Youth and Young Adult Policy Update 6-5-26

June 5, 2026

• Registration is Open: NYEC’s DC Summit in Washington, DC – September 21–23! Formerly known as Youth Days, this is our convening that brings together practitioners, youth leaders, and partners to demonstrate the importance of investing in young people and the programs that support them. Early Bird registration ends July 15!

• House LHHS Subcommittee Releases FY27 Bill: This bill marks the first step in the House’s process of advancing its FY27 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill, which provides funding for all youth workforce development programs. The bill proposes concerning funding levels for NYEC priorities:
  • The Good: Apprenticeship: $290,000,000 (+$5m from FY26); YouthBuild: $107,500,000 (+$2.5m from FY26)
  • The Bad: Job Corps: $880,078,000 (-$880m from FY26)
  • The Really Bad: Proposes to zero out WIOA Youth, Adult Education (WIOA Title II), and Reentry Employment Opportunities funding

  The LHHS Subcommittee will vote on this package on June 5, and the full Appropriations Committee will vote on June 9. As a reminder, this is the first step in the appropriations process, and the Senate has not yet released its proposal (which historically has been more favorable to NYEC priority programs). That said, it is important for advocates to share their concerns with these proposed cuts. You can use this template when contacting your Congressional offices.

• Office of Management and Budget Releases Uniform Guidance: The nearly 400-page document proposes to make sweeping changes to how federal grants are administered, awarded, and spent. From our initial scan in reading summaries, one of which can be found here, the guidance, if enacted, would:
  • Place restrictions on non-discrimination and DEI;
  • Place a preference for lower indirect cost rates (if all else equal);
  • Require prior approval for conference costs; and
  • Prevent federal funds being used for professional association memberships if the primary purpose of the association is issue advocacy.

• DOJ Grant: OJJDP FY25 Juvenile Justice System Enhancements: This funding opportunity will support states to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of juvenile justice system operations by implementing targeted solutions to high-cost drivers of crime and improving youth outcomes. Applications are due June 8, 2026.
• ED Grant: Career Pathways Exploration Grant Program: 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. Applications are due June 9, 2026.
• ED Grant: Expanding Career Pathways and Workforce Readiness of Special Education Teachers and Early Intervention Personnel Through Registered Apprenticeships: The purpose of this competition is to fund cooperative agreements that support registered apprenticeship programs that attract, prepare, and retain special education teachers or early intervention personnel. Applications are due July 13, 2026.
• HHS Grant: Foster Parents Network Analytics Hub (HUB): To support the Administration for Children and Families’ initiative, A Home for Every Child, the Children’s Bureau will award one grant to establish the Foster Parents Network Analytics Hub (HUB) to achieve a foster home-to-child ratio of more than 1:1 in every state by 2029. The HUB will advance the goal by providing states with advanced analytics tools and intensive technical assistance to optimize their foster parent networks. Applications are due July 14, 2026.
• HHS Grant: Community Economic Development Projects: The Office of Community Services (OCS) will award approximately $18.57 million in Community Economic Development (CED) discretionary funds to Community Development Corporations (CDC) to enhance job creation and business development for individuals with low income. Applications are due July 17, 2026.
• Forecasted HHS Grant: The Primary Prevention Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program: This funding opportunity provides funding to identify and implement strategies and services for youth and young adults between ages 12 and 26 in order to prevent homelessness, including strategies designed to serve youth and young adult populations with a high likelihood of experiencing homelessness, housing instability, particularly among youth at risk of human trafficking; struggling with substance abuse or mental health concerns; or transitioning out of foster care, the juvenile justice system, or a residential behavioral health system. Applications are due July 22, 2026.
• HUD Grant: Youth Homelessness Grant for FY2024 and FY2025: This grant opportunity will provide two separate sources of funding under two different programs; YHSI grants (CFDA number 14.277) and YHDP (CFDA number 14.276). Both sets of funds were appropriated by Congress to demonstrate how a comprehensive approach to serving homeless youth, age 24 and under, can dramatically reduce youth homelessness. Applications are due July 29, 2026.
• HHS Grant: FY2026 Runaway Homeless Youth Training, Technical Assistance, and Capacity Building Center (RHYTTAC): The Runaway and Homeless Youth Training, Technical Assistance, and Capacity Building Center (RHYTTAC) provides direct training and technical assistance to existing RHY award recipients and subrecipients to enhance their efforts to successfully implement FYSB-funded projects. Applications are due August 3, 2026.
• Forecasted HHS Grant: FY 2026 Basic Center Program: The Basic Center Program (BCP) provides temporary, emergency shelter and counseling services to youth who have left home without permission of their parents or guardians, have been forced to leave home, or other homeless youth who might otherwise end up in the law enforcement or in the child welfare, mental health, or juvenile justice systems. Applications are due August 3, 2026.
• HUD Grant: FY 2026 Continuum of Care Competition and Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program Grants: The Continuum of Care (CoC) Program is designed to promote a community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness and provide funding for efforts by providers. Applications are due August 26, 2026.

• Idaho: Boise State University has been selected as the lead regional institution for the Pacific Intermountain Network for Education in Semiconductors, part of the National Network for Microelectronics Education (NNME). The NNME initiative addresses the urgent national need for skilled workers in the semiconductor industry. As the lead regional institution, Boise State will coordinate educational programs, industry partnerships, and workforce development initiatives across the Pacific Intermountain region.
• Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is implementing strategies to bolster workforce development, including an expansion of work-based learning at Slippery Rock and manufacturing apprenticeship programs at Indiana and Pennsylvania Western universities.

• JobsFirst NYC Event: Adapting to the Future of Work 2026: Our partners at JobsFirst NYC are hosting the Adapting to the Future of Work convening on June 29, 2026. The event will convene New York City’s leaders to build new connections, share innovative ideas, and advance what works. Early Bird tickets are now available for $50.
• Preparing for Workforce Pell: A Model Policy to Guide State Program Determination: Following the passage of Workforce Pell into law, states were quickly tasked with developing policies to support effective implementation. Education Strategy Group has developed a set of model policies with sample language that other states can adopt to codify effective practices related to Workforce Pell implementation, including the identification of other exemplary guidance.

• The National Re-engagement Initiative joined New Ways to Work. Together, their expertise and leadership will help shape and inform local, state, and federal policy that supports young people and communities.

• JobsFirstNYC kicked off its 2nd Annual Youth Day at City Hall and met with NYC council members and gave young people the opportunity to have their perspectives heard.
• Midwest Urban Strategies wrapped up its Urban Rural Connection in Northwest Indiana this week to strengthen the systems that support workers and employers.
• The RightWay Foundation continues to expand its support for transition-age foster youth, securing $12.5 million in Proposition 1 funding to strengthen housing and stability services and recently opened a new fully furnished housing development.