Regional and National Grant Opportunities

In addition to its other grant and scholarship opportunities offered, the AMBA has gathered information on other state, regional and national grants available to U.S. businesses and manufacturers. These grants, tax incentives and other sources of financial support address a variety of areas, including: 

• Job readiness and training
• Workforce development
• Economic growth (local, regional and national)
• Competitiveness in international markets
• Apprenticeship programs
• STEM activities
• Public infrastructure
• Community development
• Workers re-entering the labor market (i.e., veterans, disabled individuals, etc.)

A few upcoming grant opportunities to note (listed by state): 

California 
California Career Technical Education Incentive Center – Applications due January 24, 2025
The California Career Technical Education Incentive Grant (CTEIG) is a state education, economic, and workforce development initiative with the goal of providing pupils in kindergarten through grades twelve, inclusive, with the knowledge and skills necessary to transition to employment and postsecondary education. Successful applications must form ongoing and meaningful industry partnerships "evidenced by written agreements and through participation on advisory committees and collaboration with business and labor organizations to provide opportunities for pupils to gain access to pre-apprenticeships, internships, industry certifications, and WBL opportunities for industry to provide input to the CTE programs and curriculum."

Colorado 
Opportunity Now Colorado – Applications due by February 7, 2025
The grant program is designed to help communities across Colorado create and expand innovative workforce and talent development initiatives. The goal of the program is to help connect more Coloradans with in-demand, high-skill, high-wage occupations. Opportunity Now grants will support regional partnerships in which educational institutions, industry leaders, and employers work together to meet current and future workforce development needs across Colorado. Emphasis will be placed on programs that create intentional pathways between one phase of education or employment to another and foster opportunities for regional “learners and earners” to be more economically mobile. In Phase 3, OEDIT plans to award up to seven $1 million grants to industry, employers, intermediaries, educational institutions, and workforce innovators scaling proven models or approaches to addressing Colorado’s talent gaps.

New & Emerging Industries Apprenticeship Tax Credit
The New & Emerging Industries Apprenticeship Tax Credit was created by HB24-1439 Financial Incentives Expand Apprenticeship Programs to encourage the adoption and expansion of Registered Apprenticeship Programs in the New & Emerging Industries. The Tax Credit is a refundable tax credit that employers of Registered Apprenticeship Programs in Colorado can claim for apprentices in "New & Emerging" occupations. Amount Per Employer: Max $12,600 per apprentice per income tax year. Qualifying taxpayers can claim up to ten apprentices per year for a maximum tax credit of $126,000. Total Available Amount: $15 million per year through 2034

Iowa 
Future Ready Iowa Expanded Registered Apprenticeship Program (84F) – Applications due by January 31, 2025
The purpose of the Future Ready Iowa Expanded Registered Apprenticeship Program (84F) is to provide financial assistance to encourage apprenticeship sponsors of new apprenticeship programs or expansion programs, with twenty or fewer apprentices to maintain apprenticeship programs in high-demand occupations.

Iowa Apprenticeship Act Funding (84E) – Applications due by January 31, 2025
The purpose of the Iowa Apprenticeship Act (84E) grant is to provide financial assistance to sponsors who conduct and maintain an apprenticeship program that has been registered and meets Iowa Office of Apprentice and Department of Labor specific requirement standards. Funds awarded may only be used to help cover the cost of conducting and maintaining an apprenticeship training program.

Kentucky
Grant-in-Aid (GIA) program – Next Application Submission Deadline: March 15, 2025
The GIA provides reimbursements dollars to companies/consortia. The maximum funding amount for qualified companies during a BSSC fiscal year (July 1 – June 30) is the LESSER of the following:  50% of approved costs/eligible costs; $75,000; $2,000 x number of trainees. The following properly documented training costs are eligible: In-House Training ($25 per hour permitted); Educational Institution and Consultant Training; Instructional Materials and Supplies; Employee/Trainee Wages; Registered Apprenticeship. Safety, mandated, and regulatory training is eligible if it totals no more than 25% of the overall eligible training. Retroactive training, pro/con union training, employee assessments/evaluations and training provided.
 
