Closed · DOL-OESE-34043 · CFDA 84.424 · Discretionary

Career Pathways Exploration Grant Program 84.424J

Federal grant opportunity posted by Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, cataloged on Grants.gov.

up to $9M
Award range
Closed
Status
June 9, 2026
Close date
10
Expected awards

The verdict

Career Pathways Exploration Grant Program 84.424J is a closed discretionary listing from Office of Elementary and Secondary Education that offered Up to $9,000,000 across 10 expected awards. Future funding cycles may be published under the same CFDA number.

up to $9M
award range
Closed
application status
10
expected awards
84.424
CFDA program

Opportunity snapshot. This Grants.gov announcement - Career Pathways Exploration Grant Program 84.424J - is cataloged under number DOL-OESE-34043 and tied to CFDA assistance listing 84.424, posted by Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. Grants.gov currently shows the opportunity as closed, first posted on May 7, 2026. The funding category is Discretionary, delivered as a grant.

Award economics. The award range on file is Up to $9,000,000. The agency has projected $44.0 million in total estimated funding for this announcement. It expects to issue 10 awards. If the agency funds the expected 10 awards from the $44.0 million estimated pool, the average award works out to roughly $4.4 million. Cost sharing is not required, so applicants do not need to commit matching funds to be competitive on this opportunity. Federal award ranges are often upper bounds; actual allocations reflect program appropriations, the strength of the applicant pool, and the evaluation committee's scoring.

Deadline and action path. This opportunity closed on June 9, 2026. Future funding cycles may be published under the same CFDA number, so monitoring the parent program page is the most reliable way to catch re-announcements. Every Grants.gov submission requires an active SAM.gov registration and a Unique Entity ID. Review the Eligibility section below carefully, federal eligibility categories (nonprofit, state or local government, tribal, individual, educational institution, small business) have distinct registration and reporting requirements. Pre-application outreach to the listed agency contact is permitted and often welcomed, it helps clarify scope and scoring priorities. Before acting on the deadline or award figures above, verify them directly on the official Grants.gov listing, amendments can change dates and amounts after this page was last refreshed.

Award Range

Up to $9,000,000

Close Date

June 9, 2026

Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 11:59:59 pm Eastern Time.

Posted

May 7, 2026

Est. Total Funding

$44,000,000

Expected Awards

10

Instrument

Grant

Description

The Career Pathways Exploration (CPE) program supports efforts to provide elementary and secondary school students with increased career exploration opportunities that allow them to develop, expand, and prioritize the skills and knowledge needed to excel in high-demand fields. To support this goal, the CPE program provides competitive grants to States to build their capacity to integrate career exploration into statewide career pathways and workforce readiness programs. The CPE program will help ensure access to opportunities that expose students to real-life workforce realities through a variety of career pathways programs that are aligned with State workforce priorities.In support of returning education to the States, ED believes this program is uniquely suited for State applicants. State applicants, as designated or endorsed by the Governors, are best positioned to coordinate K-12 career exploration initiatives that integrate education, workforce, and economic development systems. The CPE program is designed to allow Governors, in coordination with State agencies and their local educational agencies (LEAs), to align career exploration opportunities for schools with real-time labor market needs to create statewide opportunities for students to explore careers early, scale access to learning and employment records (LERs) and talent marketplaces, and align with local workforce boards and system partners so students can act on the knowledge gained in a meaningful way.State applicants are encouraged to align proposed activities with the State"s Unified or Combined Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) State Plan to ensure coherence with broader workforce development strategies and labor market priorities.This program is being established with funds from the two percent reservation for technical assistance and capacity building under section 4103(a)(3) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. § 6301 (ESEA), which is intended to support State educational agencies and LEAs in carrying out activities authorized under the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants program in title IV, part A of the ESEA through technical assistance and capacity building. Specifically, the CPE program is intended to help build the capacity of States and LEAs to provide well-rounded educational opportunities, consistent with the description of such opportunities in ESEA section 4107, through initiatives that make career pathways exploration programs broadly available to students. In support of this goal, grantees will share with other States and LEAs how career pathways exploration initiatives can be successfully implemented.

Eligibility

Grants.gov lists this opportunity under eligibility category code 00. These codes correspond to applicant types (state/local government, tribal organization, nonprofit, educational institution, individual, small business, etc.) defined in Grants.gov's own eligibility reference. See the current Grants.gov eligibility categories or check the official listing below for this opportunity's exact eligibility statement.

Official Listing on Grants.gov

View full details, application forms, and submission instructions.

View on Grants.gov

Parent Grant Program

CFDA 84.424

Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Program

U.S. Department of Education

View program →

Agency Contact

Ivonne Jaime careerpathways@ed.gov

Key Dates

Posted May 7, 2026
Close Date June 9, 2026
Archive Date July 9, 2026
Last Updated May 7, 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this grant opportunity?
This is a federal funding opportunity titled "Career Pathways Exploration Grant Program 84.424J", offered by Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. It is associated with CFDA program 84.424. The Career Pathways Exploration (CPE) program supports efforts to provide elementary and secondary school students with increased career exploration opportunities that allow them to develop, expand, a...
Is this opportunity still open?
No, this opportunity is closed. It closed on June 9, 2026. Check the parent program page for future funding cycles.
How much funding is available?
The award range for this opportunity is Up to $9,000,000. Total estimated funding: $44,000,000. Expected number of awards: 10.
How do I apply?
Applications for federal grant opportunities are typically submitted through Grants.gov. Visit the official listing at grants.gov for application instructions, required documents, and submission deadlines.

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.

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