Services for the Blind Grant Opportunities
NC DHHS Notice of Funding Availability
DHHS Division/Office issuing this notice: Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services and Division of Services for the Blind
Date of this notice: September 3, 2020
Program Name: Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS)
Purpose- description of function of the program and reason why it was created: The purpose of this Request for Applications for Community Rehabilitation Partnership (RACRP) is to solicit agencies or organizations to provide pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS) in order to increase the Divisions’ capacity for reaching and serving students with disabilities across North Carolina.
Description- Brief statement of nature and scope of the program: Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) are a set of activities defined by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 (Public Law 113-128) intended to expose students with disabilities at an early age to self-advocacy, postsecondary training, and employment skills and options. WIOA requires that the vocational rehabilitation program provide a continuum of services to students and youth which begins with Pre-ETS and, for individuals who are eligible for the vocational rehabilitation program, continues with vocational rehabilitation transition and employment services. The NC Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (NCDVR) and NC Division of Services for the Blind (NCDSB) seek applications from organizations and agencies that will provide pre-employment transition services to students with disabilities in North Carolina.
Funding Availability: The Divisions will award up to $16 million for approved Pre-ETS projects, contingent on funding availability. The actual number of awards will be dependent on the number of submitted applications that meet the requirements defined in the RACRP.
Eligibility: As part of their response to the RACRP, eligible applicants must meet minimum qualifications: (1) propose a minimum of two of the five Pre-ETS Required Activities, (2) demonstrate that the organization’s staff have three or more years of related experiences in the specific area of pre-employment transition services for which the Applicant is applying, (3) be registered as a business in the state of NC by the NC Secretary of State, (4) provide evidence that the organization conducts criminal background checks and manages abnormalities in a manner consistent with that outlined in the RACRP, (5) provide a Program Budget for the proposed program, and (6) provide the organization’s most recent audited financial statement. Eligible applicants will be further evaluated in terms of their organizational capacity, the extent to which their proposed program meets performance requirements, and the financial soundness and stability of the organization and its program proposal.
How to Apply: Agencies that are currently under contract to provide Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) are NOT required to send a complete Pre-ETS Application for Community Rehabilitation Partnership. However, such agencies must submit a Pre-ETS Renewal Application for Community Rehabilitation Partnership by the deadline in order to have an executed contract in the next renewal cycle.
Deadline for Submission: The deadline for initial awards is 5:00 PM, September 25, 2020. Any applications received after the initial deadline shall be considered on an ongoing basis for future awards based on funding availability.
How to Obtain Further Information: Direct all inquiries concerning this RACRP to dvr.vrPRE-ETSRACRP@dhhs.nc.gov.
Additional information is available: Pre-ETS Request for Applications for Community Rehabilitation Partnership (RACRP) #967