Author: U.S._Department_of_Education  Published: 8/13/19 ed.gov@public.govdelivery.com

Request for Public Comment on Establishing a Priority for Opportunity Zones

The Secretary of Education proposes to establish a priority for discretionary grant programs that would align the Department of Education’s (the Department’s) discretionary grant investments with the Administration’s Opportunity Zones initiative, which aims to spur economic development and job creation in distressed communities.

The Department invites you to submit comments regarding the proposed priority. To ensure that your comments have maximum effect in developing the notice of final priority, we urge you to identify clearly the specific issues that each comment addresses. We are particularly interested in comments that provide examples of how Qualified Opportunity Funds can support activities carried out under the Department’s discretionary grant programs.

More information is available in the Federal Register notice.Comments must be received on or before August 28, 2019.

Other Federal Opportunities

Appalachian Regional Commission

Request for Proposals: ARC High School Entrepreneurship Program Implementation

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) invites proposals from eligible organizations to partner with ARC on the implementation of a new high-school entrepreneurship program. The purpose is to provide comprehensive entrepreneurial training and supportive services to selected high school students who will be in their senior year of high school during the 2020-2021 academic year.

The main objectives of the program will be to expose high school juniors to the entrepreneurial mindset through a structured and unstructured, hands-on approach to experiential learning; provide foundational and advanced-level skills training in entrepreneurship; and provide supportive and mentorship services to students, enabling them to successfully utilize all stages of the design process, from innovation, to development, to actualization.

ARC is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the Region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation. ARC’s Research and Evaluation Division conducts research and evaluations regarding key economic, demographic, and quality of life factors that affect economic development in the Appalachian Region. Learn more at the ARC website.

Proposals are due electronically by 5:00 p.m. ET on the newly extended deadline of Friday, September 6, 2019.

Download the RFP..

Corporation for National and Community Service

CNCS released the Fiscal Year 2020 Senior Corps RSVP Competition Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). For decades, Senior Corps RSVP has engaged older Americans in volunteer service that meets national and community needs and delivers lasting, meaningful results. With this NOFO, CNCS intends to fund successful applicants that increase the impact of volunteers age 55 and older who provide volunteer service in response to local community needs.

Please see The Notice of Funding Opportunity and Appendix A for a full list of the available opportunities.

Eligible Applicants

The following entities, including those that are current CNCS grantees, are eligible to apply: public or private nonprofit organizations (including faith-based and other community organizations); institutions of higher education; government entities within states or territories (e.g. cities, counties); government-recognized veteran service organizations; labor organizations; partnerships and consortia; and Indian Tribes.

We strongly encourage all eligible applicants to visit: RSVP Competition to learn more about how Senior Corps RSVP can help them increase their impact by engaging adults age 55 years and older in volunteer service.

Timeline

  • Notice of Intent to Apply: Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a Notice of Intent to Apply. The Notice of Intent to Apply should be completed via Survey Monkey no later than 5:00 PM Eastern, Friday, August 30, 2019.
  • Application Deadline: Applications must be submitted no later than 5:00 PM Eastern, Wednesday, September 25, 2019. Successful applicants will be notified in mid-February 2020.

Funding Priorities

Senior Corps RSVP volunteers help organizations expand services, build capacity, develop partnerships, leverage resources, create sustainable projects, and recruit and manage other volunteers. Grant funding partially covers expenses to operate a Senior Corps RSVP project such as staffing, supplies, volunteer stations, and training of staff and members.

This Senior Corps RSVP NOFO prioritizes grant-making in the six focus areas identified by the Serve America Act of 2009 and in alignment with the CNCS Strategic Plan: Disaster Services; Economic Opportunity; Education; Environmental Stewardship; Healthy Futures; and Veterans and Military Families.

Within the six focus areas, Senior Corps funding priorities include:

  • Evidence-Based Program Implementation
  • Access to Care – Opioid Abuse
  • Aging in Place – Elder Justice
  • Aging in Place – Independent Living
  • Economic Opportunity – Workforce Development
  • Education – Intergenerational Programming
  • Disaster Services
  • Veterans and Military Families

Technical Assistance

CNCS will host a series of technical assistance calls to answer questions about this funding opportunity, performance measures, and eGrants. CNCS strongly encourages all interested applicants to participate in these sessions.

Call dates and times can be found:  If you have questions at any time during the application period, please send an email to: 2020RSVP@cns.gov

Department of Defense

The Air Force Information Technology & Cyberpower Education and Training Event

AFITC 2019 – August 26-28th – Montgomery, Alabama

Mark your calendars! The AFITC Education and Training Event will be returning to Montgomery, Alabama this August.

Join thousands of AF peers, along with scores of private sector leaders in the IT and cyber security field. Learn how to assess and combat the newest and most prevailing threats to our global networks and national defense.