Skilled Training Investment Credit (STIC) – Next Application Submission Deadline: March 15, 2025
The STIC provides a tax credit against Kentucky income taxes to companies for company specific training activities. The maximum tax credit amount for qualified companies during a BSSC fiscal year (July 1 – June 30) is the LESSER of the following:  50% of approved costs/eligible costs; $75,000; $2,000 x number of trainees. The following properly documented training costs are eligible: In-House Training ($25 per hour permitted); Educational Institution and Consultant Training; Instructional Materials and Supplies; Employee/Trainee Wages; Registered Apprenticeship. Safety, mandated, and regulatory training is eligible if it totals no more than 25% of the overall eligible training. Retroactive training, pro/con union training, employee assessments/evaluations and training provided.

 
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Manufacturing Accelerate Program (MMAP) – Applications accepted on a rolling basis through March 7, 2025
The Commonwealth’s MMAP program aims to help Massachusetts-based small to medium-sized manufacturers prepare their businesses to meet the demands of Industry 4.0 and the manufacturing of new technologies and innovations that align with key industries in the Commonwealth. MMAP provides capital while creating partnerships between manufacturing and non-profit partners (such as MassMEP, Academic Institutions, MassHire, Economic Development Councils, and MassRobotics, etc.). These partnerships will provide with assistance through technical support, workforce development support, business connections, or other means of assistance, depending on the partner, to help manufacturers drive efficiencies and scale their business. Grant funding can be used for capital expenditures under GAAP.

 
Minnesota
Clean Economy Occupations Grant – Applications will be accepted on a continual basis until all funds have been awarded.
This grant seeks to support registered apprenticeship programs to upgrade their capacity to train registered apprentices and upskill incumbent workers in clean economy occupations.

Labor Education Advancement Program (LEAP) – Applications will be accepted on a continual basis until all funds have been awarded.
This grant funding is to facilitate the participation and/or retention of people of color, Indigenous people, and women in registered apprenticeship programs through various means including outreach, education, assessment, preparation, support services, instruction, training, placement and retention activities.

New and Expanded Registered Apprenticeship Program Grant – Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until all funds have been awarded, or April 30, 2026, whichever comes first.
This grant program seeks to aid employers with the development of new registered apprenticeship programs (RAP) or to expand existing programs in apprenticeable occupations, with priority given to programs in these targeted industries:  education, semiconductors, information technology, advanced manufacturing, health care, hospitality, the public sector, and construction. Incentive funding will assist with the costs of starting or expanding a registered apprenticeship program and may be used to cover the costs of employer staff time to operationalize program logistics, develop and instruct related instruction or recruit apprentices. Grant funds may also be used to purchase tools and supplies or pay for tuition for related instruction.

New Jersey
Bridges to Employing Youth (Bridges) – Application Due February 5, 2025
The Bridges to Employing Youth grant will provide specialized workforce development services to youth with disabilities, justice-involved youth, youth who are or have aged out of foster care, and pregnant or parenting youth, in an effort to enhance the current practices and systems intended to serve their needs. The NJDOL Office of Youth Programs will administer the Bridges program to provide specialized workforce development services to these populations in an effort to enhance the current practices and systems intended to serve their needs. NJDOL expects that this program will focus on partnerships and collaboration between state and local agencies and systems to create a coordinated process in ensuring the healthy career development of these populations.

Youth Transitions to Work (YTTW) Program – Application Due March 14, 2025
The purpose of the YTTW program is to provide greater opportunities and incentives for high school juniors, seniors and out-of-school youth (ages 16-24) and to facilitate effective transitions by high school seniors and out-of-school youth to high-skill, high-wage employment in labor demand, apprenticeable occupations. Primary goals include: Establish YTTW programs to link secondary education and higher education institutions to existing apprenticeship programs registered with the United States Department of Labor (USDOL); Establish YTTW programs in new apprenticeship programs in occupations or industries in New Jersey (NJ) which are not currently registered with the USDOL; Establish YTTW programs in newly activated apprenticeship programs which are registered with the USDOL but are not currently being implemented in NJ; and, Increase the number of high school graduates entering apprenticeship programs in NJ.

