual stream lose their
award-specific identity, and the blended funds together become subject
to a single set of reporting and other requirements, consistent with
the underlying purposes of the programs for which the funds were
appropriated.
An interim indicator is a marker of achievement that demonstrates
progress toward an outcome and is measured at least annually.
Outcomes are the intended results of a program or intervention.
They are what applicants expect their projects to achieve. An outcome
can be measured at the participant level (for example, changes in
employment retention or earnings of disconnected youth) or at the
system level (for example, improved efficiency in program operations or
administration).
A waiver provides flexibility in the form of relief, in whole or in
part, from specific statutory, regulatory, or administrative
requirements that have hindered the ability of a State, locality, or
Tribe to organize its programs and systems or provide services in ways
that best meet the needs of its target populations. Under P3, waivers
provide flexibility in exchange for a pilot's commitment to improve
programmatic outcomes for disconnected youth consistent with underlying
statutory authorities and purposes.
Program Authority: Section 524 of Title III, Division H of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L. 116-260).
Note: Projects will be awarded and must be operated in a manner
consistent with the nondiscrimination
[[Page 33254]]
requirements contained in Federal civil rights laws.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 86, 97,
98, and 99, and such other regulations as the Agencies may apply based
on the programs included in a particular pilot. (b) The Office of
Management and Budget Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide
Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted
and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3485. (c)
The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit
Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and
amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3474. (d) The P3
NFP.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of
higher education only.
II. Performance Pilot Designation Information
Type of Award: Flexibility.
Estimated Available Funds: None.
Estimated Number of Designations: 10 pilots.
Project Period: FY 2021 pilots may operate for as long as FY 2021
appropriated funds remain available to pilots to obligate to support
project activities, but not past September 30, 2025.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: The lead applicant must be a State, local,
or Tribal government entity, represented by a chief executive, such as
a governor, mayor, or other elected leader, or the head of a State,
local, or Tribal agency.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost
sharing or matching.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Application Submission Instructions: Applicants must submit
completed applications to [email protected] unless electronic
submission is not possible. Where electronic submission is not possible
(e.g., you do not have access to the internet), you must provide a
written statement that you intend to submit a paper application. Send
this written statement no later than two weeks before the application
deadline date (14 calendar days or, if the 14th calendar day before the
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business
day following the Federal holiday). If you mail your written statement
to the Department, it must be postmarked no later than two weeks before
the application deadline date. Please send this statement to the person
listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice.
If you submit a paper application, you must mail the original and two
copies of your application, on or before the application deadline date,
to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of
Education, Application Control Center, LBJ Basement Level 1, 400
Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202-4260. You must show proof of
mailing consisting of one of the following: (1) A legibly dated U.S.
Postal Service postmark. (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of
mailing stamped by the U.S. Postal Service. (3) A dated shipping label,
invoice, or receipt from a commercial carrier. (4) Any other proof of
mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of
Education. If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal
Service, we do not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark. (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by
the U.S. Postal Service.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your
local post office.
We will not consider applications postmarked after the application
deadline date.
2. Submission of Proprietary Information: Given the types of
projects that may be proposed in applications for the P3 opportunity,
your application may include business information that you consider
proprietary. In 34 CFR 5.11 we define ``business information'' and
describe the process we use in determining whether any of that
information is proprietary and, thus, protected from disclosure under
Exemption 4 of the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552, as
amended).
Because we plan to make successful applications available to the
public, including performance agreements, and may make all applications
available, you may wish to request confidentiality of business
information.
Consistent with Executive Order 12600, please designate in your
application any information that you believe is exempt from disclosure
under Exemption 4. In the appropriate appendix section of your
application, please list the page number or numbers on which we can
find this information. For additional information please see 34 CFR
5.11(c).
3. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
4. Recommended Page Limit: The application narrative is where you,
the applicant, provide the information specified in the application
requirements and address the selection criteria that reviewers use to
evaluate your application. We recommend that you (1) limit the
application narrative to no more than five pages and (2) use the
following standards:
A ``page'' is 8.5 x 11, on one side
only, with 1 margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings,
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions.
Use a font that is either 12 point or larger.
Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier,
Courier New, or Arial.
