Funding: Vocational Training, Education, and Employment

Open Funding Opportunities

Rural Business Development Grants (RBDG)

Offers funding to support technical assistance and training for rural businesses that have fewer than 50 new workers and generate a gross revenue less than $1,000,000. Funds can also be used on projects to support and benefit rural businesses as specified in the grant application. Supports the expansion of rural businesses through economic development, planning, and other related activities.

Application Deadline: Feb 28, 2025
Sponsor: USDA Rural Development (USDA RD)
Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF)

Offers grant funding to organizations to provide support services to low-income veterans and their families who are homeless or are currently residing in or transitioning to permanent housing. Aims to prevent homelessness and increase housing stability by offering case management and other services designed to prevent the imminent loss of home, identify new and better housing situations, or provide rapid re-housing. Includes healthcare navigator services to increase access to and continued engagement with mental health and substance use disorder services.

Application Deadline: Mar 3, 2025
Sponsor: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grants

Funds telecommunication projects that support distance learning and telemedicine services to increase access to education, training, and healthcare resources for students, teachers, medical professionals, and residents in rural areas. Emphasizes telecommunication projects that address substance use disorders (SUDs), including opioid misuse.

Application Deadline: Mar 6, 2025
Sponsor: USDA Rural Development (USDA RD)
Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Overdose Response

Provides funding to address immediate and short-term needs for substance use disorder (SUD) services in rural communities. Aims to establish or expand SUD prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services, with the goal of reducing and preventing overdoses in rural areas.

Application Deadline: Mar 10, 2025
Sponsor: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP)
Adult Tribal Treatment Courts: Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) Purpose Area #5

Offers funds and technical assistance to tribes seeking to develop, implement and enhance adult treatment courts, including healing to wellness courts (HTWC), veteran's treatment courts (VTC), driving while intoxicated (DWI) courts, and other treatment focused courts or court dockets. Aims to reduce recidivism, increase access to treatment and recovery supports, and prevent overdose for people involved in the criminal justice system through utilization of the treatment court model.

Application Deadline: Mar 18, 2025
Sponsor: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
Tribal Justice Systems Program: Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) Purpose Area #3

Funds to tribes to develop, support, and improve adult tribal justice systems. Seeks to support tribal and law enforcement efforts to prevent and reduce crime, including crime related to opioid, alcohol, stimulant, and other substance use disorders (SUD). Part of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS).

Application Deadline: Mar 18, 2025
Sponsor: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program (REDLG)

Offers grants and zero-interest loans to local utility organizations who provide funding options for local businesses. Supports economic development in rural areas by funding projects designed to create or preserve job opportunities.

Application Deadline: Mar 31, 2025
Sponsor: USDA Rural Development (USDA RD)
USDA Intermediary Relending Program

Seeks to improve economic development, create employment opportunities, and reduce poverty in rural areas, especially disadvantaged and isolated communities. Offers 1% low-interest loans to local lenders known as intermediaries, that then re-lend funds to businesses in rural communities to foster community development.

Application Deadline: Mar 31, 2025
Sponsor: USDA Rural Development (USDA RD)
Business & Industry Loan Guarantees

Offers loan guarantees to rural businesses to increase access to business capital and improve rural economies. Allows commercial lenders to offer affordable financing to rural businesses to support business operations and create or preserve employment opportunities.

Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Sponsor: USDA Rural Development (USDA RD)
Public Housing Neighborhood Networks (NN)

Provides funds to establish and maintain Neighborhood Networks (NN), or community technology centers within public housing buildings or developments, that provide computer and internet access to public housing residents. Offers computer training, services, and programs to help residents become economically self-sufficient. Public housing authorities use their capital funds and operating funds to build and operate neighborhood network centers.

Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Sponsor: Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH)
Rural Business Investment Program

Provides licenses to newly formed, for-profit entities to operate as a Rural Business Investment Company (RBIC). RBICs make equity capital investments in small, rural enterprises that may otherwise have difficulty accessing venture capital. Seeks to develop economies, create wealth, and increase job opportunities for people living in rural communities.

Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Sponsor: USDA Rural Development (USDA RD)

Inactive Funding Opportunities

Many inactive programs are likely to be offered again. Grant deadlines are often short, and viewing inactive programs can give you a head start in applying next time.

Investments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems Initiative (INSPIRE) Inactive

Supports projects to address the crisis of substance and opioid use in Appalachian counties through programs that help people in recovery obtain and maintain employment. Promotes the development of recovery ecosystems that support individuals as they transition from substance use disorder (SUD) treatment programs into recovery and seek to enter or re-enter the workforce. Brings together multiple sectors, including recovery communities, peer support, healthcare, human services, law enforcement, and others, to deliver job training, skill development, and comprehensive support services that enable individuals to find stable employment and sustain their recovery from SUD.

Letter of Intent (Required): Feb 14, 2025
Application Deadline: Mar 10, 2025
Sponsor: Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)
Resident Opportunity and Self-Sufficiency (ROSS) Service Coordinator Program Inactive

Provides funding to public and Indian housing authorities to hire service coordinators to promote self-sufficiency for public housing residents. Service coordinators identify needs and barriers at the community and individual level and connect residents to training and support services to help them gain economic and housing stability. Works with local partners to assist residents in achieving outcomes in the areas of education; professional development; financial empowerment; and health and wellness, including mental health and substance use issues. Offers supports to help elderly and disabled residents age in place and/or live independently for as long as possible.

Application Deadline: Sep 30, 2024
Sponsor: Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH)
Mentoring at Risk and Rural Youth Inactive

Offers grant funding to 4-H programs to expand mentoring services for justice-involved youth, youth at-risk of juvenile justice involvement, and rural youth. Utilizes 4-H programming to promote healthy development and positive outcomes for the target population by reducing risk factors such as poor school attendance/performance and alcohol and substance use. Supports a range of mentoring approaches, including one-on-one, group, peer, or a combination of approaches, and helps connect youth to mental health, tutoring, career guidance, coaching, and other services and supports.

Application Deadline: Aug 5, 2024
Sponsor: National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
Rural Community Development Initiative Grants (RCDI) Inactive

Provides funding to intermediary organizations that offer financial and technical assistance to recipients to help meet the needs of their communities in eligible rural areas. Recipients use funds for projects related to housing, community facilities, or community and economic development projects in rural communities.

Application Deadline: Jul 10, 2024
Sponsor: USDA Rural Development (USDA RD)
Tribal Opioid Response Grants (TOR) Inactive

Helps American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) tribal communities build and strengthen a comprehensive response to the opioid epidemic by providing prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and community-based recovery support services to AI/AN individuals with, or at risk for, opioid use disorder (OUD), including stimulant use disorder. Identifies and addresses gaps in services and systems of care for OUD in tribal communities, and coordinates with other federally supported opioid response efforts to increase access to innovative and culturally responsive services for people with OUD, including access to Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder (MOUD).

Application Deadline: Jul 1, 2024
Sponsor: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
State Pilot Program for Treatment for Pregnant and Postpartum Women (PPW-PLT) Inactive

Offers flexible funding to provide family-based services for pregnant and postpartum women diagnosed with substance use disorder (SUD), with a particular emphasis on treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD). Assists states in establishing a continuum of care for pregnant and postpartum women in community-based settings. Supports new approaches and service delivery models designed to enhance coordination and efficiency in state systems managed by a state substance use agency. Aims to improve maternal and child health outcomes, decrease infant mortality, and reduce the negative impact of substance use on women, children, and family members.

Application Deadline: Apr 1, 2024
Sponsor: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Jobs Plus Initiative Inactive

Offers funding to increase employment and income among families in public housing through locally based programs that promote work readiness, linkages to employers, job placement, educational advancement, technology skills, and financial literacy for public housing residents. Provides support services, such as childcare, transportation, legal aid, and other services, to remove barriers to work. Makes a financial incentive available to participants in order to offset rent increases due to a higher household earned income. Aims to encourage and support employment, decrease poverty, and enhance self-sufficiency, economic and housing security for public housing residents.

