DOL – Veterans Employment and Training Service – Stand Down Grants (2020)

By NLADA on October 15, 2018

Applications Due: December 31, 2020, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time
Questions regarding a SD grant application should be referred to the DVET in the state in which the event will take place. DVET contact information is available here.

All applicants for Federal funding are required to include a Data Universal Number System (DUNS) with their application. Applicants can obtain a DUNS number through the following website: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do;jsessionid=81407B1F03F2BDB12 3DD47D19158B75F or by phone at (866) 705-5711.

Description:

DOL VETS supports local SD events that assist homeless veterans by providing a wide variety of employment, social, and health services. A homeless veteran is a veteran, as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(2), who is “homeless” as that term is defined at 42 U.S.C. 11302(a)-(b), as amended by the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-22).

Stand Down grant funds must be used to enhance employment and training opportunities or to promote the self-sufficiency of homeless veterans through paid work. Veterans experiencing homelessness do not always have access to basic hygiene supplies necessary to maintain their health and appearance. Lack of shelter limits their ability to prepare for and present themselves at job interviews or be contacted for follow-up. Basic services such as showers, haircuts, attention to health concerns, and other collaborative services provided at SD events can give participants a greater sense of self and an opportunity to improve their chances of securing and maintaining employment.

Each year, VETS sets funds aside from the Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP) budget activity to award SD grants. Stand Down funding is a non-competitive grant awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until available annual funding is exhausted. VETS will continue to accept applications and process when additional funds become available.

The maximum amount that can be awarded, per applicant for a geographic area, in a fiscal year (October 1 – September 30) is $7,000 for a one-day event and $10,000 for a multi-day event. Grants may be awarded to multiple organizations that conduct SD events in the same general area so long as there is no commingling of federal funds.

Multiple grants may be awarded to the same organization if the organization is conducting SD events in different geographic areas.

In the event of a significant natural or man-made disaster, VETS may elect to accept and award grants for SD events in excess of the $10,000 limit. VETS recognizes the following as circumstances that may justify awarding SD grants in higher amounts: emergencies or major disasters, as defined in the Stafford Act, which have been declared eligible for public assistance by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In addition, emergencies or disaster situations of national significance, natural or man- made, that could result in a potentially large loss of employment, as declared or otherwise recognized in writing by the chief official of the Federal Agency with jurisdiction over the Federal response to the emergency or disaster. If the VETS Assistant Secretary determines it is appropriate to award increased grants for SD events due to a disaster, the VETS Assistant Secretary will announce such a determination in writing, including the maximum amount that can be awarded on account of such an identified disaster, in order to provide notice to entities proposing to conduct SD events in those geographic areas where a disaster has been declared or to which a substantial number of veterans have relocated or been relocated.

Acceptable uses of Stand Down grant funds do not change in such circumstances.

Funding Title: Announcement of Stand Down Grants

Agency Name: Department of Labor, Veterans Employment and Training Service

Funding Opportunity Number: VPL-02-18

Funding Instrument Type: Grant

Express Language for Legal Aid: Yes, the full application notes that grant funds may be used to support costs such as “Vouchers may be purchased for minor time-limited legal services”

Target Population: Homeless veterans and military families.

Expected Number of Awards:

Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: No

Estimated Total Program Funding:

Award Ceiling: $10,000

Award Floor: $7,000

How to Apply: Once all required documents have been completed and the application is ready for submission, it should be emailed to the appropriate DVET of the state in which the SD event is planned. DVET contact information can be found at: https://www.dol.gov/vets/aboutvets/regionaloffices/map.htm.

Current Closing Date for Applications: by December 31, 2020, 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time

Eligible Applicants:

The following organizations and entities may apply for grant funds for SD events: State and Local Workforce Development Boards, Veteran Service Organizations, local public agencies, tribal governments, and non-profit organizations including community and faith-based organizations. Organizations registered with the Internal Revenue Service as 501(c)(4) entities are not eligible to apply for this funding opportunity.

Link to Full Announcement: View the Opportunity here. Use the related documents tab to download the full announcement and application guide materials.

Contact Information: For technical assistance with submitting an application, contact the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at 800–518–4726, 606–545–5035, at www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html, or at support@grants.gov. The Grants.gov Support Hotline operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except on federal holidays.

If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact:

Ken Fenner
Competitive Grants Lead, VETS

Phone: 202-693-4728
Email: fenner.kenneth@dol.gov