About this archived opportunity

The Employment Development Department (EDD), in coordination with the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB) and the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA), announces the availability of up to $2 million in Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Governor’s Discretionary funds for the DEA Program Year (PY) 2020-21 grant. The DEA grants are awarded to design, develop, and implement projects that accelerate employment and re-employment strategies for people with disabilities (PWD). The primary goals of the grant are to increase access to career pathways programs and to help those with significant barriers to employment enter into the workforce in skilled occupations. Grant funds will support projects that increase access for PWD, align WIOA programs, implement co-enrollment strategies, leverage other program funding, provide supportive services, and create onramps to career pathways for California’s PWD. Co-enrollment may include enrollment in WIOA Title I Adult, Title II Adult Education, Title III Wagner-Peyser, or other WIOA unified plan programs. Pathways to careers may include onramps into existing career technical education pathways or apprenticeship programs or the establishment of pre-apprenticeship programs, paid work education experience (PWEX), other work-based learning (WBL) opportunities for PWD. The selected projects are expected to work in collaboration with the following required partners: (1) Title I Local Workforce Development Board/One Stop Operator and (2) Local EDD/Wagner-Peyser Program staff. It is strongly encouraged that applicants work in collaboration with Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS) departments.