Section 24-48.5-405 - Regional talent development initiative grant program - creation - administration - eligibility - application review - report(1)(a)(I) There is created in the office the regional talent development initiative grant program. The office, in collaboration with the departments and the steering committee, shall identify regions throughout the state, using the map of regional offices of the division of local government in the department of local affairs as a guide, to inform the selection of applicants.(II)(A) Except as provided in subsection (1)(a)(II)(B) of this section, the office shall administer the grant program.(B) The director of the office may designate another state agency, or the office may contract with one or more third parties, to administer the program.(III) The steering committee and the selection committee appointed pursuant to subsection (5) of this section shall support and advise the program administrator in implementing and administering the grant program pursuant to this part 4. The office is responsible for making grant award decisions in accordance with this section.(b) The purpose of the grant program is to provide grants to applicants in identified regions in order to create or expand talent development initiatives across the state that meet regional labor market needs and the grant program goals specified in subsection (1)(c) of this section.(c) In prioritizing grant applications and awarding grants, the office, in collaboration with the departments and the selection committee, shall strive to meet the following grant program goals:(I) To meet workforce development needs in identified regions of the state as the regions work to recover from the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic;(II) To create intentional pathways between kindergarten through twelfth grade education, higher education, and employment that allow learners and earners to transition more easily into and out of each system and that ensure a highly skilled and well-educated workforce; (III) To provide more opportunities for regional learners and earners to be more economically mobile and earn a living wage in an in-demand, high-skill, high-wage occupation;(IV) To address workforce shortages in infrastructure and building trades by creating more opportunities for workforce development projects in these trades; and(V) To elevate evidence-based workforce training and relevant programs or services where participants from communities that have been historically underrepresented, underserved, or underresourced in Colorado are able to earn a living wage and are connected to employment opportunities.(2) The program administrator, with direction from the steering committee, shall: (a) Contract with a third party, which may include a philanthropic foundation, to conduct a statewide landscape analysis that identifies statewide needs, opportunities, and challenges based on existing or previous grant opportunities to address the same issues and challenges that the grant program will address;(b) Establish a process for entities to apply for:(I) Grants to fund talent development initiatives, which application process must be available no later than December 1, 2022; and(II) Technical assistance to be provided to entities before submitting a grant application;(c) Establish at least two grant application deadlines, which may include a planning phase and a funding phase; and(d) Establish policies setting forth the parameters and eligibility for the grant program.(3) To be eligible for a grant, an applicant must, at a minimum, include with its grant application: (a) A detailed proposal and operations plan for a talent development initiative to serve a particular region and that meets the goals specified in subsection (1)(c) of this section;(b) Information about how the proposed talent development initiative meets the economic development goals of the region or the needs of the region as determined pursuant to an industry-led or other assessment of the economic development needs of the region, including the most recent Colorado talent pipeline report prepared pursuant to section 24-46.3-103;(c) Proposed metrics and data to be tracked to evaluate the success of the proposed initiative;(d) Information about how the proposed initiative will be sustainable after the grant concludes; and(e) If an applicant is applying for a grant for an initiative described in subsection (4)(a)(II) of this section, information supporting the assertion that the initiative is evidence-based and can be scaled to meet additional demands.(4) In developing the grant application selection criteria pursuant to section 24-48.5-404 (2)(c), the steering committee shall: (a) Provide for at least two categories of grant awards that differentiate between initiative types, which may include: (I) Seed funding for innovative ways to meet the goals specified in subsection (1)(c) of this section; and(II) Expansion funding for initiatives that are evidence-based and can be scaled to meet additional demands;(b) Provide for additional consideration for rural and lower-wealth applicants due to their unique needs;(c) Prioritize applicants that:(I) Contribute significant matching funds from philanthropic, business, and other types of organizations and interest areas to meet the grant program goals; or(II) Propose projects that aim to meet urgent state needs in critical workforce shortage areas such as health care and early childhood and kindergarten through twelfth grade education; and(d) Provide for consideration of initiatives that are evidence-based and can be scaled to meet additional demands. For an initiative that is classified as evidence-based pursuant to section 24-48.5-403 (5), this includes a plan to evaluate the initiative's effect on earnings and other outcomes using one of the methodologies described in section 2-3-210 (3)(a)(I), (3)(a)(II), (3)(a)(IV), or (3)(a)(V), or other similar measures.(5)(a) The program administrator, with advice from the steering committee, shall appoint a selection committee consisting of members who have expertise and experience as employers, in education, or in other relevant areas.(b) The selection committee shall review grant applications in accordance with the processes and criteria specified in and developed pursuant to this section and shall make grant award recommendations to the office based on those processes and criteria. The office shall make final determinations and award grants based on the criteria specified in and developed pursuant to this section.(6)(a) The steering committee shall establish requirements for each grant recipient to collect and share information about the implementation and progress of the talent development initiative for which the grant recipient received a grant award.(b) By November 1, 2023, and by each November 1 thereafter, the office, in collaboration with the steering committee, shall publish a report summarizing the use of the money that was awarded as grants under the grant program in the immediately preceding state fiscal year. The report must specify or identify, at a minimum: (I) The amount of grant money distributed to each grant recipient;(II) A description of each grant recipient's use of the grant money;(III) The amount of grants awarded in and number of grant recipients from each region of the state;(IV) Information regarding the specific outcome measures identified in the grant applications;(V) The lessons learned, promising practices, evidence-based standards of program outcomes, and metrics, as determined and outlined by the steering committee; and(VI) Any other information regarding the grant program the office determines appropriate to include in the report.(c) The office and any person that receives money from the office, including the program administrator, shall comply with the compliance, reporting, record-keeping, and program evaluation requirements established by the office of state planning and budgeting and the state controller in accordance with section 24-75-226 (5).Amended by 2024 Ch. 478,§ 2, eff. 8/7/2024.Amended by 2024 Ch. 89,§ 5, eff. 8/7/2024, app. to budget requests, requests for supplemental appropriations, and budget request amendments made on or after the applicable effective date.Added by 2022 Ch. 233, § 1, eff. 5/26/2022.2024 Ch. 478, was passed without a safety clause. See Colo. Const. art. V, § 1(3).2024 Ch. 89, was passed without a safety clause. See Colo. Const. art. V, § 1(3).