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The 21st Century Conservation Service Corps and Civilian Climate Corps ProgramsOverview: NPS Youth and Veteran Development Programs represent the future of the NPS and encompasses a full range of 21CSC/CCC oriented developmental programs and projects conducted in and around national park units, NPS support offices, as well as in local communities and with partner organizations. NPS Youth Development Programs are committed to evolving and advancing vibrant and relevant youth and young adult programming that emphasize the mission of the NPS. NPS Youth Development Programs are designed to provide employment, education, experiential learning, and public service opportunities to U.S. citizens and legal residents who are between the ages of 16 and 30, and veterans up to 35 years of age.The 21CSC/CCC is a collaborative effort between federal government agencies and non-profit service organizations to put America’s youth and veterans to work protecting, restoring and enhancing America’s great outdoors. Through the 21CSC/CCC, young people and veterans will accomplish meaningful work, and gain important personal and professional skills while building a lifelong connection to the outdoors. The 21CSC/CCC strives to achieve the following public purpose goals and objectives:1) Put Americans to Work: The 21CSC/CCC will provide service, training, education and employment opportunities for thousands of young Americans and veterans, including low income and disadvantaged youth.2) Preserve, Protect, and Promote America's Greatest Gifts: The 21CSC/CCC will protect, restore, and enhance public and tribal lands and waters as well as natural, cultural, and historical resources and treasures. By producing high-quality, cost-effective project work from the 21CSC/CCC will also increase public access and use while spurring economic development and outdoor recreation.3) Build America's Future: Through service to the United States of America, the 21CSC/CCC will help develop a generation of skilled workers, educated and active citizens, future leaders, and stewards of natural and cultural resources, communities, and the nation.4) Provide a Living Wage: A reasonable living wage which is at the minimum equivalent to the minimum wage for the area. A continuum of benefits to support a corps members whole person can include compensation, housing, and other benefits.5) Provide a Pathway to Employment: Build a pipeline of talent and skilled labor of individuals inspired to enter public service or set them up for good-paying careers through intentional labor partnerships, pre-apprenticeship programs, and more.6) Represent America: Corps members should reflect the rich diversity of America, including hiring people from underserved communities, individuals with disabilities, Native Tribes, returning veterans, and unskilled young adults seeking vocational, internship, and educational opportunities.7) Tackle Climate Change: Tackle climate change from all angles by expanding the scope of climate solutions projects eligible for federal government support.8) Appropriate conservation projects and other appropriate projects to be carried out on federal, state, local, or private land as part of a federal disaster prevention or relief effort.Purpose: The NPS Youth Development Programs Division seeks to develop collaborative partnerships with non-profit youth-serving organizations who have the expertise to develop and administrator 21CSC programs that focus on providing employment, education, and engagement opportunities for U.S. citizens and legal residents in NPS units and affiliated sites such as National Register of Historic Places, National Heritage Areas, National Wild and Scenic Rivers, National Historic Landmarks, National Trails, and adjacent gateway communities. The primary purpose of the funds is for the benefit of the interns participating in the program.Participant Requirements: U.S. citizens and legal residents between the ages of 16 and 30 years of age, and veterans up to 35 years of age.Types of Projects: Natural and cultural resource conservation projects that are developed in collaboration with NPS officials with an emphasis on public purpose for the benefit of the American public, as well as, for providing employment and educational opportunities to young people and veterans. These projects will provide the participants with job skills training, education, and/or professional development. The employment focused projects are organized in either: 1) a crew-based format where the participants work collectively and intensely together and are directly supervised by trained and experienced crew leaders or conservation professionals; or 2) a individual or small team-based format where participants work individually or in coordinated teams under the direction of conservation professionals on initiatives that require specific skills and dedicated attention. The work projects include significant outdoor activity and/or helps young people and veterans connect with “America’s Great Outdoors”. Some projects may include work primarily indoors (i.e., research, policy, web development, visitor services, or administration) but also has a clear and direct connection to natural and cultural resource conservation.Project Examples:Climate change mitigation and resilienceCyclic maintenanceDevelopment of educational resource materials for visitorsEcosystem restorationEnhancing recreational opportunitiesField-based service such as trail building/restoration, removing invasive species and habitat restoration.GIS and mapping resourcesInterpretation of natural and cultural resourcesMuseum curationPreserving historic structuresProtecting of wildlife and preserving lands and structuresResearch such as scientific, historic, archival, archaeological digs, oral histories, historic preservation, and habitat surveys etc.Restoration and rehabilitation of facilitiesSupport management of natural and cultural resources such as developing and implementing resource stewardship plans, developing educational and informational materials for park visitorsTechnologically based natural and cultural resource educational programs and communication outreachVisitor educationEducation Projects: The National Park Service is committed to providing educational opportunities to 21CSC qualified individuals that help them to learn about American values, civic engagement, and citizenship stewardship. These projects utilize various educational techniques to convey and teach the NPS mission of natural and resource conservation.Education Project Examples:Projects that target 21CSC qualified participants and provide place-based learning opportunities with a focus on natural and/or cultural resource stewardship.Seminars that provide training opportunities for 21CSC qualified participants that promote natural and cultural resource stewardship and gateway community collaboration.Applicant Organizational RequirementsThe applicant organization should be able to clearly demonstrate their ability to design natural and cultural resource conservation projects that accomplish needed and important work on public lands while at the same time providing their 21CSC participants with educational, technical, life, and leadership skills. Each participant should develop a sense of community and purpose from their work on these projects. NPS may give preference to qualified youth or conservation corps organizations (see definition below) located in a specific area that have a substantial portion of members who are economically, physically, or educationally disadvantaged to carry out projects within the area. Park asset acquisition or personal services are not allowable.Public Land Corps Law DefinitionQualified Youth or Conservation Corps means any program established and administered by a State or local government, by the governing body of any Indian tribe, or a nonprofit organization that: 1) Carries out appropriate conservation projects on or related to eligible service land; 2) Is capable of offering meaningful, full-time, productive work for individuals between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive, or veterans age 35 or younger, in a natural or cultural resource setting; 3) Engages participants in a variety of work experience, basic and life skills, education, training, and support services; 4) Provides participants with the opportunity to develop citizenship values and skills through service to their community and the United States; and 5) Provides the individual with a living allowance, stipend, or wages.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces an open competition for a cooperative agreement to manage the FY 2024 Organizational Components of the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program. The FLEX program advances the U.S. foreign policy goals of engaging youth populations and building civil society by providing in-person, academic-year exchanges, and building lasting ties between foreign and U.S. high school students and the communities that host them. The program consists of two exchange programs: (1) the “FLEX inbound” program that brings international high school students to the United States, and (2) the “FLEX Abroad” program that sends American high school students to select FLEX countries. The FY 2024 Organizational Components cooperative agreement will fund the recruitment, selection, orientation, travel, liaison activities with natural parents, and alumni support. This award will also fund the placement and support of American participants abroad. NOTE: Placement and support of the international students coming to the United States will be conducted under separate awards through the FLEX Placement Components. The relationship and interactions among award recipients is explained further under section A. Program Description in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

