Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Labor

Description: The National Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) program are discretionary grants to provide employment-related services for dislocated workers. The program funds two types of DWGs: Disaster Recovery and Employment Recovery. 

Disaster Recovery DWGs provide funding to create temporary employment opportunities to assist with clean-up and recovery efforts when an area impacted by an emergency or major disaster is declared eligible for public assistance by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), or is declared, or otherwise recognized, as an emergency or disaster of national significance by a Federal agency with authority or jurisdiction over Federal response to the disaster or emergency.
Employment Recovery DWGs temporarily expand capacity to serve dislocated workers and to meet the increased demand for employment and training services following a qualifying event. Qualifying events include major economic dislocations, such as plant closures, mass layoffs, or higher-than-average demand for employment and training activities for dislocated members of the Armed Forces and their spouses.

Eligible applicants: 

For Disaster Recovery DWGs — 

• A state, outlying area, or Indian tribal governments
  • States may sub-grant funds to local boards and/or may expend such funds through public and private agencies and organizations engaged in such projects.

For Employment Recovery DWGs —

• A state or outlying area, or a consortium of states;
• A local Workforce Development Board (WDB) or a consortium of WDBs;
• An entity eligible for funding through the Indian and Native American program in WIOA Section 166(c);
• Entities determined to be appropriate by the governor of the state or outlying area involved; and
  • To be eligible, such entities must attach a signed letter from the Governor, on official letterhead, identifying the organization and indicating why the Governor has determined it appropriate to carry out a DWG project.
• Entities that demonstrate to the Secretary of Labor their capability to effectively respond to circumstances related to particular dislocations.
  • To demonstrate its capability to the Secretary, such an applicant must submit documentation that the applicant has:
    • Expertise with workforce development or training;
    • Geographic or administrative reach to handle large-scale workforce issues;
    • Financial and administrative capability to administer a Federal grant; and
    • A letter of support for its DWG application from its state workforce agency and WDBs for the geographic area(s) the DWG will serve.

Eligible activities:

For Disaster Recovery DWGs –

Disaster Recovery DWGs provide disaster-relief and humanitarian assistance employment, as well as employment and training services, as appropriate, to minimize the employment and economic impact of declared disasters and emergency situations, in disaster-declared areas.

Qualifying events include:

• Emergencies and major disasters declared by FEMA;
• Emergencies or disaster situations of national significance, natural or man-made, that could result in a potentially large loss of employment, as declared or otherwise recognized and issued in writing by the chief official of a Federal agency with jurisdiction over the Federal response to the disaster or emergency; and
• Relocation of a substantial number of individuals from a state, tribal area, or outlying area affected by a disaster or emergency to other states, tribal areas, or outlying areas outside the disaster or emergency area. 

Allowable activities include:

• Disaster Relief Employment is allowable for temporary employment of eligible individuals, including clean-up and recovery efforts (i.e. demolition, repair, renovation and reconstruction of damaged and destroyed structures, facilities and lands located within the disaster area and in offshore areas related to the emergency or disaster) and/or employment related to the delivery of appropriate humanitarian assistance in the immediate aftermath of the disaster or emergency.
• Employment and Training Services are allowable for dislocated workers and other eligible participants following a qualifying disaster or emergency. 
• Supportive Services are allowable when they are needed to enable individuals to participate in disaster relief employment and employment and training services and when supportive services cannot be obtained through other programs. Supportive service policies for a disaster project must align with the state or local area supportive service policy. Any supportive services provided must be consistent with WIOA.

Eligible participants include:

• Temporarily or permanently laid off as a consequence of the disaster;
• A dislocated worker;
• A long-term unemployed worker; or
• A self-employed individual who became unemployed or significantly underemployed as a result of the disaster or emergency.

For Employment Recovery DWGs –

Employment Recovery DWGs provide resources to states and other eligible applicants to respond to major economic dislocations, such as large, unexpected layoff events that cause significant job losses. 

Qualifying layoff events include:

• Mass layoff or plant closure
• Industry-wide layoffs
• Community impact

Allowable activities include:

• Career Services include several services and activities to help support dislocated workers in making informed decisions based on local and regional economic demand for the purpose of achieving reemployment and education goals. These include but are not limited to: outreach, intake, labor exchange services, initial and comprehensive assessments, development of an individual employment plan, referral, provision of labor market information, provision of information on eligible training providers, and provision of information on the availability of supportive services.
• Training Services include occupational training, on-the-job training (including apprenticeships), entrepreneurial training, and customized training. 
• Supportive Services are allowable when they are needed to enable individuals to participate in disaster-relief employment and employment and training services and when supportive services cannot be obtained through other programs. Supportive service policies for a disaster project must align with the state or local area supportive service policy; any supportive services provided must be consistent with WIOA.
  • Needs-Related Payments are allowable for DWG participants who are unemployed and do not qualify for (or have ceased to qualify for) unemployment compensation to enable them to participate in training services.

Eligible participants include:

• A dislocated worker; 
• A civilian employee of the Department of Defense or the Department of Energy employed at a military installation that is being closed, or that will undergo realignment, within the next 24 months after the date of the determination of eligibility;
• An individual who is employed in a non-managerial position with a Department of Defense contractor, who is determined by the Secretary of Defense to be at risk of termination from employment as a result of reductions in defense expenditures, and whose employer is converting operations from defense to nondefense applications in order to prevent worker layoffs; or
• A member of the Armed Forces who:
  • was on active duty or full-time National Guard duty;
  • is involuntarily separated from active duty or full-time National Guard duty; or is separated from active duty or full-time National Guard duty pursuant to a special separation benefits program or the voluntary separation incentive program; 
  • is not entitled to retired or retained pay incident to the separation; and
  • applies for employment and training assistance within 180 days of that separation. 

Award ceiling (MAX): $100 million

Award floor (MIN): $150,000

Funding availability: $300 million

Application cycle: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and processed as received.

Special considerations:

• This program does not require a cost share or match.

More information: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/dislocated-workers

Who can tell me more? Contact Jenifer McEnery, Grants Management Specialist at McEnery.Jenifer@dol.gov for technical questions and program guidance.

To apply: Visit HERE