Program purpose awardto strengthen the ability of eligible migrant and seasonal farmworkers (msfws) and their dependents to obtain or retain unsubsidized employment, stabilize their unsubsidized…

United Migrant Opportunity Services (Umos) received a $2,047,942 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration under the National Farmworker Jobs Program (CFDA 17.264) effective July 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. This award supports comprehensive workforce development and related assistance services for eligible migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their dependents in Illinois. Services delivered through a case management approach include basic and individualized career services, occupational skills training leading to industry-recognized credentials, youth workforce development activities for participants aged 14-24, and supportive services including allowance payments and short-term direct assistance to help farmworkers retain agricultural employment or participate in career and training programs.

The grant requires Umos to collect and report performance data to the Department of Labor on standard Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) metrics, including employment rates, median earnings, measurable skill gains, and credential attainment. As an established nonprofit organization with extensive experience serving vulnerable farmworker populations, Umos must maintain detailed accounting, personnel, and individual participant records in accordance with federal Uniform Guidance requirements and demonstrate its capacity to effectively administer workforce investment activities that promote economic self-sufficiency and stable employment among eligible farmworkers.

Program purpose awardto strengthen the ability of eligible migrant and seasonal farmworkers (msfws) and their dependents to obtain or retain unsubsidized employment, stabilize their unsubsidized employment and achieve economic self-sufficiency, including upgraded employment in agriculture, and housing grant recipients work to meet a critical need for safe and sanitary permanent and temporary housing. Grantees may be any entity familiar with the workforce challenges of migrant and seasonal farmworkers. Congress appropriates separate funding for nfjp employment and training grants and for nfjp housing grants. Grants run on a program year from july 1ST september 30TH and a grant competition is held every four years for state service areas.activities to be performedto ensure that all services are focused on the customers needs, services are provided through a case management approach emphasizing customer choice to include: basic and individualized career services training services - eligible msfws are not required to receive career services prior to receiving training services youth services, as available in the wioa youth program related assistance services which includes allowance payments which includes short-term direct assistance that helps farmworkers and their family members to retain their agricultural employment or to participate in career or training services and supportive services. Nfjp housing grantees provide farmworkers with housing assistance, including direct payments for emergency and temporary housing. Other indirect assistance includes leveraging services to increase or maintain housing stock available to farmworkers and housing development designed to improve living conditions for underserved farmworker communitiesdeliverables expected outcomeall wioa adult funded programs require states to collect and report data to DOL on performance measures. The targets for the states are negotiated between DOL and the states. Wioa programs have performance outcomes of employment rate second quarter after exit, employment rate fourth quarter after exit, median earnings second quarter after exit, measurable skill gains, credential attainment rate, and effectiveness in serving employersintended beneficiary(IES)eligible migrant farmworker whose agricultural labor requires travel to a job site such that the farmworker is unable to return to a permanent place of residence within the same day and a low income seasonal farmworker who for 12 consecutive months out of the 24 months prior to application for the program who has been primarily employed in agricultural or fish farming industries thats characterized by chronic unemployment or underemployment. Eligible msfw youth is aged 1424 who is individually eligible or is a dependent of an eligible msfw.subrecipient activitiesyes, grant recipients can sub to other local agencies and non-profit organizations.