Federal grant programs / Department of Labor

Senior Community Service Employment Program (17.235)

Also known as Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$1.7 billion
• Grant awards465
• Typical award$1.3 million
• Awarded in FY 2025$58.8 million
• Size rank192 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceFormula grants, project grants

Key findings

• Annual funding fell from $442 million in fiscal 2021 to $58.8 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 192nd largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 81% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 56 states and territories.

What the program funds

The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) is a community service and work-based job training program for older Americans. Authorized by the Older Americans Act, the program provides training for low-income, unemployed seniors. Participants also have access to employment assistance through American Job Centers. SCSEP participants gain work experience in a variety of community service activities at non-profit and public facilities, including schools, hospitals, day-care centers, and senior centers. This training can serve as a bridge to unsubsidized employment opportunities for participants. Participants must be at least 55, unemployed, and have a family income of no more than 125% of the federal poverty level. Enrollment priority is given to veterans and qualified spouses, then to individuals who are over 65, have a disability, have low literacy skills or limited English proficiency, reside in a rural area, are homeless or at risk of homelessness, have low employment prospects, formerly incarcerated within the last five years, or have failed to find employment after using services through the American Job Center system.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

The following types of organizations are eligible to receive grants: (1) States; (2) U.S. territories; (3) Public and nonprofit private agency and organizations; and (4) Public or nonprofit national Indian aging organizations and public or nonprofit Pacific Island and Asian American aging organizations. Unless otherwise stipulated, entities carrying out the project are subject to Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards found at 2 CFR Part 200 along with the OMB approved exceptions for DOL at 2 CFR Part 2900 published on December 19, 2014 in the Federal Register; Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2016 published April 22, 2016; Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2020 published March 2020; Performance Accountability Final Rule published July 10, 2018); Final Rule published December 26, 2010; and Training and Employment Guidance Letters available via https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/seniors/technical-assistance.

What the money can and cannot pay for

Entities carrying out the project use the funds to create and pay for part-time job training and work experience in community service assignments for unemployed persons age 55 and above whose income is not more than 125 percent of the poverty level. The individuals who are enrolled in the program receive work experience and skills training at host agencies, which are public agencies and/or private nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation under S 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. A portion of the funds may be used to provide participants with additional trainings, such as occupational skills training, on-the-job experience training, etc. (outside of the normal job-training assignments at a host agency) and supportive services. Entities carrying out the project must consult with appropriate area agencies on aging, with the State workforce development board and local workforce development board, and with other appropriate agencies and entities to promote coordination of activities. Additionally, each local project is required to coordinate its activities with training and other service providers under title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, including utilizing the one-stop delivery system of the local workforce development areas involved to recruit eligible individuals to ensure that the maximum number of eligible individuals will have an opportunity to participate in the project.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

Matching requirements

Statutory Formula: Title PROVISIONS GOVERNING THE SENIOR COMMUNITY SERVICE EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM, Part 641, Subpart D,Public Law P.L. 114-144.42 U.S.C. 3056 et seq.; Pub. L. 114-144, 130 Stat. 334The Department will pay no more than 90 percent of the total cost of activities carried out under a SCSEP grant. (OAA sec. 502(c)(l)). All SCSEP recipients, including Federal agencies if there is no statutory exemption, must provide or ensure that at least 10 percent of the total cost of activities carried out under a SCSEP grant (non-Federal share of costs) consists of allowable costs paid for with non-Federal funds. Recipients must determine the non-Federal share of costs in accordance with 29 CFR 97.24 for governmental units, or 29 CFR 95.23 for nonprofit and commercial organizations. The non-Federal share of costs may be provided in cash, or in-kind, or a combination of the two. (OAA § 502 (0) (2)). A recipient may not require a subrecipient or host agency to provide non-Federal resources for the use of the SCSEP project as a condition of entering into a sub-recipient or host agency relationship. This does not preclude a sub-recipient or host agency from voluntarily contributing non-Federal resources for the use of the SCSEP project. The Department may pay all of the costs of activities in an emergency or disaster project or a project in an economically distressed area. (OAA § 502(c)(1)(B)).This program has MOE requirements, see funding agency for further details.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

Deadlines

Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

For Program Year (PY) 2023, the SCSEP appropriation totaled $405,000,000, with grants ranging from $424,495 to $46,850,000. For Program Year (PY) 2024, the SCSEP appropriation totaled $405,000,000, with grants ranging from $423,338 to $6,820,960.

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

Nonprofits received 47% of the money, state and local governments 28% and businesses 4.1%.

By state

54 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.