The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) has announced the Fostering the Future Together: Empowering Youth for a Safe Digital World funding opportunity, supporting projects that promote child well-being, online safety, positive youth development, education, digital skills, and protection from child labor and online exploitation.

The funding opportunity, FOA-ILAB-26-43, provides approximately $15 million in total funding through cooperative agreements. Up to five organizations are expected to receive awards ranging from $2 million to $3 million each.

This is an organization-focused funding opportunity rather than an individual grant. Eligible organizations from the United States and other countries may apply, provided they satisfy the detailed requirements in the official Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).

Opportunity Overview

The opportunity was posted on August 11, 2026, and the current announcement lists September 10, 2026 as the closing date.

What Is the Fostering the Future Together Grant?

The Fostering the Future Together (FTFT) initiative is designed to support international projects addressing challenges affecting children and young people in the digital era.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs is making approximately $15 million available for five cooperative agreements. The projects are intended to support the FTFT global coalition’s goals related to:

• Child well-being
• Online child protection
• Positive youth development
• Prevention of child labor
• Prevention of online exploitation
• Access to quality education
• Digital skills development
• Safe pathways into employment
• Apprenticeships and skills training
• Strengthening government capacity
• Collaboration with the private sector

The full FOA indicates that projects are expected to operate internationally and complement or build upon relevant country commitments under the Fostering the Future Together global coalition.

What Will the Funding Support?

The funding is intended for projects that address interconnected challenges facing children and youth, particularly the risks associated with digital technologies, child labor, exploitation, education, and transitions into employment.

According to the FOA, proposed projects should focus on several major areas.

1. Expanding Access to Quality Education

Organizations may develop projects designed to connect children who are at risk of or have withdrawn from education with quality education opportunities and technology-enabled learning.

The objective is to help vulnerable children access educational opportunities that can support their development and future prospects.

Projects should consider the specific circumstances of the country where they will operate and demonstrate how proposed activities respond to local needs.

2. Connecting Youth With Skills and Apprenticeships

Another major focus is connecting young people of legal working age with safe, market-relevant apprenticeship and skills-training opportunities.

The program particularly emphasizes:

• Digital skills
• Workforce preparation
• Apprenticeships
• Dignified employment
• Market-relevant training
• Technology-enabled learning
• Introduction of America EdTech tools and training

The objective is to help young people develop skills that can improve their employment prospects while ensuring that pathways into work are safe and appropriate.

3. Protecting Children From Online Exploitation

The opportunity also focuses heavily on online safety.

Funded projects may develop and implement:

• Child-centered online safety protocols
• Online safety tools
• Training modules
• Educational resources
• Awareness initiatives
• Protection mechanisms

These interventions are expected to address risks including online exploitation, predatory practices, and the recruitment or involvement of children in harmful labor activities through digital platforms.

The FOA specifically highlights the importance of developing resources for educators, parents, and children.

4. Strengthening Government Capacity

The program recognizes that preventing child labor and online exploitation requires strong national and local institutions.

Projects may therefore work with governments to strengthen their capacity to:

• Prevent online exploitation
• Enforce child labor laws
• Respond to emerging digital threats
• Protect children and young people
• Improve relevant systems and policies

This makes government engagement an important component for organizations developing their project proposals.

5. Working With the Private Sector

The funding opportunity also encourages partnerships with private-sector stakeholders.

These partnerships can help develop sustainable, market-driven solutions addressing child labor and online exploitation risks.

Applicants should therefore consider whether businesses, technology companies, educational organizations, employers, or other private-sector actors can contribute meaningfully to their proposed intervention.

Learn More Here

Where Will Projects Be Implemented?

The funding is intended for international implementation.

The FOA states that up to $15 million will support projects implemented in five countries, with at least one project in each of the following regions:

• Africa
• Asia
• Latin America and the Caribbean

The project must comply with the FOA’s country eligibility and geographic requirements. Applicants should therefore consult the full announcement carefully before selecting a proposed implementation country.

This means that organizations should not assume that every country worldwide is automatically eligible.

The geographic focus must correspond with the countries and requirements specified in the official FOA.

Who Can Apply?

The funding opportunity is designed for organizations rather than individual applicants.

The eligibility information published by Simpler.Grants.gov states that eligible applicants may include:

• Commercial organizations
• International organizations
• Educational institutions
• Non-profit organizations
• Faith-based organizations
• Community-based organizations
• Public international organizations (PIOs)

Faith-based organizations are specifically encouraged to apply.

The Department of Labor also states that it will not discriminate in the selection or administration of awards based on an organization’s religious character, affiliation, exercise, or lack thereof, where the organization is otherwise similarly situated to eligible secular organizations.

Important Eligibility Point

Although the public eligibility summary identifies broad categories of organizations, applicants must satisfy all applicable requirements in the full FOA, including country, project, partnership, and technical requirements.

