HHS Job Opportunities for Low-Income Individuals (JOLI) CFDA 93.593

The Office of Community Services' (OCS) Job Opportunities for Low-Income Individuals (JOLI) program supports business development and expansion opportunities, including micro-enterprise and self-employment opportunities, in an effort to help Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and other low-income individuals achieve economic self-sufficiency. Grantees may provide technical and financial assistance to private employers in low-income communities in order to create sustainable employment and business opportunities. Funded projects should focus on one of the following three program strategies: (1) new business ventures, (2) business expansion, and (3) self-employment/micro-enterprise projects. A minimum of 20 percent of the JOLI funds must be allotted to direct financial assistance to program participants for creating or expanding a business. Applications are due by May 8, 2009, no later than 4:30 pm, eastern time.


Grantees must ensure that TANF recipients and other low-income individuals are recruited to participate in business development and expansion activities, and to fill positions created under the program. The program must help TANF recipients and other low-income individuals overcome personal or community barriers, and ensure that the businesses and jobs remain viable for at least six months after the end of the grant. For JOLI grants, low-income individuals are defined as those living in households with incomes at or below poverty, as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Guidelines on Poverty, found at http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/index.shtml. In addition to a well-planned and viable strategy for business creation or expansion, applicants must have in place: (1) needed management, staff, and other resources, (2) written commitments from third-party partners, (3) evidence of site control, and (4) referral sources to identify low-income individuals to fill the positions.

JOLI projects must focus on one of three program strategies: (1) new business ventures, (2) business expansion, and (3) self-employment/micro-enterprise projects. While proposed projects may involve more than one of these program strategies, the most successful projects typically focus on only one. In all cases, the end result of the JOLI-funded activity must be the creation of new, full-time, full-year jobs for TANF recipients or other low-income individuals.

Program Strategy 1: New Business Ventures involves, developing a new business that will train and employ TANF recipients or other low-income individuals to work within that business.

Program Strategy 2: Business Expansion, involves providing technical and financial assistance to businesses already in existence. The assistance should allow the businesses to expand, for example by helping them obtain better marketing services, contracts, or access to funds needed to help the business grow.

Program Strategy 3: Self-employment/Micro-enterprise projects, involves projects that create self-employment/micro-enterprise opportunities for eligible participants in industries that are expected to thrive in the target area, and will help participants become economically self-sufficient. Self-employment involves the creation of a sustainable business that is designed to employ a single individual such as home-based day care, graphic design, medical billings, sewing services, or secretarial services. Micro-enterprise involves the creation of a sustainable business that is designed to hire one to four or more individuals, such as a cleaning business that will create more than one job. Under this strategy, OCS does not consider a job to be created or sustainable until enough contracts and subcontracts have been committed to provide sufficient cash flow to support one or more full-time jobs, including the self-employed person or the Micro-enterprise owner, for a minimum of 12 months.

Document Type: Grants Notice
Funding Opportunity Number: HHS-2009-ACF-OCS-EO-0011
Opportunity Category: Discretionary
Posted Date: Apr 09, 2009
Creation Date: Apr 09, 2009
Original Closing Date for Applications: May 08, 2009
Current Closing Date for Applications: May 08, 2009 See link to full announcement for details. IMPORTANT NOTE: Applications submitted electronically via Grants.gov must be submitted no later than 4:30 p.m., eastern time, on the due date referenced above.
Archive Date: Jun 07, 2009
Funding Instrument Type: Grant
Category of Funding Activity: Income Security and Social Services
Category Explanation:
Expected Number of Awards: 11
Estimated Total Program Funding: $4,838,000
Award Ceiling: $475,000
Award Floor: $0
CFDA Number(s): 93.593 -- Job Opportunities for Low-Income Individuals
Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: No

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/HHS-2009-ACF-OCS-EO-0011.html