The Greater Memphis Workforce Development Board was awarded a grant via the CARES Act. This grant will allow Greater Memphis to provide additional training dollars to employers of Fayette, Lauderdale, Shelby, and Tipton Counties effected by COVID-19.  The funding is only available for training taking place between September 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020.  

Employer qualifications are listed below:

Qualifying Businesses

  • Grantee must be a classified as a Tennessee for-profit business or other not-for-profit; nonprofit entities will be considered on a case by case basis

  • Businesses in operation at least one (1) year (IWT only)

  • Businesses which employ at least five full-time employees

  • Business must be in-demand or in-balance industry or declining industry with justifying reasons for eligibility

  • Businesses current on all local, state, and federal tax obligations

  • Businesses not currently or recently experiencing, nor expecting to experience, a bankruptcy – all businesses must be a financially viable

  • Businesses must not appear on any federal suspensions or debarment list

Costs That May Qualify for Reimbursement

Grant funding may reimburse all or part of the costs of training eligible employees.  Reimbursable expenses include:

  • Instructors’/trainers’ salaries (capped at actual amount or$50/hour if company trainers are used, whichever is less)

  • Curriculum development (not to exceed 5% of total State obligation.  State obligation is defined as the time necessary for company officials to determine training needs or the actual development of curriculum)

  • Textbooks and manuals

  • Materials and supplies

  • Tuition expenses (tuition defined as being provided by an institution regulated by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission)

Non-Reimbursable Costs

  • Trainees’ wages

  • Purchases of capital equipment

  • Purchase of any item or service that may possibly be used outside of the training project

  • Travel expenses of trainers or trainees

  • Assessment, testing, or certification fees

  • Language training unless specific to terms of employment

  • Advertisement or recruitment

To be considered for funding the employer must complete the pre-application located on the State’s website,  https://www.tn.gov/workforce/employers/training-redirect/grants-for-training.html. Upon completion Greater Memphis staff will contact the employer with next steps.

Additional information is available upon request, if there are any questions, please contact Roderick Woody at RWoody@Workforcemidsouth.com or Phyllis Brunson at PBrunson@Workforcemidsouth.com.