Award Information

What is the maximum award amount?

Awards for Phase 1 and Phase 2 Implementation will be up to $20 million. Awards for Phase 2 Planning will be $100,000-$250,000.

How many awards are anticipated?

It is anticipated that there will be 13 awards total for Phase 1 and Phase 2 Implementation grants. The number and location of awards for Phase 2 Planning will vary depending on how many awards are made in Phase 1 and in which regions.

Are the Phase 2 planning and implementation applications handled separately or are they connected?

Collaboratives that receive a Phase 2 Planning grant in October 2022 will be able to apply for a Phase 2 Implementation grant in October 2023.

Could a Phase 1 recipient possibly receive a second tranche of funding in Phase 2?

Phase 1 grantees will be eligible to apply for a secondary award in Phase 2 in order to elaborate or expand upon a Phase 1 award by including new or additional partners, new or more coverage, or significantly new or more activities. The amount for a secondary award will be limited to a certain percentage of the Phase 1 award.

If only one award is made in each region, if Phase 1 applicants apply in May and Phase 2 applicants in October, then is the decision to award made after Phase 2 applicants have submitted?

No. Phase 1 award decisions will be made in May 2022. Phase 2 awards will be made in October 2022 and October 2023.

Is it possible for more than one planning grant award in a region? Could you speak to Phase 2 and how those are awarded, how the planning and implementation dovetail?

It is possible that there may be more than one planning grant per region. Collaboratives that receive a Phase 2 Planning grant in October 2022 will be able to apply for a Phase 2 Implementation grant in October 2023.

If you apply for Phase 1 and OPSC doesn't think you are ready, can you reapply for Phase 2?

Yes. If an applicant applies for Phase 1 and is not selected, the applicant may apply for Phase 2.

What is the prime funding source? If state funding, will the California Model Agreement (CMA) be followed?

The funding was established in the 2021 Budget Act and provides a one-time $250 million investment from the State General Fund that will fund robust regional collaboratives involving K-12 districts, community colleges, state universities, and workforce development entities. Funds will be provided as grants, and a program-specific grant agreement for collaboratives is under development.

Timeline

When will the Phase 1 grant application be released?

The Phase 1 grant application is anticipated to be released on April 1, 2022. The grant application is still under development. If the final grant application necessitates changes to any of the responses to questions received thus far, this document will be updated accordingly.

Are award announcements still slated for May 11, 2022?

Awards for Phase 1 are anticipated to be announced on May 20, 2022.

How long is the grant program?

The grant program will end on June 30, 2026.

Can you share the performance period for this grant?

The grant program requires collaboratives to meet certain milestones by 2024 and additional milestones by 2026

Regions

Will the awards be given one per CERF region or can there be more than one award in a CERF region?

It is anticipated that there will be one award per CERF region across Phase 1 and Phase 2 Implementation. Collaboratives are expected to align with the CERF regions. The number and location of awards for Phase 2 Planning will vary depending on how many awards are made in Phase 1 and in which regions. Prospective applicants within a region are encouraged to collaborate with one another and submit a joint application.

Some of the CERF regions are different from the service areas for the education agencies in the region. This can be a particular challenge in CERF regions that are extensive geographically. Must a Phase 1 application demonstrate a successful collaboration across the entire CERF region?

The intent of this grant program is to incentivize regional education and workforce collaboration as a way to make a significant impact on the regional economy. For this reason, Phase 1 applications that demonstrate broad impact will have a competitive advantage over those that propose narrowly focused boutique programs.

If you partner across the state outside the region of the lead, can the lead applicant award sub-grants to advance common goals a larger collaborative would agree on to advance across the State?

Funds will be awarded to support regional projects. If a lead applicant chooses to partner outside of the primary region, the application must clearly state how this approach will support overall regional project objectives. Since award amounts will be based on regional considerations, lead agencies should consider how partnering outside of their primary region could impact their budget and the amount of funding available for sub-grants.

Our service area crosses several CERF regions. How does that impact our eligibility to lead and participate? Can we submit a proposal that covers multiple regions?

The intent of this grant program is to incentivize collaboration in ways that have a substantial impact across populations and geography. It is anticipated that there will be 13 awards total for Phase 1 and Phase 2 Implementation grants. Organizations can participate in more than one application if their service area crosses several CERF regions. However, a lead agency can serve as lead on only one application.

CERF regions involve a large area for education groups to work together (with potentially hundreds of partners). In the grant program overview, the partnership critically only has to include at least one K12 district, one UC, one CCC, and one CSU. Will the proposal be competitive if we only propose a portion of the CERF region to form an education collaborative?

The intent of this grant program is to incentivize collaboration in ways that have a substantial impact across populations and geography. For this reason, Phase 1 applications that demonstrate broad impact will have a competitive advantage over those that propose narrowly focused programs.

If there is an existing collaborative in a given region that is eligible to apply in Phase 1, does that mean any applications in that region submitted in Phase 2 will be deemed ineligible since there will only be one award per region? And if so, how do we find out where the existing collaboratives are located?

Phase 1 grantees will be eligible to apply for a secondary award in Phase 2 in order to elaborate or expand upon a Phase 1 award by including new or additional partners, new or more coverage, or significantly new or more activities. A list of Phase 1 grantees will be posted on the K16 Collaborative website once award announcements are made.

If only 1 grant per region, if a region gets a grant in Phase 1, does that mean no applications will be reviewed for that region in Phase 2? If a collaborative is selected in Phase 1, should other collaboratives within the same region not apply in the second phase since only one will be selected per region?

Phase 1 grantees will be eligible to apply for a secondary award in Phase 2 in order to elaborate or expand upon a Phase 1 award by including new or additional partners, new or more coverage, or significantly new ideas.

Technically there are 3 micro regions to the North Far North Macro region, which means there are 3 grant opportunities in the NFN.

The intent of this program is to expand and incentivize collaboration within each region. While only one award will be made per CERF region, three micro regions could work together to form one larger collaborative.

With so many virtual K-12 schools, some regions with limited partners, do all the partners need to be within the same region or can partners be across regions?

Collaborative partners can be in different regions, if necessary, in order to include all of the required partners. Applicants should explain how they will work together to serve the identified CERF region.

How large of a region should we focus on for this grant program?

This grant program is aligned with the CERF regions. Applicants should propose to serve one of the 13 CERF regions.

Eligibility

Who is eligible to apply?

The lead agency for a collaborative application must be one of the required collaborative partners.

Are non-profit private institutions eligible to participate?

Yes. A collaborative is required to include at least one K-12 school district, at least one University of California campus, at least one California State University campus, and at least one California Community College district. Collaboratives are encouraged to include workforce entities and may choose to include other entities, such as private institutions.

Does a Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) group qualify as an educational collaborative?

No. A SELPA only includes K-12 entities, which does not qualify as a K-16 collaborative for the purposes of this grant program. A SELPA is eligible to be a regional collaborative partner.

Lead Agency and Fiscal Sponsor

Who is eligible to be the lead agency?

The lead agency for a collaborative must be one of the required collaborative partners and is expected to be physically located in the CERF region to be served.

Can a community college consortium represent the community college district(s) and act as the lead entity?

No. The lead agency must be one of the required collaborative partners. A Community College District participating in the consortium could serve as the lead agency.

Just to clarify, a nonprofit backbone can not be the lead applicant?

Only one of the required collaborative partners can be the lead applicant.

Can the UC Office of the President be the lead organization instead of a specific university?

No. The lead agency must be one of the required collaborative partners (e.g., a UC campus).

If a UC is not in the region, it cannot be the lead agency?

A UC can serve as a lead agency provided the campus has at least a programmatic presence in the region. The UC does not need to have a physical campus in the region to serve as a lead agency.

Are there any restrictions on the fiscal sponsor/lead agency?

One of the required collaborative partners must be the lead agency and serve as the fiscal sponsor.

Can a lead agency/fiscal sponsor participate in more than one collaborative?

Yes. However, a partner can be a lead agency and fiscal sponsor for only one proposal.

