Extreme Heat

Los Angeles, CA – The Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) is launching its next investment to build a resilient, green, and equitable workforce. On September 28, DEO will release the Request for Applications (RFA) and open submissions for Cycle 3 of the High Road Training Partnership (HRTP) Fund.

Marking the third major investment since the Fund’s inception in 2025, Cycle 3 introduces an infusion of up to $6.9 million in new grant funding. The funds will be split across up to seven grants, empowering qualified, labor, employment, and community partnerships to design industry-driven and worker-centered training programs.

The funding opportunity invites qualified partnerships to apply for grants that develop and deliver innovative workforce development programs. These HRTPs will provide training to underserved Los Angeles County residents, connect them to quality jobs, and advance systems change across industries. Applications will be due Friday, October 30, 2026, by 12:00 PM (PDT).

Cycle 3 braids together three distinct funding streams to tackle the region’s most urgent infrastructure, industry, and community needs.

1. California Assembly Bill 338 (AB 338): Dedicated to wildfire workforce recovery, prioritizing rebuilding, recovery, and resilience efforts in sectors hardest hit by the 2025 wildfires.
2. Safe Clean Water Program (SCWP): Focused on preparing local talent for essential stormwater infrastructure operations and maintenance careers in LA County to improve water quality, increase our local water supply, and provide community benefits, like green spaces and parks.
3. Care First Community Investment (CFCI): Directing equitable resources into high-growth occupations and priority sectors, including:
   • Industries tied to the upcoming LA28 Olympic Games (transportation, retail, hospitality, food services, arts, media, and entertainment); and
   • Occupations that require and incorporate the ethical use of artificial intelligence.

Eligible partnerships include sector intermediaries, community-based organizations, organized labor, industry associations, employers, educational institutions, job centers, apprenticeships, and industry-informed training providers.

Since its launch in 2022, DEO has invested more than $39.7 million in HRTPs to support more than 3,000 participants across high-growth and opportunity sectors. DEO’s HRTP Fund programs, with more than 27 launched  to date, are modeled after California’s nationally recognized framework that brings together employers, labor, educators, community-based organizations, and workers to design industry-informed training that leads to quality jobs, career advancement, and stronger regional economies. By centering worker voice, equity, and employer demand, HRTPs help address workforce shortages while creating sustainable pathways to economic mobility for Los Angeles County residents.

“We have worked to create more High-Road Careers for our residents to earn family-sustaining wages. This funding is a direct investment in workers and in the partnerships best positioned to train them for good jobs. With up to $6.9 million in new funding across seven grants, we’re backing an industry-driven, worker-centered approach to workforce development, and I encourage strong partnerships across the County to apply when the RFA opens on September 28th,” said Second District Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell.

“Through HRTPs and the HRTP Fund, DEO is building an ecosystem where labor, industry and employers, workers, and community come together to tackle LA County’s most defining challenges,” said Kelly LoBianco, Director of the DEO. “Whether it’s rebuilding from climate crises, securing our water infrastructure, or positioning our workforce for global stages like the LA28 Games and the AI revolution, Cycle 3 is about rewriting the script on local economic mobility. By investing in these high-road partnerships, we are ensuring that our county’s massive economic engines directly fuel family-sustaining careers for those who need them most.”

Interested HRTP applicants are encouraged to begin preparing now by:

• Reviewing LA County DEO’s HRTP website, which includes resources about the program and showcases past and current HRTPs (https://opportunity.lacounty.gov/hrtp/);
• Formalizing partnerships with the core HRTP partners (sector intermediary, employer, worker/labor representative, training provider);
• Identifying both an industry and a workforce challenge that the proposed HRTP aims to resolve; and
• Scoping projects for awards of up to $1 million.

Learn more about the HRTP Fund by visiting DEO’s website at: https://opportunity.lacounty.gov/hrtp/