Organizations that provide adult education and literacy programs in Michigan can apply now for funding for a four-year grant cycle that begins July 1, 2020.
Administered by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO), the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, Title II, Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) funds must be used to support adult education and literacy programs in Michigan.
LEO is competitively bidding the AEFLA funds through a two-phased application process. Phase I consists of the completion of the Eligible Provider Application, which ensures interested applicants meet the eligibility requirements under the law. That application is due by 5 p.m. on Friday, February 7. According to Federal regulations, only organizations that have demonstrated effectiveness in providing adult education and literacy services are eligible to apply.
Entities that meet the eligibility criteria will continue to Phase II of the application process where they will complete the full application in the Michigan Electronic Grants System.
The Eligible Provider Application is posted at Michigan.gov/AdultEducation. The completed application must be submitted via email to adulted@michigan.gov.
Adult education provides many important benefits to support adult learners in Michigan, including:
- Assisting adults to become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills for employment and economic self-sufficiency;
- Supporting the educational and skill achievement of parents and family members to participate in the educational development of their children and improve economic opportunities for families;
- Helping immigrants and English learners in improving their English and math proficiency and understanding the rights and responsibilities of citizenship;
- Assisting incarcerated individuals in strengthening their knowledge and skills to promote successful reentry into society; and
- Supporting employers by providing workplace literacy and remediation services on-site to upskill current workers.
The AEFLA funds are awarded annually to state agencies by the U.S. Department of Education. The fiscal year 2019 award to LEO totaled $9,712,805 for General Instruction; $1,079,201 for Institutional Programs; and $1,145,136 for Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education programs.
The number of grants awarded by LEO will be dependent on the number of applications approved and the amount of funds available. Awards are based on many factors, including the number of adult learners estimated to be served and the programs offered.
