California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship (COYA) Grant

California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship (COYA) Grant is sponsored by California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office. A new funding source to develop and test innovative practices to increase the participation of opportunity youth in pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs, and to demonstrate the impact of apprenticeship on employment and earnings outcomes for opportunity youth.

California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship (COYA) Grant California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship (COYA) Grant The goal of the California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship (COYA) Grant is to develop and test innovative practices to increase the participation of opportunity youth in pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs, and to demonstrate the impact of apprenticeship on employment and earnings outcomes for opportunity youth.

COYA was established in SB 191 for the purposes of awarding grant funds to eligible applicants to provide funding for existing apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs or to develop new apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs to serve opportunity youth and satisfy the goals and objectives of the grant program.

COYA awarded $31 million in grants through its first round, which was announced in July 2024 and has a performance period of 2024-2026, more details below . COYA awarded $15. 4 million in grants through its second round, which was announced in June 2025 and has a performance period of 2025-2027, more details below .

COYA awarded $13. 2 million in continuation grants through its third round, which was announced in April 2026 and has a performance period of 2026-2028, more details below.

COYA Round 3 (invite only) Applications Opened: December, 2025 Applications Closed: February, 2026 Eligible grantees from Round 1 and 2 invite to apply for Round 3 Continuation Grants Deadline for Round 3 Proposals Round 3 Awardees announced Total Funding in Round 3: $13,217,214 Pre-Apprenticeship Grants up to $100,000 - $1,000,000 Up to $12,000 per pre-apprentice with a split of: $6,000 per pre-apprentice for supportive services, training, recruitment, administrative costs, and other allowable expenses.

Up to $6,000 per pre-apprentice to go towards an educational stipend during pre-apprenticeship training. 100% of this funding must go to pre-apprentice. This is NOT a wage supplement since a Pre-Apprenticeship should not have paid OJT, but rather the intent of this funding is that it is an educational stipend to participants during training.

Apprenticeship Grants up to $100,000 - $1,000,000 Up to $10,000 per Apprentice Focus on the supportive services for opportunity youth apprentices and providing funding for getting a program launched and scaled. Funding priority will be given to those that utilize more of the funding for supportive services. 22 month performance period COYA Round 3 is now closed, and was by invite only.

COYA Round 2 Application Materials COYA Round 2 Solicitation for Proposals (SFP) COYA Round 2 Questions and Answers To qualify for the COYA Round 3 Continuation funding, applicants had to: Be a current COYA Round 1 or Round 2 grantee Meet the required performance thresholds: Implementation Grantees must have served at least 40 percent of the total contracted participants by September 30, 2025 Planning Grantees must have fully registered their program with DAS, or submitted final draft standards to the Program Planning and Review (PPR) team, by December 5, 2025 Be in good standing with DAS, including timely reporting, fiscal compliance, and adherence to grant terms and conditions.

Applicants to COYA Round 3 were by invite only following the above criteria. Sector: The focus of the COYA Grant is on Interagency Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship (IACA) connected programs. These are programs that serve occupations across all sectors of the economy except for the building trades.

As examples, this includes healthcare, education, advanced manufacturing, information technology, public sector, transportation and more. Programs serving occupations in the fire trades are eligible to apply for this funding, however any proposal serving these occupations must be approved by the California Apprenticeship Council (CAC).

The grant program does not apply to building and construction trades programs that are within the jurisdiction of the CAC.

Target population: DAS is summarizing the target population for COYA with the term “opportunity youth,” which in the context of this funding opportunity includes individuals from 16 to 24 years of age who are at risk of disconnection or are disconnected from the education system or employment, unhoused, in the child welfare, juvenile justice, or criminal legal systems, living in concentrated poverty, or are facing barriers to labor market participation.

Opportunity youth include those that face chronic opportunity educational achievement gaps, attend schools in communities of concentrated poverty, or attend high schools with a negative school climate.

All grantees will need to demonstrate that participants are within the eligible age range and obtain proof that a participant meets one of the following criteria : Current or former foster youth Currently or formerly Pell eligible Currently or formerly WIOA Youth or Adult eligible Currently or formerly enrolled in a Title 1 school.

Residing in a high poverty census tract Eligible Applicants: Under the grant program, services shall be delivered primarily through collaborative, mission-driven, community-based organizations with experience in providing services to, and with relevant relationships with opportunity youth, consistent with the objectives of the grant program.

Eligible grant applicants must demonstrate a history of at least 2 years of serving opportunity youth in education, employment or workforce programs and have demonstrated successes in supporting opportunity youth to access employment.

Eligible entity types must be: Non-profit Community-Based Organizations Workforce Development Boards County offices of education Regional Occupational Programs Regional consortia of community college districts Apprenticeship Intermediaries Apprenticeship program sponsors Note: For Profit entities are not eligible for this funding.

COYA Round 1 Planning Grantees who have completed their deliverables, will be prioritized for funding in the Implementation categories. If any Planning grantee has registered their program, they will be prioritized for Implementation funding.

COYA Round 1 Apprenticeship Planning Grantees that have submitted their final draft of standards to the DAS Program Planning and Review team by the launch of the SFP will be considered for Implementation Grants. COYA Round 1 grantees cannot apply for the same category grant with the same occupations for which they are already being funded.

COYA Round 1 grantees applying for a new grant category or with new occupations must be in good standing with their current COYA grant to be considered for additional COYA grant funding. DAS shall require that grant recipients demonstrate a commitment to high road principles, as described in subdivision (r) of Section 14005 of the Unemployment Insurance Code , and shall evaluate the performance of recipients based on those principles.

Contacts: Division of Apprenticeship Standards (State of CA) 1515 Clay St, 19th Floor, Ste 190, Oakland CA 94612 Grantor’s homepage: Division of Apprenticeship Standards COYA Round 3 awardees were announced in April 2026. The objective of COYA is to expand relationships with community based organizations and labor market stakeholders that serve opportunity youth who face barriers to labor market participation.

Through these partnerships, we aim to uplift opportunity youth with the resources necessary to enter and thrive in high-paying careers. Total Funding Awarded: $13,217,214 – 25 Grantees Below is an accessible PDF with the COYA (PY) 2026 - 2028 Grantee list. Please note that the accompanying Excel file is a non-ADA file but has the exact same information as the accessible PDF, just in a sortable format.

COYA (PY) 2026 – 2028 Grantee List COYA (PY) 2026 – 2028 Grantee List Total Funding Awarded: $15,428,999 – 29 Grantees Apprenticeship Planning Grant (COYA-AP): $7,192,091 – 18 Grantees Pre-Apprenticeship Implementation Grant (COYA-PI): $3,088,000 – 4 Grantees Apprenticeship Implementation Grant (COYA-AI): $5,148,908 – 7 Grantees Below is an accessible PDF with the COYA (PY) 2025 - 2027 Grantee list.

Please note that the accompanying Excel file is a non-ADA file but has the exact same information as the accessible PDF, just in a sortable format. COYA (PY) 2025 – 2027 Grantee List COYA (PY) 2025 – 2027 Grantee List COYA Round 1 awardees were announced in July 2024 and have a performance period of 2024-2026. Total Funding Awarded: $31,180,910 – 51 Grantees Pre-Apprenticeship Planning Grant (COYA-PP): $2,682.

915 - 11 Grantees Apprenticeship Planning Grant (COYA-AP): $8,427,007 – 21 Grantees Pre-Apprenticeship Implementation Grant (COYA-PI): $10,975,070 – 10 Grantees Apprenticeship Implementation Grant (COYA-AI): $9,095,918 – 9 Grantees Below is an accessible PDF with the COYA (PY) 2024 - 2026 Grantee list.

Please note that the accompanying Excel file is a non-ADA file but has the exact same information as the accessible PDF, just in a sortable format. COYA (PY) 2024 – 2026 Grantee List COYA (PY) 2024 – 2026 Grantee List $98 Million in YouthBuild Grants Available for Construction Pre-apprenticeship Programs DOL Launches $35.

