WIOA Out of School Youth Grant

WIOA Out of School Youth Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Employ Milwaukee Inc
Amount: Approximately US $12,000,000
Last Updated: April 01, 2026

Summary

Employ Milwaukee Inc. is offering funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) for youth workforce development services targeting young people aged 14 to 24 in Milwaukee County. The initiative aims to connect youth with employment opportunities and education, fostering a skilled workforce. Organizations are invited to submit innovative proposals for two service models: Out-of-School Youth Services and In-School Youth Services, focusing on comprehensive service delivery and collaboration with local partners.

Overview

About Us Vision & Mission Employ Milwaukee is the local workforce development board serving Milwaukee County. By convening leaders from business and industry, economic and workforce development, education and training as well as community partners and policy makers, our vision is to develop workforce solutions that promote regional economic growth and employment opportunities for all job seekers. Our mission is to build a strong workforce development system by planning, coordinating, collaborating and monitoring workforce initiatives with businesses, partners and community stakeholders at the local, regional and state level to ensure a skilled and productive workforce for the 21st Century. Our goals are to connect job seekers to employment opportunities, to provide education and training options in high-growth, high-demand sectors, and to provide a skilled and sustainable workforce to attract, retain and grow diverse businesses in our Milwaukee 7 region. Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA): Title 1B Out of (OSY) School Youth Services Purpose of Request for Proposal This Request for Proposals (RFP) solicits proposals for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Title I-B Out of School Youth (OSY) services. It is the expectation that the service provider will have established relationships throughout the community and will have a presence and demonstrated ability to provide service throughout Milwaukee County. WIOA OSY focuses on providing services to youth ages 16-24 not attending secondary or postsecondary school with the goal of transitioning participants to post-secondary educational options or successfully directing them into the workforce pipeline with viable career opportunities. Age eligibility must be met at enrollment, consistent with WIOA and DWD policy. Successful respondents will have a network of community- and faith-based organizations who can provide access to youth and young adults that are not connected to school or work. There are 14 WIOA OSY program elements that must be offered to youth participants, including but not limited to, academic tutoring, skill and interest assessments, setting education and employment goals, high school completion strategies, placement in paid and unpaid work experience, occupational skills training, and financial literacy. See Section 3, Scope of Work, for details on these elements. Career planning and case management efforts should result in transitioning youth to postsecondary educational enrollment or employment placement within quality jobs with career advancement opportunities. EMI uses a youth-focused career pathway-based approach to delivering education, training, employability skills, and work-based learning opportunities for youth. Successful respondents will understand, have experience with, and be able to implement a career pathway approach for youth. Additionally, proposals should be based on youth development principles and best practices that support, motivate, and prepare youth for continuing educational achievements, successful transition into adulthood, and long-term success in employment. The proposed service design and implementation strategies must be age appropriate and provide a customized mix of services that address the goals and needs of the specified youth population. The services must lead to the attainment (and tracking) of goals and performance measures for youth as articulated in WIOA. The primary funding source for the services described herein are available through the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD), who receives funding from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) authorized by WIOA; therefore, the selected service provider must comply with all federal, state, and local WIOA programmatic requirements including, legislation, rules, regulations, and policies. EMI will award WIOA funds to an entity that demonstrates an ability to effectively deliver and manage services as described herein. It is Employ Milwaukee’s (EMI) expectation that respondents will become proficient in their understanding of the WIOA OSY services and associated regulations. EMI will provide technical assistance and training on WIOA regulations and policies. All proposals must be comprehensive and address the full scope of services or demonstrate collaboration with other entities that together will deliver the full scope of services contemplated by this RFP.

Eligibility

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