(a) Entities eligible to apply for and receive a grant under this part include:

(1) A non-profit organization;

(2) A consortium of nonprofit organizations; or

(3) A consortium which includes a non-profit organization(s) and one or more of the following: agribusinesses, State and local governments, agricultural labor organizations, farmer or rancher cooperatives, and community-based organizations with the capacity to train farm workers.

(b) Additional information about eligible entities may be included in the RFP. In addition, the RFP will specify the criteria by which an entity's capacity to train farm workers will be evaluated, but at a minimum, the entity shall be required to demonstrate that it has:

(1) An understanding of the issues facing hired farmworkers and conditions under which they work;

(2) Familiarity with the agricultural industry in the geographic area to be served, including agricultural labor needs and existing services for farmworkers; and

(3) The capacity to effectively administer a program of services and benefits authorized by the ACE program.

(c) An applicant will be required to submit information to OAO, as specified in the RFP and/or FOA as part of the grant application.

(a) The ACE grants program will be centrally administered by the USDA in a manner consistent with these regulations, as well as the pertinent requirements of 7 CFR part 3015, 7 CFR part 3016, 7 CFR part 3018, 7 CFR part 3019 and 7 CFR 3052.

(b) The Office of Advocacy and Outreach (OAO) has been designated as the organizational unit responsible for administering the ACE program, including, among other things, determining the number and amount of grants to be awarded, the purposes for the grants to be awarded, as well as the criteria for the evaluation and award of grants.

(c) Services and benefits provided under the ACE grants program are limited to those which will assist eligible farmworkers in securing, retaining, upgrading or returning from agricultural jobs.

(d) Such services will include the following:

(1) Agricultural labor skills development

(2) Provision of agricultural labor market information:

(3) Transportation:

(4) Short-term housing while in transit to an agricultural worksite;

(5) Workplace literacy and assistance with English as a second language;

(6) Health and safety instruction, including ways of safeguarding the food supply of the United States;

(7) Such other services as the Secretary deems appropriate.

(e) Grant funds shall not be used to deliver or replace any services or benefits which an agricultural employer, association, contractor, or any other entity is legally obliged to provide.

(a) Those eligible to receive program services or benefits under the ACE program are farmworkers who meet the definition of “United States Workers” as set forth in § 2502.2 of this part.

(b) Grantees shall be responsible for verifying the employment of farmworkers who are actively employed and are seeking to participate in program services or benefits. Unemployed farmworkers seeking to participate shall be required to certify to grantees that they are eligible for program services and benefits as provided herein. Additional eligibility requirements may be included in the RFP.

Each grantee is responsible for providing services and/or benefits authorized by this program in accord with a service delivery strategy described in its approved grant plan. The services must reflect the needs of the relevant farmworker population in the area to be served and be consistent with the goals of assisting farmworkers in securing, retaining, upgrading, or returning from agricultural jobs. The necessary components of a service delivery strategy and grant plan will be fully set forth in an RFP but the plan shall include, at a minimum, the following:

(a) The employment and education needs of the farmworker population to be served;

(b) The manner in which the proposed services to be delivered will assist agricultural employers and farmworkers in securing, retaining, upgrading or returning from agricultural jobs;

(c) The manner in which the proposed services will be coordinated with other available services;

(d) The number of participants the grantee expects to serve for each service provided, the results expected and the anticipated expenditures for each category of service.