FAQs - CWOP Request For Application (RFA) Supplemental Funding-InformationalWebinar - Session 2, June 1, 2026
FAQ Categories
1. General Questions
Q. Can you confirm that Activator and Activator Plus are two separate grants? If so, is the maximum award amount $200,000 for Activator and $350,000 for Activator Plus? Would that mean an organization could potentially receive up to $550,000 per year if awarded both grants?
A. Grantees would be awarded for one or the other, Activator or Activator plus.
Q. "How many grants or contracts are anticipated to be awarded within each funding category?
A. DIR does not have a set number at this time.
Q. Will current grantee partners receive any priority consideration during the funding review process, or will all applicants be evaluated equally?"
A. All applicants will be evaluated equally.
Q. The RFA mentions a downloadable form to draft all responses. Is this available on CORD?
A. Link to PDF of RFA questions
Q. What is the recommended outreach number for Activators?
A. Grantees would have to determine the capacity of their organizations to fulfill the number of deliverables they plan to apply for.
Q. For the outreach tool, is the intent for the applicant to recruit existing CWOP orgs to use the tool, or will CWOP recruit participants?
A. The applicant will be responsible for supporting the implementation and adaptation of the tool across the CWOP cohort.
Q. Door-to-door and phone banking do not include GOTV, just to be clear?
A. CWOP does not fund Get Out the Vote (GOTV) activities. Please refer to ineligible expenses.
Q. For Communications Support applications, is there a process for reviewing content based on the stated language? At what stages would you like to review drafted content?
A. DIR will review this process with grantees once they submit their proposed projects for consideration and approval.
Q. Can you go into detail about the asset development portion within the communication support application, please?
A. Please refer to the RFA.
Q. Can an organization submit multiple proposals for DIR to select which proposal is most appropriate?
A. Applicants can submit one application for each new category.
Q. For first-time applicants, if we cover multiple counties (for example, Central Coast, Coachella, & Imperial Valley), would we apply for statewide funding, or still apply under regional-based funds? Thank you!
A. You can specify that in the RFA; specify the exact regions and counties you plan to serve.
Q. Reviewed the application materials and noticed that there does not appear to be a budget template included in the RFA. Will applicants be provided with a budget template at a later stage, or should applicants develop and submit their own budget format? Additionally, are there any specific budget categories or cost allocation requirements that applicants should follow?
A. Exhibits, including the budget template, will be provided later in the process.
Q. Will this Informational Session be recorded, shared, and/or will there be a summary available?
A. The Info Session was recorded and will be shared shortly on the CWOP web page.
Q. Since UCLA is tax-exempt and does not pay taxes, can we provide our IRS Determination Letter confirming UCLA’s tax-exempt status?
A. Yes.
Q. Our organization is applying for interpretation services. In what regions will in-person events be held? This helps us plan hiring and estimate mileage expenses.
A. Please specify the regions and counties you can serve.
Q. Can a grantee be a fiscal agent for a new grantee?
A. Yes, but the new applicant must specify they're a separate entity / create a unique CORD account or organization.
Q. Does being a subgrantee in 5.0 prevent us from receiving 6.0 funding or vice versa? Do you know how being a current subgrantee would affect our application for 6.0 funding in any way?
A. Being a subgrantee does not affect a grantee's ability to apply.
Q. Are we allowed to apply for Activator Plus and Activator categories, assuming we submit two independent applications for 6.0 funding? We'd assume that we'd only be awarded one or the other - we are just trying to figure out whether our scope of work makes better sense for one compared to the other.
A. Yes.
Q. How can we obtain a PDF version of the supplemental funding survey questions?
A. The copy was emailed.
Q. I am working on an application, but I do not see a place to upload a project budget. Are project budgets not requested for this proposal (only "total amount requested"), or am I missing where it belongs?
A. Exhibits, including the budget template, will be provided later in the process.
Q. Could you please clarify how many completed Grantee Reference Forms are required? Will they need to be submitted with each application? We are current grantees.
A. All applicants must submit one (1) funder reference per application.
Q. Will DIR approve no-cost extension requests for supplemental funds that remain unspent after the 12-month grant period?
A. Please submit a no-cost extension request through the survey for DIR review and approval.
Q. Can a local government agency or County department apply directly for CWOP funding, or is eligibility limited to 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), 501(c)(5), or IRS-classified public charity applicants/fiscal sponsors? If a county department cannot apply directly, is there any allowable mechanism for the County to receive funding under this grant, other than serving as a subcontractor to an eligible nonprofit?
A. Yes, local county departments can apply for CWOP.
Q. Are the questions in the RFA the same as those in the CORD platform?
A. Yes
Q. Will the grant (and specifically the legal services component) be renewed?
A. This is to be determined depending on future funding and program design.
Q. Could you please provide a link to the recording of the webinar for the California Workplace Outreach Project (CWOP) Supplemental Request for Applications?