Can two strong, established regional K-16 Partnerships in a single CERF region collaborate for an application without “collapsing” their structures into a single partnership structure?

Yes. However, only one entity can serve as the lead agency.

Can a single institution (UC Campus) submit more than one application that is led by different campus offices respectively?

No. A lead agency can be a lead on only one application. A single institution may participate in more than one application but not as the lead applicant.

Can there be more than one fiscal sponsor per award?

No. Only one organization, the lead agency, can serve as the fiscal sponsor.

Can a County Office of Education be the fiscal sponsor/lead agency?

Yes.

Should there be a locally selected lead amongst CCC, K-12, WIB?

Yes. The collaborative should choose its lead agency.

With FoundationCCC in the lead of this program, is the vision that community colleges are appropriately the best lead agencies?

No. Any of the required collaborative partners can be a lead agency.

Connecting With Other Stakeholders

How can we connect with other stakeholders who are open to collaborating in our region?

Stakeholders can choose to add their contact information to this Google sheet if they are open to connecting with others in their region.

Collaborative Partners and Considerations

*Can (non required) partners be included post award and throughout the timeline of the grant?

Yes, additional partners can be brought onto the grant, subject to OPSC approval. However, they may not be eligible for financial support unless a budget modification request is approved by OPSC.

*Is it acceptable for the County Offices of Education to submit a letter of commitment to represent all school districts within their county, rather than letters from each of the school districts?

No. Each K12 district must provide its own letter of commitment for the collaborative. However, a County Office of Education can act as the lead applicant for a collaborative, and fulfill the “at least one K-12 district” requirement.

*Would a Charter Middle School (6-8 grades, single district) qualify to participate?

Charter schools do not qualify as the K-12 required partner but could be part of a collaborative if they are supporting the collaborative in meeting its requirements/goals.

*Will you be providing templates for the MOUs?

No. An MOU template will not be provided.

*Could you clarify what level of detail you expect in the MOU? What if an MOU has not yet been approved by local school boards and is pending approval? Can existing MOUs with our collaborative suffice? Additionally, can we use data sharing agreements we have with our K12 partners as this MOU?

The MOU must clearly state the roles and responsibilities of each required collaborative partner and must show proof of signature by a representative of that partner who is authorized to enter into legally binding agreements. Phase 1 applicants are expected to have fully executed MOUs in place by the submission deadline. The only exception to this requirement is if the MOU is pending board approval for one or more partners. Draft MOUs will be accepted in advance of board approval. However, board approval must be obtained prior to the award announcement date of May 20. If board approval is not received by that time, the Phase 1 application submission will not be considered for funding, and the applicant may apply for the Phase 2 funding opportunity. Existing MOUs among partners can suffice. Data sharing agreements are not sufficient.

*MOUs are required for the required education partners. Are we required to have MOUs for the additional partners?

The MOUs are only required for the required educational partners. Other partners must provide either an MOU or Letter of Commitment.

*Is everyone on the Steering Committee considered a partner? Will an MOU/Letter of Commitment be needed from each?

Yes. All partners on the Steering Committee need to provide an MOU or Letter of Commitment.

*Must industry partners align specifically with our designated areas of our two Occupational Pathways? Can an industry partner be government related/public or education?

No. Industry partners do not all need to align specifically with the occupational pathways, but they should help support pathways in some way or help the collaborative achieve its intended goals. Industry partners can be from the private or public sectors, based on the needs and goal of the collaborative.

*Do school districts count as employers?

Yes. Depending on the selected pathways, school districts can count as employers to meet the minimum threshold of 25% for Steering Committee members. However, a school district that serves as the required partner for the collaborative cannot also be counted as an employer to meet the minimum threshold of 25% for Steering Committee members.

*Do Community Colleges need to participate in CCGI?

No. At this time, Community Colleges are not expected to participate in CCGI, but that may change in the future.

What is considered a “Mature” collaborative?

The self-assessment checklist available on the website is a resource to help collaboratives determine if they are mature and are well-positioned to apply for a Phase 1 grant.

Do the representatives already need to be working together? Or will new alignments be accepted?