In 1988, the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Preservation grant program was established to document, preserve, and stabilize historic structures on HBCU campuses. The HBCU grant program exists to repair historic structures on campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities that are listed or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places either individually or as contributing to a National Register or National Historic Landmark historic district. Projects must meet major program selection criteria and all work must meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation. Projects may also fund survey, nomination, and preservation planning for historic HBCU campuses.

GL to update purpose after the NOFO is finalized. Develop plans to establish or enhance BME departments, interdisciplinary technology centers, and/or academic programs which may include: Support research and educational opportunities for trainees in bioengineering and technology development (Undergrad and/or Graduate) Plans for core technology facilities, maker space, data science centers Faculty recruitment, collaborative research programs, training, and partnerships Building curriculum and course development Innovation and entrepreneurship programs Plans for sustainability of programs

The Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program is designed to increase the availability of local foods in schools and help connect students to the sources of their food through education, taste tests, school gardens, field trips, and local food sourcing for school meals. Grants can launch new farm to school programs or expand existing efforts. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Farm to School Grant awards projects of 24 months in length for funding up to $500,000. Applicants are required to provide matching support of at least 25 percent of the total project budget in the form of cash or in-kind contributions. The RFA offers three tracks - Implementation, State Agency, and Turnkey - to support a variety of projects and implementation stages. Eligible applicants may include schools and other institutions that operate Child Nutrition Programs, Indian Tribal Organizations, agricultural producers or groups of agricultural producers, nonprofit entities, and State and local agencies.

The Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program is an applied research and development program that seeks to actualize a diverse future STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and ICT (information and communication technologies) workforce that is prepared to meet pressing local, societal, and global challenges. Because STEM and ICT careers increasingly rely on technologies and computing, the ITEST program funds projects that engage youth, from pre-kindergarten through high school, and pre-K-12 educators in equitable, innovative technology learning and education experiences within and across STEM disciplines in formal or informal settings. These projects build youths’ interest and knowledge in STEM careers, and they prioritize the full inclusion of all groups to include those that have been underrepresented, underserved, or excluded from STEM educational opportunities. This ensures that NSF is better postured to leverage the full spectrum of diverse talent across the country. This solicitation calls for a Resource Center for the ITEST program. The Resource Center will support diverse, multi-sector stakeholders in actualizing the three pillars of ITEST: (1) strategies for equity in STEM education, (2) partnerships for career and workforce preparation, and (3) innovative use of technologies in teaching and learning. It is expected that this Resource Center will facilitate individual and collective dialogue, reflection, and action relative to these pillars, while supporting stakeholders in the conceptualization, actualization, and communication of ITEST projects.

The NSF ADVANCE program contributes to the National Science Foundation's goal of a more diverse and capable science and engineering workforce.1 In this solicitation, the NSF ADVANCE program seeks to build on prior NSF ADVANCE work and other research and literature concerning gender, racial, and ethnic equity. The NSF ADVANCE program goal is to broaden the implementation of evidence-based systemic change strategies that promote equity for STEM2 faculty in academic workplaces and the academic profession. The NSF ADVANCE program provides grants to enhance the systemic factors that support equity and inclusion and to mitigate the systemic factors that create inequities in the academic profession and workplaces. Systemic (or organizational) inequities may exist in areas such as policy and practice as well as in organizational culture and climate. For example, practices in academic departments that result in the inequitable allocation of service or teaching assignments may impede research productivity, delay advancement, and create a culture of differential treatment and rewards. Similarly, policies and procedures that do not mitigate implicit bias in hiring, tenure, and promotion decisions could lead to women and racial and ethnic minorities being evaluated less favorably, perpetuating historical under-participation in STEM academic careers and contributing to an academic climate that is not inclusive. All NSF ADVANCE proposals are expected to use intersectional approaches in the design of systemic change strategies in recognition that gender, race and ethnicity do not exist in isolation from each other and from other categories of social identity. The solicitation includes four funding tracks: Institutional Transformation (IT), Adaptation, Partnership, and Catalyst, in support of the NSF ADVANCE program goal to broaden the implementation of systemic strategies that promote equity for STEM faculty in academic workplaces and the academic profession. The Institutional Transformation (IT) track is designed to support the development, implementation, and evaluation of innovative systemic change strategies that promote gender equity for STEM faculty within an institution of higher education. The Adaptation track is designed to support the work to adapt, implement, and evaluate evidence-based systemic change strategies that have been shown to promote gender equity for STEM faculty in academic workplaces and the academic profession. Adaptation projects can either: 1) support the adaptation of evidence-based systemic change strategies to promote equity for STEM faculty within an institution of higher education; or 2) facilitate national or regional STEM disciplinary transformation by adapting evidence-based systemic change strategies to non-profit, non-academic organizations. The Partnership track is designed to support the work to facilitate the broader adaptation of gender equity and systemic change strategies. Partnership projects are expected to result in national or regional transformation in STEM academic workplaces and the academic profession and demonstrate significant reach. Partnership projects can focus on the transformation of institutions and organizations and/or the transformation within one or more STEM disciplines. The Catalyst track is designed to broaden the types of IHEs that are able to undertake data collection and institutional self-assessment work to identify systemic gender inequities impacting their STEM faculty so that these can be addressed by the institution. Please note that NSF ADVANCE does not provide fellowships, research, or travel grants to individual students, postdoctoral researchers, or faculty to pursue STEM degrees or research. Undergraduate STEM opportunities can be found at stemundergrads.science.gov and graduate STEM opportunities at stemgradstudents.science.gov. [1]Building the Future Investing in Innovation and Discovery: NSF Strategic Plan 2018-2022. https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2018/nsf18045/nsf18045.pdf. [2] All the STEM fields supported by NSF are supported by the ADVANCE program including the learning, social, behavioral, and economic sciences. ADVANCE does not support the clinical science fields.

