Wisconsin Fast Forward awards $5,000 to $400,000 to employers for customized training of their workers, reimbursed against actual costs. You bring a match of 50 cents for every grant dollar, in cash or in-kind. The current round closes at 3 p.m. Central on October 5, 2026, with award notices expected around December 1.
Wisconsin Fast Forward is run by the Department of Workforce Development's Office of Skills Development. The Industry Sectors Worker Training Grants reimburse businesses from every industry for customized occupational training for unemployed, underemployed and current workers. The state announced about $5 million for this round.
It is a competitive grant, not a formula. Applications are scored, and each project has to meet performance standards: 85% of trainees complete, 75% see higher wages, more hours or more permanent work, and 75% earn certifications where the course offers one. For a small or mid-sized business, it is a way to train staff to automate repetitive work and compete with larger, better-funded competitors, with the state carrying most of the training cost.
You choose the trainer, and private training providers are eligible. If the vendor is out of state, the application has to explain why a Wisconsin provider could not be used. Our trainer is based in Massachusetts, so we write that justification with you. No more than 15% of the grant can go to soft skills instruction, so the project has to read as technical training.
One rule to know: if grant money pays for new curriculum, that curriculum becomes the Department's property and may be shared publicly. Our courses already exist, so we price them as tuition, not curriculum development.
For Wisconsin businesses in good standing, public agencies and consortiums, training unemployed, underemployed or current workers.
Instructor and training vendor costs, training materials and supplies, curriculum development, and reasonable instructor travel, meals and lodging. Administrative costs are capped at 10% of the grant.
Applications close at 3 p.m. Central on October 5, 2026, and award notices are expected around December 1. Training cannot start until the contract is signed, has to start within 90 days of it, and has to finish within the grant period of up to two years.
A 40-person company sends four people through one course. Tuition is $12,000. If the match is cash toward tuition and the project is approved, the grant could cover $8,000 and the company $4,000. The state holds back 2% of the award until the project's deliverables are complete.
The five courses are the same in every state: 10 instructional hours, live and instructor-led, $3,000 per trainee, two-seat minimum. Start with who will be in the room. A mixed group of managers, admins and customer-facing staff belongs in AI Enablement for Small Business Teams. If the pressure is in the back office, AI for Finance, Accounting and Payroll Teams is built for the people who close the month and run payroll.
Contractors, home services and any crew-based business should look at AI for Field Service and Trades Businesses. Law, accounting, medical, dental, architecture and advisory offices fit AI for Professional Practices. And if you have someone who lives in spreadsheets, exports and reports, Claude Code for Operations and Data Teams is the technical option, with a smaller cohort of up to 6.
In Wisconsin, the application is scored, so the course has to read as hard, technical skills tied to higher wages. Claude Code for Operations and Data Teams and the role-specific courses make the clearest case. Soft skills can be no more than 15% of the grant, so we frame any course around the specific tools and workflows your team will learn.
A 15 minute call to confirm eligibility, pick the course and the trainees, plan the match, and write the justification for the cost and for an out-of-state trainer.
You submit the application through the Wisconsin Fast Forward online grant application system by 3 p.m. Central on October 5, 2026. The state expects to notify grantees around December 1.
Nothing starts until the contract is fully signed. Training has to begin within 90 days of it. Your team takes 10 hours of live, instructor-led training over 4 to 5 weeks, and you pay the invoice.
You submit reimbursement requests with supporting documents through the Department's COMET system. The state holds back 2% of the award until the deliverables are complete.
Plan your AI rollout as two budgets: training through the grant, and implementation as its own project. Our free AI capability audit maps the second one.
It can, through Wisconsin Fast Forward, if your application is funded. The Industry Sectors Worker Training Grants reimburse businesses in any industry for customized training, with awards of $5,000 to $400,000 and a 50% cash or in-kind match. AI is not named either way, so the training has to read as technical, job-specific skills.
About $2,000, if your match is cash toward tuition and the project is funded. The match is 50 cents per grant dollar, so the grant covers about two-thirds and you cover one-third. Four seats at $12,000 means up to $8,000 from the grant and $4,000 from you.
Yes, in practice. The smallest award is $5,000. With a cash match, that takes $7,500 in training costs, which is three $3,000 seats or more. Two seats alone fall below the minimum under that math.
3 p.m. Central on Monday, October 5, 2026. Award notices are expected around December 1, 2026. Training cannot start until the contract is signed.
Wisconsin businesses in good standing, current on taxes and financially viable, plus public agencies and consortiums. The trainees have to be based at Wisconsin locations, or you have to pay Wisconsin unemployment insurance on them.
Your current employees, hired before the contract starts, as well as unemployed or underemployed people you train for jobs. The program's goals are full-time work, higher-level work or higher wages, and 75% of trainees have to see a wage, hours or employment gain.
Yes, you choose, and private training providers are eligible. If the vendor is out of state, the application has to explain why a Wisconsin provider could not be used. Our trainer is based in Massachusetts, so we write that justification with you. Approval is not guaranteed.
It needs a justification. There is no per-trainee cap, but the state publishes average costs by sector, including $2,241 for IT and $2,058 for financial services, and asks applicants to justify costs well above them. We build that case with you.
No. Trainee wages, stipends and fringe benefits are not eligible grant costs. The state's definition of in-kind match does not say whether trainee wages can count, so we confirm that before you plan on it.
As reimbursement, after you pay. You submit requests with supporting documents through the Department's COMET system. The state holds back 2% of the award until the project's deliverables are complete.
Not software or equipment for the business, and not implementation work. Capital equipment, real estate and training funded elsewhere are excluded. The grant pays for training costs such as instructors, materials and reasonable instructor travel.
Move fast. Send the form and we will tell you on a short call whether your project clears the minimum, how to structure the match, and whether it is worth applying by October 5. You can also email the program at WisconsinFastForward@dwd.wisconsin.gov.