SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

ORR intends to solicit and award a cooperative agreement to IRC for the National Virtual Program for Professional Advancement (NVPPA). The proposed action will provide up to $20,000,000 to IRC to establish and implement a nationwide virtual service model.

Under this initiative, IRC's national Economic Empowerment team will serve up to 1,334 eligible refugees who arrived in the United States before between September 1, 2026, and September 30, 2026. Services will be available virtually nationwide, regardless of a participant's location or initial resettlement agency, and will include outreach, orientation, intake, eligibility verification, Career Development Planning, navigation, job readiness and pathway-specific training, direct financial assistance, job development, and job placement support. IRC will track enrollment, services, disbursements, and employment outcomes.

Of the $20,000,000 supplement, up to $16,008,000 will go towards direct financial assistance for the costs of education and training of as much as $12,000 per participant for 1,334 eligible refugees. The remaining $3,992,000 will support IRC staffing, supplies, and associated indirect costs. Eligible direct financial assistance will include tuition; degree, certification, licensing, and examination costs; credential evaluation; textbooks and software; uniforms and safety gear; transportation; child care; required equipment; and a vehicle when an approved Career Development Plan establishes that the purchase is necessary for a career goal.

IRC will use its existing national virtual infrastructure and apply eligibility, career planning, documentation, vendor verification, direct payment, reporting, and enrollment contingency controls. Payments generally will be made directly to vendors or training providers; staff will confirm that each expense aligns with an approved Career Development Plan; vendors will be verified as licensed or accredited; and IRC will report against defined enrollment and spending thresholds.

The proposed model addresses geographic barriers to assistance, unrecognized foreign credentials, and limited funds for career-related costs that can leave qualified refugees in survival employment below their skill level. It is intended to help participants recover prior professions or build new career pathways, support household self-sufficiency, and reduce geographic disparities in access to career services.

ORR proposes to solicit and award IRC because it can use its existing national virtual infrastructure and established program and stewardship controls, supporting a faster, more expansive launch than site-based programs.

Timely issuance is important because eligible clients are arriving throughout September 2026. The funding must be provided before the end of the fiscal year for IRC to begin serving eligible refugees on September 30, 2026. The proposed cooperative agreement through September 29, 2027, will allow IRC to set up and implement the nationwide virtual model.

Statutory Authority: Under section 8 U.S.C. 1522(c) of the Refugee Act, ORR is authorized to make grants to and contracts with public or private nonprofit agencies to assist refugees in obtaining the skills necessary for economic self-sufficiency.

91 FR 60625