ETA-9179 Joint Quarterly Narrative Performance Report Template

OMB Control Number: 1205-0448

ETA-9179

Expiration Date: 05/31/2021

Quarterly Narrative Performance Report Template

* Report Due Date: Forty-five (45) days after the end of each quarter

DOL GRANT PROGRAM NAME: ___________________________________________________

Program Year: ___________________

Quarter End Date: _____________________

Date Report Submitted: ___________________________

The information provided in this Quarterly Narrative Performance Report will be used to help the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) monitor the progress of the grant and identify promising practices and challenges of the grantee in implementing the grant. The information collected here provides a more comprehensive assessment of the progress of grantees in meeting expected milestones, performance indicators, and program requirements. It also provides additional qualitative information to ETA regarding the activities of grantees as it relates to Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) implementation or implementation of other discretionary grant programs, timeliness of program deliverables, technical assistance needs, innovative or promising practices in the field, and the use of evaluation for program accountability, assessment, and improvement.

Additionally, please note that, per the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200.328), grantees must inform ETA as soon as the following types of conditions become known and should not wait for a quarterly report deadline:

(1) Problems, delays, or adverse conditions which will materially impair the ability to meet the objectives of the Federal award. This disclosure must include a statement of the action taken, or contemplated, and any assistance needed to resolve the situation.

(2) Favorable developments which enable meeting time schedules and objectives sooner or at less cost than anticipated, or producing more or different beneficial results than originally planned.

Section I. Contact Information.

DOL Grant Funding Opportunity Announcement (optional):
Grant Number:
Grant Recipient Name:
Grant Project Name:
Grant Project Address:
Grant Period of Performance:
Point of Contact (Name, Phone Number, and Email):

Section II. Summary of Grant Activities.

The purpose of this section is to provide an executive summary of grant activities, including planned and actual progress. Grant activities should be aligned with the goals and objectives outlined in the grant Statement of Work (SOW) and ETA approved work plan/timeline. For the current quarter, please include a description of all new and ongoing:

• Services supported by the grant;

• Key activities completed, including partnership development and coordination;

• Performance improvement efforts being undertaken to meet goals for the performance year if projected goals for the quarter are not currently being met; and

• Additional activities performed by both the grantee and any sub-grantees, if applicable.

1. This may include additional information about service and training activities and outcomes to supplement the data submitted on the Quarterly Performance Report.

2. In accordance with the funding opportunity under which the grant was awarded, grantees that are providing supportive services and specialized participant services, should include:

• A description of the type(s) of services offered in the quarter;

• How they were delivered; and

• How they contributed to a participant’s ability to fully participate in grant-funded activities.

3. Those grantees who have no changes to report on the above items relative to previously submitted reports should indicate so, in addition to indicating the reason for their lack of changes.

4. For Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) grantees, please provide information on the current quarter regarding:

• Additional training activities outside of community service assignments; and

• Types of host agencies that are being recruited.

Section III. Progress Toward Grant Goals.

The purpose of this section is to describe the progress of the grant’s project goals, benchmarks, milestones, special events, important deadlines, and deliverables.

1. Provide any updates on the progress of the ETA approved grant timeline/work plan and program activities,

2. Provide any updates on key deliverables and products developed for broad dissemination to the workforce system, as applicable. This includes identifying products developed with grant-funds such as educational curriculum, websites, and other resources.

3. Utilize the timeline in the grant’s SOW to identify all major program activities and training for the reporting quarter. The timeline will paint a picture of project flow that includes start and end dates, schedule of activities, and projected outcomes. The timeline must be updated each quarter noting the actual date of each activity’s completion as accomplished.

4. Include any challenges or concerns the project has encountered that may have affected or slowed grant progress of the timeline/work plan, and how the project intends to resolve them.

5. Describe the next steps or key focus areas planned for the project in the next quarter.

6. If applicable to the grant, use this section to provide additional information that describes the status of capacity building activities occurring under the program. This may include highlighting those items that have been completed, and assessing how well the capacity building strategies of the program are meeting the training needs of the targeted industries through previously identified impact measures.

7. Grantees who have nothing to report should indicate this.

Section IV. Development and Implementation of Effective Practices and Program Model Strategies.

The purpose of this section is to describe how the program model is achieving the program’s intended purpose and the goals/objectives and activities outlined in the grant application and work plan.

This section may also reflect how equity is taken into account in the development and implementation of the program. “Equity” means the consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment. The term “underserved communities” refers to populations sharing a particular characteristic, as well as geographic communities that have been systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life.

1. This may include:

• A description of outreach and/or recruitment activities;

• Examples of the development and implementation of education and training programs;

• Identifying and engaging industry sectors and employers;

• Aligning policies and programs;

• Measuring systems change and tracking performance;

• Developing new, or enhancing existing, curriculum or industry training; and

• Creating new career assistance tools and resources.

2. Grantees may describe how any development and implementation activities (such as those outlined above in Section IV.A) contribute to use of services by underserved populations and facilitate equitable service provisions across target populations and underserved communities. Grantees may also identify administrative barriers, statutory barriers, or other challenges they face in ensuring equitable use, service delivery and outcomes achieved.

3. Grantees may describe any lessons learned and how those lessons learned will be integrated into ongoing grant activities.

4. Grantees with no progress to report on the above items should indicate this.

Section V. Status Update on Match and/or Leveraged Resources (if applicable).

The purpose of this section is to provide updates on the status of all match and/or leveraged resources.

1. Identify any funding needs and sources, and report the cumulative amount of any match and/or leveraged resources provided by the grantee and partners each quarter.

• Match resources are required resources, from non-Federal funds, that support the allowable grant activities. Only grants with a match requirement should report on match.

• Leveraged resources are those additional resources the grantee and its partners use to support the implementation of the program. Leveraged resources may take the form of cash or in-kind donations.  Please indicate any new leveraged resources used to sustain the project after the life of the grant, if applicable.

• Please note that both match and leveraged resources must also be reported on the Financial Status Report (ETA-9130) quarterly, if applicable.

B. The update may include:

• Organizations that contributed the resources;

• Ways in which the resources were used during the current quarter;

• Cumulative amount of match and/or leveraged resources; and

• Type of match and/or leveraged resources contributed to the project.

Section VI. Status Update on Strategic Partnership Activities (if applicable).

The purpose of this section is to describe how partners are working together to implement the project and to communicate the dynamic growth and development of the strategic partnership, including cross-agency partnerships. This section is not intended to be a list of every partner meeting or communication, but rather should reflect the results and outcomes from such interactions and their impact on the project. Completing this section of the report allows grantees to reflect critically on their partnerships and contributes to broader discussions among grantees on partnership development and management. 

1. Report the critical aspects of the grant partnership activities, including establishing and maintaining strategic partnerships, during the reporting period. 

2. This section may:

• Discuss how partners have engaged during the current phase of the project;

• Outline specific roles and contributions of each partner during this quarter;

• Identify any challenges encountered/resolved in the development and management of the partnership; and

• Report new partners that may have been included in the project, or identify any previous partners that may have left the project. Grantees with nothing to report should indicate as such.

Section VII. Status Update on Employer Engagement Strategies.

The purpose of this section is to share information related to promising practices and strategies that have strengthened existing employer partnerships and any efforts to develop new employer partnerships. This section may discuss how equity is taken into account in the identification of, engagement with, and services provided to employers and employer associations.

1. Report the efforts that have been undertaken to receive feedback from local area employers to identify their employee pipeline needs and engage local employers to interview, assess, train, and/or hire program participants. Examples may include:

• Increased employer involvement including employers serving as mentors;

• Program staff and employers identifying ways to encourage continuous improvement to hire program participants;

• New employer partnerships (e.g., increased number of employers); and

• Positive employment outcomes for program participants (e.g., employers support the hiring and advancement of program participants).

Section VIII. Key Issues and Technical Assistance Needs.

The purpose of this section is to describe any grant challenges and related technical assistance needs.

1. Summarize significant opportunities, issues, or challenges (such as under-enrollment) encountered during the quarter and any resolution of issues and challenges identified in previous quarters. Furthermore, describe actions taken or plans to address issues.

2. Describe questions the grantee has for ETA, as well as any technical assistance needs.

3. For SCSEP grantees, this section should include information on the recruitment of eligible applicants, meeting the most in need goal, and over/under enrollment challenges.

4. Grantees with nothing to report should indicate this.

Section IX. Significant Activities, Accomplishments, and Success Stories.

The purpose of this section is to provide additional, in-depth information regarding promising approaches, new processes, and/or lessons learned that are not addressed elsewhere in the report.

1. Report any other significant activities and accomplishments.

2. Describe in detail promising approaches, innovative processes, lessons learned, and grant- and participant-level success stories in this section each quarter, as appropriate.

3. Additionally, if appropriate, and with the participant’s permission, please highlight one or two grant- or participant-level “success stories” from the program per quarter.
   
   

When documenting success stories, please describe the:

• Background, problem, issue, or concern prior to program involvement;

• Response or intervention provided by the project; and

• Results and outcomes, including who benefited and what changed or improved.

4. Grantees may also include promising practices and success stories as attachments to the report.

5. Grantees with nothing to report should indicate this.

Section X. Evidence and Evaluation.

The purpose of this section is to provide information to ETA on how evidence and evaluations are being developed and applied. This information may help ETA to plan for future evaluation needs.

1. Describe how the grantee is using or planning to use data, evidence, and evaluation findings to make improvements to programs and strategies. In this explanation, please include a discussion on accomplishments, strategies being implemented, and any barriers to success.

2. Please provide an update regarding the participation and status of any evaluations required as part of the funding announcement or award. Please include any requests for technical assistance related to these requirements.

3. Please include information regarding the grantee’s participation in any studies or evaluations not required as part of the grant award, including any internal evaluations.  Please describe the study, any data sources, and whether a third party is managing this project.

4. As part of the evaluations described above, or as a separate stand-alone data analysis project, is the grantee using, or have plans to use, administrative data to better understand the grant program or the population it serves? If so, what data sources has the grantee been able to use or planned/desired to use? If so, what research or management questions do/can these data help the grantee answer?

5. Grantees with nothing to report should indicate this.

Section XI. Additional Information (if applicable).

The purpose of this section is to provide any additional relevant information that is not included elsewhere in the report.

1. For SCSEP grantees, this section should include information regarding the:

• Status of the activities described in their training and supportive services waiver request; if applicable and if not described in Section II.D

• Progress on special projects; and

• Status of any complaints/grievances.

2. For H-1B grantees, report any outcomes in this section that are required by the specific grant award but not otherwise captured in the Quarterly Performance Report.

Paperwork Reduction Act Disclosure Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The control number for this collection is 1205-0448. Public reporting burden for this collection of information, which is required to obtain or retain benefits, is estimated to average 10 hours per quarterly response, including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the Quarterly Narrative Performance Report. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Workforce Investment, Room C-4526, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210.

Note: Please do not return the completed ETA-9179 to this address.