Organizations should therefore not rely solely on the short eligibility summary when determining whether they qualify.

International and U.S. Organizations Can Apply

The eligibility structure is broader than many U.S.-only government funding opportunities.

The published eligibility information includes international organizations and non-U.S. organizations, in addition to U.S.-based entities.

Therefore, eligible organizations from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the United States, and other relevant locations may potentially participate, subject to the specific country and project requirements of the FOA.

This is particularly significant for organizations already working on:

• Child protection
• Digital safety
• Youth development
• Education
• Child labor prevention
• Workforce development
• Digital skills
• Online exploitation
• Public policy
• Labor rights

Letter of Support Requirement

One of the important requirements identified in the FOA is that applicants must obtain a letter of support from the relevant country’s Office of the First Spouse or an appropriate designee.

An appropriate designee may include institutions such as:

• The Foreign Ministry
• The Ministry of Labor
• Another designated government authority

This requirement means organizations should not wait until the final days before the deadline to begin preparing their government engagement and supporting documentation.

Applicants should review the full FOA for the exact requirements concerning the letter and the relevant government authority in the proposed implementation country.

Project Duration

The FOA anticipates a project period of up to 27 months from the award date.

Applicants may propose a shorter implementation period if that better aligns with their strategy and project design.

A strong proposal should therefore demonstrate how activities can be realistically implemented, monitored, and evaluated within the proposed period.

How Much Funding Is Available?

The program has an estimated total funding pool of:

$15,000,000

The Department expects to make:

5 awards

Each award is expected to fall within the range of:

• Minimum: $2,000,000
• Maximum: $3,000,000

No cost-sharing or matching contribution is required according to the funding announcement.

This makes the opportunity particularly significant for organizations capable of implementing large-scale international projects.

What Is a Cooperative Agreement?

The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, rather than a conventional grant.

A cooperative agreement generally involves substantial involvement by the awarding federal agency during the implementation of the funded project.

Applicants should therefore be prepared to work closely with the U.S. Department of Labor and comply with applicable federal requirements throughout the project.

Key Program Themes

Organizations considering an application should ensure that their proposed project clearly connects with the central objectives of the funding opportunity.

Key themes include:

Child Well-Being

Projects should contribute to improving children’s safety, development, education, or overall well-being.

Online Safety

Projects should address the growing risks children face through digital platforms and online environments.

Child Labor Prevention

Proposals should contribute to preventing child labor and addressing factors that place children at risk of exploitation.

Positive Youth Development

Projects should help young people build skills, resilience, opportunities, and pathways toward productive futures.

Digital Skills

The opportunity places particular importance on preparing youth for a rapidly changing digital economy.

Safe Employment

Young people of legal working age should be connected to safe and dignified employment pathways.

Government Capacity

Projects should contribute to stronger systems for addressing child labor and emerging online threats.

Private-Sector Partnerships

Organizations are encouraged to engage private-sector actors to support sustainable solutions.

Why This Opportunity Matters

The digital transformation of society has created significant opportunities for children and young people, but it has also introduced new forms of vulnerability.

Children can encounter exploitation, predatory behavior, harmful content, recruitment into labor, and other risks through online platforms.

At the same time, young people need relevant skills to participate successfully in modern labor markets.

The Fostering the Future Together opportunity attempts to address these challenges through an integrated approach combining:

1. Education;
2. Digital safety;
3. Child protection;
4. Skills development;
5. Apprenticeships;
6. Government capacity;
7. Private-sector collaboration; and
8. Prevention of child labor and exploitation.

This makes the opportunity potentially relevant to organizations working across multiple sectors rather than only traditional labor-focused organizations.

Learn More HERE

Potentially Relevant Organizations

Organizations whose existing work aligns with the program may include:

• Child protection organizations
• Youth development organizations
• Education-focused nonprofits
• Digital literacy organizations
• Technology organizations
• Community-based organizations
• Faith-based organizations
• Labor rights organizations
• Workforce development organizations
• International development organizations
• Research and policy institutions
• Educational institutions
• Public international organizations
• Organizations working on online safety
• Organizations addressing child labor
• Organizations supporting vulnerable children and youth

Eligibility, however, depends on the full requirements of the FOA and the proposed project.

What a Strong Project Proposal Should Demonstrate

Given the scale of the funding, applicants should develop proposals that are specific, measurable, realistic, and closely aligned with the FOA.

A competitive proposal should clearly explain:

1. The Problem

What specific child, youth, labor, education, or online safety problem exists in the proposed country?

2. The Target Population

Who will benefit from the intervention?

This could include children, adolescents, youth of legal working age, educators, parents, government officials, employers, or other stakeholders.

3. The Proposed Solution

What will the organization actually do to address the identified problem?