Ohio 
TechCred – The next TechCred application will open on January 2 and close on January 31, 2025.
The TechCred program gives businesses the chance to upskill current and future employees in today’s tech-infused economy. Credentials that are eligible under TechCred must be short-term, industry-recognized, and technology-focused. The state will reimburse up to $2,000 of training upon completion of a credential.

Pennsylvania  
Schools-To-Work Program – Application deadline is January 27, 2025
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) announces the availability of approximately $3,300,000.00 in state funds for Schools-to-Work -Round 5 (STW5) Grant awards, that will be competitively awarded up to $250,000.00 each. The STW5 Grant focus is building programs to fill current and anticipated labor market needs by increasing workforce training and partnership programs, as well as utilizing the Apprenticeship Training Office’s current workforce initiatives, to develop the skills of traditionally underrepresented groups and those with barriers to employment through Pre-Apprenticeship programs.

Texas  
Jobs & Education for Texans (JET) Grant Program – Applications due January 29, 2025
The JET program provides grants to buy and install equipment for career and technical education (CTE) courses. These courses must lead to a license, certificate or post-secondary degree in a high-demand occupation.

 
Federal

Pathway Home – Application Due Date: March 14, 2025
The purpose of this program is to provide eligible incarcerated individuals in men’s and women’s state correctional facilities or local or county jails with workforce services prior to release and to continue services after release by transitioning the participants into reentry programs in the communities to which they will return.  By providing for reentry services to begin while participants are still incarcerated and to continue post-release, these projects are designed to eliminate the time gap between release from prison and enrollment into a workforce development reentry program leading to skills-based employment, to improve individuals’ transition back into their communities, and to reduce recidivism.

Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) Technical Assistance Grant Program – FORECASTED – Estimated Post Date: April 15, 2025; Estimated Application Due Date: June 29, 2025
The WANTO program is intended to provide technical assistance (TA) to employers and labor unions to encourage employment of women in apprenticeable occupations and nontraditional occupations (A/NTO), specifically by: 1) Developing (establishing, expanding, and/or enhancing) pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, or other nontraditional skills training programs designed to prepare women for careers in A/NTO; 2) Providing ongoing orientations or other resources for employers, unions, and workers on creating a successful environment for women in A/NTO; and/or 3) Setting up support groups, facilitating networks, and/or providing supportive services for women in A/NTO to improve their retention. Applicants may propose to provide technical assistance to support women’s participation and success in the full range of industries in which women are historically underrepresented or where women are disproportionately concentrated in the lower-wage occupations. Such industries include but are not limited to advanced manufacturing, construction, energy, health care, information technology, finance, and transportation.

Cybersecurity Upskilling Initiative – FORECASTED – Estimated Post Date: April 15, 2025; Estimated Application Due Date: June 29, 2025
The Cybersecurity Upskilling Initiative will fund job training programs that upskill incumbent and dislocated workers who already have Information Technology (IT) credentials and experience but need additional qualifications and specialization to meet employer demand for high-skill cybersecurity occupations. Grants will be awarded to sector partnerships to design and implement cybersecurity training programs.

Download the List

Middle Grades CTE Repository

This repository for state middle grades Career Technical Education (CTE) resources is a deliverable of the Shared Solutions Workgroup on Middle Grades CTE (a group of national, state and local leaders convened by Advance CTE with support from the Association for Career and Technical Education) to identify the core components of a meaningful middle grades CTE experience.

This work was generously funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The workgroup also produced the following paper, which can serve as a roadmap for state and local leaders looking to design a new middle grades CTE program or policy or to reflect and improve on what is already in place:

The repository is organized by the seven core programmatic elements identified in the Broadening the Path paper. Some elements having subcategories underneath. Most links will take you directly to where the resources are housed; however, for some links you may need to scroll down or search within the webpage to find the relevant resources. Where possible, grade bands have been noted for each resource (e.g., 7-12 or PK-12).

1. Standards, Curriculum and Assessment
2. Course/Activity Structure and Scheduling
3. Career Advisement
4. Experiential Learning
5. Teacher and Leaders
6. Data and Measurement 
7. Policy 

View the Repository