MEMBER ADVISORY

February 24, 2022

The U.S. Department of Labor Announces $113 million Apprenticeship Building America (ABA) Funding Opportunity Announcement

U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Walsh announced today the availability of $113 million for the Apprenticeship Building America (ABA) grant program to support the expansion, modernization, and diversification of Registered Apprenticeship programs (RAPs). ABA grants will accelerate the Administration’s goals and priorities for an equitable economic recovery post-COVID-19 pandemic by connecting more Americans to good jobs and careers in priority industry sectors, including those industries impacted by the pandemic, such as transportation and other occupations and industries in the critical supply chain.

Of the $113,000,000 in grants funds available for ABA, the Department intends to fund up to $50,000,000, in aggregate across all grant categories, for projects primarily focused on equity partnerships and pre-apprenticeship activities. The Department expects to fund 20 to 30 grants, based on the following categories:

  • Category 1: State Apprenticeship System Building and Modernization: up to $4 million;
  • Category 2: Expansion of RAP Opportunities for Youth: up to $5 million;
  • Category 3: Ensuring Equitable RAP Pathways Through Pre-apprenticeship Leading to RAP Enrollment and Equity Partnerships: up to $3 million;
  • Category 4: Registered Apprenticeship Hubs: up to $6 million for projects with a local/regional or statewide geographic scope; and up to $8 million for projects with a national geographic scope.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants vary by grant category, but broadly include states, cities, municipalities, workforce development entities, community-based organizations, industry groups and associations, labor and joint labor-management partnerships, workforce and apprenticeship intermediaries, educational institutions (e.g., Minority Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, school districts, career technical education, alternative, private or traditional high schools).

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Link and Application Due Date: The ABA FOA (FOA-ETA-22-06) is available on grants.gov and apprenticeship.gov. The closing date for receipt of applications under this Announcement is April 25, 2022.  

Applicants should refer to the FOA for a full list of eligible applicants for each grant category. 

All question on this FOA should be directed to the Grants Management Specialist identified in the FOA, Denise Roach, Grants Management Specialist, Office of Grants Management, at roach.denise@dol.gov.

HACU Member Advisories are a service of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU)