Women's Bureau

The Department of Labor Women's Bureau, a civilian sub-agency within the Department of Labor, administers federal funding and contracting to expand employment opportunities and economic security for women, particularly in nontraditional occupations and apprenticeships. The Bureau operates through two funding streams: direct contract procurement and federal grant-making to eligible organizations.

On the contract side, the Women's Bureau has issued 637 awards totaling $18.3 million in combined potential value since 1991, with $16.8 million obligated. Recent contract activity is sparse: 4 awards in 2017, 8 in 2018, 3 in 2019, 3 in 2023, and 1 year-to-date in 2026. The most recent award closed on 2026-09-11. The contract portfolio is highly fragmented across 380 distinct prime contractors. Over the last five years, ICF Incorporated, L.L.C. leads by award count with 2 recent awards totaling $724 thousand in potential value, followed by The Urban Institute with 1 award valued at $965 thousand and Government Acquisitions LLC with 1 award valued at $520 thousand. The top three primes account for 100 percent of recent awards but only 12 percent of combined potential value, reflecting the atomized nature of the portfolio. Contract competition is open: 93 percent of awards carry no set-aside designation, with small-business set-asides accounting for 4 percent of awards and individual designations (8(a), WOSB, SDVOSB) totaling 2 percent.

Grant activity is more robust. The Bureau has awarded 111 grants totaling $63 million in federal dollars obligated since 2001, with a combined federal and non-federal total of $69.4 million. Grant cadence over the last five years ran 11 awards in 2021, 12 in 2022, 14 in 2023, 14 in 2024, and 7 in 2025. The most recent grant award closed on 2025-09-30. Grant recipients are fragmented across 62 distinct organizations. Over the last five years, Chicago Women In Trades dominates with 3 awards totaling $3.4 million in federal dollars, followed by Fresh Start Women's Foundation with 2 awards valued at $2.7 million and Southern Nevada Building Trades Unions Non-Profit Development Corporation with 1 award valued at $2.9 million. The top five recipients account for 17 percent of recent awards and 19 percent of recent federal dollars, indicating a dispersed recipient base. Grant assistance is predominantly Project Grants (96 percent of awards) with a small share of Cooperative Agreements (4 percent). No recent grant or contract opportunities are recorded in the source data.

The Department of Labor's Women's Bureau works to safeguard the interests of working women, advocates for equality, and promotes quality work environments.