Department of Labor
DOL — ETA, WIOA, ApprenticeshipUSA
Employment & Training Administration runs WIOA Title I (formula to states), Job Corps, YouthBuild, and the Office of Apprenticeship. Most dollars route to state workforce boards rather than direct federal awards.
- Strategic Workforce Hubs (multi-agency initiative) periodically issue solicitations.
- Door for us: Registered Apprenticeship intermediary; SIGNAL as on-the-job-learning competency framework.
DOL — active workforce / talent / apprenticeship searches ↗
Tailwinds — initiatives & legislation
A Stronger Workforce for America Act (H.R. 6655)↗
Major WIOA Title I reauthorization. Passed House April 2024 (378-26) but died in Senate. Comprehensive WIOA reauthorization unlikely in early 2026. Implication: state-level waivers are now the operative innovation path, not federal reauthorization.
died in Senate
TEGL 05-25 — WIOA Waiver Guidance↗
Training and Employment Guidance Letter inviting states to request waivers for greater WIOA flexibility. This is where state innovation lives in 2026. founding_up positions as flexibility-enabling tech partner for waiver-authorized workforce experiments (Texas first via JVSG state-channel work).
operative 2026
DOL Good Jobs Initiative↗
Cross-agency job-quality framework. Shapes what gets funded across DOL/DOC/DOE workforce programs. Reference framework to cite in any DOL-facing proposal.
active framework
ED + DOL Workforce Development Partnership↗
Implemented July 15, 2025 via Interagency Agreement under EO 14278. DOL now administers Perkins V (CTE) and WIOA Title II (Adult Ed) alongside DOL's existing workforce portfolio. ED retains statutory authority + oversight. Unified state plan portal in build. This consolidates the federal workforce buyer-side — TWC (Texas Workforce Commission) becomes the consolidated state target for both WIOA and Perkins planning.
enacted Jul 2025
National Science Foundation
NSF — ITEST, EDU Directorate, CIVIC, SBIR
Funds research on STEM identity, broadening participation, and workforce development. NSF SBIR/STTR is broader-scope than DoD or ED versions.
- ITEST — Innovative Technology Experiences for Students & Teachers
- NSF EDU — postsecondary, IUSE, AISL programs
- CIVIC Innovation Challenge — community-based research partnerships
NSF — active workforce / career-pathways / STEM-identity searches ↗
Named high-fit programs
INCLUDES Alliance↗
Broadening participation in STEM at national scale · multi-institution alliances
$10M+
Tailwinds — initiatives & legislation
CHIPS & Science Act → NSF TIP Directorate↗
P.L. 117-167, August 2022. Created the Directorate for Technology, Innovation & Partnerships (TIP) — the workforce/talent center of gravity at NSF. Authorized Regional Innovation Engines, expanded INCLUDES, raised ITEST funding ceiling. Foundational tailwind for every NSF pursuit founding_up considers.
enacted 2022
NSF Regional Innovation Engines — Round 2↗
15 finalists announced September 2025 for the second NSF Engines competition. Engines span energy, critical minerals, quantum, more — each proposing to grow regional workforce. Door for us: partner with a TX-region NSF Engine on workforce/talent identity layer.
round 2 active
TIP Roadmap for Workforce Development↗
First-ever NSF TIP Roadmap (released 2025) — actionable agenda guiding next investments in strengthening the American workforce for careers in critical and emerging technologies. Cite as the policy lens for any NSF workforce proposal.
released 2025
ExLENT — Experiential Learning in Emerging & Novel Tech↗
~$87M over the last three years for experiential learning pathways in critical tech. Joint TIP+Micron investment added $38M for regional coalitions. Strong fit for founding_up's experiential identity-formation model.
$87M/3yr
Department of Veterans Affairs
VA — VR&E, GI Bill, VSTAG, VET TEC 2.0
Veteran Readiness & Employment serves veterans with service-connected disabilities. Approved-provider list is the access point. Also: VA SBIR through VA Innovation Ecosystem.