5. Requests for Technical Assistance: For interested eligible
entities, the Agencies are offering technical assistance over the next
several months that will help prospective applicants to identify
Federal impediments to effective and integrated service delivery for
disconnected youth and flexibilities that can be removed under P3 and
to develop an application submission for a P3 pilot. The Agencies want
to engage with as many eligible entities as possible and will accept
technical assistance requests on a rolling basis until July 26, 2021.
If interest in technical assistance exceeds the Agencies' capacity to
provide it, the Agencies will give first priority to assisting eligible
entities that intend to serve communities that have experienced civil
unrest, because the statutory authority for FY 2021 directs the
Agencies to include such communities among the designated pilots.\19\
Second priority will be given to requests for technical assistance from
applicants that propose to serve the highest numbers of disconnected
youth. To request technical assistance, please email
[email protected] with the subject line ``Request for Technical
Assistance,'' and include the prospective applicant's name, a contact
person's name and email address, and the names of the Federal programs
that the prospective applicant is interested in including in a P3
pilot. Applicants that do not request technical assistance
[[Page 33255]]
may still apply for designation as a pilot; applicants that do request
technical assistance are not bound to apply or bound by the information
provided in their initial request for technical assistance.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\19\ Section 524(a), Title III, Division H, Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2021, Public Law 116-260.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications under this
opportunity must be submitted electronically unless electronic
submission is not possible.
Please note the following:
The Department is not publishing an application package
for this program. To submit an application, provide all of the
information specified in the application requirements. Additionally,
complete and submit Standard Form 424B, Assurances for Non-Construction
Programs (available at www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html) with your application.
The Department must receive your application by 11:59 p.m.
Eastern Standard Time on August 23, 2021. We will notify you if we are
rejecting your application because it was received after the
application deadline date.
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
forms at a later date.
V. Application Review Information
1. Review and Selection Process: The Department will screen
applications that are submitted in accordance with the requirements in
this notice and will determine which applications are eligible to be
read based on whether they have met the eligibility and application
requirements.
The Secretary of Education (Secretary) will also consider
compliance with assurances, including those applicable to Federal civil
rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities
receiving Federal financial assistance (such as, for ED programs, 34
CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
2. Review of Requests for Flexibility, Including Blending of Funds
and Other Waivers: Representatives of the Agencies that administer
programs under which flexibility in Federal requirements is sought will
evaluate whether the flexibility, including blending of funds and other
waivers, requested by applicants meets the statutory requirements for
P3 and is otherwise appropriate. For example, if an applicant is
seeking flexibility under programs administered by HHS and DOL, its
requests for flexibility will be reviewed by HHS and DOL officials.
Applicants may be asked to participate in telephone calls at this point
in the process in order to clarify requests for flexibility and other
aspects of their proposals.
3. Selecting Finalists: Agency officials may recommend projects for
selection by the Secretary. In consultation with the other Agencies,
the Secretary will select up to 10 finalists after considering the
recommendations of the Agencies that administer the programs for which
the applicants are seeking flexibility, and other information,
including an applicant's performance and use of funds and compliance
history under a previous award under any agency program. In selecting
pilots, the Secretary will first give priority to applicants that will
serve communities that have experienced civil unrest, to address the
statutory requirement that designated pilots include communities that
have experienced civil unrest, and will then select those applications
that will serve the highest numbers of disconnected youth.
For each finalist, ED and any other Agencies implicated in the
pilot will negotiate the performance agreement. If a performance
agreement cannot be finalized for an applicant, an alternative
applicant may be selected as a finalist instead. The recommended
projects will be considered finalists until performance agreements are
signed by all parties, and pilot designation will be awarded only after
finalization and approval of each finalist's performance agreement.
VI. Designation Administration Information
1. Designation Notices: If your application is successful, we
notify your U.S. Representative(s) and U.S. Senators and send you a
letter notification of your selection as a pilot. We may notify you
informally, also.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected as a pilot, we
will notify you.
2. Performance Measures: The performance agreement for each pilot
will include outcome measures, interim indicators, and targets.
VII. Other Information
Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities
can obtain this document in an accessible format. The Department will
provide the requestor with an accessible format that may include Rich
Text Format (RTF) or text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file,
braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc, or other accessible
format.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of
Federal Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. At this site you can view this
document, as well as all other documents of this Department published
in the Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at
the site.
You may also access documents of the Department published in the
Federal Register by using the article search feature at
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published
by the Department.
Dated: June 21, 2021.
Amy Loyd,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education.
[FR Doc. 2021-13382 Filed 6-23-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P