Small Business Workforce Accelerator Grant: RFP #24-01

Washington State Department of Commerce • Community Reinvestment Project


Application submissions will open for this opportunity on January 27, 2025 at 12:00 PM PST and will close after 40 applications are received (the anticipated number that can be awarded with currently available funding). Information about the opportunity, requirements, how to apply and available supports are outlined in the RFP information below to support interested business owners in being prepared to submit for consideration when applications open. 

The application and scorecard have been added to this page as of January 2, 2025 and are available for viewing to assist in your preparation for the January 27 application submission opening. View the full RFP timeline below.


Summary

The Small Business Workforce Accelerator Grant, funded by the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Community Reinvestment Project, aims to promote equity for businesses in Seattle-King County, with a focus on those 51% or more owned and operated by individuals from Black, urban Indian/Tribal, and Latine communities. Funds from the grants can be used for one of the following projects: Paid Internship, Employee Development/Training, or New Hire Wages. The overarching goal is to ensure that historically marginalized communities gain equitable access to resources to support them and their workforce development efforts.

Objective

The focus of this opportunity aims to repair wealth disparities in communities disproportionally harmed by the war on drugs by helping reduce economic barriers to hiring and training. Applicants can request up to $6,500 for one of the following eligible projects: 

  • Paid Internship—Supporting businesses in talent pipeline development, while providing meaningful work experience and skills development for interns. With a duration of 3 months or less, an intern can work up to 40 hours per week and are paid minimum wage or more. 

  • Employee Development/Training—Funding can be used to provide worker training such as short-term certifications and other employee development that reduces the cost of training employees, supports worker retention, and provides upskill or advancement opportunities for employees. 

  • New Hire Wages—Full wage subsidy of 100% of wages for a new hire during their initial three months of employment (up to $6,500). New hire can be part-time or full-time, and businesses must agree to retain the employee after the wage subsidy period.  

You may apply for one project. Once that project is complete, you are welcome to apply again for another project if applications are being accepted or other WDC funding opportunities if they are available.

Please see Frequently Asked Questions below for detailed information about project supports and requirements. 

 

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Small Business (fewer than 50 employees) 

  • Active business license, and licensed in King County 

  • Be registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and have an account with the Washington State Employment Security Department for Unemployment Insurance and carry Worker’s Compensation Insurance 

Reporting Requirements:

  • New Hire Wages and Paid Internship projects will require timesheets/payroll documentation 

  • Employee Development/Training will require receipts for training/certification costs and documentation of training completion and/or copies of certification 

  • All projects require a report of successes/impact story and creation of a WorkSource WA account by the Intern/Employee/New Hire funded by this grant opportunity 

Timeline

  • Opportunity Announced: December 20, 2024

  • Application Assistance Calls: January 8, 2025 & January 20, 2025

  • Last Day to Submit Questions: January 22, 2025

  • Application Submission Opens: January 27, 2025 at 12:00 PM PST

  • Application Submission Closes: After 40 applications have been received

  • Anticipated Award Notification: March 3, 2025

  • All Applicants Notified of Status: March 7, 2025

  • Anticipated Disbursement of Grant Funds: End of March 2025

Awarded funds to be spent by mid-June with all final grant reporting due on or before June 30, 2025.

Documents

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Last updated: January 24, 2025

Click through the questions below. If your question is not listed here, please send it to athornton-west@seakingwdc.org. We update our FAQ section regularly with all questions and answers received.

Virtual Bidders’ Conference & Application Assistance Calls

 

Small Business Workforce Accelerator Grant - Bidder's Conference - January 8, 2025

You can watch the recording of the first virtual Bidder's Conference and Application Assistance presentation held on January 8, 2025 on YouTube.

Small Business Workforce Accelerator Grant - Bidder's Conference - January 20, 2025

You can watch the recording of the second virtual Bidder's Conference and Application Assistance held on January 20, 2025 on YouTube.

 

The Virtual Bidders’ Conference gives prospective applicants an opportunity to learn about the grant qualifications and how to apply for this funding stream, and encourages partnerships as we look towards procuring funds through this open, public process. Our goal for this workshop include: 

  • Background on funding requirements for the Washington State Department of Commerce Community Reinvestment Project 

  • An overview of the requirements, scope, logistics of the grant application process 

  • An understanding of how your organization can participate in the Seattle-King County workforce system and potentially apply for these specific funds 

  • Opportunity to ask application specific questions 

The calls were hosted on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 and Monday, January 20, 2025. You can find recordings of these calls below or on YouTube.

 

This program is funded by the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County (WDC) using the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Community Reinvestment Project funds. For more information about WDC program investments, visit www.seakingwdc.org/funding-and-investment. Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County is an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Washington Relay Service: 711.

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Small Business Investment Grant: RFP #23-02