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USDOL’s FARE grants to inform women of their workplace rights

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Am Samoa eligible for this new Labor Dept. funding
fili@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — American Samoa is eligible under a new funding opportunity offered by the US Labor Department to develop partnerships with community-based organizations and other non-profits to conduct outreach to women workers to help them understand and exercise their rights and benefits in the workplace, according to a USDOL official.

The federal agency announced last Friday $1.5 million funding for all states and territories, administered by USDOL’s Women’s Bureau and the Employment and Training Administration — called the Fostering Access, Rights and Equity (FARE) grants and are designed to help low-wage women workers.

Women’s Bureau director Wendy Chun-Hoon, in a USDOL national news release, said the “Fostering Access, Rights and Equity partnerships will inform women about their labor rights and benefits. They will also help ensure that women workers share in the prosperity of the nation’s economic recovery.”

USDOL spokesman Jose Carnevali, of the USDOL Regional 9, told Samoa News that American Samoa and other US territories also are eligible for this new grant funding. Asked how much American Samoa would receive, he explained that the Women’s Bureau will be awarding up to six grants.

He said each grant amount will be between $250,000 to $350,000 and only State or Territory government agencies can apply. “They may partner with non-profit organizations to use targeted social media messaging to raise awareness of women’s rights in their communities,” he said told Samoa News yesterday morning.

Additionally, this round of funding will support four to six grants nationwide. And grant applications are due July 15, 2021.

Asked how this grant would help women be more informed, he said the FARE grants “will go to activities such as sharing written material informing workers of their rights and benefits. An organization could conduct an in-person or virtual outreach event where women learn about their rights and possibly be referred for additional services.”

[This online link provides details on the new grant: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=334178]

Asked for any other details important to states and territories, he said its important to remember that applications are due by July 15, 2021, no later than 4:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time and must be submitted electronically.

He also says that there are several documents required, so start the application process as soon as possible.

“These grants are designed to help low-wage women workers learn about their labor rights and benefits,” he said. “The pandemic has underscored the extent to which the current system of employment rights and benefits does not adequately protect or serve many essential women workers, especially low-income women and women of color.”

Furthermore, this “program will allow award recipients to undertake projects to assist underserved and marginalized low-income women workers in understanding and accessing their employment rights, public services, and benefits.”

According to the USDOL national news release, applicants must provide one or more of the following services:

•        Providing outreach to vulnerable, low-income and marginalized women workers.

•        Disseminating educational materials through varied platforms, including social media, in-person or virtual events, brochures and leaflets, one-on-one consultations and other outreach.

•        Assisting women workers with navigating and calculating benefits and connecting and referring women workers to additional services, benefits and/or legal assistance.

•        Raising awareness of women’s rights to benefits and assistance in their own communities.

Contact Andrea Hill at hill.andrea@dol.gov for more information.