What Is The Workforce Training Fund Express Grant?
The Express Grant is part of the Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund Program (WTFP) ↗, designed to help businesses in the state provide training for employees. This grant aims to improve employee skills and maintain the competitiveness of Massachusetts businesses.
The Workforce Training Fund Program has two sizes: the little-kid Express Grant and the big-kid General Program. We’re looking specifically at the Express Grant which is the easier grant to obtain and is designed specifically for businesses under 100 employees.
The Express Grant offers $3K per employee per calendar year up to a maximum of $20K to be invested into employee training. That means your small team can attend high-value training programs that will improve your business’s ability to be successful at no charge to you, every year.
Are You Eligible?
You know all those tax dollars that get deducted from employee paychecks? Part of that money goes into this Workforce Training Fund Program, so in order for your business to be eligible, your business must contribute to the Workforce Training Fund. Most for-profit businesses do this as part of their unemployment insurance.
Non-profit organizations, however, are not typically eligible unless they opt for the “contributory” method of contributing to unemployment insurance ↗.
Additionally, this funding only applies to full or part-time employees that are “employed” in Massachusetts. An employee can work remotely and count towards this grant if their payroll taxes go to Massachusetts, versus some other state.
What Kind of Training is Covered?
The grant covers various training types, from leadership and software skills to process improvement and more. There are many training providers ↗ that have programs approved by the Workforce Training Fund Program.
Learn to Scale is one such certified training provider: our Strengths-Based Leadership Training (#6869) ↗ that’s designed to help leadership teams communicate and collaborate better through periods of change is fully covered by the Express Grant.
Application Process: Step by Step
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Talk with a certified training provider and figure out what training will have the biggest impact on your business.
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Go to MassTaxConnect ↗ where you typically file quarterly taxes and request a Certificate of Good Standing. This is a free-to-obtain document that proves that you’ve paid your taxes.
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Go to the Workforce Training Fund Program website ↗ and click Apply for Training. ↗
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In that short form, you will be asked to fill out the following:
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Your organization's Legal Name
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Your organization's Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN)
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A Certificate of Good Standing from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (issued within the last six months)
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The registration number for the approved training program you are applying for
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Current number of Massachusetts employees in your organization (full-time & part-time)
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Contact info of an individual in your organization authorized to sign a contract to accept a grant
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Training Start Date for the training (due to start at least 21 days after an application is submitted)
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Sit tight until you get a grant award confirmation.
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Pay for and take the training.
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Submit the Reimbursement form to the Workforce Training Fund Program.
Conclusion
Applying for the Massachusetts Workforce Training Program Express Grant is an excellent way to invest in your employees and business. With some light planning and a clear understanding of the process, you can take advantage of this opportunity to enhance your workforce's skills and contribute to the growth and success of your business.
At Learn to Scale, we help startups and small businesses navigate the challenges associated with scaling a business. We’re thrilled to spread the good word of grant-funded training because we believe that every organization can learn and should be supported in their learning. If you’d like to learn more about our grant-funded offerings, we are eager to share. ↗
About the author: Dan Newman ↗ is the CEO and founder of Learn to Scale. Learn to Scale helps organizations navigate the challenges associated with scaling a business. Through grant-approved training programs and 1-1 coaching, Learn to Scale helps leadership teams collaborate, communicate, and execute in ways that enable them to build great companies that deliver unusually effective results. Learn more at www.learntoscale.us ↗