A. The recording will be posted to the CWOP web page.
Q. We are exempt from filing an IRS Form 990 and per the RFA's guidelines we may submit a W-9 as an acceptable document, however when we scroll to the application questions we see that there is no option to provide the W-9 rather we are instructed to terminate the application if our answer is "no" on question 3 "Did your organization, or fiscal sponsor, file a 2024 or 2025 IRS Form 990?" Can you confirm whether we can use the W-9? As the instructions are conflicting.
A. Answer as yes (since a W9 is an acceptable alternative document per the RFA) and upload the W9 in lieu of the Form 990.
Q. I see that there is a question about being registered with the Secretary of State. We are not. Do you know if there is a workaround for this request?
A. The applicant or their fiscal sponsor must have active status or be in good standing with SOS. This is an eligibility requirement.
2. Funding Allocations
Q. Will DIR consider partial awards?
A. Yes, DIR will consider partial awards.
Q. Does or will DIR have a set limit on indirect cost(overhead) rate?
A. Yes, up to 20% for all categories.
Q. What's the total amount of supplemental funds that are available through this RFA process?
A. Available funding is 9.6 million dollars based on current appropriations.
3. Programmatic Questions
Q. For legal service providers, how do the two deliverable categories (1) number of workers served and (2) hours of technical assistance provided interact with one another? For example, I saw that a $500,000 grant requires serving at least 100 individual workers. If a grantee also provides technical assistance, would the minimum number of workers served be reduced, or are both deliverables expected to be met independently?
A. If the grantee applies for the full amount, they are expected to support at least 100 workers. Please read the RFA for details.
Q. Are grantees required to provide legal consultations and support to workers, or could grantees opt to provide technical assistance only? Is there a minimum number of technical assistance hours?
Legal Services can include legal consultations and support for workers and technical assistance. While there is no required minimum number for either, we recommend both services for the application to stay competitive. The 100 workers supported is the minimum if applying for the full amount for Legal Services.
Q. For legal service providers, how do the two deliverable categories (1) number of workers served and (2) hours of technical assistance provided interact with one another? For example, I saw that a $500,000 grant requires serving at least 100 individual workers. If a grantee also provides technical assistance, would the minimum number of workers served be reduced, or are both deliverables expected to be met independently?
A. If the grantee applies for the full amount, they are expected to support at least 100 workers. Please read the RFA for details.
Q. If we are pending our Franchise Tax Board approval for my SoCal PreApprenticeship Program. Can we still submit?
A. Grantees would have to have eligibility by the time applications are submitted and reviewed.
Q. For first-time applicants applying under the Activator or Activator Plus categories, are organizations permitted to propose outreach activities across multiple counties? Can outreach be conducted through community events, farmers' markets in front of Community Health Centers?
A. Yes, across multiple counties. Yes, those are acceptable community events.
Q. Does time towards tool development, clinics, outreach, and presentations count towards the grant as a grantee applying as a legal service provider?
A. Activator, Activator Plus, Legal Services, Outreach Tools, and Communications Support are all distinct categories. Each requires its own application.
Q. Does the $500K for 100 cases include all levels of services? Is this fee for service or spend down? If not 100 cases, is the amount requested/granted pro-rated to what we can deliver?
A. The 100 workers supported is the minimum if applying for the full amount for Legal Services.
4. Questions for Current Grantees
Q. I am currently an Activator grantee. If I request additional funding and am approved for an amount that falls within the Activator Plus funding range, would my grant automatically be reclassified as an Activator Plus grant? Or would I remain in the Activator category regardless of the award amount?
A. You would remain in the Activator role regardless of the award amount.
Q. "If we are a current grantee and would like to request supplemental funding to increase deliverables. Do we just complete the survey? Or do we still have to cord the application? "
A. Existing grantees who are applying to a new category will need to fill out the RFA. If a grantee is requesting to increase their deliverables and funding under their current role, that can be done through the survey.
Q. For the Activator grant category, are applicants required to commit to all available benchmarks and deliverables, or can organizations select only the benchmarks that align with their scope of work and organizational capacity?
A. Grantees can pick and choose which tactic they would like to include.
Q. What is the maximum extension period available to current grantees? Are extensions granted for up to 3 months, 6 months, or 1 year?
A. The length of the extension period will likely be about 3 months based on the current appropriations.
Q. We are currently an Activator Plus grantee. Can we apply for the Activator level supplement (i.e., not the Activator Plus that we are currently at) and Communications?
A. If a grantee who is an Activator Plus would like to increase only tactics particular to an Activator, they may fill out the survey and note that they would only like to increase those specific outreach deliverables. For Communications Support, you will need to go through the RFA.
Q. There were expected edits to the survey, if I recall; when will that be finalized?
A. The edits to the survey have been completed, and we have added a confirmation e-mail of receipt and question 14 that addresses expanding outreach work in other regions.