Nearly 4000 attendees, speakers, and exhibitors participated in the AFITC 2018, while the trade show hosted over 170 companies who showcased cutting edge products, services, and information to help further the public/private partnership crucial in keeping our country safe and secure.

Exhibit Sign Up, Attendee registration and hotel reservations are Now Open! In the meantime, block out August 26-28th for the AFITC Education and Training Event 2019.

For 2019, the theme is Cyberpower: Critical to Multi-Domain Operations. We are currently developing this year’s training program, so look for updates as the training program takes shape in the coming weeks.

Call for Papers – Now Closed

The AFITC 2019 Call for Papers is now closed! All 2019 breakout sessions will fall into one of these seven training themes.

.           Network We Need; Enterprise IT as a Service and Change Focus

.           Cyber Security that Works; Critical Infrastructure / Internet of Things (IoT), Supply Chain Mgt Focus

.           Vibrant and Ready Cyber Airmen; Officer, Enlisted, Civil Service Focus

.           Empowering Partner Transformation; Business Systems Focus

.           Data; Transformation to a Data Driven Digital Air Force Focus

.           Agile Development; Software Factory, DevOps, Kessel Run Focus

.           Emerging Cyber Threats; Cyber Defense and Emerging Electromagnetic Threats Focus

*Selected speakers will be notified on July 19. Draft briefs are due to the conference scheduling lead by July 26, with final briefings due by August 9. For U.S. government speakers, final briefs must be cleared through your respective Public Affairs’ Security and Policy Review process by August 9.

Department of Labor

Calling all HBCU Higher Education Professionals —

Are you looking to participate in a program that would help your students with disabilities find employment? The WRP may be the perfect fit for you!

The Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities (WRP) is a recruitment and referral program that connects public and private-sector employers nationwide with college students, graduate students, and recent graduates with disabilities eager to demonstrate their skills through summer internships or permanent jobs.

The Workforce Recruitment Program seeks to:

    • Function as a primary pipeline for bringing new talent into the Federal Government to fill mission critical jobs.
  • Help participating college Career Centers and Disability Services Offices help candidates with disabilities find employment through effective strategies, such as the use of accommodations and the Schedule A Hiring Authority.

Applicants for the program must:

  • Be eligible for the Schedule A Hiring Authority for persons with disabilities AND
  • Be a U.S. citizen AND
  • Be enrolled in an accredited institution of higher education on a substantially full-time basis seeking a degree (unless the severity of the disability or program requirements preclude the student from taking a substantially full-time load) OR
  • Have graduated within the past year (April 1, 20119 or more recently).

The WRP is run on an annual basis and requires applicants to have a phone interview with one of our federal recruiters. The interviews take place from October through mid-November of each year and are coordinated on college campuses by Disability Services or Career Services offices. Currently, over 350 colleges and universities participate in the program, and additional campuses are added each year.

In order to participate in the WRP, schools must be accredited by one of the accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Schools can REGISTER from April-June 2020.

During non-registration periods, schools can get more information and join the WRP mailing list by contacting WRP Managers.

Department of the Interior

Below are positions with the USFWS posted August 5, 2019.

Public Affairs Specialist Department: Department of the Interior Agency: Interior, US Fish and Wildlife Service Number of Job Opportunities & Location(s): 1 vacancy – Boise, Idaho Salary: $74,596.00 to $96,978.00 / Per Year Series and Grade: GS-1035-12 Open Period: Monday, August 5, 2019 to Friday, August 16, 2019 Position Information: Permanent – Full-Time Who May Apply: Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL), Open to the public

Forestry Technician (Fire) Department: Department of the Interior Agency: Interior, US Fish and Wildlife Service Number of Job Opportunities & Location(s): 1 vacancy – Sasabe, Arizona Salary: $38,173.00 to $49,630.00 / Per Year Series and Grade: GS-0462-6 Open Period: Monday, August 5, 2019 to Friday, August 16, 2019 Position Information: Permanent – Full-Time Who May Apply: Open to the public

Maintenance Mechanic Department: Department of the Interior Agency: Interior, US Fish and Wildlife Service Number of Job Opportunities & Location(s): 1 vacancy – Entiat, Washington Salary: $22.94 to $26.78 / Per Hour Series and Grade: WG-4749-9 Open Period: Monday, August 5, 2019 to Friday, August 16, 2019 Position Information: Permanent – Full-Time Who May Apply: Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL), Open to the public

Pest Control Worker (Leader) Department: Department of the Interior Agency: Interior, US Fish and Wildlife Service Number of Job Opportunities & Location(s): 1 vacancy – Hilo, Hawaii Salary: $21.36 to $24.92 / Per Hour Series and Grade: WL-5026-5 Open Period: Monday, August 5, 2019 to Friday, August 16, 2019 Position Information: Multiple Appointment Types – Full-Time Who May Apply: Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL), Open to the public