For Phase 1, all of the required partners should already be working together as part of a mature collaborative but new alignments with additional partners could be included as part of a Phase 1 application. Phase 2 Planning grants are intended to support development of new alignments for collaboratives that are not as well-established. The self-assessment checklist available on the website is a resource to help collaboratives determine if they are well positioned to apply for Phase 1.

Do we qualify for Phase 1 if we have separate collaborations with CSU and another with UC yet could knit that effort together in time to apply?

Whether an applicant applies in Phase 1 or Phase 2 is determined by the collaborative/applicant. The self-assessment checklist available on the website is a resource to help collaboratives determine if they are well-positioned to apply for Phase 1. If applicants are hesitant about the ability of the required partners to follow through on the collaborative’s plan, they may be best served to apply in Phase 2.

Can multiple collaborations collaborate on a single application?

Yes. However, there must be a single designated lead agency for the collaborative.

Can a partner be involved in more than one collaborative and/or more than one proposal?

Yes. However, a partner can be a lead agency for only one proposal.

Is there a limit on the number of collaboratives an institution can participate in?

No. However, institutions should consider their logical service area, their capacity, and the overall goals of this program when determining how many collaboratives to participate in.

Could a UC campus participate in more than one application?

Yes. However, a UC campus can be a lead agency for only one proposal.

Does a UC Extension partner fulfill the requirement to include at least one UC campus?

Yes.

Are regions able to form a collaborative with a UC that is not in their region or that may not even be the closest UC?

Yes. The program anticipates that UCs will need to work across regions or participate in a collaborative where they might not have a physical campus. However, the required UC partner should have a programmatic presence in the region (e.g., satellite operations, extension, college readiness programs, workforce training, etc.).

If you are a K-12 school without a UC or CSU in the region, may you partner with other UCs or CSUs?

Yes. However, the required UC and CSU partners should have a programmatic presence in the region.

Is a single community college ok or is the requirement a community college district (either single college or multi college)?

The implementing language states that the collaborative must include “at least one California Community College District.”

Could K12 CTE Joint Powers Authorities, which are comprised of school districts, fulfill the K12 district requirement in the collaborative?

No. A Joint Powers Authority itself is not eligible to fulfill the K12 District requirement, however, the K12 district(s) that are part of the JPA could serve to meet that requirement

Are there size preferences for Collaboratives? Might there be opportunities for collaboratives to join or combine forces?

There is no size preference for collaboratives as long as they include all of the required partners. Collaboratives are welcome to join or combine forces if that makes sense to serve an identified region and to accomplish the overall project goals.

Are there any positive considerations given to rural collaboratives?

No. The scoring criteria does not award any additional points to rural collaboratives.

In the far north, we border OR and NV. Can we include partners out of state?

Out of state partners may be included in the collaborative. However, they may not serve as either the lead or the fiscal agent. Funds granted through this program can only be used for California entities and organizations.

Can you share a bit more about the idea of having an agency be the convener to provide backbone support services? Does the convener (if different from the lead/fiscal agency) need to be one of the required educational entities or can it be one of those other partners mentioned like a non-profit or private university?

A convener is an organization that brings together multiple partners within a collaborative and helps to facilitate and support the collaborative’s activities. Backbone support services can include serving as a fiscal sponsor for the collaborative or providing administrative, operational and/or programmatic support for the collaborative. The convener does not need to be one of the required educational entities.

What is the preferred size and scope of the number of partners in collaboratives? For some of our larger metro areas, there are many possible partners which brings both strength (options and opportunities for students) and also challenges (complexity in leadership dynamics).

There is no preferred size and scope of the number of partners in collaboratives. The size should be large enough to include the partners who are critical to advancing the goals of the collaborative. Strong collaboratives include partners who have the capacity to implement the activities proposed by the collaborative. The steering committee and other operational committees should be small enough that significant discussion and decisions can be tackled and completed in regular meetings. Some members of the collaborative may only play a small role, if at scale, in operationalizing the vision of the collaborative.

Can you elaborate on expectations for employer participation and role in the collaborative (e.g. WBL, governance)?

