OSHA's FY2026 Harwood Grant Window Has Closed: Training Resources and Next Steps for Employers

What Are the Susan Harwood Training Grants?

The program overview explains that OSHA funds eligible nonprofit and other organizations to deliver training on recognizing, avoiding, and preventing workplace hazards. The program also helps workers understand their rights and employers understand their responsibilities.

The program began in 1978 and was renamed in 1997 for Susan Harwood, a former OSHA official who helped develop important worker-protection standards. Its continued operation depends on congressional approval and appropriations, so a prior year's funding does not guarantee a future competition with identical terms.

The program specifically targets:

• Small businesses that often lack dedicated safety staff or budgets for comprehensive training
• High-hazard industries with elevated rates of injury, illness, and fatality
• Hard-to-reach worker populations including those with limited English proficiency, low literacy, and workers in underserved communities

FY2026 Funding Details

The July notice announced $12,787,000 across two funding opportunities:

Targeted Topic Training

The official targeted-topic listing, SHTG-FY-26-01, specifies instructor-led training addressing no more than two OSHA-designated topics. It sets a maximum award of $215,000 and a 12-month performance period beginning September 30, 2026 and ending September 30, 2027.

These are the announced opportunity terms, not confirmation that any particular organization has received an award. The listing explains that selected applicants receive a notice of award and that funds are obligated when the recipient acknowledges and accepts that notice.

Use the actual notice for the eligible topic list. OSHA says priority topics can change from year to year; a familiar hazard or an item in an older training library is not automatically an eligible topic for a particular competition.

Training and Educational Materials Development

The second opportunity, SHTG-FY-26-02, supports development of classroom-ready training and educational materials. Its terms should be checked separately; do not assume the targeted-topic award ceiling or every application condition applies identically to both categories.

Eligibility Is Different From Training Participation

The FY2026 targeted-topic opportunity identifies these eligible categories:

• Nonprofit organizations, including institutions of higher education
• OSHA-approved State Plans receiving the specified grants under section 23(g) of the OSH Act
• Entities operating OSHA On-Site Consultation programs
• OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Centers

An ordinary business seeking training should not assume it qualifies to receive a grant merely because its workforce is in the program's intended audience. Review the specific eligibility requirements. Participating in a provider's training and applying for a federal award are different activities.

The opportunity restricts organizations to one grant award per fiscal year. It also says that if an organization submits multiple applications for this or other Harwood opportunities, OSHA reviews the last viable application package. This is not permission to receive a separate award for every category or organizational role.

Why This Matters for Occupational Health

OSHA's overview identifies small employers and workers facing training-access barriers as priorities. For an occupational health or safety team, outside training can be a useful resource when internal capacity is limited, provided the material fits the actual work.

Evaluate the course against the workplace's hazards, employee roles, language needs, and applicable requirements. Grant support is not a guarantee that a general course satisfies every site-specific training obligation or that it replaces required engineering controls, protective equipment, or supervision.

Treat the recommendations below as a training-selection workflow, not additional legal duties created by the grant announcement.

What This Means for Employers

The closed application window does not prevent employers from examining existing materials, contacting training organizations, or identifying gaps in their own programs.

1. Check Availability Before Scheduling

As of the September 21 update, OSHA's training directory displayed "FY2026 data not available." Do not interpret that as a confirmed schedule of newly funded courses. The directory also explains that organizations supply their own listings and should be contacted directly for details.

When a provider offers a relevant course, confirm:

• The intended audience and prerequisites
• Dates, location or remote format, and participant limits
• Languages and accessibility arrangements
• Any cost and the specific funding or eligibility conditions
• The learning objectives and records supplied after completion

2. Use Existing Materials Carefully

OSHA's program overview links a library of free grantee-developed training materials. It permits use for non-commercial, instructional, or workplace-safety purposes, but says materials may not be modified or used commercially without written permission from the copyright holder.

Check publication dates, the rules discussed, and whether examples fit your operations. Arrange any needed site-specific instruction separately and respect the materials' stated permissions. OSHA's directory cautions that grantee training does not necessarily reflect current agency views or policy.

3. Support Workforce Development Partnerships

Employers in high-hazard industries can strengthen their safety culture by:

• Collaborating with local community colleges, trade unions, or nonprofit organizations that hold Harwood grants
• Offering worksite access for practical, hands-on training components
• Providing subject-matter expertise to help grant applicants design relevant curricula

Before offering a training site, agree on responsibilities, participant safety, and the scope of activities. A partnership should make delivery clearer, not leave either organization assuming the other has addressed workplace-specific hazards.

Keep the FY2026 Dates as Historical Milestones

For tracking the announced cycle:

1. Announcement: July 1, 2026.
2. Application deadline: July 31, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Eastern time; closed.
3. Targeted-topic ceiling: $215,000.
4. Targeted-topic performance period: September 30, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
5. Application/award distinction: A funding announcement is not an award to a particular applicant.

The official opportunity listing preserves the targeted-topic description and related documents. For any future competition, check the new notice and registration instructions rather than reusing these dates.

Plan Training Around Current Workplace Needs

Separate the grant calendar from the safety calendar. If employees need training for work they perform now, do not defer that training while waiting for a future grant-funded class. Identify another suitable resource or arrange qualified instruction that addresses the applicable requirements.

Similarly, distinguish effective standards from proposals discussed in training materials. A proposed rule does not become an employer requirement because a course references it. Assign a knowledgeable reviewer to check time-sensitive material before it is used in workplace instruction.

These practical checks help make outside resources useful without treating federal funding as an endorsement of every statement in a course or a substitute for the employer's own responsibilities.

What Employers Should Do Now

For an employer seeking training or an organization planning future applications:

1. Review current training gaps. Identify the workers, hazards, and tasks that need attention, using applicable standards and the facts of the workplace.

2. Check provider information directly. Use OSHA's program resources as a starting point, then confirm availability and course suitability with the organization.

3. Remove obsolete application reminders. Mark July 31 as closed. Monitor the official program page for future opportunities without promising that next year's funding or terms will be the same.

4. Keep useful training records. Retain relevant completion details and verify any recordkeeping required by the applicable standard. A certificate alone does not prove that every required competency was addressed.

5. Review practical application. Ask supervisors whether workers can apply the instruction to their tasks, identify remaining gaps, and arrange any needed follow-up.

Sources

• OSHA Susan Harwood Training Grant Program
• Federal Register — Susan Harwood Training Grant Program, FY 2026
• Simpler.Grants.gov: FY2026 Targeted Topic Training Opportunity
• OSHA: Harwood Program Overview and Training Resources
• OSHA: Current Harwood Training Directory