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Kansas Office of Recovery





March 24, 2023






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This week’s edition of the Office of Recovery Newsletter features the announcement of two workforce programs approved through the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) process. $30 million will be made available under the Aviation Learning Opportunities & Funded Training (ALOFT) and Delivering Residents and Workforce (DRAW) grant programs.  

Also featured are reporting resources for American Rescue Plan Act recipients classified as Non-Entitlement Units of Government (NEUs). The second NEU project and expenditure report is due April 30, 2023. The Office of Recovery will be hosting a reporting webinar for NEUs on April 5. More details are below.  

Information on the Kansas Education Enrichment Program (KEEP), which is now open for application, is also included. The program provides qualifying parents and guardians with a one-time $1,000 award per child to pay for educational goods and services, such as tutoring and school supplies. Information on the program and how to apply is below. 

For the latest information on Treasury updates and information about resources available to Kansans, see the “Updates to Services and Support” section of this newsletter. For the most up-to-date information, please visit the Office of Recovery website at: COVID.ks.gov [ [link removed] ]  

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Program Spotlight

ALOFT DRAW

*Kansas Department of Commerce Announces Two Workforce Programs Approved Through SPARK Process* 

The Kansas Department of Commerce has announced $30 million will be made available under the Aviation Learning Opportunities & Funded Training (ALOFT) and Delivering Residents and Workforce (DRAW) grant programs.  

The ALOFT program will provide $20 million in funding for training development and expansions requiring new job opportunities in the aviation and aerospace industry. The DRAW program will provide $10 million in funding for training development for high demand employers, such as healthcare, education, technology-based, and entities working with persons with disabilities. A priority for the DRAW program is to increase new residents from out-of-state. 

The funds were designated by the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Executive Committee and approved by the State Finance Council in December 2022. 

ALOFT applications can include construction costs for on-site training facilities, vendor training on machinery and equipment, supervisor and management salaries directly related to training, marketing and activities to encourage youth participation in aviation and aerospace careers, and participation costs in the Kansas Registered Apprenticeship and Workforce AID programs. Awardees will have two years to complete their projects and utilize all awarded funds.

Eligible ALOFT applicants include: 


* Aviation and aerospace manufacturers 
* Supply chain manufacturers that provide services, equipment and manufacturing for eligible aviation and aerospace manufacturers 
* Locally and city-owned airports. 

DRAW applications can include construction of on-site training facilities, vendor training costs, machinery and equipment used solely for training, course development costs, and marketing and attraction costs to attract talent to Kansas. Awardees will have two years to complete their projects and utilize all awarded funds. 

Eligible DRAW applicants include: 


* Mobile workforce training providers 
* Healthcare providers 
* Education providers
* Technology-based businesses 
* Employers working with the blind, visually, or hearing impaired, or persons with disabilities  
* Employers hiring for positions determined as “high demand and high wage” from the Kansas Department of Labor. 

The ALOFT and DRAW grant applications both opened on March 13, with submissions closing at 11:59 p.m. Monday, April 24, for both programs. Guidelines for the grant applications can be found at www.kansascommerce.gov/aloft [ [link removed] ] and www.kansascommerce.gov/draw [ [link removed] ].  

Applicants can contact [email protected] for any questions regarding this funding opportunity.

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NEU Reporting Resources
Treasury
*Upcoming Federal Reports for NEUs* 

For American Rescue Plan Act recipients classified as Non-Entitlement Units of Government (NEUs), the second project and expenditure report is due *April 30, 2023*. Please note however, that NEUs will not be able to submit their second project and expenditure report until the US Treasury prepopulates these reports in the US Treasury Reporting Portal [ [link removed] ] on *April 1, 2023*. 

