Wisconsin Fast Forward Industry Sectors Worker Training Grants

The Wisconsin Fast Forward Industry Sectors Worker Training Grants program is a state-funded employer-led workforce training initiative administered by the Office of Skills Development within the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. The program is intended to encourage innovative local and regional workforce solutions involving employers, educators, workforce development entities, economic development organizations, post-secondary institutions, nonprofit organizations, and private training providers. Its long-term goal is to support statewide economic growth by helping employers train workers and fill positions while providing trainees with meaningful economic advancement, professional growth, increased wages, and industry-recognized credentials. This funding opportunity is open to all industry sectors and supports training for unemployed, underemployed, and incumbent workers. Proposed projects must address documented employer needs for skilled workers and must train and employ or retain eligible Wisconsin workers. The program is designed to support short- and medium-term training that provides transferable technical skills and may lead to industry-recognized credentials. Each course within a funded project may last no longer than 12 months, while the overall grant period may extend for up to two years beginning no earlier than the date the grant contract is fully executed. Required minimum program outcomes include an 85 percent training completion rate, a 75 percent increased-wage rate, a 65 percent employment placement rate, and a 75 percent credential attainment rate among trainees completing courses that offer certifications. Grant awards generally range from $5,000 to $400,000 per grantee. A grantee serving as the applicant for a consortium of employment partners may apply for more than $400,000. Wisconsin Fast Forward funds may be used for training-related costs such as curriculum development, instructor salaries, consultant or contractual expenses, training materials and supplies, qualifying tuition expenses, and reasonable and necessary instructor travel, meals, and lodging. On-the-job training reimbursement is limited to 50 percent of the instructor's hourly rate. No more than 15 percent of WFF funding may be used for instruction costs or consultant contractual expenses related to soft skills, and administrative costs are capped at no more than 10 percent of the grant award or reimbursed grant costs. Capital equipment, real estate purchases, facility construction or remodeling, traditional kindergarten through grade 12 education, trainee wages, stipends, and fringe benefits are not eligible grant expenses. The Department will retain 2 percent of the award until completion of required deliverables. Applicants must provide a required cash or in-kind match equal to 50 percent of the grant award, or 50 cents for each grant dollar awarded, and grant and match expenditures must be incurred during the grant period. Match commitments must be documented through letters of commitment from employers, partners, and/or the applicant. Eligible applicants include public agencies, private organizations, and consortia of placement partners with a lead public or private organization serving as the applicant. Applicants must be financially viable, and applicants other than tribal governing bodies must be current on federal and state tax obligations. The project must include at least one employer placement partner with a Wisconsin presence and trainees based out of that Wisconsin location. Workers based outside Wisconsin business locations may qualify when the employer pays Wisconsin unemployment insurance for those employees. Preference is given to projects serving vulnerable or special populations and to customized training that emphasizes hard skills, transferable skills, and industry-recognized credentials. Applications and all required supporting documentation must be submitted through the Wisconsin Fast Forward Online Grant Application System. Required supporting elements include completion of the Due Diligence form and signed employer letters of commitment documenting hiring or upskilling commitments, trainee counts, positions, pre- and post-training wages, applicable match contributions, and agreement to share trainee and placement information. Applicants may also need to provide three years of financial statements to allow the Department to assess financial viability. Incomplete, late, nonresponsive, ineligible, or otherwise noncompliant applications may be denied. Questions concerning the grant announcement, application process, or technical submission issues may be submitted to WisconsinFastForward@dwd.wisconsin.gov. Applications are competitively reviewed by an evaluation committee using a 100-point scoring system. The six scoring areas are Project Need, worth 10 points; Capacity Building, worth 20 points; Economic Impact, worth 10 points; Equity and Economic Opportunity Enhancements, worth 20 points; Training Objectives and Outcomes, worth 20 points; and Training Program, Design, Cost, and Implementation, worth 20 points. Applications must receive a final score of at least 50 points to be eligible for funding, although the Department may still deny an otherwise qualifying application if proposed costs are unreasonable or the skills are not transferable. The announcement was publicly released August 20, 2026, and applications are due by 3 p.m. Central Standard Time on October 5, 2026. Tentative notification of grantee selection is December 1, 2026, with a stated contract and effective award date of December 16, 2026. Awardees must be prepared to enter into a contract and begin training no later than 90 days after execution of the grant contract. Funds are provided on a cost-reimbursement basis after contract execution, and grantees must submit required reimbursement documentation, match documentation, quarterly reports, pre- and post-training reports, and a final project report. The announcement does not state that this funding round is recurring.

Document employer workforce need with supporting data; demonstrate collaboration among employers, educational institutions, and training partners; describe economic impact including job creation, business expansion, wage growth, and consumer spending; recruit and train economically disadvantaged or other priority populations where applicable; emphasize transferable hard skills and meaningful industry-recognized credentials; provide detailed placement and wage-increase strategies; keep cost per trainee proportional to planned outcomes and explain costs materially above sector averages; complete all due-diligence requirements and submit the complete application by the stated deadline