Texas Reskilling Support Fund Grant Program
**Revised Round 2 Application Deadline – February 1, 2021**
The Texas Reskilling Support Fund Grant Program is a $46.5 million fund established to provide essential emergency educational support to students that have been most significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and aid in the continuation of their education and economic recovery.
Reskilling Grants to institutions will support displaced Texas workers who need to reskill or upskill to get back into the workforce and Texas students who have previously stopped out of higher education institutions without completing a postsecondary credential.
Funding Source
The Texas Reskilling Support Fund Grant Program stems from the allocation of $175 million provided to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board from the Governor’s Emergency Educational Relief (GEER) Fund. GEER dollars, in turn, originate from the U.S. Department of Education’s administration of the Education Stabilization Fund in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020. The CARES Act (HR 748/S 3548 of the 116th Congress) was signed into law on March 27, 2020.
Grant Purpose
Reskilling Grants will allow institutions to provide financial assistance to Texas students through coverage of student tuition and fees. The grants will support students pursuing high value credentials who are near completion of their postsecondary credential and re-enrolling to complete a postsecondary credential. Reskilling Grants are intended to be deployed as quickly as reasonably possible during the grant period.
Round One Reskilling Grantees
THECB is pleased to announce the first round of awards under the Texas Reskilling Support Fund Grant Program. In October 2020, the Division of Academic Affairs and Workforce Education released a Request for Applications (RFA) so that public higher education institutions grants could provide essential emergency support for tuition and fees to students. Through a competitive process, forty applicants representing forty-nine institutions were selected for awards.
Request for Applications Reskilling Grants Round Two
The THECB will distribute a second round of Reskilling Grants to institutions through a competitive RFA process. All public Texas colleges, technical schools, and universities are eligible to apply. Due to the complex and evolving issues related to the delivery of postsecondary education and training during COVID-19, institutions are encouraged to collaborate with other higher education institutions, employers, and Regional Workforce Development Boards in the development and execution of this effort.
Reskilling grant applications are due by February 1, 2021 by 11:59 pm CDT/CST.
Information Sessions and Webinars for Reskilling Grants Round Two
Round Two Reskilling Grants Informational Webinars for potential applicants were hosted by Coordinating Board staff on January 6, 2021. Session One is a general overview of the RFA designed to support new applicants. The second session is tailored to respond to Round One Grantees interested in applying to Round Two.
Both webinars are accessible through these links:
- Wednesday, January 6, 2021:
Key Dates (Revised)
| Dates | Application Steps |
|---|---|
| December 18, 2020 | RFA Published |
| January 6, 2021 | Informational Webinars at 1:00 and 3:00 pm CDT/CST |
| January 7, 2021 | Last Day for Application Inquiries 5:00 pm CDT/CST |
| February 1, 2021 | Application Deadline 11:59 pm CDT/CST |
| February 22, 2021 | THECB Announcement of Grant Awards |
Reskilling Grant Resources
Applicants should consult appropriate data resources and conduct stakeholder consultations to determine high value workforce credentials for support. The Texas Workforce Commission’s Target Occupations regional lists are an important resource for state and regional labor market information.
In support of the application process, THECB is pleased to announce a new resource for public Institutions of Higher Education seeking information and data on high value credentials. The Brookings Institution has created the Texas Workforce Development Toolkit which offers data sourced from THECB, Texas Workforce Commission, and Burning Glass. The toolkit features growth projection and occupational value metrics, with data and analytics broken down by Texas workforce regions. It may be accessed here: Toolkit
An Information Session on the Texas Workforce Development Toolkit was hosted by Brookings Institution on November 9, 2020. The session recording may be found here.
Webinar - https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/GYNByGXCZykrnHmIHdZitNaGc643pUBJV91_toIFnsqx2voFTGdfpgw9eRPxEOSi.bvZKSf0aq_etkmdd
Passcode: 5X0R%BNR
Be sure to use the passcode to access the recording. The session starts around six minutes in.
Resources from Reskilling Grant Round One
- Reskilling Grants Informational Webinar - November 2, 2020 [Video]
- Texas Reskilling Support Fund Grant Program Presentation - November 2, 2020 [pdf]
Point of Contact
All inquiries and communication concerning this RFA should be directed in writing via email to Reskilling@highered.texas.gov. No contact shall be made with other THECB personnel regarding this RFA. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in the disqualification of an Application.