Announcement of Stand Down Grants

*NOTE: The U.S. Department of Labor is reviewing all Funding Opportunity Announcements for consistency with the Executive Orders titled, “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” issued on January 20, 2025, and “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” issued on January 21, 2025. The Department will take necessary action with the Funding Opportunity Announcement and issue additional guidance including adjusting the close date if appropriate.  

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) supports local Stand Down events that assist veterans experiencing homelessness by providing a wide range of employment, social, and health services.

Stand Down is a military term referring to an opportunity to achieve a brief respite from combat. Troops assemble in a base camp to receive new clothing, hot food, support services, and a relative degree of safety before returning to combat action. A DOL VETS-funded Stand Down event serves a similar purpose; however, it is intended for veterans experiencing or at-risk of homelessness. The critical services provided at these events are often the catalyst that enables those individuals to reenter the workforce.

VETS awards these noncompetitive grants on a first-come, first-served basis to support one-day or multi-day events at up to $7,000 or $10,000, respectively. They are collaborative events coordinated between VA, DOL, other federal, state, and local government agencies and community-based organizations providing services and supplies to veterans experiencing and at risk of homelessness. In the event of a federal disaster declaration, VETS will accept applications up to $50,000 to conduct Stand Down events in the impacted areas.

State, Territory, and Possession, county, city, local, special district, and Native American tribal governments and agencies, non-profit and for-profit entities, state and local workforce boards, institutions of higher education, public and tribal housing authorities and faith-based organizations are eligible to apply.