Section 840.100  Grant Award Selection

Grants will be awarded by the Department to Clean Jobs Workforce Network Hubs following a merit review by the Department and pursuant to GATA requirements (44 Ill. Adm. Code 7000.350).  The Department will award grants for each round of funding, representing service to each of the regions identified in Section 840.40(b).  All applications will be sorted by proposed region. The highest scoring applications per region will be prioritized. If the concentration of eligible participants justifies it, the Department may award grants to multiple applicants in a region. The final grant awards will be negotiated by the Department based on the applications' alignment with the requirements of the Program. The purpose of negotiations will be to arrive at acceptable grant terms, including budgetary and scope of work provisions, at which time the final decision to make a grant award will be made. In evaluating applications, the Department will consider the criteria listed below:

a)         Whether the applicant meets the eligibility criteria (Section 840.40);

b)         The applicant team's qualifications and capacity to administer the Program, meet Program requirements and use core values for Program operation, including:

1)         Capacity to administer the Program and meet the proposed Program outcomes;

2)         Expertise and capacity to deliver a wide variety of supportive services in a timely and efficient manner;

3)         Relevant experience and qualifications of the applicant team's staff, including partners, subcontractors and subrecipients, to be assigned to recruit, enroll, train and provide supportive services to the identified target eligible populations;

4)         The quality of the applicant's experience and ability to use core values for program operations; and

5)         Relevant experience and qualifications of the applicant team's staff to work with and connect participants to clean energy jobs or advanced training programs.

c)         The applicant organization's documentation of need in the community for the proposed project, including:

1)         The applicant project's focus on specific equity investment eligible communities or populations; identification of barriers that these target communities or populations may face; and workforce needs in target communities;

2)         Identification of the region or regions where this project will operate (see Section 840.40(b)) and the specific locations where the training will be offered;

3)         The applicant project's identification of clean energy employment needs and targeted occupations in the proposed regions and how the applicant will address these needs through the Program, as supported by local and regional labor market information; and

4)         The expected impact of the applicant's project on the identified target communities, populations, and job growth in target trades.

d)         The quality of the applicant's proposed project plan and demonstrated ability to meet Program requirements and outcomes, including:

1)         The applicant's training program design, curriculum and methods of delivery, including integration of the Curriculum Framework in training program design and how the Curriculum Framework will support the needs of program participants;

2)         The applicant's plan for outreach and recruitment strategies to target populations specifically in equity investment eligible communities, in coordination with Energy Transition Navigators (see 20 ILCS 730/5-35);

3)         Program goals and anticipated outcomes including number of participants served, industry-recognized skills, certifications, employment in clean energy jobs post-graduation or enrolled in other advanced training programs;

4)         The applicant's plan for delivering Energy Transition Barrier Reduction Program services to facilitate access to and completion of the training program, including intake, distribution of funds, referrals and a list of services to be provided;

5)         The applicant's plan to help participants transition to employment in the clean energy industries and the quality of the partnership agreements with employers for job placement and work-based learning opportunities;

6)         The applicant's plan to create a program culture that incorporates the core values of diversity, inclusion, accessibility and equity in program design, recruitment, wrap-around supports and transition services; and

7)         The applicants plan to track program outcomes, assess the program and use this information to improve program delivery.

e)         The cost-effectiveness of the applicant's proposed program, including:

1)         The cost efficiency and effectiveness of the planned activities and projected outcomes;

2)         The cost efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed supportive services, including those funded by the Energy Transition Barrier Reduction Program, that will be offered to program participants; and

3)         The applicant's ability to leverage existing programs, services and partnership to improve cost-effectiveness, return on investment, and long-term sustainability of the program.