Workforce Accelerator Fund 13

The Workforce Accelerator Fund 13 Grant Program is administered by the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB) in partnership with the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA), the Employment Development Department (EDD), and in collaboration with California Jobs First. This initiative is supported by federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Governor’s discretionary funds totaling up to $2.7 million. The Accelerator Fund series is designed to foster innovation in workforce development and improve access to quality employment for California’s workers, particularly those in disadvantaged or low-income communities. The purpose of Accelerator 13 is to advance projects that integrate High Road principles into workforce development. These principles emphasize quality jobs, equitable access, worker empowerment, and long-term career mobility. Projects funded under this opportunity are expected to create upward pathways for workers while strengthening connections between workforce programs and stable, high-quality employment. In particular, priority consideration will be given to proposals from Native American tribes and tribe-serving nonprofit organizations, organizations with a record of serving veterans, and applicants directly linked to existing CWDB-funded High Road projects. Funding under Accelerator 13 is structured by project type. New projects without prior WIOA grant management experience are eligible for up to $150,000, while new projects led by organizations with WIOA experience can request up to $250,000. Existing projects that have already demonstrated successful implementation may apply for up to $500,000. A 1:1 leveraged funding match is required for all projects. The total available pool of $2.7 million is expected to support multiple awards, though the exact number has not been specified. The grant period is 21 months, with an anticipated start date of May 1, 2025. Applications must be submitted through the Cal-E-Grants online portal. Prospective applicants are required to establish a Cal-E-Grants account to access and submit materials. The application opened on September 30, 2024, and all submissions must be completed by October 28, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The portal will close automatically at the deadline, and no exceptions will be made for technical difficulties. A webinar was held on October 3, 2024, and CWDB provided office hours on October 21, 2024, to assist applicants with technical and procedural questions. A final Q&A document was released on October 22, 2024. The review and award process is expected to conclude with announcements in Winter 2025. Following award notification, subgrant processing is anticipated to take two to three months. The program is scheduled to begin May 1, 2025, and run for 21 months. While the program does not list a formal recurrence pattern, the Workforce Accelerator Fund has historically been offered in multiple rounds, suggesting that future iterations may be anticipated. Applicants with questions during the solicitation period were instructed to email Solicitations@cwdb.ca.gov with “Accelerator 13 Question” in the subject line. CWDB staff could not respond directly to individual applicant inquiries but instead posted weekly consolidated Q&A updates during the open application window. The official Request for Applications (RFA) and reference materials were made available on the CWDB website, and applicants were encouraged to review them carefully before submission.