; and (2) 5 of which shall be awarded for projects that focus on providing such advancement opportunities. (b) Treatment of continuation activities An eligible entity that carries out activities for purposes of recruiting, retaining, or providing advancement opportunities to direct care workers prior to receipt of a grant under this Act may use such grant to continue carrying out such activities, and shall be treated as an eligible entity carrying out a project described in subsection (a)(1). (c) Duration (1) Grant period A grant under this Act shall be for not less than 5 years. (2) Length of project A project assisted with a grant awarded under this Act shall be carried out for not less than 3 years. 5. Project plans; consultation (a) Project plans (1) In general To receive a grant under this Act, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary a project plan for each project to be developed and carried out (or for activities to be continued) with the grant at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may determine, and which shall contain the information described in paragraph (2). (2) Contents A project plan submitted by an eligible entity under paragraph (1) shall include a description of each of the following: (A) Current or projected job openings for, or relevant labor market information related to, direct care workers in the State or region to be served by the project, and the geographic scope of the workforce to be served by the project. (B) Specific efforts and strategies that the project will undertake to reduce barriers to recruitment, retention, or advancement of direct care workers, including an assurance that such efforts will include— (i) an assessment of the wages or other compensation or benefits necessary to recruit and retain direct care workers