FY26 Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) Technical Assistance Grant Program

The Women's Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, or the Department, or we), announces the availability of approximately $10,000,000 in grant funds authorized by the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations ("WANTO") Act of 1992, Pub. L. 102-530, 29 U.S.C. § 2501 et seq.; 29 U.S.C. § 13; and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 for the WANTO Technical Assistance Grant Program. This program aims to provide technical assistance (TA) to employers and labor unions in the United States and its territories to encourage employment of women in apprenticeable occupations or nontraditional occupations (A/NTO), such as Advanced Manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Information Technology (IT), mining, and Shipbuilding and Defense Industrial Base, specifically in the following ways: 1.) Developing (establishing, expanding, and/or enhancing) pre-apprenticeships that lead to Registered Apprenticeships, Registered Apprenticeship (as defined in Section III.G. Definitions), or other nontraditional skills training programs designed to prepare women for careers in A/NTO; 2.) Providing ongoing orientations or other resources for employers, unions, and workers on creating a successful environment for women in A/NTO; and/or 3.) Setting up support groups, facilitating networks, and/or providing supportive services (as defined in section III.H.3.) for women in A/NTO to improve their retention.

Faith-based organizations are encouraged to apply, as are any eligible organizations. Those that meet the eligibility requirements may receive awards under this funding opportunity. DOL will not, in the selection of recipients and administration of the grant, discriminate on the basis of an organization's religious character, affiliation, exercise, or lack thereof, or on the basis of conduct that would not be considered grounds to favor or disfavor a similarly situated secular organization. Please also note these additional eligibility requirements: Only CBOs as defined in Section III.G. are eligible to apply for these grants. A consortium of CBOs may apply as a single applicant; in such instances, the applicant should provide a copy of the consortium agreement that specifies which entity will administer the grant. Please see Section III of the Funding Oppportunity Announcement for all eligibility requirements.

Generally, the criteria are as follows: A technical review panel will carefully evaluate applications against the selection criteria. These criteria are based on the policy goals, priorities, and emphases set forth in the FOA/NOFO.

Fiscal year 2025: Organizations who received grant funds will provide one or more of the following types of technical assistance: � Developing pre-apprenticeship or nontraditional skills training programs to prepare women for those careers; � Providing ongoing orientations for employers, unions, and workers on creating a successful environment for women to succeed in those careers; and � Setting up support groups, facilitating networks, or providing support services for women to improve their retention. Seven grants were awarded.