*** Due to Government funds availability, Letters of Intent and/or Proposals are currently NOT being accepted. Should funds become available, the FOA will be updated to accept Letter of Intent and/or Proposals. If you have questions, please contacted by the Grants and Agreements Officer or Contracting Specialists.***The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, is seeking innovative applications for Future Scholars under Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Workforce Development Programs. AFRL intends to award multiple grants and cooperative agreements, subject to the availability of funds.This is a five year open Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) accepting proposals from the date of publication for award of grants and cooperative agreements, subject to the availability of funds. Once the FOA has reached the five year period and/or funds are no longer available, the announcement will be modified to reflect the announcement as closed. This FOA will be reviewed on an annual basis to ensure awards are pertinent to the Government’s needs and ceiling values.Proposals may be submitted any time from the FOA issue date, until the final submission deadline for proposals and will be evaluated as they are received. Prior to submitting a proposal, Recipients are required to submit a Letter of Intent to the Points of Contact (POCs) listed in Section VII - Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s).This FOA supports STEM Workforce Development programs or projects that align with the Federal STEM Strategy and the DoD STEM Mission. This announcement encourages programs or projects that improve the capacity of education systems and communities to create impactful STEM educational experiences for students and teachers, and prepare the 21st century STEM workforce. AFRL’s Workforce Development programs or projects include, but are not limited to:Internships (High School through Doctoral)Fellowship Apprentice/Residency ProgramsCollege or University project-based learning programsFormal or informal workforce development programs or projects that align with the Federal STEM Strategy and DOD STEM MissionBefore submitting an application, Recipients are highly encouraged to read the Federal STEM Education Strategy and the DoD STEM’s Mission.AFRL anticipates a total of $50,000,000.00 of Federal funding for multiple awards under this FOA. Proposed efforts may range in size, complexity and periods of performance. The Government reserves the right to fund, in whole or in part, any, all, or none of the applications submitted in response to the FOA. Using the authority of 10 U.S.C. § 2192, AFRL will select proposed efforts that meet the anticipated FOA’s Funding Opportunity Description and clearly address the goals and objectives as stated in the FOA.Questions concerning this FOA may be emailed to:Sara Telano, Contracting Officer, sara.telano@us.af.milLauren Rice, Contracting Specialist, lauren.rice.3@us.af.milEmail Subject: FOA-20-AFRL/RVKE-0001 QuestionsPlease note, Questions and Answers related to this FOA have been posted and are available for review in Grants.gov.Recipients are advised to complete the following steps, which are required for application submission:Obtain a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number (including the plus 4 extension, if applicable) at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.Register in Grants.gov to receive automatic updates when Amendments to a FOA are posted. Please note that applications will ONLY be accepted through Grants.gov. http://www.grants.gov/.Register with the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://www.sam.gov/. To be eligible for an award, the Recipient must (1) be registered in the SAM before submitting its application; (2) provide a valid unique entity identifier in its application; and (3) continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency.Recipients who are not registered with SAM.gov and/or Grants.gov should allow sufficient time to complete these requirements. It is suggested that the process be started as soon as possible. Questions relating to the registration process, system requirements, how an application form works, or the submital process must be directed to Grants.gov at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov. Questions relating to the SAM registration process must be directed to Federal Service Desk Contact Information at 1-866-606-8220 or at www.fsd.gov. AFRL representatives cannot answer Grants.gov or SAM registration questions.Recipients wishing to receive additional information on this FOA, including future amendments, should register in Grant.gov as soon as possible. Recipients will only receive an email when an amendment is posted on Grants.gov, if the Recipient is register for email notifications for the FOA in Grants.gov. The Government recommends email registration as soon as possible after the release of the FOA to ensure notice of any amendments or other FOA information.

