OUR GRANT OPPORTUNITIES: Youth Today’s grant listings are carefully curated for our subscribers working in youth-related industries. Subscribers will find local, regional, state and national grant opportunities.
THIS GRANT’S FOCUS: Job/Career Training, Career Pathways/Development/Exploration, Workforce Readiness, Youth in the Economy
Deadline: June 9, 2026
“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.”
Funder: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
Eligibility: “State governments. The governor must either apply, or identify, designate, or endorse one of the following entities to apply for this program: State educational agencies (as defined in 20 U.S.C. 7801(49)),State workforce development agencies,State vocational rehabilitation agencies, or Consortia of these entities, including the governor, as a group application under 34 CFR 75.127-129.”
Amount: Up to $9,000,000
Contact: Link →