To minimize any reporting difficulties that may occur during the reporting process, the Office of Recovery recommends taking the following measures:  


* *Confirm Contact Information- *As only certain identified representatives can submit Project and Expenditure Reports for local governments, it is advised that NEUs ensure all reporting responsibilities and contact information are current and up to date in the Treasury Reporting Portal. If there has been any changes in information or reporting responsibilities, user roles can be changed within the reporting portal (for further information on changing user roles please reference the US Treasury’s webinar on ARPA Reporting: Changing User Role Designations [ [link removed] ]).  NEUs can also notify the US Treasury directly of any contact information changes using the Treasury email provided below. Specifically to NEUs, should a Point of Contact or Authorized Representative have changed (to include contact emails or phone numbers), please also notify the Office of Recovery as it assists in keeping our records current and up to date.

 


* *Confirm Submission of NEU Agreements and Supporting Documents- *As budget documentation, the ARPA signed award documents and the Assurance of Compliance with Civil Rights document were all required of NEUs as apart of receiving ARPA funds, please confirm these 3 documents have been uploaded into the US Treasury Reporting Portal. If your specific NEU is missing these documents, please contact the Office of Recovery and they will be provided.

 


* *Obtain a Unique Entity ID (UEI) *– All ARPA recipients, subrecipients and contractors are required to have a UEI and have that number included as part of the reporting process. The UEI is the replacement for the previously used DUNS numbers, and they are issued by SAM.gov. Please consult SAM.gov here [ [link removed] ] if you have questions about obtaining a UEI. 

 


* *Review additional resources provided by the US Treasury*- The US Treasury provides ARPA reference materials such as the US Treasury ARPA Final Rule FAQ [ [link removed] ], the US Treasury Compliance and Reporting Guidance Manual [ [link removed] ], the US Treasury Portal Recipient Reporting User Guide [ [link removed] ], and the US Treasury Reporting Portal User Access Guide [ [link removed] ], which cover areas such as accessing the reporting portal, ARPA project eligibilities, and ARPA reporting and compliance. It may be beneficial to review and refamiliarize with the ARPA reference materials prior to the April 30 Project and Expenditure Report submission.  

The Office of Recovery will be holding a webinar on Annual Project & Expenditure Reporting for NEUs on *April 5 at 11:00 AM*.  

This webinar will provide a reporting refresher for local governments completing their second annual Project and Expenditure Report, as well as provide a chance for local governments to ask any reporting related questions they may have to an Office of Recovery ARPA subject matter expert.    

To attend the webinar, please use the following link: Office of Recovery April 5 NEU Treasury Reporting Webinar [ [link removed] ]. Please also note for the April 5 webinar, no advance registration will be required, and the link provided above will be all that is needed to attend.  

Should you not be able to attend, you can view the webinar at a later time convenient for you, as Office of Recovery webinars are recorded and stored in the Webinar Materials [ [link removed] ]section of the Office of Recovery website.  

Should any additional questions or need for assistance arise, NEUs can contact the US Treasury directly at [email protected] ( which will also be the main point of contact for any reporting portal technical assistance), or reach out to the Office of Recovery with any questions they may have using the form in the CONTACT US [ [link removed] ] section of the Office of Recovery website. 

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*Qualifying Families Can Apply for $1000 per Student for Learning Recovery* 

The Kansas Education Enrichment Program (KEEP) is open to applications from qualifying parents and guardians of Kansas students. KEEP provides a $1,000 award per student to pay for various educational goods and services that promote learning recovery and facilitate academic enrichment opportunities.  

KEEP funds may be used on various enrichment and educational activities, including:​  


* Day and overnight camps with academic-related curriculum such as music, arts, science, technology, agriculture, mathematics, and engineering  
* Curriculum and educational materials, including certain technological devices  
* Language classes  
* Musical instruments and lessons  
* Tutoring  

The funds are not eligible for school tuition. 

Eligibility for KEEP funds is determined by financial need, and funds will be distributed to actively enrolled K-12 Kansas students between the ages of 5-18. Students whose household income is less than 185% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines are eligible. 

Subject to funding availability, future waves of funding may be provided with expanded household income eligibility parameters.   

