DOL’s $81M RESTART Initiative Moves Into Awards
The U.S. Department of Labor’s RESTART initiative has moved into the award stage, with government records confirming multimillion-dollar grants in Indiana, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Delaware for reentry employment, training and apprenticeship programs.
The Department of Labor announced the Reentry Employment in Skilled Trades, Advanced Manufacturing, Registered Apprenticeships, and Training initiative, or RESTART, on February 25, 2026. The department made approximately $81 million available under FOA-ETA-26-17, said it intended to fund up to 20 projects nationwide, and set individual awards at up to $5.1 million.
DOL now lists RESTART among the Employment and Training Administration’s Grants Awarded in 2026. The $81 million figure is the amount announced as available under the funding opportunity; it should not be read as confirmation that exactly $81 million has been obligated.
Selected RESTART Awards Confirmed in Government Records
Indiana Department of Workforce Development — $5.1 million
The Indiana Department of Workforce Development states that it secured a one-time $5.1 million RESTART grant to connect formerly incarcerated adults age 25 and older with employment, training and Registered Apprenticeships in high-demand industries.
Indiana’s announcement also states that approximately $4.3 million of the RESTART award will support regional service delivery through Local Workforce Boards, including training, work-based learning, supportive services and employer incentives.
Louisiana Works — $5.1 million
Louisiana Works reported on July 21, 2026 that it had been awarded $5.1 million through the U.S. Department of Labor’s RESTART initiative to expand employment opportunities for people returning from incarceration.
Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry — $2,999,999
Pennsylvania announced on August 18, 2026 that its Department of Labor & Industry received a $2,999,999 U.S. Department of Labor investment to implement RESTART for approximately 400 justice-involved youth and young adults through December 2029.
Pennsylvania states that $335,999 is allocated to state implementation and $2,664,000 is distributed among four local workforce boards: Partner4Work in Allegheny County ($851,000), Lancaster County Workforce Development Board ($518,000), Montgomery County Workforce Development Board ($444,000), and Philadelphia Works ($851,000).
Delaware Department of Labor — $2,499,999
The Delaware Department of Labor’s federal grant disclosure identifies a $2,499,999 U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration competitive award for the RESTART Initiative Grant — Adult. Delaware reports that the program is federally supported by that award with no nongovernmental financing.
What the federal funding supports
DOL said RESTART is intended to help people with criminal records or previous justice-system involvement obtain training and employment in skilled trades and other high-demand industries. Eligible services identified by DOL include pre-apprenticeships, work-based learning, AI and digital-literacy training, credential attainment and paid work experiences, with a focus on Registered Apprenticeships.
The department said approximately $30 million of the funding would be allotted to national or regional intermediary organizations serving youth and young adults. Remaining funds were intended for states, territories and tribes implementing state-led projects integrated with the public workforce system under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
What the funding means
The verified awards show federal reentry workforce funding moving through state and regional employment systems at multimillion-dollar scale. Indiana and Louisiana each report awards at the announced $5.1 million maximum, while Pennsylvania and Delaware report awards of approximately $3 million and $2.5 million, respectively.
For participating individuals, RESTART-funded projects may expand access to occupational training, credentials, paid work experiences, pre-apprenticeships and Registered Apprenticeship pathways. For workforce systems, the awards add federal resources for programs connecting justice-involved participants with training and employment opportunities.
The four recipient-level awards independently verified here total $15,699,998. That figure is a confirmed subset, not a statement of the full national amount awarded under RESTART.
Federal award status
DOL currently lists RESTART — FOA-ETA-26-17 under its 2026 awarded grants. The underlying funding announcement described approximately $81 million as available and said the department intended to fund up to 20 projects.
Until DOL publishes or exposes a complete recipient-level award table, the final number of recipients and total amount obligated under the competition should be treated as not yet established by the public federal record reviewed for this article.
Primary government sources
- U.S. Department of Labor — Grants Awarded in 2026
- U.S. Department of Labor — RESTART announcement, February 25, 2026
- U.S. Department of Labor — FOA-ETA-26-17
- Indiana Department of Workforce Development — RESTART award announcement
- Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry — RESTART announcement
- Delaware Department of Labor — Federal Grant Funding Disclosure Statements
- Louisiana Works — RESTART award newsfeed entry
