TEGL 02-26 is an application manual for organizations already named by Congress to receive FY 2026 Community Project Funding. It is not a competitive grant opportunity that a workforce board can decide to pursue after reading the TEGL.
Source + trust record
Source checked as of September 18, 2026. Primary authority: USDOL TEGL 02-26.
Check result: TEGL 02-26 is active and applies to organizations specifically named as FY 2026 Community Project Funding recipients. It is not an open grant competition. Named recipients must follow the TEGL, appendices, and attachments to access the directed award. This AI-assisted brief does not receive human legal or compliance review. Official sources control.
WDB decision strip
| Status | Action | Primary owner | Deadline | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACTIVE · NAMED RECIPIENTS ONLY | APPLY IF LISTED | Named Recipient + Grants/Fiscal | Jan. 31, 2027 | CPF/CDS · Workforce pilots · Grant management |
The bottom line
First question: is your organization in Appendix I?
DOL says FY 2026 Community Project Funding supports 108 demonstration and pilot projects totaling $95.501 million. To receive the directed funds, an eligible recipient named in Appendix I must submit the required Grants.gov application package. Organizations not named in the congressional project list cannot use TEGL 02-26 as an open funding competition.
Decision rule
| Your situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Your organization is named in Appendix I | Treat the TEGL as the controlling application and grant-setup checklist. Build the budget narrative, project narrative, work plan, performance targets, commitments, and risk materials required by DOL. |
| A partner is named | Clarify your role, commitment, deliverables, data, and budget relationship with the named recipient. |
| No local organization is named | Do not build a grant application from this TEGL. Track other DOL competitions and use the funded project list for partnership intelligence. |
What named recipients need to manage
Application package
DOL provides instructions for the budget, abstract, project narrative, work plan, organizational structure, letters of commitment, and submission.
Performance
Recipients must translate the congressionally directed project into measurable outputs and target goals.
Grant controls
Funding restrictions, administrative requirements, reporting, financial systems, and risk assessment still apply even though the project was congressionally directed.
Operational considerations for WDBs
- Check Appendix I before doing anything else. Confirm whether the WDB, county, city, college, nonprofit, or other local partner is actually named.
- If named, build backward from the January 31, 2027 deadline. Assign owners for narrative, budget, commitments, performance, fiscal review, and Grants.gov submission.
- Align the project to existing regional work. A congressionally directed project can still create duplication if it operates outside local workforce and education partnerships.
- Use commitments carefully. Partner letters should describe real roles, resources, referrals, data, or service responsibilities rather than generic support.
- Plan for grant management at application. Reporting, procurement, fiscal controls, and performance measurement should not be deferred until after award setup.
Required / local choice / good practice / watch out
| Label | How to apply it |
|---|---|
| Required | Named eligible applicants must follow TEGL 02-26 and the applicable appendices/attachments to receive the directed funds. |
| Local choice | Recipients decide how to organize partners and delivery within the approved project purpose and federal requirements. |
| Good practice | Integrate the project into existing regional systems rather than creating a parallel grant-only structure. |
| Watch out | Congressional designation does not remove DOL application, grant-management, reporting, or financial-control requirements. |
Source authority
USDOL TEGL 02-26 — FY 2026 Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending
Interpretation note: DOL’s TEGL and appendices control recipient eligibility, application requirements, restrictions, and grant administration. Regional-integration recommendations above are Workforce Wonkery implementation guidance.