YouthBuild
YouthBuild is a pre-apprenticeship program for youth ages 16 to 24 who have left school or face serious barriers. Participants split time between education toward a diploma or equivalency and hands-on construction training building or renovating affordable housing, with optional Construction Plus training in other in-demand fields. The scoring weights local need data, education and training design, partnerships with employers and Registered Apprenticeship programs, and past performance outcomes.
Program facts
- Agency
- Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Office of Workforce Investment, U.S. Department of Labor
- Assistance Listing
- 17.274
- Statutory authority
- Section 171 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Pub. L. 113-128
- Award ceiling
- $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 for previously funded (Category A) applicants; $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 for new (Category B) applicants
- Awards
- The YouthBuild 2025 FOA (FOA-ETA-26-38) expected about 57 awards from $98 million, with at least half of funds reserved for Category A applicants
- Period of performance
- 40 months, covering planning, at least 24 months of enrollment and training, and 12 months of follow-up
- Cost share
- 25% of the federal share, in cash or in-kind, following TEGL 05-10 Change 1; waived for U.S. insular areas and Indian and Native American entities
- Cycle
- DOL has run a YouthBuild competition roughly every year, posting between July and December. YouthBuild 2025 posted December 23, 2025, closed March 2, 2026 and targeted a July 1, 2026 start.
Program goals
- Prepare participants to enter Registered Apprenticeships and in-demand jobs
- Raise high school diploma or equivalency and industry credential attainment
- Build or substantially renovate at least one unit of affordable housing during the grant
- Develop leadership through community service and supportive services such as transportation and childcare
Scoring rubric
Service Area12
Scored from ACS data: youth labor force participation rate (up to 6 points, full points below 59.2%) and poverty rate across the ZIP codes served (up to 6 points, full points at 12.8% or more), with data screenshots attached.
Education14
A clear path to a diploma or equivalency, links to postsecondary options and an education design integrated with training.
Construction and Other Occupational Skills Training10
Hands-on learning on real work sites (6) and explicit connections between classroom education and occupational training (4).
Leadership Development and Community Service4
Structured leadership roles and community service activities for participants.
Program Planning8
A staffing strategy (4) and an implementation plan across the planning, enrollment and follow-up phases (4).
Supportive Services and Post Program Follow-Up8
Transportation, childcare and housing supports and a 12-month follow-up plan.
Partners and Partnership Engagement Strategies16
Signed commitments from key partners (6), employer engagement (6) and a documented Registered Apprenticeship connection (4).
Budget, Budget Narrative and Match Narrative4
Allowable, reasonable costs and a verifiable 25% match aligned with the SF-424A.
Past Performance: Programmatic Capability24
Category A: outcomes from the prior YouthBuild grant, including placement, credential and retention rates and proof of a completed housing unit. Category B: size and scope plus three performance metrics from a comparable grant, verified by the grantor.
Point values from the YouthBuild 2025 FOA (FOA-ETA-26-38). Up to 4 bonus points were available: 2 for Educational Freedom partnerships and up to 2 for AI literacy or shipbuilding training, all judged from the abstract. Confirm against the current FOA.
Eligibility
- Public or private nonprofit organizations, including 501(c)(3) nonprofits and charter schools
- State, county, city, township and special district governments, school districts and public housing authorities
- Public and private nonprofit institutions of higher education
- Federally recognized tribal governments and other Native American tribal organizations
- Organizations funded in the FY2024 competition (FOA-ETA-24-53) could not apply, and the applicant must have a physical local presence in the target community
Required attachments
- Abstract of up to three pages, including priority consideration information
- Work Site Form ETA-9143 (at least one and no more than three, signed)
- Past Performance Chart and grantor verification letter (Category B)
- Letters of commitment or MOUs, including a Registered Apprenticeship partnership
- ACS screenshots for labor force participation and poverty data
- Construction Plus proposals for each additional field, if applicable
- Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement, if claiming a negotiated rate
Formatting rules
- Project Narrative limited to 25 double-spaced, single-sided 8.5 x 11 pages
- Times New Roman 12-point font with 1-inch margins
- Narrative must use the section headers listed in the FOA
- Attachments do not count toward the page limit; unlisted attachments are not reviewed
Why applications lose points
- No signed Work Site Form, which disqualifies the application
- Missing ACS data screenshots, which forfeits service area points
- Category B past performance charts without a grantor signature or verification letter
- Match commitment letters that do not state amounts or sources
- Bonus point information placed in the narrative instead of the abstract, where reviewers look for it
How ELIXIR CONSUMERS helps with DOL YouthBuild
- 1.Calculates the weighted youth labor force participation and poverty rates for your ZIP codes from the ACS tables you save to the vault
- 2.Builds the past performance chart from your prior grant quarterly reports and flags metrics that need grantor verification
- 3.Drafts match commitment letters for partners with the amount, source and type filled in from your budget
- 4.Checks that bonus point claims appear in the abstract and that the abstract stays within three pages
Questions, answered
Who counts as a Category A applicant?
An organization previously funded by DOL YouthBuild that cites a grant number from the FY2017, FY2018 or FY2019 cycles in its abstract.
Can we train in fields other than construction?
Yes, through Construction Plus, but participants must still receive construction training and the program must build or renovate at least one housing unit.
Who is eligible to enroll?
Youth ages 16 to 24 at enrollment who meet the WIOA YouthBuild eligibility criteria, such as having left school or belonging to a low-income family.
$ elixir trial --days 14
Stop letting high-value grant deadlines pass you by.
Upload a past 990 and a target NOFO. Watch ELIXIR CONSUMERS draft a cited Section 1 narrative in 90 seconds.