Career Pathways Exploration Grant Program 84.424J
Can you apply?
This grant is for State applicants designated by their Governors to build career pathways exploration capacity. Eligible applicants include State educational agencies, State workforce development agencies, State vocational rehabilitation agencies, or consortia of these entities. Only one application per State is permitted. Activities must integrate career exploration into statewide K-12 programs aligned with workforce priorities and WIOA State Plans.
The program supports efforts to expose students to career pathways aligned with real-world labor market needs. Funding helps States coordinate career exploration initiatives across education, workforce, and economic development systems. Grantees must share implementation knowledge with other States and LEAs to build broader capacity.
This grant is for State applicants designated by their Governors to build career pathways exploration capacity. Eligible applicants include State educational agencies, State workforce development agencies, State vocational rehabilitation agencies, or consortia of these entities. Only one application per State is permitted. Activities must integrate career exploration into statewide K-12 programs aligned with workforce priorities and WIOA State Plans.
The program supports efforts to expose students to career pathways aligned with real-world labor market needs. Funding helps States coordinate career exploration initiatives across education, workforce, and economic development systems. Grantees must share implementation knowledge with other States and LEAs to build broader capacity.
Program description
The Career Pathways Exploration (CPE) program supports efforts to provide elementary and secondary school students with increased career exploration opportunities that allow them to develop, expand, and prioritize the skills and knowledge needed to excel in high-demand fields. To support this goal, the CPE program provides competitive grants to States to build their capacity to integrate career exploration into statewide career pathways and workforce readiness programs. The CPE program will help ensure access to opportunities that expose students to real-life workforce realities through a variety of career pathways programs that are aligned with State workforce priorities.In support of returning education to the States, ED believes this program is uniquely suited for State applicants. State applicants, as designated or endorsed by the Governors, are best positioned to coordinate K-12 career exploration initiatives that integrate education, workforce, and economic development systems. The CPE program is designed to allow Governors, in coordination with State agencies and their local educational agencies (LEAs), to align career exploration opportunities for schools with real-time labor market needs to create statewide opportunities for students to explore careers early, scale access to learning and employment records (LERs) and talent marketplaces, and align with local workforce boards and system partners so students can act on the knowledge gained in a meaningful way.State applicants are encouraged to align proposed activities with the State”s Unified or Combined Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) State Plan to ensure coherence with broader workforce development strategies and labor market priorities.This program is being established with funds from the two percent reservation for technical assistance and capacity building under section 4103(a)(3) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. § 6301 (ESEA), which is intended to support State educational agencies and LEAs in carrying out activities authorized under the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants program in title IV, part A of the ESEA through technical assistance and capacity building. Specifically, the CPE program is intended to help build the capacity of States and LEAs to provide well-rounded educational opportunities, consistent with the description of such opportunities in ESEA section 4107, through initiatives that make career pathways exploration programs broadly available to students. In support of this goal, grantees will share with other States and LEAs how career pathways exploration initiatives can be successfully implemented.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
Demographic focus
Details
This grant is for State applicants designated by their Governors to build career pathways exploration capacity. Eligible applicants include State educational agencies, State workforce development agencies, State vocational rehabilitation agencies, or consortia of these entities. Only one application per State is permitted. Activities must integrate career exploration into statewide K-12 programs aligned with workforce priorities and WIOA State Plans.
The program supports efforts to expose students to career pathways aligned with real-world labor market needs. Funding helps States coordinate career exploration initiatives across education, workforce, and economic development systems. Grantees must share implementation knowledge with other States and LEAs to build broader capacity.
How to apply
Application links
Required documents
- Governor designation or endorsement letter
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
- Project narrative
- Budget and budget narrative
- Evidence of WIOA State Plan alignment
- Interagency coordination plans
Program contact
- 👤 Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
- 📧 careerpathways@ed.gov
- 📞 202-693-2606
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 84.424 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
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$164,576,968
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$157,754,771
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$153,639,284
-
$138,053,794
-
$136,264,016
-
$132,245,872
-
$120,202,952
-
$118,806,241
-
$113,001,141
-
$110,358,289
Top States by Funding
- TX 7 awards $842.3M
- NY 7 awards $657.4M
- CA 4 awards $596.2M
- PA 7 awards $344.1M
- FL 4 awards $282.1M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
Only State entities designated by the Governor can apply. Eligible entities include State educational agencies, workforce development agencies, vocational rehabilitation agencies, or consortia of these. Only one application per State is permitted.
What activities are supported?
Funding supports integrating career exploration into statewide K-12 programs aligned with workforce priorities. Activities include exposing students to real-world career pathways and scaling learning and employment records (LERs) and talent marketplaces.
When is the deadline?
The deadline is June 9, 2026. This is a fixed deadline, not rolling.
What should be included in the application?
Applications should align proposed activities with the State's WIOA State Plan. Grantees must also plan to share implementation knowledge with other States and LEAs.
What is the funding range?
Awards range up to $9,000,000. Total program funding is $44,000,000 available to States.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Work with your Governor's office early to secure official designation or endorsement before submitting.
- Coordinate across your State educational agency, workforce development, and economic development offices to strengthen the application.
- Align your proposed activities directly to your State's WIOA State Plan and current workforce priorities to demonstrate strategic integration.
- Include concrete plans for how you will scale access and share implementation lessons with other States and LEAs.
- Emphasize how your career pathways programs will expose K-12 students to real labor market opportunities early.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Failing to secure Governor endorsement before applying. Applications without clear connection to WIOA State Plan priorities are less competitive. Underestimating the need for cross-agency coordination—siloed education-only proposals miss the workforce integration intent.
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