Application Deadline: Mar 12, 2024
Sponsor: Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH)
Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR) Sustainable Community Projects Inactive

Offers funding to land-grant colleges and universities to enhance the quality and quantity of comprehensive community-based programs for children, youth, and families. Seeks to provide programming and skills to meet their basic needs so they can lead positive, productive, and contributing lives. Aims to assemble resources from land-grant institutions and the Cooperative Extension Systems to provide at-risk individuals with educational programming.

Application Deadline: Feb 15, 2024
Sponsor: National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) Program Inactive

Funds new full-service community schools (FSCS) programs or further development to existing programs, which includes support for planning, implementation, operation, and coordination for programs in high poverty urban and rural areas. FSCS programs provide comprehensive academic, social, and health services for students, students' family members, and community members that are designed to improve education outcomes for children.

Letter of Intent (Optional): Jul 7, 2023
Application Deadline: Aug 8, 2023
Sponsor: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE)
Recovery Community Services Program (RCSP) Inactive

Provides peer recovery support services to individuals with or in recovery from substance use disorder (SUD) or co-occurring substance use and mental disorders (COD). Promotes long-term recovery supports, in coordination with clinical SUD treatment, that are led by peers in recovery who reflect the communities they serve. Increases access to recovery support services through training and support for current and new peer recovery specialists and supervisors, especially those from historically underserved communities.

Application Deadline: May 30, 2023
Sponsor: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Youth Regional Treatment Centers Aftercare Program Inactive

Supports American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth in successfully transitioning back into the community after completing treatment at an Indian Health Services (IHS) Youth Regional Treatment Center (YRTC). Provides culturally adapted aftercare and case management services focused on whole-person wellness and community engagement to help youth achieve and sustain safety and sobriety, with an emphasis on employability as a means of achieving program goals. YRTC is an initiative of the IHS Alcohol and Substance Abuse Branch (ASAB).

Application Deadline: Sep 19, 2022
Sponsor: Indian Health Service (IHS)
Young Adult Reentry Partnership (YARP) 2 Inactive

Offers funding for education and job training services for young adults ages 18 to 24 who are involved in the criminal justice system or those who left high school before graduation. Establishes partnerships between community colleges, the criminal justice system, employers, and other stakeholders to improve workforce outcomes for the target population. Builds capacity in community colleges to provide occupational training and helps young adults reentering society from the criminal justice system gain skills and education to meet the needs of the local labor market and find stable employment in high-demand occupations.

Application Deadline: Apr 26, 2021
Sponsor: Employment and Training Administration (ETA)
Support to Communities: Fostering Opioid Recovery Through Workforce Development Inactive

Provides funding to state workforce agencies and tribal organizations to make subgrants to local workforce development boards to address the economic, workforce, and health impacts of the opioid crisis in communities with high rates of substance use disorder (SUD). Supports collaboration between key community stakeholders to provide career, job training, and employment services to help individuals find and retain employment. Funds comprehensive screening services, outpatient recovery care, and other services for individuals with SUD that can also support their efforts to obtain and/or maintain employment.

Application Deadline: Jan 9, 2020
Sponsor: Employment and Training Administration (ETA)
Re-Employment, Support, and Training for the Opioid Related Epidemic (RESTORE) Grant Program Inactive

Provides funding for employment training, career services, and supportive services to women directly or indirectly impacted by the opioid crisis. Addresses barriers to work facing women and helps them gain the skills and support to become employed. Seeks to develop multi-disciplinary partnerships among service providers and other key stakeholders with experience serving women workers in order to meet the unique needs of women in communities most affected by opioid use.

Application Deadline: Aug 23, 2019
Sponsor: U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau