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AELA Funding Opportunity FAQs

Purpose

This page provides answers to questions submitted by participants on the November 30th webinar.  The questions have also been added to the overall Q&A document and distributed to prospective applicants.

Eligible Applicants

Q: What does a program need to provide to be considered an Adult Education Program?

A: As noted on page 3 and 4 of the grant application, in order for a program to be considered an Adult Education Program, they must provide any or all of the following:

  • adult basic education,
  • adult education leading to a high school equivalency credential,
  • English as a Second language instruction, or
  • integrated basic education and skills training.

Q: Can an agency submit more than one application, or is it limited to one per agency?

A: Because this grant has limited funding availability per fiscal agent and a possibility of the number of applicants exceeding the total funding, we would not encourage one agency to be the fiscal agent for two separate grants.

Q: Can an applicant apply for both the state-funded Adult Education and Literacy Act grant and the federally-funded Adult Education and Family Literacy Act grant?

A: Yes. These are two separate funding sources that can be applied for separately.

Q: Can our postsecondary education/ training partner be a partner in another application?

A: Yes. An agency/institution can be a partner in more than one application.

Q: Would an alternative high school be considered a local education provider?

A: As noted on page 3 and 4 of the grant application, in order for a program to be considered an Adult Education Program, they must provide any or all of the following:

  • adult basic education,
  • adult education leading to a high school equivalency credential,
  • English as a Second language instruction, or
  • integrated basic education and skills training.

An eligible Local Education Providers could be any of these:

  • A secondary or postsecondary, public or private, nonprofit educational entity, including but not limited to a school district, charter school, board of cooperative services (BOCES), state institution of higher education, junior college, and area vocational school;
  • A community-based, nonprofit agency or organization;
  • A library;
  • A literacy council or other literacy institute;
  • A business or business association that provides adult education and literacy programs either on- site or off-site;
  • A volunteer literacy organization;
  • A work force board**;
  • A one-stop partner**; and
  • A consortium of entities listed above.

**As defined in The “Colorado Career Advancement Act,” Part 2 of Article 83 of title 8, C.R.S.

Q: Would a jail/detention center be considered?

A: As noted on page 3 and 4 of the grant application, in order for a program to be considered an Adult Education Program, they must provide any or all of the following:

  • adult basic education,
  • adult education leading to a high school equivalency credential,
  • English as a Second language instruction, or
  • integrated basic education and skills training.

Local Education Providers that operate as an adult education program are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity. Eligible Local Education Providers could be:

  • A secondary or postsecondary, public or private, nonprofit educational entity, including but not limited to a school district, charter school, board of cooperative services (BOCES), state institution of higher education, junior college, and area vocational school;
  • A community-based, nonprofit agency or organization;
  • A library;
  • A literacy council or other literacy institute;
  • A business or business association that provides adult education and literacy programs either on- site or off-site;
  • A volunteer literacy organization;
  • A work force board**;
  • A one-stop partner**; and
  • A consortium of entities listed above

**As defined in The “Colorado Career Advancement Act,” Part 2 of Article 83 of title 8, C.R.S.

Q: Are the institutions who received funds last year as listed on the web site eligible to apply for the dollars allocated this year?

A: This is a new funding opportunity that is not tied to previous funding or grant awards. Institutions who received funding in the previous grant are eligible to apply.

Q: How do I know if an institution is an LEP eligible for this grant?

A: As noted on page 3 and 4 of the grant application, in order for a program to be considered an Adult Education Program, they must provide any or all of the following:

  • adult basic education,
  • adult education leading to a high school equivalency credential,
  • English as a Second language instruction, or
  • integrated basic education and skills training.

As noted on page 3 and 4 of the grant application, Eligible Local Education Providers could be:

  • A secondary or postsecondary, public or private, nonprofit educational entity, including but not limited to a school district, charter school, board of cooperative services (BOCES), state institution of higher education, junior college, and area vocational school;
  • A community-based, nonprofit agency or organization;
  • A library;
  • A literacy council or other literacy institute;
  • A business or business association that provides adult education and literacy programs either on- site or off-site;
  • A volunteer literacy organization;
  • A work force board**;
  • A one-stop partner**; and
  • A consortium of entities listed above

**As defined in The “Colorado Career Advancement Act,” Part 2 of Article 83 of title 8, C.R.S.

Q: Can you provide a little more information regarding "workforce development program" and what that entails?

