This catalog presents a comprehensive review of competitive federal grant programs that support work-based learning (WBL). It covers 64 Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) issued between FY 2020âFY 2025 across 12 federal agencies, representing nearly $4 billion in competitive funding.
For the purposes of this catalog, WBL refers to training approaches that integrate real-world work experience with skill development â such as apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships, internships, on-the-job training, clinical placements and subsidized employment. The review focuses on programs in which WBL is a substantive feature of grant design.
This look back was conducted to support systematic analysis and comparison of federal grant design â specifically to identify how agencies have structured, funded and implemented WBL within competitive grants.
The catalog is designed as a reference and learning tool for:
- Federal staff seeking a cross-agency view of how WBL has been embedded in competitive grants.
- State and local partners, intermediaries, and practitioners looking to understand where federal funding has historically supported WBL (recognizing that this is a retrospective view, not a forecast of future funding).
- Policy, research and philanthropic stakeholders interested in grant design patterns, gaps and opportunities in federal workforce funding.
The catalog does not evaluate program effectiveness or predict future funding priorities. Instead, it provides a structured foundation for analysis, comparison and deeper inquiry.
Explore the full catalog and methods â Work-based Learning Catalog: Federal Competitive Funding Opportunities (FY20-FY25)
Spotlight Briefs: Deeper Dives into Grant Design
The catalog is complemented by a series of spotlight briefs that take a closer look at specific dimensions of federal grant design. Each brief draws on the full catalog to examine how particular design choices shape implementation and learning.
- Building Learning Into Grant Design: How Federal Work-Based Learning Programs Structure Continuous Improvement
- (Coming soon) Building an Evidence Base: Taking Stock of Outcome Evaluation Across Federal Work-Based Learning Programs