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Grants

Job-Driven Grants
On Monday, April 28, the White House announced three new grant opportunities to help workers access training that is ’job-driven’ and lead to employment. These announcements are part of a larger effort initiated with a Presidential Memorandum in January that directed Vice President Biden to conduct a government-wide review of federal job training programs. The review is to set to be released this summer, but the Administration has already started building out innovative strategies using best practice from the field, in particular, focusing on sector strategies – embedding them into a number of new grant programs. The Administration has dedicated almost $1 billion to job-driven education and training efforts that incorporate a partnership model.

The same day, the Department of Labor announced the availability of up to $150 million in funding through the new Job-Driven National Emergency Grant program to train workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own for jobs in high-demand industries. These investments will help create or build-upon employer partnerships that provide opportunities for training that results in an industry-recognized credential. Funding will also be used to provide services such as coaching, counseling, and direct job placement, that help laid-off workers with available jobs.

Click here to read the Department of Labor press release.

Click here to read the full Department of Labor Notice.

$450 Million in US Labor Department Grants Available to Expand Job-Driven Training Partnerships between Community College and Employers
On Wednesday, April 16, the Department of Labor announced the availability of the final $450 million in grants under the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training initiative. Over the last three years, these unprecedented investments have helped expand the capacity of the American community college system to provide accessible training programs that connect people to available jobs in growing industries in their communities. These grants are an important part of the Obama administration's job-driven skills agenda and are being implemented in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education. Previous grantees have leveraged strong partnerships between community colleges, the workforce system, employers and industry groups to transform the way they design and deliver courses through accelerated learning strategies; redesigned curricula; distance learning; work-based training, such as Registered Apprenticeships; and innovative uses of technology to enhance learning activities. This solicitation continues to promote these strategies.

The program is designed to ensure that an eligible institution in every state plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico receive dedicated funding of at least $2.25 million. Single institutions may apply for grants of up to $2.5 million and consortia of institutions within the same state or among institutions that share an economic region may apply for grants up to $15 million. This round of funding strengthens employer engagement throughout the grant process. Successful applicants will design programs that are responsive to the workforce needs of multiple employers within an industry sector by working closely with regional and national employers and industry groups. These employer and industry partners will help identify and map necessary skills and competencies, as well as assist in designing curricula, programs, assessments or credentials that will help quickly connect ready-to-work Americans with ready-to-be-filled jobs.

Click here to read the full press release.

Click here to learn more about applying for funding.

Department of Labor Announces $6 Million in Job Training Grants Available to Assist an Estimated 2,000 Veterans
On Monday, April 14, U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez announced a grant competition that will award an estimated 24 or more Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program grants totaling approximately $6 million to provide an estimated 2,000 veterans with occupational, classroom and on-the-job training, as well as job search and placement assistance, to help them succeed in the civilian labor market.

Funds are being awarded on a competitive basis to: state and local workforce investment boards; local public agencies; tribal governments and nonprofit organizations, including faith-based and community organizations. Successful applicants will design a program that addresses the multitude of challenges associated with homeless veterans. HVRP grantees must promote active engagement with industry, employers and employer associations to identify the skills needed for in-demand jobs and careers. The grantees will coordinate their efforts with various local, state and federal social service providers.

Click here to read the full press release.

Click here to learn more about the grant.

Ready to Work
Earlier this year, the President announced a new grant program, the Ready to Work Partnerships, to support high performing partnerships between employers, non-profit organizations and America's public workforce system that will help provide long-term unemployed individuals with the range of services, training, and access they need to fill middle and high-skill jobs. There is $150 million in funding available and applications are accessible at the Department of Labor website.

 

TAA-CCCT Grants
Grant applications are coming soon to expand, deepen, and sustain Community College partnerships that make it easier for businesses to find skilled workers.The final $500 million in the Trade Adjustment Assistance and Community College and Career Training (TAA-CCCT) grants will fund job-driven training programs developed in partnership with business. This last round will incentivize applications that create and adapt training programs to meet business skill needs in partnership with national industry and employer associations and other partners that can help scale successful strategies. Applications can come from individual institutions or from a consortia of community colleges within a state or regional labor market. The applications will be available in April and you should encourage your community college systems and groups of employers to partner together to apply. By statute, these funds are awarded to institutions in each and every state.

 

Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations Progam
On Wednesday, April 2, the Department of Labor announced the availability of approximately $1.8 million in grants through the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations program, an initiative designed to recruit, train and retain women in high-skill occupations, such as advanced manufacturing, transportation, energy, construction and information technology. Approximately four grants will be awarded to community development organizations to create Regional Multi-State Technical Assistance Resource Centers. The centers will support women entering into nontraditional occupations.

Services will include the development of connections with pre-apprenticeship programs to prepare women for Registered Apprenticeship programs; orientations on creating a successful environment for women in apprenticeship; and support in the form of child care, transportation, support groups and other efforts to remove barriers to women succeeding in these industries. Eligible applicants include community-based organizations capable of establishing technical assistance resources for Registered Apprenticeship programs to assist women to enter nontraditional occupations.

Click here for more information on the grant and to access the grant solicitation.