Workforce Training Fund Program - General Program Training Grants

The Workforce Training Fund Program (WTFP) is a Massachusetts state fund financed entirely by Massachusetts employers, enacted in July 1998, that resources companies and workers to train current and newly hired employees; it focuses primarily on small and mid-sized businesses that could not make the investment without help. General Program training grants range from $10,000 to $200,000 per two-year grant period, and CommCorp expects to award $10-15 million in General Program grants each year. Training must be completed within two years. Funding priorities: projects resulting in job retention, job growth or increased wages; projects where training makes a difference to productivity, competitiveness and the company's ability to do business in Massachusetts; and projects where the applicant commits to significant private investment in training during and after the grant. Eligibility: grants go directly to employers and to consortia of employers - a consortium may be led by a participating employer, a nonprofit (including charities with training experience, business leagues, industry associations and chambers of commerce), a community college, a labor organization, or another public/intermediary entity such as a Workforce Investment Board. Only payroll employees may be trained (not contractors) and all trainees must receive their normal wages for training time.

Applications are accepted and reviewed on a continuous basis throughout the year; in most cases applicants are notified of the outcome within 60 days of a complete submission. Applicants must submit a Certificate of Good Standing from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue issued within the last six months (applications without a valid certificate are not considered) and must be current on all obligations to the Commonwealth (taxes, employee and contractor reporting, unemployment insurance contributions). Grantees may not apply again until a one-year waiting period has elapsed after the last grant ends.