A: As described on page 4 of the grant application, applicants are required to be part of a Workforce Development Partnership that includes as least one Adult Workforce Development Provider. An Adult Workforce Development Provider includes, but is not limited to:

  • A work force development program**; and
  • A program that is supported by the state workforce development council

**As defined in The “Colorado Career Advancement Act,” Part 2 of Article 83 of title 8, C.R.S., a workforce development program is a delivery system at the local or regional level through which any citizen may look for a job, explore work preparation and career development services, and access a range of employment, training, and occupational education programs offering their services

Q: I am still unclear of my eligibility!? I feel like I meet some of the requirements. I am currently enrolled in college, I plan to work in public health once I graduate. Will that meet the requirements? Do I need to know before hand on what adult workforce partnership I need to be working with before applying?

A: As stated on page 3 of the grant application, Local Education Providers that operate as an adult education program are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity. This funding opportunity is not intended for distribution to individual students.

Q: Is any weight given to organizations who have been previously awarded Adult Education and Literacy funds from the previous application cycle?

A: This is a new funding opportunity that is not tied to previous funding or grant awards. There is no weight given to previously awarded grantees.

Q: How do we go about becoming a member of an Adult Workforce Development Partnership?

A: A Workforce Development Partnership is comprised of three types of agencies/organizations. These are:

  1. An agency that provides adult education and literacy programming
  2. An agency/organization that provides post-secondary or skills training
  3. An agency/organization that provides workforce development

The application of the grant has a detailed definition of these on pages 3-4.

The grant requires that, as an applicant, you have partnerships with other agencies/organization that complete the triad. It would be up to you to identify and secure those partnerships before applying. The application would need to include identification of these partners as well as letters of support from them.

Grant Application

Q: Are the LOI requirements listed on your website?

A: The Letters of Intent requirement are listed on page 18 of the grant application.

Q: Where can I find the application?

A: The application can be found on the AEI website. 

Q: Can more than one "letter" of support be included on a page as statements of support?

A: As noted on page 7 of the grant application, the application should include a letter of support for each of the stated program partners.

Q: Could a MOU (memorandum of understanding/agreement) take the place of Letters of support in Part III?

A: As long as the MOU specifically addresses the goals of the proposed program, it could take the place of letter of support

Q: For part 1B, do the signatures need to be originals for partners?

A: To the extent possible, signatures should be the originals for partners should be included on the partnership signature page (page 10) of the application. However, scanned/electronic signatures are also accepted for this grant since partners are involved and they may be geographically dispersed.

Q: Can partners provide letters of support to programs applying for the state-funded Adult Education and Literacy Act grant?

A: Yes. Letters of support are required and will be accepted for this proposal.

Q: Which partners need to sign IC Program Assurances Form?

A: The grant requires that, as an applicant, you have partnerships with other agencies/organization that complete the triad of services including: adult education and literacy programming, post-secondary or skills training, and workforce development.   It would be up to you to identify and secure those partnerships before applying. The application would need to include identification of these partners as well as letters of support from them.  Letters of support should include those necessary to complete the triad of services.

Q: What is a LEA code?

A: LEA codes are for Local Education Agencies.  These are unique four-digit codes assigned to each public school or charter school in the state.  If you are not a public school then you do not need to provide an LEA code however, a DUNS is required.

Q: Do we have to provide year 2 and 3 budget amounts on the application cover page?

A: This application is being released, but is contingent upon enacting pending appropriations to the Adult Education and Literacy Grant Program for 2017-18 school year. Though the appropriation of funds needs to occur from the state legislature each year, applicants must project program costs for a three year term based on the program they are proposing in the grant application.  A budget workbook only needs to be completed for the first year but estimates should be made on the cover page for program costs in year 2 and 3. 

Q: Do we need a  signature from our partners on the assurances page if the partner already signed a letter of support?

A: The assurances page is a required component of the application.  The grant requires that, as an applicant, you have partnerships with other agencies/organization that complete the triad of services including: adult education and literacy programming, post-secondary or skills training, and workforce development.   It would be up to you to identify and secure those partnerships before applying. The application must include identification of these partners as well as letters of support from them.  Letters of support should include those necessary to complete the triad of services.

Allowable Use of Funds

Q: Are scholarships/tuition for students still an allowable cost?

A: Scholarships providing tuition assistance for students are an allowable expense if they align with the goals and measureable outcomes of the application. The proposed budget and budget narrative of the application would need to show a line item for this item and identify how it adds value to the proposed program.

