Indian Employment Assistance
Published on AidPage by
IDILOGIC on Jun 24, 2005
Purpose of this program:
To provide vocational training and employment opportunities to eligible American Indians and reduce Federal dependence.
Possible uses and use restrictions...
Financial aid is used to assist individual Indians to obtain a marketable skill through vocational training and to assist those who have a job skill to find permanent employment. Vocational and employment counseling are provided by the program. Eligible American Indians may receive vocational training or job placement on or near the reservation or in an urban Regional.
Who is eligible to apply...
Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments and Native American Organizations authorized by Indian Tribal Governments may apply to administer the program. Individual American Indian applicants must be a member of a Federally Recognized Indian Tribe, be in need of financial assistance, and reside on or near an Indian reservation under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Credentials/Documentation
Applicants must submit a certificate signed by a Bureau Agency Superintendent or an authorized Tribal representative that indicates the applicant is an enrolled member or registered with a Federally Recognized Indian Tribe.
Note:This is a brief description of the credentials or documentation required prior to, or along with, an application for assistance.
About this section:
This section indicates who can apply to the Federal government for assistance and the criteria the potential applicant must satisfy.
For example, individuals may be eligible for research grants, and the criteria to be satisfied may be that they have a professional or scientific degree,
3 years of research experience, and be a citizen of the United States. Universities, medical schools, hospitals, or State and local governments may also be eligible.
Where State governments are eligible, the type of State agency will be indicated (State welfare agency or State agency on aging) and the criteria that they
must satisfy.
Certain federal programs (e.g., the Pell Grant program which provides grants to students) involve intermediate levels of application processing, i.e., applications
are transmitted through colleges or universities that are neither the direct applicant nor the ultimate beneficiary. For these programs,
the criteria that the intermediaries must satisfy are also indicated, along with intermediaries who are not eligible.
How to apply...
Application Procedure:
Initial applications by Indian Tribal Governments to administer the program must contain the information specified in 25 CFR, Part 900, Subpart C, "Contract Proposal Contents." Completed applications should be submitted to the local Bureau of Indian Affairs agency office listed in Additional Contact Information - FMR Help. Individual American Indian applicants should apply for program services on Bureau of Indian Affairs Form BIA-8205 at the nearest Bureau Employment Assistance office or tribal government offices.
Note: Each program will indicate whether applications are to be submitted to the Federal headquarters, regional or local office, or to a State or local government office.
Award Procedure:
The dollar value of the awards to Indian Tribal Governments depends upon the amount that has been prioritized by the individual Tribe through tribal participation in the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Tribal Priority Allocation budget formulation process. Applications for individual benefits are approved by the Bureau Agency Superintendent or authorized tribal representative.
Note: Grant payments may be made by a letter of credit, advance by Treasury check, or reimbursement by Treasury check.
Awards may be made by the headquarters office directly to the applicant, an agency field office, a regional office,
or by an authorized county office. The assistance may pass through the initial applicant for further distribution by
intermediate level applicants to groups or individuals in the private sector.
Deadlines and process...
Deadlines
None.
Note:
When available, this section indicates the deadlines for applications to the funding agency which will
be stated in terms of the date(s) or between what dates the application should be received.
When not available, applicants should contact the funding agency for deadline information.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Applications by Tribal Governments to administer the program will be processed within 90 days. Applications by individuals for benefits will be processed within 30 days.
Preapplication Coordination
None. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Note:
This section indicates whether any prior coordination or approval is required with governmental or nongovernmental units
prior to the submission of a formal application to the federal funding agency.
Appeals
A Tribal Government whose request to administer the program is denied may request an informal conference with the deciding official, or may appeal the denial of the application to the Interior Board of Indian Appeals, or may bring suit in U.S. District Court. Full appeal procedures are found in 25 CFR, Part 900. An individual may appeal the BIA agency Superintendent's decision to the Regional Director. The complete appeal process for an individual is found in 25 CFR Part 2, "Appeals from Administrative Action." An appeal of a Tribal contractor's decision must be made under the Tribe's appeal procedures.
