Grants / Department of Commerce / Department of Commerce

EDA-HDQ-ARPGJ-2021-2006964: FY 2021 American Rescue Plan Act Good Jobs Challenge

Closed Closed February 10, 2022 Opportunity EDA-HDQ-ARPGJ-2021-2006964 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: EDA FY25 Disaster Supplemental (EDA-DISASTER-2025). Status: Rolling or no fixed deadline. It is in our archive of Department of Commerce notices from 2021.

• Award ceiling$25.0 million
• Award floor$1.0 million
• Total funding$500 million
• Expected awards50
• Cost sharingRequired
• Funding typeCooperative Agreement, Grant

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments and tribes.

Pursuant to section 3(4) of PWEDA (42 U.S.C. § 3122(4)(a)) and 13 C.F.R. § 300.3 (Eligible Recipient), eligible applicants under this NOFO include a(n): (i) District Organization of an EDA-designated Economic Development District (EDD); (ii) Indian Tribe or a consortium of Indian Tribes; (iii) State, county, city, or other political subdivision of a State, including a special purpose unit of a State or local government engaged in economic or infrastructure development activities, or a consortium of political subdivisions; (iv) institution of higher education or a consortium of institutions of higher education; or (v) public or private non-profit organization or association, including labor unions, acting in cooperation with officials of a general purpose political subdivision of a State. Under this NOFO, EDA is not authorized to provide grants or cooperative agreements to individuals or to for profit entities. Requests from such entities will not be considered for funding.

More grants for nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Economic Adjustment Assistance awards averaged $2.5 million; this notice allows up to $25.0 million per award.
• Most of the program's money (52% over five years) went to state and local governments.
• The notice requires cost sharing or matching funds, so you must contribute part of the project cost.

What the grant funds

Through this American Rescue Plan Act Good Jobs Challenge Notice of Funding Opportunity (ARPA Good Jobs Challenge NOFO), EDA aims to assist communities and regions impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has caused, and continues to cause, economic injury to U.S. communities and regions in devastating and unprecedented ways. This ARPA Good Jobs Challenge NOFO is designed to help get Americans back to work by developing and strengthening regional systems to develop and execute sectoral partnerships that will lead to well-paying jobs. The goal of regional workforce training systems is to create and implement effective employer-driven training programs that will connect the existing and emerging skills needs of employers with workers and will help workers find and keep quality jobs and advance along their chosen career path. Regional workforce training systems and sectoral partnerships funded under this NOFO should connect employers in an industry with key regional stakeholders, including state and local governmental entities, economic development organizations, workforce development boards, employer-facing organizations, education and training providers, community‑based organizations (CBOs), worker-serving organizations (WSOs), and/or labor unions. The system or partnership should be led by a System Lead Entity or Backbone Organization, respectively, serving as an intermediary that has convening power in the region and the capacity to coordinate all necessary stakeholders. EDA also encourages systems and partnerships to address populations with labor market barriers such as persons with disabilities, at-risk youth, individuals in recovery, individuals with past criminal records including justice‑impacted and reentry participants, and veterans. EDA anticipates making approximately 25 to 50 awards under this ARPA Jobs Training NOFO and scaling awards as appropriate to the proposed geographic, industry, and worker role coverage of a given regional system.

Category: Other.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, EDA-DISASTER-2025, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.