DOL Federal Grants — A Guide for Applicants
DOL administers workforce-development, training, and employment-support grants — primarily through formula allocations to state workforce boards, plus discretionary competitions for specific populations (apprenticeships, dislocated workers, ex-offenders, youth, tribal workforce).
Sub-agencies and bureaus that grant-make
- Employment and Training Administration (ETA) — Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) formula and discretionary grants; Apprenticeship; YouthBuild; H-1B Skills Training.
- Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) — Homeless Veterans' Reintegration; Jobs for Veterans State Grants.
- Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) — Disability Employment Initiative; competitive discretionary grants.
- Women's Bureau — WANTO — Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations.
Top CFDAs administered by DOL
- CFDA 17.207 — Wagner-Peyser Employment Service
- CFDA 17.258 — WIOA Adult Program
- CFDA 17.259 — WIOA Youth Program
- CFDA 17.265 — Native American Employment and Training (Section 166)
- CFDA 17.268 — H-1B Job Training
Typical applicants
State workforce agencies and state Workforce Investment Boards, local Workforce Development Boards, community colleges, 501(c)(3) workforce nonprofits, apprenticeship intermediaries, tribal governments (Section 166), and labor-management partnerships.
Application strategy specific to DOL
Most DOL funding flows through state workforce systems — get on your state Workforce Board's sub-recipient list and align with the state's Combined Plan priorities. Direct DOL discretionary competition (Strengthening Community Colleges, Strengthening Apprenticeship, YouthBuild) favors consortium applications with employer commitments expressed as Letters of Commitment with specific hiring numbers.
Common pitfalls
DOL grants require WIPS (Workforce Integrated Performance System) reporting compliance and detailed participant-level performance tracking. Formula-fund pass-throughs are subject to state-level priorities that change with administrations; build state-level relationships beyond any one project. Apprenticeship grants require Registered Apprenticeship sponsorship — partnering with an existing sponsor is faster than registering a new program.
Related agency guides
Audience guides that cover DOL funding
Always verify in the official source. Agency structures, funding levels, and program priorities shift across administrations. The authoritative sources are the agency's grants page itself and the NOFO documents at grants.gov. This page is editorial reference, not an official agency notice.