FAA to Host Aviation Workforce Development Grant Workshops

The FAA will host hybrid Aviation Workforce Development half-day workshops on Thursday, November 14, 2024, at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) and Thursday, November 21, 2024, at Texas Southern University. Register here. 

These workshops are designed to provide technical assistance with step-by-step instructions on applying for the FAA’s Aviation Workforce Development grants. Offered in both in-person and virtual formats, the workshops allow participants to interact with FAA representatives and receive responses to their questions. The sessions aim to help organizations understand how to apply for FAA funding to promote awareness of aviation careers and expand opportunities for underserved communities.

Since the program’s inception in 2020, Congress has appropriated $5 million annually to support the FAA’s Aviation Workforce Development Grant Program. Recent FAA reauthorization legislation has significantly expanded this funding, raising it to $20 million per year for each of the two original programs:

• Aircraft Pilots Workforce Development Grants: Supports programs that prepare students to become pilots, aerospace engineers, or unmanned aircraft systems operators.
• Aviation Maintenance Technical Workers Workforce Development Grants: Funds initiatives that prepare students for careers as aviation maintenance technicians.

The reauthorization also established a third grant program focused on developing engineers and manufacturing workers, which will similarly receive $20 million in annual funding. All three programs are set to run through fiscal year 2027, after which they will transition to the Cooperative Aviation Recruitment, Enrichment, and Employment Readiness (CAREER) Program under the Department of Transportation.

Under the new law, eligibility for these grants has expanded to include all part 147 certificate holders, regardless of whether they are accredited, as well as nonprofit organizations. Under the new funding guidelines, the FAA may award grants between $25,000 and $1 million—the new ceiling set by legislation—for any one project in a single fiscal year.

Twenty percent of grant funding is earmarked for eligible projects in low-income communities as part of the new Willa Brown Aviation Education Program. To further support applicants, 2% of the funds will be allocated to provide technical assistance to eligible applicants, helping cover administrative costs and ensure a consistent funding timeline.

The application period for the fourth round of grant applications has not yet opened. A list of grant recipients from the previous three rounds is available here. Once the application period opens, the FAA will release a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) detailing eligibility, deadlines, evaluation standards, and application instructions. To ensure fair competition, answers to frequently asked questions will also be posted on the FAA’s website at www.faa.gov/go/awd.