Eligible applicants should have the infrastructure and capacity to identify, collect, and disseminate information on outcomes associated with persistent tic disorders (PTD) including Tourette syndrome (TS) among children, adolescents, and young adults. Specifically, this entails: 1) access to a population of children, adolescents, and young adults with PTD/TS; 2) expertise in identification of PTD/TS; and 3) capacity to collect and analyze survey data and summarize and disseminate findings.CDC proposes to allocate funds to implement a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), Surveillance of Public Health Burden of Persistent Tic Disorders including Tourette Syndrome in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults. The purpose of the NOFO is to conduct surveillance of persistent tic disorders (PTD) including Tourette syndrome (TS) among children, adolescents, and young adults to: • Document the public health burden (i.e., outcomes) of these disorders • Generate data that can be used to inform education and outreach activities to improve the health and well-being of individuals with tic disorders and their families. Proposed activities for this NOFO include the following: • Collaborate with CDC and other NOFO recipients to identify measures for priority areas of burden including cost, healthcare transition, suicidality, and co-occurring disorders. • Collaborate with CDC and other recipients to determine a standard survey and surveillance protocol across sites and shared data approach. • Collect and share de-identified data with CDC. • Collaborate with CDC and other NOFO recipients to analyze, summarize, and disseminate multi-site findings.

The purpose of this program is to support states and Tribes with implementing youth (up to age 24) suicide prevention and early intervention strategies in schools, educational institutions, juvenile justice systems, substance use and mental health programs, foster care systems, pediatric health programs, and other child- and youth-serving organizations.

The purpose of this program is to provide trauma-informed, evidence-based interventions to youth and young adults (up to 25 years of age) who are at clinical high risk for psychosis. Recipients will be expected to use evidence-based interventions to: (1) improve symptomatic and behavioral functioning; (2) enable youth and young adults to resume age-appropriate social, academic, and/or vocational activities; (3) delay or prevent the onset of psychosis; and (4) minimize the duration of untreated psychosis for those who develop psychotic symptoms.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity will establish, by cooperative agreement, a Quality Improvement Center on Helplines and Hotlines (QIC-H2). The goal of the QIC-H2 is to build national capacity for community-based helplines to serve as an alternative to child welfare intervention and develop clear, evidence-based understanding of the distinction between poverty and willful parental neglect in child maltreatment assessment. To achieve these goals, the QIC-H2 has the following primary objectives: (A) Build a repository of national models and best practices for the operation of community-based helplines that can link families with needed concrete supports as a primary prevention strategy and an alternative to child protective services (CPS) hotlines. (B) Develop an evidenced-informed curriculum or supplemental training materials for mandated reporters and hotline staff to overcome bias in decision making and clearly distinguish between poverty and willful parental neglect in child abuse reporting. (C) Identify and support a limited number of diverse pilot sites with a demonstrated capacity to test selected strategies in their community. (D) Evaluate funded efforts to measure the QIC-H2’s effectiveness in meeting the goals and objectives of this funding and widely disseminate findings, recommendations, and best practices.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Administration for Native Americans (ANA) announces that it will be soliciting applications for the Native American Language Preservation and Maintenance program. This program provides funding for projects to support assessments of the status of the native languages in an established community, as well as the planning, designing, restoration, and implementing of native language curriculum and education projects to support a community's language preservation goals. Native American communities include American Indian tribes (federally-recognized and non-federally recognized), Native Hawaiians, Alaskan Natives, and Native American Pacific Islanders.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) anticipates soliciting applications for Behavioral Interventions Scholars awards to support dissertation research by advanced graduate students who are using approaches grounded in behavioral science or behavioral economics to examine research questions of relevance to social services programs and policies. These awards are meant to build capacity in the research field to apply a behavioral science or behavioral economics lens to issues facing families with low incomes in the United States, and to foster faculty mentorship of high-quality doctoral students. Applicants are required to demonstrate how their research is grounded in behavioral economics/behavioral science and the applicability of their research to practices or policies serving children, adults, and families with low incomes, especially those that seek to improve their well-being. For information about OPRE, please go to https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre. For information about related work ongoing within OPRE, please go to https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/behavioral-interventions-to-advance-self-s… .gov System Alert - Entity Validation Delays:All applicants must be registered at SAM.gov and establish a Unique Entity Identifier. Due to high demand, SAM.gov is experiencing a considerable delay in processing entity legal business name and address validation tickets. As needed, please start the process early to avoid interruptions in application submissions. You can find SAM resources related to this process here - https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0058…. Interested in this announcement? Create an account at Grants.gov and subscribe to this forecast to receive notifications of updates and publication.

