CLOSED to new applications: Los Angeles County HRTP Cycle 3 CFCI ethical AI workforce development deadline passed Friday, October 30, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and administrator Dalberg offer a competitive High Road Training Partnership (HRTP) Cycle 3 grant track for workforce training in the ethical use of artificial intelligence. The CFCI AI track funds practical training that prepares underserved Los Angeles County residents for in-demand, unsubsidized high-road jobs in which AI use is a core part of actual job responsibilities. It is an applicant-facing financial assistance grant, not a contract for the County to buy AI software.
Available funding
This CFCI AI track has a funding pool of $957,000 across up to one grant. The controlling RFA says award amounts will be determined at contracting and does not establish a separate, guaranteed applicant-level maximum; the track pool should not be interpreted as an automatic individual award. The broader HRTP Cycle 3 competition exceeds $7.7 million across six tracks and up to eight total grants. No mandatory cash-match percentage is stated in the reviewed RFA.
Eligible partnership structure
A qualifying Los Angeles County High Road Training Partnership must include five core roles: a lead applicant and fiscal agent, sector intermediary, employer, labor or worker representative, and training provider. Eligible leads include nonprofits and qualifying for-profit workforce-development providers; government agencies cannot be the lead. The sector intermediary, employer, and labor/worker representative must be distinct legal organizations. Core partners must meet LA County location and good-standing rules, including the RFA’s documented option for establishing a local location by January 1, 2027. Signed agreements or commitments are required for the five roles. Each partnership can submit only one application to one Cycle 3 track.
Required ethical AI training and employment focus
Eligible programs must focus on in-demand high-road occupations that demonstrably use AI as an essential part of the job, rather than treating basic technology marketing, software purchasing, or generic AI awareness as sufficient. The proposed training model must provide practical instruction and exposure to ethical AI use to 100% of program participants. Applicants must support the selected job roles with employer demand, practical curriculum and placement commitments, a workforce readiness model, documented worker voice and benefits, and an effective strategy for placing trainees in unsubsidized jobs.
This is a training and employment opportunity, not a grant automatically restricted to healthcare technology, telehealth, or any particular commercial AI product. Sector eligibility comes from the funder’s actual occupation and HRTP partnership requirements; applicants must document a defensible link between AI functions and the high-road jobs they are preparing workers to obtain.
Project period, reimbursement, restrictions and reporting
Grant design starts January 2027; training must start no later than May 1, 2027, and conclude by December 31, 2027. Recipient reporting, placement verification and retention support continue through March 31, 2028. Proposed budgets must use only RFA-authorized costs and provide required evidence. Awards are reimbursed monthly, generally within 30-45 days after acceptance of complete supported invoices. Indirect costs are generally capped at 10% absent an approved federal negotiated indirect-cost rate. Up to 10% of the award may depend on verified placement outcomes. Standard HRTP reporting and job-quality rules apply.
How to apply
Submit the official complete application PDF, signed core partner MoU/LoC PDFs, detailed Excel budget and PDF logic model by email to HRTP@dalberg.com by Friday, October 30, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Include the required subject line, lead applicant name and attachment list in the email. Submissions must meet all general and AI-track requirements in the RFA; incomplete or late applications will be rejected.
Controlling official sources: LA County DEO Cycle 3 portal and templates, 45-page controlling RFA, and FAQ Round 2 issued October 23, 2026. Verified October 24, 2026. Check later issuer addenda before submission.