Employers must comprise at least 25% of the collaborative’s Steering Committee. Based on the identified needs of the region and the pathways to be developed, it is expected that employers will be active partners in the collaborative and will engage in activities that support development and implementation of the career pathways. This could include providing work-based learning, internships, apprenticeships, or other types of activities that offer streamlined pathways to employment.

Is there an ideal organization to be the hub of this work? For instance is a County Office of Education a reasonable coordinator for the collaborative, or is there another ideal?

While there is no ideal organization to serve as the hub, there are organizational characteristics that are likely to make a hub successful. For example, the hub should be fully invested in this work and have the leadership, organizational, administrative, and analytical capacity to propel the collaborative’s work forward. It should be a trusted party within the region. The choice of a hub will depend on the needs of the region and how the collaborative organizes itself.

How can COEs in K12 participate to increase paid internships?

As part of a regional collaborative, COEs can connect to local employers to increase the number and availability of paid internships in the region and help drive pathway creation and implementation.

How can career centers support education-to-workforce pathways?

As part of a regional collaborative, career centers can connect to educational partners and local employers to support education-to-workforce pathways in the region.

What is the incentive for Community Colleges to participate in collaborations with K-12 Local Educational Agencies (LEAs)?

Most Community Colleges already collaborate with their local K-12 LEAs to prepare and transition individuals from secondary education to college. Creating, updating, and maintaining streamlined occupational pathways, aligned with the Recovery With Equity recommendations, accrues benefits to all partners, e.g. the CCC by increasing student outcomes for underrepresented students, K12 by increasing the number and diversity of students continuing education beyond high school, and the region by supporting the education and training of its next generation workforce.

How does the Regional K16 Education Collaborative differ from other funded collaboratives?

This is a new program designed to incentivize greater collaboration across an entire region in order to support the Recovery With Equity recommendations. It is expected that existing collaboratives apply for this program as a way to support broadening their work to explicitly create specified career pathways in ways that are consistent with the Recovery With Equity recommendations.

What are the characteristics of a successful collaborative?

A successful collaborative is a group that comes to consensus on their regional goals and has concrete plans to improve student outcomes and prepare the region’s next generation of workers and leaders. Successful collaboratives don’t just meet to discuss regional education issues, they are positioned in ways that actually do the work. The collaborative’s goals reflect the role of each education and workforce partner, emphasize the economic and workforce needs of the region, and focus on lifting up the region through education and workforce training.

How will a Facility Department fit in this collaborative?

Despite being housed at the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC), this is not a facility program. However, a Facility Department can be a member of the collaborative if that is appropriate to serve the overall project goals.

Program Requirements

*How will this work intersect with the K12 Strong Workforce Program?

The determination of how the K12 strong workforce program activities align with the requirements of this program will be up to the collaboratives in each region.

*Can we develop a pathway for which not ALL of the institutions in the collaborative offer a program in that area / discipline? Can we write to a pathway that is only available through either the CSU or UC or does it need to be offered by both?

All of the required partners should participate in the creation of the pathway(s). Depending on the pathways and the proposed entry point into a particular workforce sector, not all postsecondary educational institutions will have a role in implementing the pathways. The purpose of creating streamlined pathways is to provide students with clear guidance to move through higher education institutions in a way appropriate for their career choices.

*Can you provide more context about the extent to which it is expected that workforce pathways are already built out / fully designed at the time of application vs. something that the collaborative plans to develop over time?

The expectation is that pathways are not already built out or fully designed at the time of application and will be developed according to the program requirements and timelines.

*We are thinking of having a balance between advanced paths within each pathway and portions of pathways that need to be extended across all the institutions. Is this an appropriate way to conceive of pathway distribution of support?

As stated in the program requirements, collaboratives must commit to create occupational pathways, including accelerated degree and/or credential programs that incorporate work-based learning, in at least two of the four identified sectors.

How many occupational pathways must collaboratives develop?

Collaboratives must develop one occupational pathway by June 30, 2024 and the second occupational pathway by June 30, 2026.

How much of the occupational pathways need to be designed in advance of the proposal?

