Reducing Barriers to Training for Quality Jobs in the Philadelphia Region
If an application has already been started in response to this RFP, please visit the Proposals in Progress section in the Grants Portal to view and/or continue the application process.
The William Penn Foundation (WPF) is excited to partner with 4 other foundations to advance this objective. Along with WPF, lead support for this RFP has been provided by Comcast. Additional significant support has been provided by Connelly Foundation, Green Family Foundation, and Philadelphia Foundation. By collaborating on this RFP, these funders have increased the total amount of funding available to support workforce development in our region and have simplified the application and reporting processes for prospective grantees.
Background
Workforce development practitioners point to a range of barriers that often prevent individuals from accessing and completing training programs that could lead to higher-paying jobs and economic mobility. Experts suggest that an effective approach to addressing these barriers is for workforce programs to combine paid career training with “wrap-around” support, also referred to as supportive services.
This funding opportunity will focus on improving the capacity of proven and promising training programs and providing flexible funding for wraparound and navigation supports (e.g., coaching, housing referrals, childcare coordination) to improve job seekers’ training completion, employment placement, retention, and advancement in quality jobs with strong pathways to upward economic mobility. This funding opportunity is also a key contribution to ongoing efforts across the city to improve economic mobility. Strengthening pathways to quality jobs is a core pillar of that work. Given developing momentum on this topic, we believe that through working in concert with others it will be possible to connect tens of thousands of residents with quality jobs in the next decade.
Opportunity Overview
The Foundation and its funder partners seek to support efforts that expand the effectiveness of high-quality workforce training by funding the supportive services that reduce barriers to accessing and completing workforce programs, transitioning to quality employment, and successfully completing the first year of employment.
This funding opportunity will not support organizations that are new to workforce training. Funding awarded through this opportunity will be directed to organizations with a track record of success in workforce development and will help programs to better address gaps and ensure even more success for training participants. Whether organizations directly train and place jobseekers or work on systems change efforts, competitive proposals will be able to quantify the projected increase in the number of individuals who will connect to supportive services, complete training, transition to, and retain quality employment as a result of grant funding.
We are particularly interested in initiatives focused on:
- linking supportive services with established high-quality job training to address barriers and ensure more individuals complete training and obtain quality employment with strong advancement prospects;
- enhancing coordination and collaboration between job training programs and social service agencies providing supportive services;
- advancing public policies that can tackle systemic barriers to training access and completion; and
- engaging employers to strengthen hiring practices and address and remove barriers to employment placement.
We are requesting proposals for projects up to three years to reduce workforce training barriers in the Philadelphia region. After reviewing proposals, WPF will conduct site visits and gather additional information from a limited number of organizations.
Organizations that propose projects in partnership with other applicants will be considered on their individual merits. However, the Foundation recognizes that making significant progress on the objective is difficult and encourages organizations to include partnerships that leverage complementary strengths, resources, and expertise, particularly partnerships with employers and social service providers.
The Foundation and its partners recognize that there are many different tactics or approaches that could be used to advance the objective stated above. All proposals that meet the review criteria described below are encouraged.
WPF and its funding partners anticipate awarding a total of $6.55 million to advance this objective. Five million dollars of the total amount awarded under this RFP will be reserved for grants to organizations operating in the City of Philadelphia and serving Philadelphia residents. The remaining $1.55 million will be awarded to programs serving residents in any area of the five-county region of Southeastern Pennsylvania (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia counties). While there is no minimum or maximum amount of funding that organizations may request, grant requests under $1 million will be most competitive. For direct service proposals, we will consider the number of people likely to complete training and the barriers that will be successfully addressed with participants as key factors for final amounts awarded.
Full Request for Proposals (RFP) and Application
Download the full RFP packet for more information about this opportunity including eligibility, review criteria, learning and insights, budget, and link to an application template.
All applications must be submitted through the Grants Portal.
Webinar
Interested organizations are invited to participate in an optional informational webinar on Tuesday, June 23, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET. Following the live webinar, a recording will be posted to this page.