Aviation Workforce Grant Application Deadline Approaches

The FAA is accepting applications for the fourth round of Aviation Workforce Development Grants for pilots and maintenance technicians through 11:59 EDT June 22. However, that grant portal (Grants.gov) is undergoing scheduled maintenance from June 20 to 22, and the agency is advising potential applicants to submit before June 20 to avoid delays or other issues. No deadline extensions will be granted from this outage, the agency added, noting that it will only accept electronic applications.

Congress initially established the workforce development grants in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 and later updated the programs in the subsequent reauthorization bill in 2024. Under those measures, the agency is authorized to award grants annually through fiscal year 2028. The agency said it was providing grants to academia and the aviation community “to help prepare a more inclusive talent pool of pilots and aviation maintenance technicians, to inspire and recruit the next generation of aviation professionals.”

Targeting education and recruitment, the pilot and maintenance technician workforce grants are limited to $1 million per year per entity. Entities eligible to apply for pilot grants include air carriers, Part 91K organizations, accredited educational institutions (vocational, higher education, high schools, or secondary schools), flight schools, labor organizations representing professional aircraft pilots, aviation-related non-profit organizations, or state/local governments. The maintenance grants also include educational institutions, non-profits, labor organizations, and state/local governments, but cover certified repair stations as well.

Eligible projects must involve a program or curriculum that provides students in high school, secondary school, or higher education institutions with meaningful aviation programming. In addition, the projects could involve apprenticeships, internships, scholarships, flight instruction curriculum, military transitions, or outreach to underrepresented populations.