CFDA Number: 84.234
Program Type: Discretionary/Competitive Grants
Also Known As: PWI

The purpose of this program is to create and expand job and career opportunities for individuals with disabilities in the competitive labor market. This is accomplished by involving private industry partners to help identify competitive job and career opportunities and the skills needed to perform these jobs to create practical job and career readiness and training programs and to provide job placement and career advancement.

The program supports projects that demonstrate the capacity to provide job development, job placement, career advancement, and training services for program participants, many of whom are individuals with significant disabilities. Grantees arrange, coordinate, or conduct job readiness training, occupational or job skills training, and training to enhance basic work skills and workplace competencies. Grantees also provide supportive services and assistance for individuals with disabilities in order to maintain the employment or career advancement for which the individuals received training.

The Projects with Industry (PWI) Program creates and expands job and career opportunities for individuals with disabilities in the competitive labor market by engaging the participation of business and industry in the rehabilitation process. PWI projects promote the involvement of business and private industry through Business Advisory Councils (BAC) that identify jobs and careers available in the community and provide advice on appropriate skills and training. BACs are required to identify job and career availability within the community, consistent with the current and projected local employment opportunities identified by the local workforce investment board for the community under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.

This current-funded program provides job development, job placement and, to the extent appropriate, training services to assist individuals with disabilities to obtain or advance in employment in the competitive labor market. Projects must determine eligibility for services in a manner consistent with section 102 of the Rehabilitation Act.

PWI grants are made to a variety of agencies and organizations, including business and industrial corporations, community rehabilitation programs, labor organizations, trade associations, and foundations. Grants are awarded for a period of up to 5 years and may not exceed 80 percent of the total cost of a project. Awards may be made only to projects proposing to serve geographic areas that are unserved or underserved by the PWI program.

PWI grantees must conduct an annual evaluation of project operations in accordance with the established program standards and compliance indicators at 34 CFR 379 Subpart F. Grantees are required to collect and submit:

1. annual indicator data to determine whether the grant recipient is in compliance with the evaluation standards; and
2. data from its annual evaluation of project operations, including information of the type described in subparagraphs (A) through (C) of section 101(a)(10) of the Rehabilitation Act, as determined appropriate by the Commissioner.

In order to receive continuation funding for the third and subsequent years, grantees must demonstrate progress toward meeting the objectives of their approved grant application and demonstrate compliance with the performance indicators by submitting data for the most recent complete project year. If a grantee does not demonstrate compliance on the basis of the previous year's data, the grantee has an additional opportunity to demonstrate compliance with the standards by submitting data from the first 6 months of the current project year.

Program Compliance Indicator and Annual Data