Q: Are indirect costs allowed?

A: There is a maximum of 5% direct administrative costs to administer the grant. Indirect is usually not part of our State grants.

Q: Besides requesting a budget line for a teacher’s salary can the person who will be running the program be lined out for a salary?

A: Funding can be used to support grant management as long as it is included as a budget line item and explained in the budget narrative.

Q: Could we hear more about "supplement not supplant?

A: As noted on page 5 of the grant application, state funds received should provide additional services and not substitute funds or services that would be provided without these funds.

Q: The AFR Summary on the budget spreadsheet has federal expenses, match, and program income categories. Are those applicable to this funding opportunity?

A: Those are not applicable to this funding opportunity. There is a separate budget spreadsheet for this funding opportunity.

Q: Could you provide clarification on whether or not indirect costs are allowed?

A: The Colorado Adult Education and Literacy grant does not allow indirect costs. The grant does not require match.

Q: Can programs use the AEL grant to pay for instructors to go through the Adult Basic Education Certification program?

A: No. Professional development is allowed but no tuition costs are allowable for instructors.

Q: Are scholarships/tuition for students still an allowable cost? 

A: Scholarships providing tuition assistance for students are an allowable expense if they align with the goals and measureable outcomes of the application. The proposed budget and budget narrative of the application would need to show a line item for this item and identify how it adds value to the proposed program.

Q: Can you tell me the percentage of indirect costs, if any, that are allowable under the AEL RFP? 

A: The AEL grant does not allow indirect costs however it does allow 5% administration cost.

Student Eligibility

Q: Do we have to collect SS numbers? If students do not supply the SS numbers, can the school create a student number that is person to the student but not linked to the social security number?

A: As noted on page 5 of the grant application, the definition of eligible adult does not include the possession of a social security number. However, grantees are required to focus and report on employment outcomes of the students served. Grantees can use other methods to collect that information if they choose.

Q: Can we provide services to undocumented students?

A: As noted on page of the grant application, one of the measurable outcomes of the grant is student employment. Therefore, students served should be eligible for employment in the United States.

Other

Q: Do the standardized assessments to be used in the adult education and/or integrated training need to be NRS approved, e.g. TABE or CASAS?

A: No, the assessments do not need to be NRS approved but we would encourage that they are valid and reliable assessments.

Q: Will we be required to enter our data in a specific system?  If so, which system will be used?

A: At this stage, CDE is allowed only to collect aggregate data from the grantees. Therefore, grantees can use any system to track their own data and required to report using basic spreadsheets and word processing. The minimum system requirements listed in the grant application are the only ones required of programs. 

Q: Will LACES be used for data reporting?

A: As noted on page 4 of the grant application, applicant program must be able to comply with the minimum requirements needed to access and use the state data collection system. These minimum requirements are found on pages 8 and 9.

Q: On the "Priority" slide, are all of these required, or is it "or"?

A: As stated on page 4 of the grant application, priority will be given to programs that focus on adult education and literacy services that prepare eligible individuals at all levels for success in postsecondary education and work through:

  • Research-based program and instructional strategies that effectively prepare and support adult learners through utilization of career pathways for transitioning to college and career;
  • Family-centered approaches and services; and
  • Collaboration with service providers within the Colorado Talent Development System.

Applicants are not required to address all of the listed strategies but will be given priority for any that are included.

Q: Can you provide more information on the priority of "family centered approaches"? Some examples would be great.

A: Family-centered approaches focus intentionally on services and opportunities for the parent and the child to promote overall family success. As noted in Section B, item 5 on page 14 of the grant application, examples include barriers such as transportation, child care, and financial assistance for education and training.

Q: Where can we find a list of providers on the Colorado Talent Development system?

A: The Colorado Talent Development System is a business-centered approach focused on collaborations and aligned efforts of industry, workforce development, education and training, and economic development. The goal of this system is to connect students, job-seekers and workers to career and training opportunities. Priority will be given to applicants that tap into this type of system.

Q: Are these federal funds or state funds originally?

A: This grant is part of the Adult Education and Literacy Act of 2014 and is funded by the state of Colorado.

Q: Do you know when the WIOA - AEFLA grant RFP will be released? Just wondering if we have the bandwidth to complete both applications.

A: Any questions regarding the federal WIOA RFP can be directed to Tricia Johnson, Johnson_t@cde.state.co.us.