Can subsidiary companies with a shared parent company apply separately for the same course(s)?

If subsidiary companies of a shared parent company apply for reimbursement through the Express Program for the same course or courses (i.e., each subsidiary intends to send a group of employees—employed at the subsidiary level--to the same course or courses), they should consider the following points: 

1. If subsidiary companies of the same parent company are approved for Express Program grants for the same course or courses, each subsidiary must pay the approved training provider separately for the participation of its employees that it sends to the course(s). As such, the provider delivering the training should invoice each subsidiary separately for their portion of the overall cost of the course or courses. All other Express reimbursement guidelines should be followed, including the provision of proof of payment that shows funds leaving a subsidiary bank account to pay the provider. 
   
   1. Example: Jennifer is employed by XYZ Co., a subsidiary of ABC Corp. XYZ Co. received an Express Program grant for the cost of Jennifer to attend a group training hosted for employees from other subsidiaries of ABC Corp. To qualify for reimbursement, XYZ Co. must pay the training provider directly for the cost of Jennifer to attend the group training. 
      
2. The parent company should first consider applying for funding through a General Program consortium grant provided their proposed training meets General Program guidelines (see section 6). In the consortium application, the parent company would be listed as the “lead applicant,” and each subsidiary would be listed as a “consortium partner.” This is the recommended course of action in cases where:  
   
   1. there are at least three subsidiary companies of the same parent company who are sending employees to the same course or courses; AND/OR  
      
   2. pursuing a General Program grant would allow for the participation of additional subsidiaries that have over 100 Massachusetts employees (companies with over 100 Massachusetts employees are not eligible for Express Program grants). 
      
3. Applicants may be redirected to the most expedient grant program to address their training needs by Workforce Training Fund Program administrators.  

For any questions about this guideline, please contact express@commcorp.org.