The United States Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced 26 grants totaling $147 million through the Workforce Innovation Fund. The grants range from $1 million to $12 million each and were awarded to a combination of state and local organizations that have developed innovative strategies for workforce development.

One of the goals of the Workforce Innovation Fund is to measure the effectiveness of each program. As a condition of the grants, recipients will be required to evaluate their efforts.

"The Workforce Innovation Fund was created to cultivate and test innovative approaches to workforce training," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "Developing new and creative strategies and expanding existing programs we know work will help make the workforce system more effective to unemployed Americans and employers looking for qualified employees."

When the DOL first announced the availability of these funds, it anticipated providing just $98 million. However, upon receiving a vast number of highly qualified applications, the department decided to extend additional grants. If other foundations find themselves in a similar situation when embarking on a fundraising effort, they might benefit from grant management software, which can provide greater visibility into available funds.