The program guidelines do not stipulate how much of the occupational pathways need to be designed in advance of the proposal. Collaboratives must commit to developing one occupational pathway by June 30, 2024 and the second occupational pathway by June 30, 2026.

What guidelines are there on the pathways? How is Engineering and Computing defined, for example?

The pathways do not have specific guidelines as long as they are within one of the four identified sectors.

Can you have additional sectors outside the four required sectors? If there are other career areas that are in high demand in the region, can we center workforce development in those areas too?

Yes. Another sector can be included as an additional sector. However, the collaborative must address the identified sectors in order to meet the requirements of this grant program, and grant funds can only be spent on activities related to the program requirements.

Is the focus still on *regionally-specific* workforce needs vs. statewide workforce needs?

Yes. The focus of this grant program is primarily region specific.

How will this group be working to promote a green workforce?

Projects that promote a green workforce can be a focus area for collaboratives as long as all of the other grant program requirements are met.

A prior writeup on this program mentioned climate as an area of interest for this grant. Is it still, if the four workforce sectors are foregrounded?

Climate can still be a focus area for collaboratives as long as all of the other grant program requirements are met, including development of two occupational pathways from the identified sectors.

Do you have more explanation of what you mean by accelerated occupational pathway? For example, would an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) 2+2 model, collaborating with HS partners for preparation count?

Accelerated occupational pathways are those that move students efficiently through education and into the workforce. The ADT 2+2 is an example of acceleration since it includes two years at a CCC and two years at a CSU or UC and accounts for the occupational nature of the pathways.

How might credential programs fit within this dynamic?

Credentials are valued by employers in all of these workforce areas. Creating pathways that prepare students explicitly for those credentials can be an important element of a K16 streamlined pathway.

Are Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways data in the CCGI system?

No. CTE pathways data are not currently included in the CCGI system.

Does CCGI membership need to occur prior to the release of the RFA; submittal of the application; or could some members complete their CCGI membership shortly thereafter? What is the timeline for committing to CCGI vs. actually beginning to implement those changes at the school level?

CCGI membership can occur after submission of the application. Collaboratives must commit to participate in CCGI as one of their required deliverables for the grant program.

For the Health Sector criteria, would Bio-Sciences fall into this category? Our community college Biotech programs are considered to be cross-sector between Health and Engineering.

Yes, Bio-Sciences could be considered part of the Health Sector pathway.

What percent of the Steering Committee must be local employers?

The Steering Committee must be composed of at least 25% (or more) of local employers.

Can you clarify the commitment to participate in the California Cradle-to-Career Data System? If our District is a longtime user of Naviance for equity-aligned features, will Naviance also be supported to connect with the California Cradle-to-Career Data System?

Collaboratives must commit to participate in the California Cradle-to-Career Data System’s operational tool, the California College Guidance Initiative (CCGI).

For collaboratives with multiple HS Districts, do all of the HS partnering districts have to be engaged with the California Cradle to Career System, or is it at least one?

All of the partnering high school districts must commit to participate in the California Cradle-to-Career Data System’s operational tool, the California College Guidance Initiative (CCGI).

Budget and Allowable Costs

*We want to set aside a large pool of funding for future pathway selection through a more comprehensive review process through our steering committee. Would that be an acceptable level of detail about funding for pathways in the budget narrative?

No. The expectation is that each collaborative will clearly identify the target pathways in the application and not wait until further into the project period to plan. The application must include costs for activities to develop the pathways, so the budget and budget narrative must clearly explain these costs.

*Can the budget be revised to keep the same total, but reallocate funds as necessary during the progress of the grant?

Possibly. With prior approval from OPSC, reallocation of funds may be allowable to meet grant needs as long as the modifications support the overall project goals as approved in the application and the change in allocation would not have had a negative effect on the score the application received to justify the award.

*Can we include Adult Education programs in our projects and budget?

Yes. Adult Education programs can be included as long as they are supporting a collaborative’s pathways and moving students through education and into the workforce.

Will indirect costs be allowed for all partners within the collaboration?

