EDA Good Jobs Challenge
U.S. Economic Development Administration — Department of Commerce
$1M–$8M per award
Federal funding for industry-led workforce training partnerships
The EDA Good Jobs Challenge funds 'backbone organizations' — nonprofit workforce intermediaries, economic development organizations, and higher education institutions — to design and operate sectoral workforce training partnerships. Each partnership brings together employers from the same industry with training providers, community colleges, workforce boards, and community organizations to train workers for real job openings. Employers are essential co-design partners in every funded project, but the grant goes to the backbone organization, not to individual businesses. Awarded $500M from the American Rescue Plan; subsequent cycles totaling $25M funded from appropriations.
- Funding type
- Program
- Level
- Federal
- Amount range
- $1,000,000 – $8,000,000
- Realistic amount
- Awards to individual backbone organizations averaged $3–$5 million in the FY2024 competition. Employers in the funded pa…
- Deadline
- Annual or as-appropriated — FY2024 NOFO published July 2024; applications closed Fall 2024; awards announced January 2025. Monitor eda.gov for FY2025/2026 NOFO announcement.
- Status
- between-intakes
- States
- Nationwide
- Payment model
- reimbursement
Who qualifies
- DIRECT RECIPIENTS must be: District Organizations of EDA-designated Economic Development Districts, Indian Tribes, state/county/city governments, institutions of higher education, or public or private nonprofit organizations
- FOR-PROFIT entities are explicitly INELIGIBLE as direct recipients — EDA is not authorized to make grants to for-profit entities under this program
- EMPLOYERS (including for-profit small businesses) participate as essential partners within funded sectoral partnerships — they co-design training programs and commit to hiring trained workers
- The funded backbone organization must demonstrate relationships with sector employers before applying
- Partnerships must target one or more of CHIPS Act key technology focus areas: advanced energy, biotechnology, robotics, semiconductors, or other emerging technologies
Hard requirements
- Funds intermediaries, not businesses directly
- Must be incorporated
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Staff salaries for program coordinators, coaches, and wrap-around services staff
- Training curriculum development and delivery costs
- Participant support services (childcare, transportation stipends, emergency assistance)
- Marketing and recruitment of eligible participants
- Employer engagement and partnership management
- Data collection and performance reporting
Ineligible expenses
- Direct grants or cash to employer partners
- Capital expenditures for training facility construction
- Lobbying activities
- Costs incurred before the grant start date
How to apply
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1
Backbone organization applies to EDA
An eligible nonprofit, EDO, or university serving as the 'backbone organization' submits a full application via grants.gov. Application includes: partnership design, employer commitments, training curriculum plan, participant recruitment strategy, and budget.
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2
EDA merit review and award
EDA evaluates applications on: partnership design quality, employer demand validation, training program rigor, geographic and demographic reach, and cost effectiveness per placement.
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3
Backbone org builds and operates sectoral partnership
Funded backbone organizations recruit employer partners, work with training providers to develop curricula aligned to employer needs, recruit and enroll trainees, and manage job placement. Performance tracked by: participants trained, participants placed, wages earned.
For-profit employers: contact local Workforce Development Boards or regional EDOs to join an existing or forming GJC partnership as an employer partner. You provide job commitments and co-design the training — the EDO applies and manages the grant.
Deadline & timing
The Good Jobs Challenge has been funded in multiple rounds. FY2024 was a $25M competition. A future FY2025 or FY2026 round has not been confirmed at time of curation — check eda.gov/funding/funding-opportunities for active NOFOs.
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Last reviewed 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.