Youth and Young Adult Policy Update 5-08-26

May 8, 2026

• Save The Date: 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.

• Congress is in recess this week, so no new youth workforce bills have been introduced.
• Secretary McMahon to Testify on Department of Education Budget and Priorities: Thursday, May 14 at 10:15 a.m., the Committee on Education and Workforce, chaired by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), will hold a hearing titled “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Education.” The hearing can be viewed here.

• US Departments of Labor & Education Host Roundtable Discussion on Degree-Connected Apprenticeships During National Apprenticeship Week 2026: The U.S. Departments of Labor and Education hosted a discussion with community college, university, and workforce-development leaders to spotlight and accelerate the expansion of degree-connected Registered Apprenticeships across the country.

• DOL Grant: Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants (Round 6): Round 6 of the Strengthening Community Colleges (SCC or SCC6) grants will fund community colleges, with a singular focus on building program and system capacity for implementing and scaling access to short-term training opportunities through Workforce Pell Grants—i.e., promoting industry-driven strategies, worker mobility, and integration with the larger state workforce system (e.g., Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) partners) for statewide impact. Applications are due May 20, 2026.
• DOL Grant: State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula (Round 4): The fourth round of State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula grants provides direct funding to states and territories based on a new performance-based formula. This formula rewards states for recent growth in active and new apprentices and encourages strategies that increase employer participation. Applications are due May 26, 2026.
• DOL Grant: Work Opportunity Tax Credit Initial Funding Allotments for Fiscal Year 2026: Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) state allotments to conduct WOTC activities are available for FY26. Applications are due May 28, 2026.
• DOL Grant: Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Youth Program Allotments for Program Year (PY) 2026: This funding opportunity is for states and territories receiving WIOA formula funding, and it outlines the allocation and use of funds for Program Year 2026. Applications are due May 29, 2026.
• 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.
• 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.

• California: California workforce leaders at UNITE-LA are advancing a coordinated policy agenda to strengthen career pathways and expand economic mobility for opportunity youth through support for state legislation including AB 805 and SB 1132. AB 805 would establish California’s Career Apprenticeship Bridge Program to expand paid apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship opportunities for young people ages 16–24, while SB 1132 would require California’s workforce system to provide workplace rights training to individuals receiving workforce development services through local workforce boards.
• Virginia: Governor Abigail Spanberger signed multiple workforce development bills into law aimed at expanding apprenticeship opportunities and strengthening Virginia’s pipeline of skilled workers in industries like shipbuilding and offshore wind. The legislation includes measures to give local workforce boards more flexibility in using federal workforce dollars, expand apprenticeship access for high school students in fields like culinary arts and information technology, and create new workforce training pathways tied to Virginia’s growing clean energy sector.

• Quality Principles for Workforce Pell Programs: New America released a new resource outlining quality principles for Workforce Pell implementation. The resource highlights the importance of student supports, employer engagement, consumer protections, and equitable access as states and institutions prepare for Workforce Pell implementation ahead of the program’s July 2026 launch.
• Making the Most of Workforce Pell: National Skills Coalition also released a new resource outlining how states can effectively implement Workforce Pell to ensure short-term training programs lead to quality jobs and long-term economic mobility.