Apprenticeship Building America (ABA) Grant Program | FOA ETA 22 06

Opportunity Information: Apply for FOA ETA 22 06

The Apprenticeship Building America (ABA) Grant Program is a U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA) discretionary grant opportunity designed to strengthen and modernize the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) system nationwide. The central idea is to make a coordinated national investment in apprenticeships as a practical workforce development solution, with a clear emphasis on equity. Through this program, DOL aims to expand the overall scale and effectiveness of registered apprenticeships, modernize how they are built and administered, and increase access and completion for populations and communities that have historically been underrepresented or underserved.

The ABA program funds projects across four grant categories, each aligned with core principles laid out in the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). The categories include: (1) State Apprenticeship System Building and Modernization, which supports states in improving the infrastructure, capacity, and processes needed to operate and grow apprenticeships at scale; (2) expanding opportunities for youth served by RAPs, which focuses on increasing the number of young people who can enter and benefit from registered apprenticeships; (3) ensuring equitable pathways into RAPs through pre-apprenticeship and equity partnerships, which emphasizes structured on-ramps that prepare participants to successfully enroll in RAPs and builds partnerships specifically intended to reduce barriers and improve outcomes for underrepresented groups; and (4) Registered Apprenticeship Hubs, which generally function as regional or sector-based centers that coordinate partners, promote apprenticeship adoption, and help employers and workers connect to RAP opportunities. Applicants may apply for funding under one or more of these categories depending on their role, capacity, and proposed strategy.

This grant opportunity builds on DOLs prior efforts to expand and improve Registered Apprenticeship by increasing the number of programs and apprentices, broadening apprenticeship use into more industries (not only traditional trades), and improving both entry and completion rates. In practice, the FOA signals interest in efforts that grow apprenticeship availability while also upgrading the systems that support it, for example by strengthening state-level apprenticeship operations, improving partnership networks, creating clearer pipelines from pre-apprenticeship into RAP enrollment, and implementing strategies that measurably advance equity in participation and outcomes.

Key administrative details from the listing include the Funding Opportunity Number FOA ETA 22 06 and CFDA (Assistance Listing) 17.285. The activity category is Education and the instrument is a grant. Eligible applicants include state governments, county governments, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (including both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities that are not institutions of higher education), and other eligible entities as described in the FOA eligibility clarification field. The original posting indicates an application deadline of April 25, 2022, with applications required to be submitted electronically by 11:59 pm Eastern Time. The award ceiling listed is $8,000,000, and ETA anticipated making approximately 25 awards.

For questions about the FOA forecast, the point of contact listed is roach.denise@dol.gov, with the note that because the FOA was under development at the time of the notice, there may be limited information available prior to publication. Prospective applicants are encouraged to subscribe on Grants.gov for updates tied to this specific FOA so they can track amendments, deadlines, and final application requirements as they are released.

• The Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Apprenticeship Building America (ABA) Grant Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 17.285.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 22, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 25, 2022 Applications must be submitted electronically no later than 1159 pm Eastern Time.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $8,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 25 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for FOA ETA 22 06

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