Arkansas Workforce Development Grants

PWQ provides matching training grants and support services targeted to improve the competitive position of small and mid-sized manufacturing and technology companies. Grants are used to increase the skills of existing workers for new technologies and production processes, improve employee productivity and increase employment stability. Applicants should have a minimum of ten full-time employees. At least 60% of available funds must be awarded to employers with 150 or fewer employees in the State. The Program encourages the participation of small and minority-owned businesses. Priority will be given to manufacturing and technology companies. In regions of the State where regionally important industries have been identified beyond manufacturing and technology, justification should be provided to approve PWQ funding.

The Illinois Grocery Rescue Program provides Illinois-based businesses and organizations with reimbursement grants of $100,000 to $1,500,000 to reopen recently closed grocery stores in areas with low access to fresh food. Administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) as part of the broader Illinois Grocery Initiative (authorized by Public Act 103-0561), the program has approximately $4.5 million in total funding available per cycle and anticipates 3 to 5 awards per round. The goal of the program is to prevent grocery closures from leading to long-term reductions in fresh food access, encourage economic stability and growth, and prevent existing grocery-suitable buildings from falling into disrepair. To qualify, projects must reestablish a grocery store at a specific location that experienced a grocery store closure within the 12 months prior to application, and the location must meet several geographic and community criteria: the census tract must be classified as a low-access tract for fresh food (rural tracts where at least 33 percent of the population or at least 500 residents live more than 10 miles from the nearest grocery store, or urban tracts where the same thresholds apply within half a mile), the census tract must have a median family income less than $116,620 (110 percent of the state median), and the store must be classified as a supermarket or grocery retailer under NAICS code 445110. The store cannot derive more than 30 percent of its revenue from alcohol and tobacco sales, must sell fresh foods such as unprocessed meats, fruits, and vegetables, and must prepare to accept both SNAP and WIC benefits. Property or business owners who were involved in the recent store closure are not eligible. Eligible applicant types include for-profit corporations, nonprofit corporations, limited liability companies, all limited partnerships, agricultural cooperatives, local government entities, sole proprietors, and special act corporations. Grant funds can be used for acquisition, repair, and refurbishment of real property and durable equipment at the former grocery store location, purchase of energy-efficient HVAC, refrigeration, and lighting equipment, and store operations for the period prior to reopening and the first 12 months of operations. Eligible operational costs include employee wages, utilities, initial food inventory, and point-of-sale systems that accommodate SNAP and WIC transactions. Grant funds cannot be used to purchase equipment, supplies, or inventory unrelated to the provision of food (such as lottery equipment or non-food initial inventory). Applicants must provide a 25 percent match of total project costs (representing a 1:3 match), which may come from any non-state sources such as local municipal funds, federal funds, or private investment. In-kind contributions and expenditures incurred prior to receipt of the Notice of State Award cannot count toward the match. The program operates on a reimbursement basis, with grantees submitting paid invoices for approved expenditures, though DCEO may allow an advance of up to two months' worth of expenditures on a case-by-case basis. Applications are scored competitively across three main categories: Need, Capacity, and Quality. Grantees must continue grocery operations at the project location for at least three years following project completion, and DCEO may claw back grant funds if the store closes before that time.

The Chicago Community Development Grant provides funding to support business and neighborhood vitality across the City of Chicago through three tiers of grants based on project size. Administered by the City of Chicago's Department of Planning and Development, the program supports business-related real estate investments that create and maintain jobs and improve quality of life for local residents. Eligible applicants include business owners, property owners, non-profit organizations, community developers, and entrepreneurs, with funding available for office, retail, cultural, industrial, institutional, light manufacturing, and mixed-use projects anywhere in the City of Chicago. Across all three tiers, grants are issued on a reimbursement basis and may, at DPD's discretion, be offered as a forgivable loan or traditional loan rather than a grant. Eligible uses generally include construction hard costs, pre-development soft costs (such as design and site preparation), and property acquisition costs. The Small Community Development Grant: Provides grants of up to $250,000 to support commercial, mixed-use, and light manufacturing projects, funding up to 75% of total eligible project costs. Small grants are funded through the Housing and Economic Development (HED) Bond and prioritize projects with strong local impacts that leverage local talent, capacity, and institutions. Mixed-use residential projects are eligible, though residential costs cannot exceed 25% of the total grant amount and must be part of a broader building improvement. Disbursements are made at defined construction milestones. The Medium Community Development Grant: Provides grants from $300,001 to $5,000,000 to support moderate-scale commercial, cultural, industrial, institutional, social service, and mixed-use projects. Medium grants fund up to 50% of total project costs and are awarded through competitive, semi-annual funding rounds. The CDG-M includes a Local Residency Bonus for applicants whose primary residence and proposed project are both located within the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund's Qualified Investment Area. The Large Community Development Grant: Provides grants in excess of $5,000,000 to support significant commercial, cultural, industrial, institutional, social service, and mixed-use development projects. Large grants are intended to cover approximately 25% of total project costs and are issued as a lump-sum reimbursement upon project completion. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with an initial DPD review within two to four weeks and final approval required from Chicago City Council.

The Theories, Models and Methods (TMM) initiative will support the development of computational tools for understanding dynamic brain circuits that are made broadly accessible to the greater research community. This program supports applications focused on tool building and dissemination in the domain of theories about neural circuit mechanisms, models of circuit structure and function, and/or computational methods of analysis spanning across scales from neurons to behavior. The development of novel theories, computational models and methods for understanding brain function will help characterize fundamental principles of brain function and organization, characterize cellular and circuit-level neural computations over time in different regions, and understand how interactions of multiple brain circuits enable flexible behaviors and contribute to brain-wide neural dynamics. These tools will be critical for developing treatments such as closed loop systems for brain disorders including Parkinsons disease and major depressive disorder.

The purpose of the GAINS program is to promote the expansion and development of United States Department of Labor (USDOL) approved Registered Apprenticeship programs that drive economic development through skills and educational attainment and create pathways to better-paying careers and advanced credentials. While this NGO describes fourteen (14) sectoral/occupational areas of focus, all occupations that are recognized by US DOL as “apprenticeable” are encouraged to apply. Eligible applicants can request funding up to $12,000 per registered apprentice.