We receive numerous calls and e-mails about Federal Work-Study funding.
Currently, there is not a separate process to apply for America
Reads Federal Work-Study funds. Any amount of your institution's FWS
award can be used for America Reads. Your financial aid office will
report on the FISAP form, which they submit every year in October, the
number of America Reads FWS tutors.
Federal Work-Study funds are allocated in the ways described below.
In each of these cases, the financial aid office does the requesting,
and the notification letter is sent to the financial aid office.
1) The regular FWS distribution process allocates funds based on a
formula in the law. Financial aid offices requested this money in
October 1997, and the Federal Work-Study 1998-99 award letters have
already been mailed out this year.
2) $13 million in additional FWS funds are distributed through an
application process to institutions that graduated 50% or more of
their Pell Grant recipients. The Secretary encourages these FWS funds
to be used for community service activities, including America Reads.
The application deadline was April 3, 1998, and the award letters will
be mailed by the end of May.
3) Every year, unused FWS funds that are returned to the Department
are "reallocated" to institutions. To qualify, the institution
must have spent at least 10% of their FWS funds on community service,
the institution must have a "fair share shortfall," and the institution
must apply for the funds. The application for Reallocated
funds is expected to be mailed in June and is due by July 17, 1998.
I hope this is helpful. I'll be at the Albuquerque America Reads
training conference next week. We will post the other training
conference dates as soon as the Regional Labs provide them to us.
Sorry for the delay.