The Basic Center Program (BCP) provides temporary shelter and counseling services to youth who have left home without permission of their parents or guardians, have been forced to leave home, or other homeless youth who might otherwise end up in the law enforcement or in the child welfare, mental health, or juvenile justice systems. BCPs work to establish or strengthen community-based programs that meet the immediate needs of runaway and homeless youth and their families. BCP award recipients provide youth under 18 years of age with emergency shelter, food, clothing, counseling and referrals for health care. BCP award recipients can provide up to 21 days of shelter for youth and seeks to reunite young people with their families, whenever possible, or to locate appropriate alternative placements. Additional services may include: street-based services; home-based services for families with youth at risk of separation from the family; drug abuse education and prevention services; and at the request of runaway and homeless youth, testing for sexually transmitted diseases.

The Office of Early Childhood Development (ECD) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) will be soliciting applications for the Fiscal Year 2024 Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Grant Program. Funds will support 5-year cooperative agreements between ACF and federally recognized Indian tribes (or a consortium of Indian tribes), tribal organizations, or urban Indian organizations interested in developing, implementing, sustaining, or expanding an evidence-based home visiting program serving expectant families and families with young children aged birth to kindergarten. Awards will support implementation of high-quality, culturally grounded, evidence-based home visiting services to American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) families and children; implementation of performance measurement and continuous quality improvement systems; development of early childhood systems; and participation in research and evaluation activities to build evidence around home visiting, particularly in tribal communities.Home visiting programs are intended to promote outcomes such as improved maternal and prenatal health, infant health, and child health and development; reduced child maltreatment; improved parenting practices related to child development outcomes; improved school readiness; improved family socio-economic status; improved coordination of referrals to community resources and supports; and reduced incidence of injuries, crime, and domestic violence. The goals of the Tribal MIECHV program are to support healthy, happy, successful AIAN children and families through a coordinated, high-quality, culturally grounded, evidence-based home visiting strategy; to continue to build the evidence base for home visiting in tribal communities; and to support coordination among early childhood programs serving AIAN families and development of early childhood systems.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) plans to solicit applications for awards to support researchers conducting secondary analyses of data to address key questions of relevance to the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF). CCDF is the primary federal funding source for child care subsidies and aims to help eligible low-income working families access child care and to improve the quality of child care for all children. CCDF also aims to improve implementation of high-quality child care programs to 1) promote children’s healthy development and learning and 2) support the education, training, and well-being of child care workers through efforts that include child care licensing, quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS) and professional development opportunities. Analyzing existing data sets may provide researchers an efficient and cost-effective method for answering critical research questions of relevance to CCDF. Findings from these awards are intended to inform policy, program administration, and future research.Topics of particular interest to ACF may include, but are not limited to: reducing barriers to access and/or improvements in access to child care and early education, particularly high-quality programs for those most in need of services; consumer education; recruiting and retaining a qualified early care and education (ECE) workforce; stabilizing the supply of high-quality care and education programs; improving teacher and caregiver competencies through professional development; supporting workforce well-being; and, approaches to engage, support, and meet the needs of families. Data sets of particular interest to ACF may include, but are not limited to, the 2019 National Survey of Early Care and Education and state- or territory-level workforce registry, subsidy, Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), licensing, monitoring, Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R), or Preschool Development Grants B-5 data.

