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What: Older Worker Demonstration Grants from the Department of Labor.

How much? Approximately a dozen awards of between $750,000 to $1,000,000.

To whom? Workforce Investment Boards and other entities that direct federal, state, and local funding to workforce development programs.

Deadline: February 19, 2009.

For more information: Click here (pdf)

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is awarding approximately $10 million in grants for "older worker" demonstration projects. These grants are intended to address the workforce challenges facing older individuals by developing regional models for talent development that recognize older workers as a valuable labor pool. The models should include employment and training strategies to retain and/or connect older workers to jobs in high growth, high demand industries critical to the regional economy.

The intended applicants are local workforce investment system, such as your Local Workforce Investment Board (LWIB), which direct federal, state, and local funding to workforce development programs. (There are certain other restrictions, so make sure to read the appendix in the announcement.)

How does this affect me if I’m not on a Local Workforce Investment Board? Talk to your LWIB and encourage them to develop programs that help older adults find encore careers that create a positive social impact (while still following the guidelines of the grant). If you’re a social or public sector employer, make your voice heard and let your LWIB know that you want them to grab this opportunity to help develop models to help deploy the talent of experienced adults to tackle social challenges in your region.