The Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity is seeking applications for its Job Training Economic Development Program.
Donor Name: Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity
State: Illinois
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/16/2026
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The objective of this NOFO is to address the economic impacts experienced by employers and individuals who are either under-employed, unemployed, or underrepresented individuals facing one or more barriers to employment by providing career pathway opportunities and support services needed for successful re-entry or advancement into the labor force. Additionally, the NOFO offers flexible funding through barrier reduction services, which will support accumulated emergency costs for basic needs. The organization seeking to use funds for barrier reduction services must have policies and procedures to account for the grant funds and prevent fraud or misuse of barrier reduction funds.
The Job Training and Economic Development Grant Program (JTED) was established in 1997 to respond to workforce shortages due to a strong job market and a lack of skilled workers to fill available positions. The legislation found that “despite the large number of unemployed job seekers, many employers are having difficulty matching the skills they require with the skills of workers; a similar problem exists in industries where overall employment may not be expanding, but there is an acute need for skilled workers in particular occupations. The State of Illinois fosters local economic development by linking the job training of unemployed, disadvantaged citizens with the workforce needs of local businesses and industry. Employers often need assistance in developing training resources that will provide work opportunities for individuals that are under-represented and/or have barriers to participating in the workforce. Additionally, JTED has focused on long-term unemployed individuals needing assistance to access the workforce to gain work experience and skills required to obtain family-sustaining employment.
Priorities
- The Department requests applications that demonstrate proven approaches to offering career services, training, and placement of eligible individuals in employment or continued education. Applications will be accepted for projects that serve adults or youth populations per definitions, below; however, an applicant can only submit one application and must choose which population to serve. Participant eligibility and strategies to serve the identified priorities are outlined below.
- JTED program regulations require that services be provided to the “target population,” defined as unemployed, under-employed, or under-represented individuals, including youth with one or more barriers to employment. The “target populations” is further defined in this NOFO under the Program Definitions. Eligibility also requires that the individual has a low-to-moderate income, is an Illinois resident, and is eligible to work in Illinois at the time of application to the program.
Categories
- Adult Focus
- Applications in Category 1 will address providing services to unemployed, under-employed, or underrepresented adults who need the training to access employment or skill upgrades to advance in their employment. All applicants must demonstrate partnerships with employers and educational entities to create local or regional strategies. The types of supportive services that will be provided to adults that will support their success must be described in the application.
- Youth Focus
- The program design must actively involve educators—such as classroom instructors, curriculum developers, and academic advisors—who bring critical expertise in shaping learning environments that are responsive to student needs. Their role is essential in designing and delivering contextualized instruction that integrates academic content with real-world applications. Educators should collaborate with business leaders to co-develop a balanced curriculum that builds academic knowledge, employability skills (including digital literacy and digital financial literacy), and technical competencies aligned with industry standards.
Funding Information
- Total Funding: $10,000,00
- Award Range: $250000 – $750000.
Allowable Costs
Grant expenditures must comply with the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200), the JTED statute (20 ILCS 605/605-415), and related rules (56 Ill. Admin. Code Part 2660) and must be reasonable and necessary to support one of the allowable grant activities set forth in 56 Ill. Admin. Code 2660.40. Specific allowable grant costs are listed below, and specific budget line items are identified in the uniform budget template:
- Expenses to design training curricula and related materials;
- Expenses to provide industry-linked skill training and work-based learning to individuals in the target population (e.g., instructor costs and curriculum materials, including digital devices required for digital literacy training);
- Expenses for the ongoing evaluation and refinement of the curricula and related materials;
- Expenses for the design and implementation of a needs assessment to determine specific skill shortages being experienced by one or more local industries;
- Expenses for the design and implementation of a needs assessment to determine the education and training needs of the target population relative to the skill needs of local industries;
- Expenses for the design of curricula and related materials for training programs designed for individuals in the target population to prepare them to meet identified skill labor shortages;
- Expenses for the delivery of industry-linked training and work-based learning to unemployed persons and placement of program completers into jobs in the target industries;
- Expenses for ongoing coordination of the Eligible Training Provider partners;
- Program participant wages;
- Expenses for career planning activities that provide one-on-one staff assistance and career counseling as defined under “Program Services;”
- Expenses incurred to meet grant administration requirements; and
- Any other costs determined to be reasonable and necessary to carry out the grant program activities as permitted and approved by the Department.
Eligible Training Providers
- Eligible training providers are organizations such as secondary education institutions, a public or private college or university, an industry association, a registered apprenticeship program, or a community-based organization that is approved to provide training services by the appropriate accrediting body.
- This includes Federal SNAP Employment and Training Providers (FSENT) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) providers.
- Applicants must provide detailed information about the training providers, including who, what, when, where, and duration of training.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must have demonstrated expertise and effectiveness in administering workforce development programs [20 ILCS 605/605-415(b)] and must meet the requirements outlined in this NOFO. Entities that are eligible to apply for the JTED NOFO consist of:
- Employers;
- Private nonprofit organizations (which may include a faith-based organization);
- Federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) administrative entities;
- Community Action Agencies;
- Industry associations; and
- Public or private educational institutions
- Local governments that are not WIOA administrative entities are not eligible to apply.
For more information, visit DCEO.
