The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced last week that $10.5 million in funding will be available this year through its Susan Harwood Training Grants program.

The Harwood program, established in 1978 and renamed for former OSHA Office of Risk Assessment director Susan Harwood in 1997, provides money for nonprofits to create and administer hands-on safety training programs for workers across all industries.

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The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced last week that $10.5 million in funding will be available this year through its Susan Harwood Training Grants program.

Groups eligible for grants include community and faith-based organizations, employer associations, labor unions, labor-management associations, universities and Native American tribes. This year, the program will be offering the grants through three target areas:

• Targeted Topic Training grants will support educational programs that address identifying and preventing workplace hazards. The grants will require applicants to conduct training in OSHA-designated workplace safety and health hazards.
• Training and Educational Materials Development grants will support the development of quality classroom-ready training and educational materials that focus on identifying and preventing workplace hazards.
• Capacity Building grants will support organizations in developing new capacity for conducting workplace safety and health training programs. These programs must provide training and education based on identified needs of a specific audience or set of related topics.

Last year, the future of the grants was in question, as it was revealed that the DOL planned to defund the program in fiscal year 2019 in order to hire new Compliance Assistance Specialists, who would provide enough proper training that the Harwood program wouldn’t be necessary.

However, this year’s $10.5 million package is similar to last year’s available funds, which saw $9.3 million awarded to 74 nonprofit organizations nationwide. In 2018, those 74 recipients included:

• The American Road and Transportation Builder's Association;
• The State Building and Construction Trades Council of California;
• The Associated General Contractors of America;
• The Port of San Diego Ship Repair Association; and
• The Sustainable Workplace Alliance.

Details on the grants and how to apply are available at Grants.gov. Applications for Harwood grants must be submitted online no later than 11:59 p.m. EDT on July 2. Applicants must also possess a “D-U-N-S” number and have an active System of Award Management registration.