Fostering Access, Rights, and Education (FARE) Grant Program | FOA WB 22 14

Opportunity Information: Apply for FOA WB 22 14

The Fostering Access, Rights, and Education (FARE) Grant Program is a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of Labor, Women`s Bureau (Funding Opportunity Number: FOA WB 22 14; CFDA: 17.700). Its central purpose is to fund community-based projects that help marginalized and underserved women workers better understand their employment rights and successfully connect to the public services and benefits they may be eligible for. In practical terms, the program is designed to close the gap between the existence of workplace protections and social supports on paper and the ability of women who face systemic barriers to actually access and use those protections and supports in real life.

A key feature of this opportunity is its emphasis on outreach strategies that rely on trusted messengers and community groups. The Women`s Bureau is explicitly looking to build on recent promising initiatives that reach working women through organizations and people they already know and trust, rather than assuming that official channels alone will reach those most in need. This framing signals a strong focus on culturally responsive, community-informed education and navigation support, especially for women who may have had negative experiences with institutions, lack reliable information, or face practical barriers like language, transportation, or unstable housing.

The program is intended to serve a wide range of women workers who are described as marginalized and underserved. The announcement highlights, among others, women of color, women with disabilities, justice-impacted women, LGBTQ individuals, and women working in female-dominated sectors that were hard-hit by the pandemic. It also calls out ethnic minorities, immigrants, workers with limited English proficiency, and older adults, along with women experiencing serious compounding challenges such as intimate partner violence, substance use issues, homelessness, and chronic poverty. The scope makes clear that applicants are expected to understand how overlapping barriers can limit access to rights and benefits, and to design services that meet women where they are.

Funding is provided through a grant instrument, with an award ceiling of $350,000 per award and an anticipated total of 8 awards. Eligible applicants are nonprofit organizations, including both 501(c)(3) nonprofits and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, as long as they are not institutions of higher education. This eligibility structure points toward a preference for community-rooted organizations and service providers that can credibly operate as connectors between women workers and the systems that govern labor rights, benefits, and public services.

The opportunity was created on May 18, 2022, with an original application closing date of July 1, 2022. Applications were required to be submitted electronically by 11:59 pm Eastern Time. Overall, the FARE program is best understood as a targeted investment in worker-facing education and access: helping women workers not only learn what rights and supports exist, but also overcome the real-world obstacles that often prevent them from exercising those rights and obtaining the services and benefits intended to support their economic security and well-being.

• The Department of Labor, Womens Bureau in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fostering Access, Rights, and Education (FARE) Grant Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 17.700.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 18, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 01, 2022 Applications must be submitted electronically no later than 1159 pm Eastern Time.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $350,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for FOA WB 22 14

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: