Over 500 Applicants From Across the Country Participate in $500M Good Jobs Challenge

Dear Good Jobs Challenge Applicants,

Thank you for your application. The $500 million Good Jobs Challenge, funded by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, provides an investment to support workforce development. Designed to connect workers with training to develop in-demand skills that lead to good-paying jobs, the Good Jobs Challenge will support effective systems and partnerships across the country and help employers find the talent they need to remain competitive.

We are pleased to announce that programs across the country have shown enthusiasm for this funding opportunity. The Economic Development Administration (EDA) received 509 applications from all states, territories and the District of Columbia. Applications were submitted from a diverse range of workforce development programs and demonstrate a strong commitment to supporting underserved communities and groups with barriers to employment. They reflect the importance of creating interconnected workforce systems that enable access to in-demand skills training and connections to employers that lead to good-paying jobs.

EDA is already working through a comprehensive technical review process of all 509 applications submitted. Throughout these next few months, we ask for your patience as the team moves through this review process as expeditiously and diligently as possible.

EDA is committed to implementing this program in a way that is fair, transparent, and improves economic development outcomes. Today we are releasing the list of all 509 applicants, and EDA will continue to share information during the competition and through the duration of the grants.

This competition has generated an incredible body of work. While not every applicant will receive a Good Jobs Challenge award, we hope that applicants will stay engaged with EDA and explore other funding opportunities that could support their efforts. Please visit www.eda.gov for more information about EDA grant programs.

Thank you once again for your hard work developing and submitting your applications. The overwhelming response gives me great confidence that the $500 million Good Jobs Challenge will lay the groundwork for high-quality industry-led workforce training partnerships across the nation.

Sincerely,

Alejandra Y. Castillo
U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development