WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded $2 million in grant funding to organizations to develop partnerships with community-based organizations and other non-profits to conduct outreach to low-income and marginalized women workers to help them understand and exercise their rights and benefits in the workplace.

Administered jointly by the department’s Women’s Bureau and Employment and Training Administration, the Fostering Access Rights and Equity grants support education; guidance on obtaining and calculating benefits; referrals to additional services, benefits and/or legal assistance. Grants also help recipients enable women to become focal points for rights, benefits and assistance in their own communities.

“As our nation continues its recovery, we must include targeted programming for women workers who are affected by the coronavirus pandemic disproportionately,” said U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su. “Fostering Access, Rights and Equity grants fund vital partnerships to help inform women about their rights and benefits and ensure that women workers share in the prosperity of the nation’s economic recovery.”

“The Women’s Bureau is determined to overcome the systemic discrimination, racism and gender inequality that women have historically faced,” said Women’s Bureau Director Wendy Chun-Hoon. “The grants we’ve awarded today support organizations working on behalf of women who are paid low wages at work, and otherwise marginalized or underserved to ensure their rights to employment are protected and that they have access to all of the benefits available to them.”

2021 FARE grant recipients are as follows:

Learn more about Fostering Access Rights and Equity grants, and this year’s recipients.

PHILADELPHIA - In a ceremony today, U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty J. Walsh announced $3.3 million in grant funding to help recruit, train and retain more women in quality pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship programs as well as nontraditional occupations. The event, hosted by Per Scholas Inc., included remarks from the Secretary, Women’s Bureau Director Wendy Chun-Hoon and two graduates of Per Scholas’ technical skills training program. Per Scholas, a grant recipient, will use its grant to launch a Women in Tech Software Engineering Apprenticeship pilot program in the Washington, D.C. area.

Administered by the department's Women's Bureau and Employment and Training Administration, the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations grants were awarded to organizations in California, Mississippi, New York, Texas and Wisconsin.

“For too long, women have faced barriers to gaining entry into apprenticeships and nontraditional careers,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty J. Walsh. “As we work to build back a better economy, these grants will empower women to get the training and support they need to secure good paying jobs and pathways into the middle class. They are important and effective tools for creating a more inclusive and equitable workforce.”

WANTO grants can be used to support women’s participation in a range of fields in which women have traditionally been underrepresented. These industries include finance, technology, construction, manufacturing, energy and transportation. A portion of the grants may be used to provide supportive services such as child care, transportation, tuition costs and work-related equipment.

The 2021 WANTO grant recipients are:

 For more information about the program and grant recipients see the department's WANTO page.