Good Jobs Challenge
Getting Americans Back to Work
Good Jobs Applications
EDA has received 509 applications for the American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge program. The quantity of applicants demonstrates the significant interest from a diverse range of stakeholders in communities across America. Together, they demonstrate a strong commitment to supporting underserved communities and groups with barriers to employment.
EDA’s American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge aims to get Americans back to work by building and strengthening systems and partnerships that bring together employers who have hiring needs with other key entities to train workers with in-demand skills that lead to good-paying jobs.
Through the Good Jobs Challenge, EDA is allocating $500 million to collaborative skills training systems and programs. EDA encourages efforts to reach historically underserved populations and areas, communities of color, women, and other groups facing labor market barriers such as persons with disabilities, disconnected youth, individuals in recovery, individuals with past criminal records, including justice impacted and reentry participants, serving trainees participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and veterans and military spouses.
These systems and partnerships will create and implement industry-led training programs, designed to provide skills for and connect unemployed or underemployed workers to existing and emerging job opportunities. Ultimately, these systems are designed to train workers with the skills to secure a union job or a quality job that provides good pay, benefits, and growth opportunities.
EDA will fund proposals within the following three phases, as applicable to regional needs:
- System Development
Help establish and develop a regional workforce training system comprised of multiple sector partnerships - Program Design
Develop the skills training curriculum and materials, and secure technical expertise needed to train workers - Program Implementation
Implement non-construction projects needed to provide workforce training and connect workers with quality jobs, including wrap-around services
The Good Jobs Challenge is designed to support the needs of an applicant’s identified regional workforce system through a single integrated award. EDA will make awards to either the System Lead Entity of a regional workforce system or the Backbone Organization of a sectoral partnership as the lead applicant. These organizations may make subawards to other eligible recipients as necessary to the proposed project and as approved by EDA.
Eligible applicants for EDA’s Good Jobs Challenge include a(n):
- District Organization;
- Indian Tribe or a consortium of Indian Tribes;
- State, county, city, or other political subdivision of a State, including a special purpose unit of a State or local government engaged in economic or infrastructure development activities, or a consortium of political subdivisions;
- Institution of higher education or a consortium of institutions of higher education; or
- Public or private non-profit organization or association, including labor unions, acting in cooperation with officials of a political subdivision of a State
Individuals or for-profit entities, including for-profit institutions of higher education, are not eligible.
- Notice of Funding Opportunity
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Resource Guide (PDF)
- Good Jobs Challenge Webinar
- Technical Assistance Webinar
- Good Jobs Challenge Office Hours - November 18, 2021
- Office Hours Slides (PDF)
- Good Jobs Challenge Expert Panel - December 17, 2021
- One Pager (PDF)
- Optional Budget Narrative and Staffing Plan Template (XLSX)
- Application Checklist (PDF)
Application deadline:
Closed
- Please send email inquiries about the American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge to GoodJobsChallenge@eda.gov.