Closed · FOA-ETA-21-08 · CFDA 17.280 · Discretionary

Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC)

Federal grant opportunity posted by Employment and Training Administration, cataloged on Grants.gov.

$150K-$1.5M
Award range
Closed
Status
July 21, 2021
Close date
30
Expected awards

The verdict

Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC) is a closed discretionary listing from Employment and Training Administration that offered $150,000 -- $1,500,000 across 30 expected awards. Future funding cycles may be published under the same CFDA number. PlainGrants indexes 412 other opportunities from Employment and Training Administration.

$150K-$1.5M
award range
Closed
application status
30
expected awards
17.280
CFDA program

Archived opportunity record

Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities is closed (last close July 21, 2021). Check the agency catalog for replacement NOFOs. Employment and Training Administration still indexes 412 other opportunities here.

According to Grants.gov (extract vintage 2026-08-10), this record reflects the officially published listing. See methodology.

Deadline tracker

Application window closed

Closed July 21, 2021

Posted Apr 22 Closes Jul 21

Est. Total Funding

$29,200,000

Expected Awards

30

Instrument

Grant

Description

This Announcement solicits applications for the WORC Initiative for grants serving the Appalachian and Delta regions. The purpose of this program is to demonstrate the alignment of regionally driven, comprehensive approaches to addressing economic distress and the necessary workforce development activities to ensure dislocated and other workers in the regions are capable of succeeding in current and future job opportunities. Successful long-term economic growth strategies build upon bottom-up, community-led plans that promote economic resilience and maximize regional strengths. The WORC Initiative grants take a long-term view toward assisting eligible communities, including those energy communities that currently or historically have had a high concentration of employment in energy extraction and related industries, in diversifying their economies by investing in developing a skilled workforce through training and other approaches that aligns with local strategies developed by regional partners. This long-term view also acknowledges the impact of the opioid crisis and the significant challenges it presents to a community’s workforce. To address these challenges, ETA encourages applicants to include within their applications strategies to address the employment and training needs of individuals affected by substance use disorder in their communities.

Catch-all / unrestricted eligibility mark · FOA-ETA-21-08

Grants.gov marks Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities with a catch-all / unrestricted eligibility code (Others (see official listing text)). Read the official announcement text for the real applicant filter — the code alone is not a door list. The extract does not mark applicant cost-sharing as required. Instrument: Grant. Funding-activity code maps to Employment, Labor and Training (ELT). This eligibility-code string dominates the Employment and Training Administration book (353 peers, 85% of 413).

Code 25
Others (see official listing text)

Codes are Grants.gov eligibility category values from the extract vintage 2026-08-10. Confirm the full eligibility statement on the official listing or the Grants.gov eligibility reference.

Official Listing on Grants.gov

View full details, application forms, and submission instructions.

View on Grants.gov

Agency Contact

Diane Easterling Grants Specialist DOL-ETA-DWG@dol.gov

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What to do next

Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities is closed; use the parent program and agency catalog for the next funding cycle.

  • Browse open federal opportunities in the same category when this listing is closed. Open opportunities
  • Look up CFDA 17.280 across all indexed listings before you commit to this opportunity alone. Eligibility finder
  • Compare award ranges across federal categories before you pick a single CFDA. All categories

Opportunity deadlines and eligibility change on Grants.gov; PlainGrants mirrors the extract and is not the submission system.

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from Grants.gov and SAM.gov and is for informational purposes only. Opportunity details, deadlines, and eligibility requirements change frequently. Always verify current information directly on Grants.gov before applying. PlainGrants is not affiliated with any federal agency.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from the SAM.gov Assistance Listings and Grants.gov. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainGrants