Innovate Alabama Talent Pilot Program

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About

Launching in April 2025, the Innovate Alabama Talent Pilot Program aims to catalyze sustainable talent development across Alabama by funding emerging programs within the state’s talent ecosystem.

Designed to provide a foundational year of support to innovative for-profit entities, the program offers grants that serve as proof of concept for talent initiatives, enabling organizations to pilot, test and refine innovative approaches to workforce and talent development. Through this pilot, Innovate Alabama seeks to foster scalable solutions that align with state economic priorities, enhancing Alabama’s capacity to develop and retain a skilled and innovative workforce.

Specifically, the program will prioritize initiatives focused on work-based learning. The Innovate Alabama Talent Pilot Program represents a pivotal investment in Alabama’s future, facilitating a collaborative environment for addressing critical talent needs while building a resilient, forward-looking workforce infrastructure.

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Grant Award Details

• Funding will be for one-year agreements with a cumulative funding cap of up to $350,000 per grant recipient.
• Initiatives that are awarded less than $350,000 for their first year may apply for a second year with a cap of the balance between their initial award and $350,000.

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Use of Funds

• Initiatives that have been previously declined for any other Innovate Alabama funds may lose eligibility to receive pilot funding. Innovate Alabama will review proposals on a case-by-case basis to make determinations.
• Applicants may submit one pilot program proposal per calendar year. Applicants will be awarded only once in a twelve-month period and must expend all the funding from one project before applying for another project.
• The initiative’s primary focus must be providing skills, knowledge and resources in STEM fields or entrepreneurship.
• The initiative’s target audience can be K-12 students and/or educators, higher education students and/or educators, or adult workforce.
• The initiative must demonstrate a focus on developing, retaining and/or attracting STEM and/or entrepreneurial talent to the state of Alabama.
• The initiative proposal must provide tangible metrics and outcomes as well as a strategy to track them.
• The initiative proposal must provide for strategies that will sustain the program long-term, including strategies to scale the program beyond the pilot phase as well as a proposed sustained funding plan (besides Innovate Alabama funding).
• The following initiatives will receive special consideration:
  • Initiatives that generate a regional (i.e., multi-jurisdiction) impact
  • Initiatives that capitalize on partnerships among multiple organizations
  • Initiatives that focus on rural impact

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Apply

Applications close May 23 at 5 p.m. CT.