UI Integrity Center of Excellence Operations
Closed Posted
- Opportunity number
- ETA-UI-2026-01
- Agency
-
Employment and Training Administration
Department of Labor
- Applications due
- Award size
- Up to $9,000,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
-
- 17.225 Unemployment Insurance
- Funding instrument
- Cooperative Agreement
- Category
-
- Employment, Labor and Training
- Eligible applicants
-
- Other
- Points of contact
-
- Rahel Bizuayene bizuayene.rahel@dol.gov
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Employment and Training Administration intends to award a $9 million cooperative agreement to the National Association of State Workforce Agencies' Center for Employment Security Education and Research (NASWA/CESER) for continued operations of the Unemployment Insurance Integrity Center of Excellence, with an application due date of September 25, 2026. This is a sole source award; only NASWA/CESER is eligible to apply.
NASWA/CESER, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated in August 1994, has operated the UI Integrity Center since FY 2017 and serves as the collective voice of state workforce agencies on unemployment insurance matters. The organization is deemed uniquely qualified for sole source award under Department of Labor Manual Series 2, Chapter 800, Section 836(G)(3) because funding any other entity would result in work duplication costs, major project disruption, and significant delays in delivering products and tools needed by states.
The UI Integrity Center's primary mission is to serve as a state-driven source of innovative program integrity strategies to prevent, detect, and recover improper payments; reduce fraud; and ensure UI program compliance with the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019. The Center provides training and technical assistance to states to improve UI program integrity, develops and disseminates transferable and scalable UI program integrity resources and fraud prevention tools, and enables rapid alerts to states on new improper payment practices and fraud schemes as they emerge.
Funding derives from the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (Public Law 119-75) as part of the Department of Labor's appropriation for State Unemployment Insurance and Employment Service Operations. The CFDA number is 17.225. The period of performance extends through March 2027.
Synopsis
The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) intends to award a cooperative agreement to the National Association of State Workforce Agencies' Center for Employment Security Education and Research (NASWA/CESER) for continued operations of the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Integrity Center of Excellence (Integrity Center). The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (Public Law 119-75) provides Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 funding for federal agencies and provides "... $9,000,000 for continued support of the Unemployment Insurance Integrity Center of Excellence... ." as part of the Department of Labor's appropriation for State Unemployment Insurance and Employment Service Operations. The UI Integrity Center has been operated by the NASWA/CESER since FY 2017. NASWA/CESER is a 501(c)(3) entity incorporated in August 1994 as an education and research arm of the NASWA, which is a national organization of state administrators of the publicly-funded state workforce system and is a leading provider of information technology, education, and research support focused exclusively on UI and workforce development initiatives and activities. The primary mission of the UI Integrity Center is to provide training and technical assistance to states to improve UI program integrity; develop and disseminate UI program integrity resources and promote innovative new tools and products that are transferable and scalable for all states to prevent UI improper payments and enhance fraud prevention solutions; and enable rapid alerts to states on new improper payment practices and fraud schemes as they are identified.
Eligibility
Sole Source Award to Center for Employment Security Education and Research
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Notice_of_Intent_to_Award_Sole_Source.pdf |
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