Families can learn if they qualify, apply for the program, read the full handbook of rules and instructions, and browse the marketplace of qualified service providers at www.keep.ks.gov [ [link removed] ]. Program participants will have access to a web and mobile app for using their awarded funds.  

Businesses that offer educational opportunities and services are invited to join the KEEP Marketplace to assist students and families. Parents and guardians can search for those opportunities across Kansas on the KEEP Marketplace. Parents and guardians may also submit requests for additional businesses to be added to the Marketplace if they know of a business that would qualify.  

Businesses interested in becoming a provider on the KEEP Marketplace can apply to become a Qualified Education Service Provider on the program website: www.keep.ks.gov. [ [link removed] ]  

KEEP is being offered through a contract between Merit International, Inc. and the Kansas Office of Recovery to provide educational activities and learning opportunities to students across Kansas to promote educational learning recovery in response to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The program is funded with American Rescue Plan Act dollars approved through the SPARK process.

 

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SPARK Programs
SPARK

 

In December the State Finance Council approved a total of $374 million in COVID-19 relief funds for broadband infrastructure and adoption, the modernization and improvement of government services, economic development, and health and education initiatives recommended by the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Executive Committee. 

The portfolio of approved funding includes competitive grant programs in the four SPARK Advisory Panel areas: Connectivity, Efficiency and Modernization, Health and Education, and Economic Revitalization. 

An overview of approved programs and their current status is available on the Office of Recovery’s website [ [link removed] ]. 

Additional details on these competitive funding opportunities, including information on the timeline and process to apply for funding through these programs, will be shared as available.  

Those that previously submitted an idea submission to the SPARK process will be notified of funding opportunities relevant to their proposal once that information is available.  

Programs approved through the SPARK process that are currently open for application include: 


* *Community Resource Capacity Accelerator - *[link removed] [ [link removed] ]* * 
* *Child Care Capacity Accelerator - *[link removed] [ [link removed] ]*  * 
* *Aviation Learning Opportunities and Funded Training (ALOFT) – *[link removed] [ [link removed] ]* * 
* *Delivering Residents and Workforce (DRAW) - *[link removed] [ [link removed] ]* * 

Additional programs will be added to this list as applications open. 

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Updates to Services and Support
Services and Support
*COVID-19 Retail Storefront Property Tax Relief Funding is Still Available *  

In June 2022, bipartisan House Bill 2136 was signed into law, investing $50 million to help small businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 Retail Storefront Property Tax Relief Program is still available to provide financial assistance to certain businesses impacted by COVID-19 related shutdowns and restrictions during tax years 2020 and 2021.    

The COVID-19 Retail Storefront Property Tax Relief Program is funded through the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which requires a federal Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) to be completed for a business to be eligible to receive assistance.  

The UEI is issued at no cost through the federal System for Award Management website, SAM.gov.  

Due to recent increases in the number of entities registering with SAM.gov [ [link removed] ], it may take up to 25 business days for new registrations to be processed.   

For any issues related to registering with SAM.gov or obtaining a UEI, applicants can contact the Federal Service Desk at 866-606-8220.   

Once registration is complete and confirmed, business owners can apply for the COVID-19 Retail Storefront Property Tax Relief Program through an online application [ [link removed] ] created by KDOR. The application provides definitions, explains the assistance process in detail, and specifies exactly what information must be provided and/or submitted in support of the application.   

Applicants with questions regarding the COVID-19 Retail Storefront Property Tax Relief Program can contact the Kansas Department of Revenue at 785-368-8660.    

Small business owners have until April 15, 2023, to apply for this financial assistance. 






Contact the RO

The Office of Recovery is here to offer support and coordination.  Questions and inquiries may be submitted via the Contact Us [ [link removed] ] form. Please visit covid.ks.gov [ [link removed] ] for up-to-date information and resources on recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic for Kansas residents, businesses, and communities.

*Question/Request Form* [ [link removed] ]


Warm Regards,

*The Office of Recovery*

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