Note:
In some cases, there are no provisions for appeal. Where applicable, this section discusses appeal procedures or allowable rework time for resubmission
of applications to be processed by the funding agency. Appeal procedures vary with individual programs and are either listed in this section or
applicants are referred to appeal procedures documented in the relevant Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).
Renewals
Awards to Tribal Governments to administer the program may be renewed indefinitely upon satisfactory performance by the contractor/grantee. A notice of intent to renew should be submitted at least 90 days prior to the expiration of the current award. The amount of the award may be adjusted as a result of individual tribal priorities established in the budget formulation process. Renewals of grants to individual beneficiaries are based on evidence of satisfactory performance and the availability of funds.
Note:
In some instances, renewal procedures may be the same as for the application procedure, e.g., for projects of a non-continuing nature renewals will be treated as new, competing applications; for projects of an ongoing nature, renewals may be given annually.
Who can benefit...
Members of Federally Recognized Indian Tribes who are unemployed, underemployed, or in need of training to obtain reasonable and satisfactory employment. Complete information on beneficiary eligibility is found in 25 CFR, Parts 26 and 27.
Beneficiaries
About this section:
This section lists the ultimate beneficiaries of a program, the criteria they must satisfy and who specifically is not eligible. The applicant and beneficiary will generally be the same for programs that provide assistance directly from a Federal agency. However, financial assistance that passes through State or local governments will have different applicants and beneficiaries since the assistance is transmitted to private sector beneficiaries who are not obligated to request or apply for the assistance.
What types of assistance...
Direct Payments for Specified Use
Financial assistance from the Federal government provided directly to individuals, private firms, and other private institutions to encourage or subsidize a particular activity by conditioning the receipt of the assistance on a particular performance by the recipient. This does not include solicited contracts for the procurement of goods and services for the Federal government.
How much financial aid...
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
For awards to Indian Tribal Governments: $7,000 to $350,000; $46,000. For awards to individual beneficiaries: $200 to $10,000; $5,100.
Note:
This section lists the representative range (smallest to largest) of the amount of financial assistance available. These figures are based upon funds awarded in the past fiscal year and the current fiscal year to date. Also indicated is an approximate average amount of awards which were made in the past and current fiscal years.
Obligations
(Total Amount of Awards) FY 03 $7,787,300; FY 04 est $7,551,000; and FY 05 est $7,555,000.
Note:
The dollar amounts listed in this section represent obligations for the past fiscal year (PY), estimates for the current fiscal year (CY), and estimates for the budget fiscal year (BY) as reported by the Federal agencies. Obligations for non-financial assistance programs indicate the administrative expenses involved in the operation of a program.
Account Identification
14-2100-0-1-452.
Note:
Note: This 11-digit budget account identification code represents the account which funds a particular program.
This code should be consistent with the code given for the program area as specified in Appendix III of the Budget of the United States Government.
Examples of funded projects...
The Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico trains students in ophthalmology and provides job placement upon completion of the program. Adult vocational training subsistence funds are provided to individuals with families who live off campus. One individual received 3 years of nursing training in Phoenix, Arizona and was subsequently employed by a medical center.
About this section
This section indicates the different types of projects which have been funded in the past. Only projects funded under Project Grants or Direct Payments for Specified Use should be listed here. The examples give potential applicants an idea of the types of projects that may be accepted for funding. The agency should list at least five examples of the most recently funded projects.
Program accomplishments...
Approximately 175 awards are made annually to Indian Tribal Governments; approximately 1500 individuals receive assistance annually either through Tribal programs or as direct grants from the BIA.
Criteria for selecting proposals...
All Tribes meeting the requirements of 25 CFR Part 900 will be selected if the program has been prioritized by the individual Indian tribe through tribal participation in the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Tribal Priority Allocation budget formulation process. Applications from individuals are received for both vocational training and direct employment participants. Final determination to fund an application is based on the individual's eligibility and financial need and total dollars available to the Tribe or Agency.
Assistance considerations...
