RAISE Grant Application Timeline
Application period: March 16, 2026 – April 17, 2026
Applications due: April 17, 2026, at 5:00 pm
Earliest Award Notification: May 15, 2026
Period of performance: twelve months
The Kansas Department of Commerce and the Kansas Office of Registered Apprenticeship are committed to meeting Kansas’ high-wage, high-demand workforce needs by expanding Registered Apprenticeship programs in counties with populations under 50,000 residents. This grant provides direct operational support to new and existing programs—such as business support, marketing, and training equipment—to help them grow, expand services, and reach more Kansans. The purpose of this grant is to provide seed funding for long-term investments in the expansion of new or established Registered Apprenticeship programs in rural Kansas with populations under 50,000. Registered Apprenticeships are a sustainable and economical way to connect residents to meaningful training for long term careers, retain talent in rural areas, and keep Kansas competitive.
Application period: March 16, 2026 – April 17, 2026
Applications due: April 17, 2026, at 5:00 pm
Earliest Award Notification: May 15, 2026
Period of performance: twelve months
Grant funds may be used for project needs related to technical instruction for the registered apprenticeship, OJT needs not including apprentice wages, staffing and/or FTE to implement and manage programs, marketing and outreach and other allowable activities as stated in the project proposal.
Examples include but not limited to:
| What is your overall program plan? How will this be integrated within rural-based business and industry to create longevity for the recruitment and retention of Kansas’s most high-wage and high-demand occupations through a Registered Apprenticeship Program? For this grant, high wage and high demand is defined as at least $15 minimum wage and have strong future employment growth. | 25 points possible |
| List the counties you plan to operate in for this program. Describe how you will ensure that all residents and employers you engage—and therefore all grant expenditures—are within counties with populations less than 50,000. Please note: You may currently be established in an urban county and still be awarded this grant; however, all funded activity must take place in counties with populations under 50,000. | 10 points possible |
| This grant supports the creation or expansion of Registered Apprenticeship programs in rural Kansas (populations under 50,000), with a goal of increasing enrollment by at least 10% annually in high-wage, high-demand occupations. New programs must register at least five apprentices within 12 months of award. Explain how this funding will help you increase apprenticeship enrollment. Include your annual targets for new apprentices and employers and describe how the funding will support growth in both apprentices and participating employers. | 20 points possible |
| Please describe any grants in similar scope and capacity —state, federal or philanthropic —that your organization has received. Include a summary of the program’s success, whether all funds were spent down, and if all outlined objectives were met. If not, please explain why. If you have not received any grants, please indicate your organizational capacity to meet the objectives of the grant as well as grant management. | 10 points possible |
| Provide a detailed budget narrative explaining how grant funds will be used, how they align with current operations, and how they support long-term sustainability of your Registered Apprenticeship program. Include cost-per-apprentice and cost-per-employer estimates, which will be used for ongoing grant reporting. | 20 points possible |
| This grant requires a 1:1 cash match for all funds awarded. How does your organization plan to meet this matching requirement? Your response should align with your submitted budget and include a clear explanation of the source(s) of the matching funds and how they will be allocated. In-kind match is not allowed for this grant program. | 15 points possible |
| If you have an established Registered Apprenticeship in Kansas, has your organization or your business/industry partners utilized funding from the Kansas Apprenticeship Grant and Tax Act (KATAG) or Apprenticeship to Education (A2E) programs? This question is for awareness only. | No points awarded – awareness only |
The Kansas Department of Commerce requires that business and non-profit applicants are in good standing status with the Kansas Secretary of State (SOS) at the time of submission and throughout the duration of the grant agreement to receive grant funds. Businesses and non-profit organizations are required to upload a screenshot of current status from the Business Search of the Kansas Secretary of State webpage.
Please search for your organization on the Secretary of State Business Search Webpage and take a screenshot of your organization’s “general information page” This page will have both the current organization’s status and expiration date. https://www.sos.ks.gov/eforms/BusinessEntity/Search.aspx
Applicants do not need to purchase a certificate of good standing. A screenshot of the general information page with the current status will suffice.
Applicants that are government or tribal entities are exempt from submitting a screenshot of their good standing status and should leave this upload blank.
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