Yes. All costs will need to be in alignment with the grant agreement and any stipulations related to allowable costs. The lead agency will be responsible for not “double charging” indirect costs in the overall project budget.

Will there be a fixed indirect rate?

Yes. The maximum indirect rate is 5%.

What is the restriction on indirect costs for institutions of higher education that have federally-negotiated indirect cost rates?

Indirect costs are allowable at a maximum rate of 5%.

If a joint application, will both of the lead collaboratives be allowed to charge indirect costs?

Joint applications are not allowed. Collaboratives must designate a single lead agency.

Are there requirements to ensure equitable distribution of grant funds to members of the collaborative?

Collaboratives will determine how to distribute grant funds to their members. The lead agency will be responsible for administering any sub-grants and ensuring compliance with all of the program requirements.

Will student supports be an allowable expense (i.e. food, field trips, transportation, technology)?

Yes. However, applicants should clearly explain how these costs align with the goals of the project and provide a plan for sustainability to continue these supports after the grant period ends.

Can funding be used for paid student internships?

Yes, if the student internships are connected to a career pathway and linked to workforce development. Funding should not be used for student interns as personnel for the project. Applicants should clearly explain how these costs align with the goals of the project and provide a plan for sustainability to continue these supports after the grant period ends.

Can funding be used for facilities upgrades? Can funds be used for equipment and/or building space rental?

Yes. However, the proposal must be very specific about what this helps to achieve; how the facilities upgrade contributes to the overall project goals; and how ongoing costs, such as utilities or maintenance, will be sustained after the grant period ends. Note that this grant program is not intended to be used as another funding source for general facilities funding.

Are funds being allocated toward facility enhancement needs?

Not specifically. Facility enhancement is an allowable cost, but the proposal must be very specific about what this helps to achieve; how the facilities enhancement contributes to the overall project goals; and how ongoing costs, such as utilities or maintenance, will be sustained after the grant period ends. Note that this grant program is not intended to be used as another funding source for general facilities enhancement.

Can funds be used to hire support staff or for teachers to help support students through pathways?

Yes. Staffing costs can be supported by the grant. However, applicants should provide a plan for sustainability for these costs for after the grant period ends.

Is there a match requirement?

No.

Grant Application and Scoring Criteria

*Will there be an opportunity for readers to request further qualification upon review of the proposal?

Yes. If more information is needed about a proposal, it will be requested during the review period.

*Who will be evaluating the applications?

Applications will be evaluated by representatives from OPSC, FoundationCCC, and the K-16 field who are not part of a collaborative that is seeking funding.

*If multiple applications are sent from the same region, will the highest scorer essentially be awarded the grant?

Possibly, if the highest scorer is determined to meet the intent of the program. Final award decisions will be made by OPSC with consideration of input provided by FoundationCCC based on the reviews and scores.

*Might you point out any changes or clarifications that have come about since the RFA was released?

No changes have been made to the RFA since its release.

*What length of response are you looking for with the application questions?

There is no preferred response length. Applicants should address questions completely within the space provided. Responses that have a character limit are noted in the application instructions.

*Are there 4 or 5 project years?

There are four project years for Phase 1 awardees.

*If just one application is submitted in Phase 1 in a given CERF region will it be automatically awarded?

No. Grants will not be automatically awarded if there is only one proposal in a CERF region.

*Is there a minimum point threshold that must be achieved?

No. There is no minimum threshold. However, applications that receive significantly fewer points than other applications will likely not be considered for funding in Phase 1 and are welcome to reapply in Phase 2.

*What is the best way to add required partners on the application that want to be included? How can we reflect more than the required four?

As noted in the Application Guidelines and the Application Template, the application has designated fields for the four required partners. The application also requires an attachment that lists all of the collaborative partners.

*Can attachments be included beyond what is required? If so, can they be images, live links, data tables, etc., be added to the narrative sections?

Upload fields are provided in the application for required attachments. No other attachments can be included. Collaboratives may include hyperlinks to images, tables, etc., in the narrative response fields of the application. The links may not be visible in the application form but will be live once the application is submitted.

