National Health Emergency (NHE) Dislocated Worker Demonstration Grants | TEGL 12 17

Opportunity Information: Apply for TEGL 12 17

The National Health Emergency (NHE) Dislocated Worker Demonstration Grants (Funding Opportunity Number: TEGL 12-17) is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, designed to help communities respond to the workforce and economic disruption tied to widespread opioid use, addiction, and overdose. The program makes up to $21 million available nationally, with individual awards capped at $5 million and an expected total of about seven awards. These grants are authorized under section 169(c) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), meaning they are intended as demonstration projects that test and prove out approaches that can be replicated or scaled if successful.

The core purpose of the funding is to enable eligible applicants to serve, retrain, and support workers in areas that have been hard-hit by the opioid crisis, recognizing that the epidemic affects local labor markets in multiple ways: through job loss, reduced labor force participation, strained family systems, and increased demand for health and social services. Rather than focusing only on individuals with a history of opioid use, the opportunity is built around the idea that whole communities can be economically impacted by the crisis. As a result, the grants support employment, training, and wraparound assistance for several categories of participants who live in affected communities, whether or not they personally have a substance use history.

Eligible participants under this opportunity include dislocated workers (including displaced homemakers), new entrants to the workforce, and incumbent workers. This mix allows grantees to address different needs at once: helping people who have lost jobs get back on a career pathway, supporting people trying to enter the workforce for the first time or re-enter after an absence, and upskilling workers who are currently employed but may need additional training to remain stable or move into higher-demand roles. The intent is not just short-term job placement, but coordinated career and training strategies paired with supportive services that reduce barriers to participation and completion.

A central expectation of successful applications is strong collaboration. Applicants are expected to show partnerships within the workforce system and with community organizations that are directly engaged with populations affected by opioid addiction. In practice, this points to coordination among WIOA entities and other local partners such as public health, behavioral health providers, treatment and recovery organizations, community-based nonprofits, and similar groups. The Department of Labor emphasizes the complexity of the opioid crisis and signals that proposals should reflect that reality by aligning services across systems instead of delivering isolated programs.

The grants also prioritize building a skilled workforce in occupations that can directly affect both the causes and the treatment of the opioid crisis. This includes training pathways tied to treatment and recovery services, mental health, and pain management, along with other related professions where additional trained workers could improve community response capacity. In other words, projects can be structured not only to help affected individuals find stable employment, but also to grow the local talent pipeline in fields that strengthen prevention, treatment, and long-term recovery supports.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a grant funding instrument in the employment, labor, and training category (CFDA 17.280). Eligible applicants are specified as "Others" with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement, but the description makes clear that States, Outlying Areas, and eligible Indian tribal governments are the primary intended applicants. The original application closing date listed for this opportunity was July 31, 2018, with applications due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

• The Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration in the employment, labor and training sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Health Emergency (NHE) Dislocated Worker Demonstration Grants" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 17.280.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 20, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 31, 2018 The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is July 31, 2018. Applications must be received no later than 115900 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $5,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 7 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for TEGL 12 17

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