FAA Shows Plans for Maintenance Technician Grant Program

In the Sept. 8 issue of the U.S. Federal Register, the FAA published a request for comments on its plan for administering the Aviation Maintenance Technical Workers Workforce Development Grant Program. The program was championed by ARSA and a broad coalition of industry interests in 2018, resulting in its inclusion in that year’s FAA reauthorization law. Since then, the association has lead a successful campaign to get congressional funding for the program and continued to press the agency to stand it up.

The request for comments is a significant step towards actual grants flowing to aviation businesses, schools, government entities and labor organizations focusing on aviation career development. Five million dollars in total funding will be made available this year, disbursed in grants ranging from $25,000 to $500,000. The government’s intended schedule for collecting applications will begin with a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) on Nov. 13.

In addition to this timeline, the FAA’s Sept. 8 posting describes eligible applicants, overviews the application process and provides example criterion for successful applications. Interested parties should:

(1) Submit comments on the FAA’s plan. When the initial NOFO is released, it will be done in consideration of substantive comments provided in response to this request. While the program’s structure and primary details are unlikely to change, getting involved with the agency could help to tailor fine details related to how the final grants are awarded.

(2) Begin preparing to respond to the NOFO in November. Though changes can be made in response to comments, the agency has provided its road map for successful grant applications. Utilizing the request for comment, entities planning to apply for grants can use it to be first in the door when applications are officially open.