8 Million American Manufacturing Apprenticeship Incentive Fund Applications Open: California Apprenticeship Initiative Grant Makes $30 Million Available for Innovative Apprenticeships Applications for California Apprenticeship Council Training Funds close November 14 U.S. Department of Labor Awards $25 Million to Streamline Apprenticeship Registration and Expand Youth Apprenticeships Nationwide California announces $30 million in apprenticeship funding to fill high-demand jobs in healthcare, education, and technology DAS updates its application and reimbursement process for California Apprenticeship Council training funds California invests $26 million to recruit more women into construction careers California announces $20 million in construction apprenticeships to meet infrastructure needs Federal Funding Opportunity for Community Organizations: Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations Grant Program - Apply by August 8, 2025 California awards over $15 million to align disconnected youth with apprenticeships in high-demand fields The Employment Training Panel (ETP) Application Window for Apprenticeship Program Funding Now Open Until June 23, 2025 The California Workforce Development Board (CWDB) has opened pre-applications for the High Road Training Partnerships 2025 grant program, making over $18 million in funds available, with $4 million allocated for projects in the healthcare sector.

DAS Announces $16 Million in Available Funding to Expand Youth Apprenticeships Across California | Apprenticeship Standards California Announces $52 Million in Apprenticeship Innovation Funding to Sustain and Scale Apprenticeship Programs in Emerging Sectors | Apprenticeship Standards California announces $13 Million to foster career pathways for women in construction | California Department of Industrial Relations The California Competes Tax Credit (CCTC) is an income tax credit available to businesses that want to locate in California or stay and grow in California.

The Department of Energy's Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) is excited to offer funding to conduct market research that will help guide CESER’s Industrial Control System/Operational Technology (ICS/OT) cybersecurity workforce strategy.

Rebuilding Nursing Infrastructure Grant Fiscal Year 2024-25 Request for Applications (RFA) (PDF) US Department of Labor announces $20M in grants available for out-of-school time organizations to increase access to good jobs for underserved youth | U.S. Department of Labor The California Workforce Development Board (CWDB) announces up to $28,500,000 in grant funding for the High Road Training Partnerships 2024-25 Healthcare Grant Program (HRTP HC) US Department of Labor announces $99M in available funding to deliver education, occupational skills training, job services to young people | U.S. Department of Labor (dol.

gov) US Department of Labor announces availability of $65 million in grants to help community colleges improve access to affordable, high-quality training | U.S. Department of Labor (dol. gov) U.S. Department of Commerce Announces New $25 Million Good Jobs Challenge Notice of Funding Opportunity | U.S. Economic Development Administration (eda.

gov) US Department of Labor announces $45M in funds available to improve employment opportunities for young people affected by violence, poverty | U.S. Department of Labor (dol.

gov) Funding Opportunity: Apply Now for Building Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs Grants through the US Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration Funding Opportunity: Apply Now for Workforce Pathways for Youth Grants through the US Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration Apprenticeship Innovation Funding – Extended Application Deadline!

Funding Opportunity: Fostering Access, Rights, and Equity Grant Program Funding Opportunity: Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations Grant Program Funding Opportunity Announcement: Apprenticeship Building America, Round 2 (ABA2) by DOL Funding Announcement: $75 Million in Apprenticeship Innovation Funding Now Available Funding Announcement; $10 Million ETP Agriculture Initiative Funding Announcement: $25M in CA Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship Grant is open!

Funding Announcement: California Apprenticeship Initiative Grant Application Now Open!

State Incentives to Promote and Support Apprenticeship: Takeaways from Eight States Notice of Funding Opportunity: Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate (RAMPS) Cybersecurity Education and Workforce Development (extended until September 5, 2023, at 11:59pm ET) DAS Requests Public Comment for California Youth Apprenticeship Grant The grant will focus on creating pathways for opportunity youth to access pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships in sectors across the economy Request For Proposals (RFP) Announcement from NOVAworks For qualified organizations to deliver comprehensive career services to young adults in San Mateo County and northern Santa Clara County.

DAS Announces First-in-the-Nation Registered Apprenticeship Formula Funding: Apprenticeship Innovation Funding (AIF) State program will help expand registered apprenticeships across many sectors On Equal Pay Day, California Awards $25 Million in Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeship Grants ERICA Announcement, March 14, 2023 video More News and Announcements Division of Apprenticeship Standards California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship Grant Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeship Grant Apprenticeship Innovation Funding How to become an apprentice How to set up an apprenticeship program Employer Ambassador Program Apprenticeship e-Newsletter Publications, reports, and forms Public Works and Apprenticeship Find an apprenticeship program Find a registered apprentice Find a graduated apprentice Find apprenticeship wages Public Works Apprenticeship Requirements Join us for our next meeting Apprenticeship e-Newsletter The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) recognizes the importance of communicating effectively with individuals, including those with limited English proficiency.

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