YouthBuild Funding Opportunity – PY 23

Workforce Services Information Notice                                                         

WSIN23-23

Issued: December 26, 2023

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announce the availability of approximately $98,000,000 in grant funds authorized by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) (Pub. L. 113-128) for YouthBuild. Under this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), DOL will award grants through a competitive process to organizations that provide pre-apprenticeship services to support education, occupational skills training, and employment services to opportunity youth, ages 16 to 24, while performing meaningful work and service to their communities.

The YouthBuild program model prepares participants for quality jobs in a variety of careers in diverse industry sectors, particularly in infrastructure sectors. The program includes wrap-around services such as mentoring, trauma-informed care, personal counseling, transportation supports, and employment preparation — key strategies for addressing violence in communities. 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.

Eligible applicants for these grants are public or private non-profit agencies or organizations, including consortia of such agencies or organizations. These organizations include rural, urban, or Native American/Tribal entities that have previously served opportunity youth in a YouthBuild or another similar program.

With Program Year 2023 funds, DOL will fund approximately 75 projects across the country. Individual grants will range from $700,000 to $1.5 million and require a 25 percent match from applicants, using sources other than federal funding. The grant period of performance for this FOA is 40 months, including a four-month planning period and a twelve-month follow-up period.

The deadline for submitting YouthBuild grant applications is February 1, 2024. For more information about this grant opportunity, visit the grants.gov website and reference Opportunity Number FOA-ETA-24-36. For a complete description of the funding organization, available funds, eligibility requirements, and links to the grant application, visit the DOL website.

/s/KIMBERLEE MEYER, Chief
Central Office Workforce Services Division