Workforce Development

Workforce Leadership Academy RFA Informational Webinar Recording and FAQ

July 10, 2024  • Workforce Leadership Academies

Description

We are excited to announce a new opportunity for local communities to deliver Workforce Leadership Academies in partnership with the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program. This year we plan to add three new Academies to our network of 22 Academies in 17 communities. In addition, we will welcome 3-5 previous partners to participate in facilitator and coaching support as they conduct additional Academies in their regions. And this year, in response to the rising interest in skills-based mobility strategies, we will be integrating new content and resources to support shared learning on how skills-based mobility strategies can contribute to workforce ecosystems. This session introduced attendees to the Academy experience and further details of the application process, including both the intent to apply form and the full application.

To read the full Request for Applications, visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Workforce-Leadership-Academies-Request-for-Applications-2024.pdf

To submit an intent to apply form, visit: https://aspeninstitute.surveymonkey.com/r/WLA-Intent-to-Apply-2024

For more information about this announcement, visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/eop-seeks-partners-for-new-workforce-leadership-academies/


Frequently Asked Questions

Eligibility: What kinds of organizations are eligible to apply?

  • Organizations eligible to apply include nonprofits, city, county, or state entities, community colleges, and intermediaries or associations in the United States. Independent consultants and for-profits are not eligible.
  • Applicants can be a collaboration with one organization designated for challenge grant receipt. Among the eight Academies In 2022-23, three of the local partners were actually collaborations of two different organizations.

Matching funds: Do matching funds need to be in hand in order to apply? What sources have other partners used for matching funds?

  • You are not required to have matching funds already in hand to submit an Intent to Apply form, but the form asks you to describe your potential matching funding sources. If invited to submit a full proposal, you will need to indicate more details about your plans to secure the remainer of your budget and the status of your additional fundraising or in-kind contributions. The first installment of the WLA challenge grant will be disbursed soon after partner selection and may be used for any part of your projected budget.
  • Previous partners have raised matching funds from sources such as local and national foundations, local and state government agencies, workforce boards, local business contributions, and existing internal budget allocations for staff assignments.