NIOSH Miner Safety and Health Training Program - Western United States U60

The NIOSH Miner Safety and Health Training Program - Western United States is a federally funded cooperative agreement administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This program is part of the broader Occupational Safety and Health Program and is designed to address persistent risks in the mining industry. Despite technological advancements, mining continues to have a fatality rate significantly higher than the national average across industries. Federal agencies including NIOSH, MSHA, and OSHA play a critical role in improving worker safety, and this funding opportunity supports expanded training efforts to reduce injuries, illnesses, and fatalities among miners. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to enhance the quality, accessibility, and effectiveness of miner health and safety training across the Western United States. The program emphasizes improving training availability in terms of frequency, geographic reach, and delivery methods, while also ensuring materials are culturally and educationally appropriate. The initiative is designed to complement, not duplicate, existing federal and state-supported training programs and instead target gaps specific to Western mining operations. Eligible geographic areas include a defined set of Western states spanning from Alaska to Texas, reflecting the NIOSH Western States Division service region. Funded activities are expected to include the development and delivery of training programs tailored to the specific health and safety needs of miners. Applicants must implement structured educational initiatives led by qualified instructors, excluding emergency response and hazardous materials training. A significant component involves building regional capacity through train the trainer models that expand the number of qualified instructors. Programs must also include evaluation mechanisms to measure effectiveness, including improvements in knowledge, behavior, workplace practices, and injury prevention outcomes. Collaboration with existing programs is required to ensure alignment with MSHA and OSHA standards and avoid duplication. The program will award approximately two cooperative agreements with an estimated total funding of 2,500,000 dollars and a maximum award of 250,000 dollars per recipient. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement associated with this opportunity. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, indicating that the federal agency may have substantial involvement in program implementation and oversight. While a minimum award floor is not explicitly defined, applicants should structure budgets aligned with program scope and allowable activities. Eligibility for this program is broad and includes a wide range of U.S.-based entities such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, tribal governments and organizations, school districts, and for profit entities including small businesses. However, foreign entities and non U.S. components of organizations are explicitly excluded. Applicants must ensure that proposed activities are conducted within the defined Western states region and comply with federal training alignment requirements. The application timeline indicates that this is a forecasted opportunity, with an estimated posting date in late October 2026 and an application due date of January 26 2027, with an additional deadline in October 2027. Applications must be submitted electronically by 11 59 PM local time of the applicant organization. Awards are expected to be made in August 2027, with project activities beginning in September 2027. Applicants should monitor the official posting for full application instructions, required components, and submission procedures once released. For additional information, applicants may contact the designated scientific program official, Maria Lioce, via email or phone. As a forecasted opportunity, further details including evaluation criteria, submission components, and reporting requirements will be provided in the full Notice of Funding Opportunity upon release. This program is expected to recur based on multiple listed deadlines, suggesting an ongoing or multi cycle funding structure supporting long term improvements in miner safety training.

Focus on unmet regional training needs, avoid duplication with existing programs, and demonstrate measurable impact on safety outcomes