New Jersey Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative

The New Jersey Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative is a state-funded grant program administered by the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education. The program is designed to strengthen workforce development pathways in aviation and air traffic control by supporting higher education institutions within the state. This initiative reflects New Jersey’s broader commitment to addressing labor shortages, improving economic mobility, and aligning educational programming with both state and federal workforce priorities. It is supported through legislative action and state appropriations and aims to modernize aviation-related training infrastructure and academic offerings. The primary purpose of the program is to establish and expand institutional participation in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative while also supporting the development of the Center for the Study of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. Through this effort, the state seeks to build institutional capacity for aviation education programs that include air traffic control and aviation administration. The initiative emphasizes collaboration between institutions and alignment with federal training frameworks, ensuring that participating institutions are well-positioned to meet industry standards and workforce demands. Funding under this opportunity totals 3,500,000 dollars and is intended to support up to two awards. Individual institutions may request up to 1,500,000 dollars, while partnerships between eligible institutions may request up to 2,000,000 dollars. Funds must be fully expended by September 1, 2027, and applicants are expected to design budgets that align with this timeline. Allowable uses of funds include activities directly tied to program development and implementation, with a requirement that all expenditures align with state funding guidelines. Facilities and administrative costs, also referred to as indirect costs, are not allowable under this program. Eligibility for the program is limited to New Jersey senior public institutions and county colleges. Applicants must demonstrate either current participation or a plan to participate in federal aviation training initiatives, including the Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative and related programs. Institutions must also show capacity to support the establishment of the Center for the Study of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena and offer or plan to offer non-engineering aviation degree programs that include relevant instructional components. Partnerships between eligible institutions are permitted and encouraged, with one designated lead institution responsible for submission and fund management. The application process requires submission of multiple components, including a signed application cover sheet, a grant narrative, and a budget justification template. The grant narrative is limited to five single-spaced pages and must address several required sections, including contact information, institutional commitment and capacity, program goals and evaluation, project activity and operational planning, partnerships, and sustainability. Applicants must also provide a detailed budget justification in a standardized spreadsheet format, clearly linking expenditures to proposed activities. Applications must be submitted electronically to designated program contacts by the stated deadline, and late submissions are not accepted. Applications are evaluated based on a structured scoring rubric that includes criteria such as commitment and capacity, project design and operational planning, partnerships, evaluation strategy, sustainability, and budget justification. Each category is assigned a specific point value, with a maximum possible score of 100 points. This evaluation framework ensures that awards are made to institutions demonstrating strong alignment with program goals and the ability to successfully implement the proposed initiative. The application period opened prior to the submission deadline of May 6, 2026, and applicants are required to submit complete materials by 5:00 p.m. on that date. Questions regarding the program could be submitted to designated staff via email through May 4, 2026. The period of performance for awarded grants runs from June 1, 2026, through September 1, 2027, during which institutions are expected to fully implement their proposed programs and expend all awarded funds. This initiative represents a targeted investment in aviation workforce development and higher education innovation within New Jersey.

Ensure alignment between project plan and budget justification; clearly demonstrate institutional capacity and FAA alignment; provide measurable goals and evaluation metrics; emphasize partnerships and sustainability