Commission Policy | CPS 02-2024 Program Year (PY) 2024 NCWorks Local Innovation Fund Reentry Grant

Date: May 8, 2024
Subject: Program Year (PY) 2024 NCWorks Local Innovation Fund Reentry Grant
From: Tom B. Rabon, Jr., Chair, NCWorks Commission

Purpose:

To announce the availability of NCWorks Local Innovation Fund Reentry Grant.

Background:

As part of Governor Roy Cooper’s NC Job Ready initiative, the $125,000 Local Innovation Fund will finance a special grant in communities to support an innovative program or adapt and replicate a successful program model to address local and/or regional workforce issues which center around the reentry population.

The fund will support projects that do one or more of the following:

Address the reentry population, which is traditionally underserved and currently disconnected from the education and workforce system.
Bring together diverse community organizations to serve the reentry population.
Increase educational attainment within the reentry population.
Address Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in our workforce system, specifically for those individuals in the reentry population; and/or
Develop talent pipelines for in-demand and/or high-wage occupations specifically for those individuals in the reentry population.

The NCWorks Local Innovation Fund Reentry Grant may last for a period of two years and be awarded up to $125,000 to assist communities that already have a collaborative team and an innovative idea ready for implementation and have built the local support needed to be successful.

Action:

Applicants for the NCWorks Local Innovation Fund Reentry Grant must consist of partnerships of multiple organizations that will actively support the work of the grant. Each partnership must include the local area Workforce Development Board (WDB) as the lead agency, as well as education, community, labor, and business leaders. Grantees will be required to sign a written agreement in the form provided by the NCWorks Commission containing additional grant requirements and may be required to provide certain documentation prior to receiving the funding. Grantees will be monitored, subject to site visits, and other accountability requirements. The WDB, which will receive the funds for the partnership, will serve as the financial administrator and be responsible for the appropriate use of the funds.

Fund expenditures must follow Financial Management Policy PS 20-2017, Change 1 and CPS 02-2022 Procurement and Contracting Policy.

Project participants must be enrolled in a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) program and registered in NCWorks Online. All participants will be included in State performance measures as identified by the United States Department of Labor (USDOL).

The NCWorks Innovation Fund Reentry Grant program is supported by the USDOL and is fully financed with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) federal funds.

Applications must be completed and submitted by June 7, 2024.

Effective Date:

Immediately

Expiration:

June 30, 2026

Contact:

NCWorks Commission Staff

Attachments:

NCWorks Local Innovation Fund Reentry Grant Guidelines and Application
NCWorks Local Innovation Fund Reentry Grant Signature Page
NCWorks Local Innovation Fund Reentry Grant Partnership Chart
NCWorks Local Innovation Fund Reentry Grant Budget Summary
NCWorks Local Innovation Fund Reentry Grant Goals, Outcomes, and Measures

Documents

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