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Awards to Indian Tribal Governments and Native American Organizations to administer the program are made on an annual basis and the funds remain available until expended by the contractor/grantee. Payments may be made in advance or by way of reimbursement. The timing of payments will be negotiated with the Tribal Government. Grants to individual beneficiaries for subsistence, tuition and related training costs, supportive services, etc., are released as required by beneficiary, up to the amount of the award. Assistance for job placement is provided until the beneficiary receives the first full paycheck from employment. Individual beneficiaries may not receive more than 24 months of full-time training, except for Registered Nursing students who may receive 36 months of training.
Formula and Matching Requirements
Not applicable.
Note:
A formula may be based on population, per capita income, and other statistical factors. Applicants are informed whether there are any matching requirements to be met when participating in the cost of a project. In general, the matching share represents that portion of the project costs not borne by the Federal government. Attachment F of OMB Circular No. A-102 (Office of Management and Budget) sets forth the criteria and procedures for the evaluation of matching share requirements which may be cash or in-kind contributions made by State and local governments or other agencies, institutions, private organizations, or individuals to satisfy matching requirements of Federal grants or loans.
Cash contributions represent the grantees' cash outlay, including the outlay of money contributed to the grantee by other public agencies, institutions, private organizations, or individuals. When authorized by Federal regulation, Federal funds received from other grants may be considered as the grantees' cash contribution.
In-kind contributions represent the value of noncash contributions provided by the grantee, other public agencies and institutions, private organizations or individuals. In-kind contributions may consist of charges for real property and equipment, and value of goods and services directly benefiting and specifically identifiable to the grant program. When authorized by Federal legislation, property purchased with Federal funds may be considered as grantees' in-kind contribution.
Maintenance of effort (MOE) is a requirement contained in certain legislation, regulations, or administrative policies stating that a grantee must maintain a specified level of financial effort in a specific area in order to receive Federal grant funds, and that the Federal grant funds may be used only to supplement, not supplant, the level of grantee funds.
Post assistance requirements...
Reports
Indian Tribal Governments administering the program must submit financial status reports, SF 269A. The timing and nature of program accomplishment data will be negotiated with the contractor/grantee. Individuals must provide evidence of satisfactory progress.
Note:
This section indicates whether program reports, expenditure reports, cash reports or performance monitoring are required by the Federal funding agency, and specifies at what time intervals (monthly, annually, etc.) this must be accomplished.
Audits
For awards administered by Indian Tribal Governments, the Tribe is responsible for obtaining audits in accordance with the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 (31 U.S.C. 7501 et seq.).
Note:
This section discusses audits required by the Federal agency.
The procedures and requirements for State and local governments and nonprofit entities are set forth in OMB Circular No. A-133.
These requirements pertain to awards made within the respective State's fiscal year - not the Federal fiscal year,
as some State and local governments may use the calendar year or other variation of time span designated as the fiscal year period,
rather than that commonly known as the Federal fiscal year (from October 1st through September 30th).
Records
Indian Tribal Governments administering the program must retain financial records for 3 years from the date of submission of the single audit report. Procurement records must be retained for 3 years from the date of final payment. Property records must be retained for 3 years from the date of disposition, replacement, or transfer. Records pertaining to any litigation, audit exceptions or claims must be retained until the dispute has been resolved.
Note:
This section indicates the record retention requirements and the type of records the Federal agency may require.
Not included are the normally imposed requirements of the General Accounting Office.
For programs falling under the purview of OMB Circular No. A-102, record retention is set forth in Attachment C.
For other programs, record retention is governed by the funding agency's requirements.
Regulations...
Authorization
Snyder Act of 1921, Public Law 67-85, 42 Stat. 208, 25 U.S.C. 13; Indian Adult Vocational Training Act of 1956, Public Law 84-959, 70 Stat. 986, as amended; Public Law 88-230, 77 Stat. 471, 25 U.S.C. 309; Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, Public Law 93-638, as amended, 25 U.S.C. 450.
Note:
This section lists the legal authority upon which a program is based (acts, amendments to acts, Public Law numbers, titles, sections, Statute Codes, citations to the U.S. Code, Executive Orders, Presidential Reorganization Plans, and Memoranda from an agency head).
Regulations, Guidelines, And Literature
25 CFR 26 and 25 CFR 27. For awards to Indian Tribal Governments see also 25 CFR Part 900.