CFDA#
17.274
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Funder Type
Federal Government
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IT Classification
B - Readily funds technology as part of an award
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Authority
Employment and Training Administration (ETA)
Summary
Under this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), the Department of Labor (DOL) will award grants through a competitive process to eligible public or private non-profit organizations or Tribal entities to provide pre-apprenticeship occupational skills training, education, and job placement services to disadvantaged and low-income youth (individuals between the ages of 16 and 24, most who did not complete high school and face other barriers to employment). YouthBuild is a pre-apprenticeship program that prepares participants for quality jobs in various industry sectors and aligns with Executive Order 14278, Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future,” specifically by preparing participants to enter and succeed in Registered Apprenticeships. YouthBuild also includes wrap-around supportive services such as assistance in transportation, childcare, and housing. YouthBuild programs must offer participants construction training and hands-on experiences building affordable housing for their community. Programs may also include a Construction Plus component, providing vocational training in additional high-demand industries (e.g., advanced manufacturing, information technology including AI).
The goals of the YouthBuild program are to:
- Develop partnerships and pathways that lead directly to high-wage employment and placements in Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs);
- Provide youth with workforce readiness skills to achieve economic self-sufficiency through the pursuit of post-secondary education, training, RAPs, and employment in in demand occupations;
- Expand the supply of permanent affordable housing for low-income or homeless individuals and families;
- Encourage the alignment of the pre-apprenticeship model with training for construction industries, as well as in-demand industries through Construction Plus for participants who may not have an interest in a construction career or in local areas where construction may present less of a growth industry than other fields;
- Offer an educational alternative for young people interested in hands-on, meaningful learning activities, aligning with Executive Order 14191, Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families”
- Prepare participants to enter and succeed in RAPs, aligning with Executive Order 14278, Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future”; and
- Expand access to high-quality AI coursework and certifications, aligning with Executive Order 14277, Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for Youth”.
Priority consideration points will be provided for 1. Educational Freedom (applications from or in partnership with private, faith-based, or public charter schools, local school districts that establish the YouthBuild program as an alternative to compulsory secondary education, and/or a local postsecondary school (e.g. community college) that includes the opportunity for dual enrollment for participants), and 2. Sectoral Priorities (including a focus on AI Literacy and/or Shipbuilding Trades). Refer to page 27 of the NOFO for more information.
History of Funding
2024 DOL YouthBuild Grant Awardees can be seen at: https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20241212-0
2023 DOL YouthBuild Grant Awardees can be seen at: https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20240502-0
2022 DOL YouthBuild Grant Awardees can be seen at: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/youth/pdfs/2022YBgrants.pdf
Additional Information
Pre-apprenticeship means a program designed to prepare individuals to enter and succeed in a Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) and includes the following elements:
- Training and curriculum that aligns with the skill needs of employers in the economy of the state or region involved;
- Access to educational and career counseling and other supportive services, directly or indirectly;
- Hands-on, meaningful learning activities that are connected to education and training activities, such as exploring career options, and understanding how the skills acquired through coursework can be applied toward a future career;
- Opportunities to attain at least one industry-recognized credential; and
- A partnership with one or more RAPs that assists in placing individuals who complete the pre-apprenticeship program in a RAP.
YouthBuild applicants must include construction skills training and may include occupational skills training in other in-demand industries. This expansion into additional in-demand industries is the Construction Plus component.
An individual is eligible to participate in a YouthBuild program if the individual:
- Is 16-24 years old on the date of enrollment;
- Left high school without a diploma, including an individual who left high school without a diploma and subsequently reenrolled; and
- Is one or more of the following:
- A member of a low-income family;
- In foster care (including youth who have aged out of foster care);
- An offender;
- An individual with a disability;
- The child of an incarcerated parent; or
- A migrant youth.
Not more than 25 percent of the participants in a YouthBuild program may be individuals who do not meet requirements 2 or 3 above, if such individuals:
- Are basic skills deficient, as defined in § 688.120; or
- Have been referred by a local secondary school for participation in a YouthBuild program.
Eligibility Details
The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Special district governments
- Independent school districts
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Private non-profit institutions of higher education
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, (including charter schools) other than institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Entities that received funding from the FY24 YouthBuild competition [FOA-ETA-24-53] are ineligible to apply to this FOA.
Deadline Details
Applications were due March 2, 2026. A similar deadline is anticipated, annually.
Award Details
Up to $98,000,000 is available in total funding for FY25 for up to 57 awards. Awards will last for 40 months. Project periods are anticipated to start on July 1, 2026. Awards will range between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000. Subject to the number of quality applications, DOL intends to award at least 50 percent of the total available grant competition funding to eligible applicants previously funded by the DOL YouthBuild program that have demonstrated success in the program, referred to as Category A. DOL will award the remainder of funds to other qualifying organizations, referred to as Category B. Category A applicants can request funding between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000; Category B applicants can request funding between $1,000,000 and $1,500,000.
This program requires cost sharing (including matching) funds. These cost sharing funds may be in the form of cash or in-kind contributions and equal to 25 percent of the total federal share of costs. Any resources contributed to the project in addition to cost sharing funds will be considered leveraged resources.
For the purposes of this FOA, DOL does not require any match for grants made to the governments of American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. In addition, DOL does not require any match for YouthBuild grants made to: Indian and Native American entities eligible for grants under Sec. 166 of WIOA, including federally and other than federally recognized Tribes, Native American non-profit organizations, and Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native organizations.
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