4. The Country Context

Why are the proposed activities appropriate for the selected country?

5. Government Alignment

How does the project complement existing national priorities and the country’s commitments under the Fostering the Future Together global coalition?

6. Partnerships

Which government, private-sector, educational, community, or international partners will participate?

7. Measurable Results

What specific outcomes will be achieved, and how will progress be measured?

8. Sustainability

How will the project’s impact continue beyond the period of federal funding?

Application Requirements

The full FOA requires a substantial application package.

According to the available FOA summary, applications include a detailed technical proposal of up to 50 pages, addressing areas such as:

• Project design
• Milestones
• Targets
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Work plans
• Organizational capacity
• Key personnel
• Management plans

Applicants must also provide detailed cost proposals using the applicable SF-424 family of forms.

Because this is a multi-million-dollar cooperative agreement, organizations should allow sufficient time to prepare the technical and financial components.

No Matching Requirement

A significant advantage of this funding opportunity is that cost sharing or matching is not required.

Applicants therefore do not have to provide a mandatory matching contribution as a condition of applying.

Nevertheless, applicants should prepare a realistic and well-justified budget that demonstrates responsible use of federal funds.

Application Deadline

The application deadline is:

September 10, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

Applications must be submitted electronically by the stated deadline.

Organizations should not wait until the final day because preparing a large technical proposal, securing required supporting documentation, completing federal forms, and submitting through Grants.gov can require significant time.

The Department of Labor’s FOA indicates that award decisions are expected between September 30, 2026, and December 31, 2026, although this timeframe may change.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted electronically through grants.gov in response to funding opportunity number:

FOA-ILAB-26-43

Applicants should:

1. Review the complete Funding Opportunity Announcement.
2. Confirm that their organization meets the eligibility requirements.
3. Confirm that their proposed country is eligible.
4. Review the programmatic priorities.
5. Develop a project that directly responds to the FOA.
6. Identify appropriate government and implementation partners.
7. Obtain the required letter of support.
8. Prepare the technical proposal.
9. Prepare the monitoring and evaluation components.
10. Develop the required work plan.
11. Prepare the organizational capacity and key personnel sections.
12. Complete the required federal application forms.
13. Develop the detailed cost proposal.
14. Review all requirements for completeness.
15. Submit the application electronically through Grants.gov before the deadline.

Applicants should use the official funding announcement and its attachments as the authoritative source for all application requirements.

Important Documents

The funding opportunity provides supporting documents that applicants should review carefully.

These include:

• FOA-ILAB-26-43_FTFT.pdf — the primary Funding Opportunity Announcement.
• Financial System Risk Assessment Form — a required supporting financial document where applicable.

The official opportunity page also provides access to updates and the Grants.gov application system.

Contact Information

Questions regarding the Funding Opportunity Announcement may be directed to the Bureau of International Labor Affairs.

Email: OGM_ILAB@dol.gov

Applicants should review the FOA for instructions concerning the submission of technical questions and applicable deadlines for questions.

Important Considerations Before Applying

Organizations should pay particular attention to several issues.

This Is Not an Individual Grant

The funding is intended for organizations capable of designing and implementing substantial international projects.

Country Eligibility Matters

An organization cannot simply choose any country. The proposed project must meet the geographic requirements of the FOA.

Government Support Is Important

Applicants must secure the required letter of support from the relevant country’s Office of the First Spouse or appropriate government designee.

The Proposal Is Substantial

The application requires extensive technical and financial information. Organizations should begin preparing well before the deadline.

Alignment Is Essential

A project should directly respond to the objectives of the Fostering the Future Together initiative rather than simply being a general youth-development project.

Partnerships Can Strengthen Implementation

Organizations should consider relevant government, educational, private-sector, and community partners that can contribute to successful implementation.

Visit HERE for more information about the Fostering the Future Together: $15 Million U.S. Grant Opportunity.

Conclusion

The Fostering the Future Together: Empowering Youth for a Safe Digital World funding opportunity provides approximately $15 million for projects addressing child well-being, online safety, child labor, education, digital skills, youth development, and safe pathways to employment.

The U.S. Department of Labor expects to make five cooperative agreements, with individual awards ranging from $2 million to $3 million. Projects may operate for up to 27 months, and no cost-sharing requirement applies.

The opportunity is particularly relevant to organizations working in child protection, education, youth development, digital safety, workforce development, labor rights, technology, and international development. It also provides an opportunity for organizations to collaborate with governments and private-sector stakeholders to address emerging challenges facing children and young people in the digital age.

Eligible organizations should carefully review the complete Funding Opportunity Announcement, confirm the eligibility of their proposed country and project, secure the required government support, and prepare a strong technical and financial application.

Application deadline: September 10, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

Official application platform: Grants.gov — Fostering the Future Together funding opportunity

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