- VSTAG — Veteran & Spouse Transitional Assistance Grant; up to $500K/yr for 5 yrs; requires 1:1 match + VSO/university lead
- VET TEC 2.0 — VA-funded tuition for veterans in high-tech training; veteran-facing app live 2026-06-01
VA — active veteran transition / employment / training searches ↗
Named high-fit programs
VA SBIR Phase II↗
VA Innovation Ecosystem R&D · veteran-relevant tech prototypes
$1M+
Tailwinds — initiatives & legislation
Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare & Benefits Improvement Act↗
P.L. 118-210, signed Jan 2, 2025. 15 education-benefit provisions. Section 213 requires 90-day notice for VA policy/guidance changes. Major GI Bill Comparison Tool overhaul: VA must publish 6+ years of completion counts, employment rates, and median earnings by program. This is exactly the data layer the founding_up employer dashboard ingests for veteran-benefit aggregation.
enacted
VA Implementation Notice — Dole Act Section 213↗
Federal Register notice (June 30, 2025) detailing VA's implementation of Section 213. Establishes the 90-day notice mechanism for policy/guidance changes affecting student veterans and educational institutions. Cite this when proposing VA-data-driven workflows.
implementing
GI Bill Comparison Tool overhaul (Dole Act follow-on)↗
Improves transparency, accountability, and consumer protection for military-affiliated students. Public dataset behind the tool is the federal-grade source for veteran education outcomes — pull-through into employer-dashboard veteran credentialing.
data live
Commerce / NIST / EDA
NIST MEP, EDA Good Jobs Challenge, Build to Scale
EDA Good Jobs Challenge has invested ~$500M in regional workforce coalitions. NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership has state-level workforce mandates.
Commerce — active workforce / regional coalition searches ↗
Named high-fit programs
EDA Tech Hubs Initiative↗
Regional Technology & Innovation Hubs · funds multi-institution consortia in designated regions
$50M+/hub
Good Jobs Challenge↗
Regional workforce coalitions · employer-led sectoral partnerships · proven match-investment model
~$500M
Build to Scale↗
Venture-stage support for inclusive innovation · capacity-building for entrepreneurial ecosystems
$300K–$1.5M
Tailwinds — initiatives & legislation
CHIPS & Science Act → EDA Tech Hubs Program↗
P.L. 117-167, authorized at $10B over 5 years (FY23–FY27). 31 Tech Hubs designated October 2023 across 32 states + PR. Phase 2: $504M in Implementation Awards to 12 Hubs; the other 19 received $500K Consortium Accelerator Awards. Tech Hubs designations are locked through FY27.
$10B authorized
Tech Hubs Phase 2 — New NOFO open↗
EDA opened a new NOFO September 19, 2025 — Implementation Awards available to the 19 designated Hubs that didn't receive Phase 2 funding the first time. EDA expects to announce awards Spring 2026. Door for us: partner with any TX-region designated Hub on workforce/talent layer.
awards spring 2026
Recompete Pilot Program (CHIPS Act-authorized)↗
$200M authorized for persistent-poverty regions and distressed workforce coalitions. Direct fit with founding_up's regional-coalition model (DFW Corridor as v1). Periodic NOFOs.
authorized
CRS Brief — Tech Hubs Phase 2 awards↗
Congressional Research Service analysis of EDA Phase 2 award structure and policy questions. Useful citation for any EDA-facing proposal — frames our pitch in CRS-blessed language.
policy reference
Small Business Administration
SBA — Federal Contracting Programs
Not a buyer at our scale, but the certifier of socio-economic programs (8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, VOSB, SDVOSB) and the runner of Mentor-Protégé Joint Ventures.
HHS / ACF — TANF & Workforce
HHS Administration for Children & Families
TANF can fund workforce-prep for low-income parents. Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse parallels ED's tier-evidence system.