*Can the Submittable application be saved and returned to at a later date?

Yes. Submittable automatically saves the application. Applicants can also choose to Save Draft while in progress, so this allows for an application to be saved and returned to at a later time.

Will equity be a focus of the grant application? What tools will be used to ensure that equity is at the center of the evaluation process? Equity is not equality. How will that be measured in the evaluation process?

This program is centered around the Recovery With Equity recommendations. The grant application is still under development.

Will a student-level and systems-level logic model for the proposal be useful to reviewers?

A logic model is not required for the application. Applicants may provide a link to a logic model as part of the project narrative, as appropriate or relevant.

What have been the most successful applications in the past? What components were included to make it a noteworthy submission?

This is a new program so has not had any prior successful applications.

How will K-16 identify collaboratives with equity and data at the center in systems design?

The grant application includes a question related to equity and data as part of the overall project design.

Given the grants are competitive and the connection to addressing equity, do you anticipate priority for collaboratives in areas of greater income, health or other disparities?

This program is centered around the Recovery With Equity recommendations. Priority will be given to collaboratives that are inclusive of their CERF region and its needs.

Is the grant more competitive if you engage partners in the entire CERF region or can it be a portion of the CERF region?

The intent of this grant program is to incentivize collaboration across an entire region. For this reason, applications that demonstrate a successful collaboration across an entire CERF region will have a competitive advantage over those that propose to serve only part of a region.

How many students do you expect each of the pathways to impact, at minimum?

A specific target number for students in each pathway has not been defined. The grant application will ask collaboratives to identify the number of individuals they expect to serve in each pathway.

Since we need to have K12, CCC, CSU, and UC involved, to participate in this program what type of documentation would we need: Letters of Commitment? MOUs?

Formal written agreements from each of the required collaborative partners will be required as part of the application.

Will we need employer commitments at time of application?

Employer commitments are not required at the time of application but may be part of the scoring and evaluation criteria. Additional information will be included in the application guidelines.

Will an application be more competitive based on the number of students served, the data which will be the basis for determining if the collaborative meets its measurable objectives and program outcomes?

Scoring and evaluation criteria are included in the Phase 1 Application Guidelines.

Will the grant be specific for which parts of those large fields should be prioritized? For example within engineering : Electrical, mechanical, agricultural or Business : marketing, administration, finance, etc.

The collaborative should explain which field it will be prioritizing based on local and regional needs.

Can we choose all 4 industry sectors? or is that not advisable?

Choosing all industry sectors is not prohibited. The collaborative partners should propose a project that best meets local needs and will achieve the overall project goals.

To what extent will sustainability of pathways be considered in the application review and allocation of funding?

Scoring and evaluation criteria are included in the Phase 1 Application Guidelines.

Reporting Requirements

*In CA, educational agencies lack the ability to easily track employment outcomes for students/trainees/participants. Some states (e.g. North Carolina) do a decent job of this. If we want to be able to report employment outcomes, we need to be able to track them. What system improvements are being planned in California to address this need?

Collaboratives will be expected to identify employment outcomes, both qualitative and quantitative, that they are able to track and that support overall project goals. This could include number of certificates and degrees completed in each pathway, number of internships or other work-based learning opportunities completed in each pathway, and successful entry into the workforce in each pathway. Collaboratives should work with their local employer partners to track these outcomes.

*Are there thoughts about the student and/or institutional outcomes that will be embedded into the grant expectations/outcomes? If not/how when will they be developed/identified?

Collaboratives will be expected to identify their student and/or institutional outcomes as part of the application and in coordination with FoundationCCC and OPSC as part of the grant agreement.

*Will you have a common template for providing individual-level student data across CERF regions so data across regions are aligned?

Expectations for data collection, tracking, and reporting will be outlined in the grant agreement.

What are the main reporting requirements?

Collaboratives will be expected to submit quarterly reports to track progress towards their goals and outcomes as identified in their grant application and grant agreement and also to track expenditures.

Are there recommended and/or mandatory data indicators the collaboratives must track?

Information about data indicators will be provided in the grant application and grant agreement.