Source + trust record
Source checked as of September 18, 2026. Primary authority: EDD WSIN25-02 and USDOL WANTO program information.
Check result: The 2025 WANTO competition is closed and resulted in $5 million awarded to seven community-based organizations. The 2025 funding notice remains useful as a funded-model reference for apprenticeship, nontraditional occupations, employer technical assistance, and retention supports. It should not be presented as a current open opportunity. This AI-assisted brief does not receive human legal or compliance review. Official sources control.
The 2025 WANTO round funded community organizations to change the pathways and workplaces around women in apprenticeship
DOL made about $5 million available in 2025 for community-based organizations with demonstrated workforce and apprenticeship experience. The grants supported technical assistance to employers and unions, pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship pathways, and retention supports for women entering occupations where they remain underrepresented.
Past opportunity / funded-model reference. Applications closed August 8, 2025. DOL subsequently awarded $5 million to seven community-based organizations. A separate 2026 WANTO competition followed.
At a glance
Funding offered
About $5 million
Award range
$350,000-$750,000
Performance period
24 months
Actual 2025 awards
$5M to 7 CBOs
Executive takeaway
The 2025 WANTO competition was narrower than a general apprenticeship grant. Eligible applicants had to be community-based private nonprofit organizations representative of a community or significant segment of one, with demonstrated workforce-development expertise and experience training women for apprenticeable or other nontraditional occupations.
What the grant was designed to change
| Strategy | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Pathways | Establish, expand, or improve pre-apprenticeship, youth apprenticeship, Registered Apprenticeship, or other nontraditional skills training for women. |
| Employer and union technical assistance | Help workplaces create conditions in which women can enter and succeed in apprenticeable and nontraditional occupations. |
| Retention supports | Provide support groups, networks, and supportive services that help women remain in training and employment. |
What happened after the competition
DOL reports that the 2025 WANTO program ultimately awarded $5 million to seven community-based organizations. That makes this older notice useful as a funded-model reference rather than an open grant opportunity.
How WDBs can use the model
- Identify apprenticeships and nontraditional occupations where women remain substantially underrepresented.
- Partner with qualified community organizations that have trusted relationships with the target population.
- Address employer and workplace barriers alongside recruitment and training.
- Include retention and supportive-service design from the beginning.
- Compare the 2025 model with the later 2026 WANTO round to see how federal priorities evolved.
Source basis
EDD notice: WSIN25-02 — WANTO Technical Assistance Grant Program