The Administration for Children and Families, Administration for Native Americans announces that it will be soliciting applications for the Native American Language Preservation and Maintenance - Esther Martinez Immersion program (EMI). The program provides funding for community-based projects that ensure continuing vitality of Native languages through immersion-based instruction. Programs funded under the EMI notice of funding opportunity must meet the requirements for either a Native American Language Nest, or a Native American Survival School. As defined by Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act (42 U.S.C. § 2991b-3(b)(7)), Language Nests are "site-based educational programs that- (i) provide instruction and child care through the use of a Native American language for at least 5 children under the age of 7 for an average of at least 500 hours per year per student," and Native American Survival Schools are "site-based educational programs for school-age students that- (i) provide an average of at least 500 hours of instruction through the use of 1 or more Native American languages for at least 10 students for whom a Native American language survival school is their principal place of instruction."

The Maternity Group Home (MGH) program provides safe, stable, and appropriate shelter for pregnant and/or parenting youth and young adults ages 16 to under 22 who have runaway or are experiencing homelessness, and their dependent child(ren), for 18 months and, under extenuating circumstances, up to 21 months. Service providers must accommodate for the needs and safety of the dependent children to include facility safety standards for infants and children on the premises. MGH services include, but are not limited to, parenting skills, child development, family budgeting, and health and nutrition education, in addition to the required services provided under the Transitional Living Program to help MGH youth and young adults realize improvements in four core outcome areas. The MGH combination of shelter and services is designed to promote long-term, economic independence to ensure the well-being of the youth and their child(ren).

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS or Service) is the premier government agency dedicated to the conservation, protection, and enhancement of fish, wildlife and plants, and their habitats. We are the only agency in the federal government whose primary responsibility is the conservation and management of these important natural resources for the American public. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s origins date back to 1871 when Congress established the U.S. Fish Commission to study the decrease in the nation’s food fishes and recommend ways to reverse that decline. The FWS is committed to building and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the ethic, age, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, and language diversity of contemporary America. The FWS operates a variety of programs that promote wildlife conservation and public land management under the Public Lands Corps Act (PLC) through engagement, employment, and education of our nation’s diverse youth and veterans. FWS programs operating under the Public Lands Corps Act have been designated as covered programs under Justice40 (Executive Order 14008). The FWS strives to meet the Federal Government’s goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal Investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. The categories of investment are: climate change, clean energy and energy efficiency, clean transit, affordable and sustainable housing, training and workforce development, remediation of reduction of legacy pollution, and the development of critical clean water and wastewater infrastructure. The Public Lands Corps (PLC) Program is authorized by Congress under Title 16 USC Sec. 1721-1726; Public Law 109-154, Public Lands Corps Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2005 (amends the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993), and all subsequent amendments. Guidance authorizes U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to (1) establish PLC Programs (2) certify participants who meet the PLC eligibility requirements for the PLC non-competitive hiring authority status, and (3) ensure consistent program standards throughout the FWS. The purpose of the FWS PLC Programs is to provide work and education opportunities for youth (defined as ages 16-30 inclusive, and up to age 35 for veterans) participants in the areas of natural and cultural resource conservation, development, and scientific research. Participants perform work on our nation’s public lands by providing additional, unique capacity designed to boost the impact of the FWS for the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the American people. The PLC FWS Youth Corps Program allows the FWS to establish partnerships with Partner organizations (Partners), generally defined as “qualified youth or conservation corps,” using financial assistance/cooperative agreements or MOUs, to employ the next generation of conservationists in paid PLC projects and internships. Partners must be designated as an official member of the FWS Youth Corps in order to certify Participants. FWS Youth Corps application information is available in the attachments to this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The purpose of this NOFO is not to establish new partnerships. See Full Announcement for additional information and application instructions. Unsolicited partnership applications or projects that are not collaboratively developed between an existing FWS Youth Corps member and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be returned as ineligible. ***Applicants seeking technical or financial assistance from a FWS PLC programs are requested to consult with a local FWS office BEFORE developing or submitting an application (see FWS Youth Program Contacts included in the Related Documents of this announcement or visit U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (fws.gov) to locate a FWS office in your area. ***Unsolicited Partnership applications submitted through Grants.gov will be returned as ineligible. See Related Documents for application instructions for FWS Youth Corps.