Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Grant for Program Year 2026-27 (PY 26-27)

Who can apply

NonprofitPublic AgencyTribal Government

Each of the 10 EMS Pilot sites selected by the EMS Intermediary will be eligible to apply for $850,000 to $1,250,000. Final award counts and amounts may be adjusted depending on the number of successfully submitted proposals. No applications from organizations outside of the 10 EMS Pilot sites will be considered.

Where: The 10 Pilot sites operate out of the following counties: Riverside, Contra Costa, Glenn, Butte, Colusa, San Bernadino, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Los Angeles, Ventura, Sacramento, and San Diego.

Purpose

EMS Program funding will be awarded to increase the number of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) in local communities with a particular focus in the inclusion of young adult participants who come from a disadvantaged or underrepresented backgrounds, including experience in the justice system.

Description

The Employment Development Department (EDD), in coordination with the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA), announces the availability of up to $8.5 million in Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Governor’s Discretionary funds for the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Program Year 2026-27 (PY 26-27) Solicitation for Proposals (SFP). EMS Program funding will be awarded to increase the number of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) in local communities with a particular focus in the inclusion of young adult participants who come from a disadvantaged or underrepresented backgrounds, including experience in the justice system. The selected pilot sites have designed, developed, and implemented programs incorporating data-driven strategies to increase the number of EMTs in local emergency health services throughout the EMS Corps Rounds 1 and 2. The continued funding intends to maintain meaningful and sustainable industry investment and partnerships, bolster healthcare systems, and continue to develop projects with the best potential to place participants into quality jobs and career pathways leading to self-sufficiency. The goal of EMS Program is to recruit, train, hire, and advance an ethnically and culturally inclusive health and human services workforce, with improved diversity and higher wages, who can service the community they live in with primary life support care and support their community's healthcare system, and fill workforce shortages in emergency medical services. Strong applicants will demonstrate the capability to continue existing collaboration between the Local Emergency Medical Service Authority (LMSA), fire departments, local training providers, and their partners, including labor partners, on implementing cohort training programs to increase ethnic and cultural diversity in the EMS workforce. These efforts should result in strategies that successfully recruit, train, and employ individuals as EMTs in counties across California. In addition to the EMT curriculum, this program must also continue to offer a holistic suite of wrap-around support, case management, and supportive service interventions designed to address the needs of the target populations to support program completion. Applicants must demonstrate the ability to leverage at least 20 percent of their budget with leveraged resources from other sources.  Applicants are encouraged to leverage human capital, and utilize other resources to maximize the project's success. Proposals must be received by 11:59 p.m. PT on November 2, 2026. An informational webinar will be held on October 15, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. PT.  Pre-registration is required for all attendees. Please register through the following link by October 15, 2026 at 12 p.m. PT: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qaI8bbIqQFSYP-wYWWuFSw. The EDD encourages applicants to submit a Notice of Intent to apply by October 16, 2026, at noon PT to [email protected]. To view the SFP, visit the EDD Workforce Development Solicitations for Proposals webpage.

Important dates

Opened

Oct 8, 2026

Application deadline

Nov 2, 2026

Expected award announcement

12/31/2026

Period of performance

3/1/27-3/31/29

Funding details

Total estimated available

$8,500,000.00

Estimated amount per award

Between $850,000.00 and $1,250,000.00

Expected number of awards

Between 1 and 10

Letter of intent required

No

Matching funds

Not Required

Funding source

Federal

Funding source notes

A total of $8.5 million in federal WIOA funds are made available through this solicitation. The EDD anticipates that up to 10 projects may be awarded.

Funding method

Reimbursement(s)

Funding method notes

The EDD will contact the subrecipients to finalize the sub contract details. The EDD may request that the sub contracts incorporate changes to the original project proposals. After all exhibits are finalized, the awardee will officially enter into a sub contract with EDD to provide the services and serve the number of participants listed in the contract for the amount awarded.

How to apply

Read the full guidelines on the grantor's site, then apply there. Nothing is submitted through this site.

Submission: email: [email protected]

• Grant guidelines & application ↗
• Employment Development Department ↗
• Original listing on grants.ca.gov ↗

Questions about this grant: name: Brandon Raveling; email: [email protected]; tel: 1-916-891-9189;