Q. OCPSC mentioned that if we are a current grantee & would like to increase deliverables, we have to complete 3 of the CORD questions & complete the survey. Or do we just complete the survey?
A. Existing grantees who are applying to a new category will need to fill out the RFA. If a grantee is requesting to increase their deliverables and funding under their current role, that can be done through the survey.
Q. I am currently a CWOP partner who is an Activator at nearly 200K max for that category. If awarded and go beyond 200K, would that make my organization an Activator Plus with the added funds and deliverables?
A. You would remain in the Activator role regardless of the award amount.
Q. We are currently an Activator Plus and are planning to fill out the survey related to increasing our current deliverables. We also planned to include door-to-door canvassing as a tactic, since that wasn’t previously included, though we’ve completed some of this activity for CWOP 5.0. Do we fill out the survey, or must we fill out the full application on CORD?
A. You can go through the survey.
Q. Are current grantees applying for the same category permitted to request the full award amount or only the difference between their current award and the full award?
A. Existing grantees who are applying to a new category will need to fill out the RFA. If a grantee is requesting to increase their deliverables and funding under their current role, that can be done through the survey.
Q. Regarding the supplemental funding, is the default expenditure timeline strictly one year? I recall an option on the form that asked grantees if they wanted to request the funds with an extended performance period beyond the initial year. Was this an additional 3 months you just mentioned?
A. The length of the extension period will likely be about 3 months based on the current appropriations.
Q. As an Activator Plus grantee, we are interested in increasing our outreach deliverables and creating outreach materials for our native language and Mandarin-speaking communities. Could you clarify whether this requires only completing the survey or if we also need to submit a full application?
A. Existing grantees applying to a new category must complete the RFA. If a grantee is requesting to increase their deliverables and funding under their current role, that can be done through the survey.
Q. My understanding is that Activator Plus grantees may use the survey process if they are seeking to extend their service period, increase funding, and expand deliverables within their current scope of work. However, it appears that this process would apply only to CWOP activities and not to RSE services. My question is: if we would also like to extend our RSE service period with additional funding and expanded deliverables, can that be requested through the survey process, or would we need to submit an RFA application under the Legal Services category? My initial assumption is that, because we are already providing RSE legal services, an RFA may not be necessary and would only apply to organizations seeking to enter a new service category. However, I wanted to confirm whether that interpretation is correct.
A. Supplemental funding is CWOP-specific. If an Activator Plus that is also an RSE Clinic Host wants to add Legal Services that are separate from RSE deliverables, they should submit an application through the RFA under the Legal Services category. For the purposes of this RFA, RSE is not the same as Legal Services.
Q. If we add other counties for outreach deliverables, it has to be through a new application, correct?
A. Existing grantees who would like to cover new regions or counties can fill out the survey. Please specify in Question 14 of the survey.
Q. Central California Environmental Justice Network (CCEJN) would also like the answer to the question for Comité Civico about adding a new county to their existing deliverables.
A. The edits to the RFA have been completed, and we have added a confirmation e-mail of receipt and question 14 that addresses expanding outreach work in other regions.
Q. "My understanding is that we can apply through the survey to increase our current work at the 350k amount and submit a new application for another category that we are currently not engaged in. Correct? Jorge Savala"
A. Existing grantees applying to a new category must complete the RFA. If a grantee is requesting to increase their deliverables and funding under their current role, that can be done through the survey.
Q. If an RSE Clinic Host fiscally sponsored organization is interested in continuing/expanding their program through supplemental funding, but they would like the funding under their own 501(c)3 EIN instead of going through the fiscal sponsor, what would their process look like? Should they simply indicate that change on the Supplemental Funding Survey? Or would they need a new application as a Legal Service Provider?
A. Supplemental funding is CWOP-specific. If an Activator Plus that is also an RSE Clinic Host wants to add Legal Services that are separate from RSE deliverables, they should submit an application through the RFA under the Legal Services category. For this RFA, RSE is not the same as Legal Services.
Q. If a current CBO wants to expand services to include a Technical Service Provider aspect in addition to continuing as an RSE Clinic Host, which forms would be best to fill out?
A. If you'd like to fulfill a different role and category separate from the RSE role you currently have, please fill out the RFA.
Q. Are current 5.0 CWOP cohort members eligible for subgrant funding, or is that only reserved for other organizations in the region who aren't already part of the CWOP program?
A. Subgrantees can apply to the RFA and seek direct funding.
Q. Looking to clarify the guidance regarding allowable tactics for the extension survey. In our current contract, we have deliverables in the following tactic categories: 1. interactive outreach activities, 2. promotional/educational activities, and 3. outreach coordination and support and reach. We would like to add new sub-tactics to each of these categories. For example, in interactive outreach activities, we currently conduct outreach at events or high-traffic areas. We did not originally propose to do door-to-door canvassing. Are we able to add door-to-door canvassing as a deliverable through the extension survey?
A. Yes, you can do that through the survey.
June 2026
