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Grant Program Description The purpose of the Learn and Serve America is a school-based program to increase student, teacher and community participation in service-learning projects that integrate school-based learning and community service activities into the various curricular areas.
It is the goal of the NJ Department of State, in partnership with the NJ Department of Education, through Lean and Serve, to provide students with a structured learning experience that allows them to enhance academic achievement, develop workplace readiness skills, demonstrate active citizenship, and give back to their community through service-learning.
Grant Timelines and Award Dates Learn and Serve America Grants (LSA): A competitive Notice of Grant Opportunity (NGO) was disseminated to all Local Education Agencies (LEA's) statewide in March, 2006 for a new two-year funding cycle beginning September 30, 2006 to September 29, 2008. In February or March, 2007 a continuation NGO will be made available only to programs operating in that two-year cycle. In February or March, 2008 a competitive NGO will be open to all LEA's statewide for new two-year cycle commencing on September 30, 2008 to September 29, 2010.
Implementation funding for LSA is open to new applicants from K-12 school districts who have never received or successfully completed a two-year LSA program. Expansion grants are a limited competitive group of K-12 school districts that have previously been awarded LSA grants.2006 Grantees Learn and Serve America School-Based Programs 2006 Grantees Procedures The Learn and Serve America program operates discretionary grants programs in strict conformance with procedures designed to ensure accountability and integrity in the use of public funds. Evaluators will review proposals on the basis of quality and comprehensiveness, including consistency with the comprehensive project plan selected and approved in the application under the initiating multiyear notice of grant opportunity. Applications will also be reviewed for completeness, accuracy and appropriateness of response to each of the items identified in the notice of grant opportunity.Compliance Procedures and suggested Audit Procedures A. TYPES OF SERVICES ALLOWED
Note that the grant funds provided through any discretionary grant program may not be expended for costs prohibited by federal OMB circulars A-87, A-21 or A-122, as applicable.
Suggested Audit Procedures-
Review Federal OMB Circulars guidelines: A-21, A-87, A-122
B. ELIGIBILITY
This NGO contains two limited competitive grant programs:
1--The Implementation Grant is open to all Local Education Agencies, (LEAs) including charter schools but limited to those that have not received or have not successfully completed a LSA:SBP two year funding cycle during the 1996 to 2006 fiscal years.
Eligible applicants for the Implementation Grant must implement a service-learning program in at least one (1) school within the LEA and must establish a collaborative partnership between the applicant (LEA) and a minimum of one (1) community-based organization.
2--The Expansion Grant is open to all LEAs including charter schools that have received and have successfully completed a LSA:SBP two year funding cycle during 1996-2006 fiscal year and have not previously received an expansion grant. Current expansion grant recipients are ineligible to apply. Eligible applicants for the Expansion Grant must implement a service-learning program in at least four (4) schools from the same applicant district. Districts with less than four schools may partner with schools from neighboring district to meet the four-school requirement. Eligible applicant (LEA) must also establish a collaborative partnership between the LEA and a minimum of four (4) community-based organizations. Each participating school and community-based organization must complete Documentation of Eligibility forms.
Suggested Audit Procedures-
**See RFP for LEAs eligible for expansion grants.
C. MATCHING, LEVEL OF EFFORT, AND/OR EARMARKING REQUIREMENTS:
All eligible applicants for both the Implementation and Expansion Grants must provide a dollar-for-dollar match in cash or in-kind contributions to their proposal. Cash match is defined as direct funds contributed to the project. In-kind match includes services, goods, materials, or facilities contributed to the project. The cash or in-kind contributions may come from state, local, or federal sources (other than funds made available under the national service laws). Match and in-kind must be directly applied/dedicated to the project.
D. REPORTING REQUIREMENT
Grant recipients are required to submit periodic project and fiscal progress reports.
PROGRAM REPORTS:
Annual Progress Reports (APR) Reporting Period Due Date
1st (interim) Oct 1 – Dec 31 Jan. 18
2nd (interim) Oct 1 – March 31 April 19
3rd (interim) Oct 1 – June 30 July 19
4th (final) Oct 1 – Sept 30 Nov. 22
Report: Project Activity Plan Reporting Period Due Date
1st interim Oct 1 – Dec 31 Jan. 18
2nd interim Oct 1 – March 31 April 19
3rd interim Oct 1 – June 30 July 19
4th final Oct 1 – Sept 30 Nov 22
FINANCIAL REPORTS:
Financial Status Reports (FSR) Reporting Period Due Date
1st (interim) Oct 1 – Dec 31 Jan. 10
2nd (interim) Oct 1 – March 31 April 11
3rd (interim) Oct 1 – June 30 July 11
4th (final) Oct 1 – Sept 30 Nov. 22
State Expenditure Report (SER) Reporting Period Due Date
1st interim Oct 1 – Dec 31 Jan. 18
2nd interim Oct 1 – March 31 April 19
3rd interim Oct 1 – June 30 July 19
4th final Oct 1 – Sept 30 Nov. 22
E. SPECIAL TESTS AND/OR PROVISIONS:
Every program must develop a system for collecting and organizing data on an ongoing basis. In addition to progress reports and monitoring, programs must be willing to cooperate with national and state evaluation studies.
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