Request for Proposals (RFP)
FAME Catalyst Grant – Early-Stage Support
Enter your email to download the RFP.
The Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) is the premier American model of manufacturing skills training, developing highly skilled, professional and sought-after talent to meet the unique needs and challenges of modern manufacturing.
Created by Toyota, the program has rapidly expanded with the Manufacturing Institute’s (MI) leadership and support, now building talent pipelines across 17 states through more than 40 chapters. These chapters address local workforce needs with FAME’s Advanced Manufacturing Technician (AMT) training model.
To expand FAME’s national reach and impact, the MI is seeking proposals from organizations interested in establishing a FAME chapter in their region.
The selected organizations will receive funding and support to build a coalition of 8-12 local manufacturers committed to launching the chapter, and to identify a community college willing to be the education partner.
Proposals must be submitted to the application portal (coming soon) by April 10. Organizations will be notified of their selection on April 30. The period of performance will be about six months, with the goal of manufacturers and community colleges entering FAME Academy in October 2026.
Program Outcomes
FAME’s ability to deliver results at scale is well established. Since its launch in 2010, the program has produced strong outcomes for both students and employers:
Employers who participate in FAME gain access to a reliable pipeline of highly skilled, work-ready technicians who understand their culture, expectations and operations. FAME’s employer-led structure empowers sponsoring employers to make key decisions on aspects like chapter curriculum, recruitment and priorities, allowing outcomes to be tailored to local industry needs.
Partnership
Learning about FAME
The MI will host FAME 101 Information Sessions on March 5, March 13, and March 24. Please register here to learn more about FAME and ask any questions you may have about the program. Please note, this is not a session on this RFP and no questions on this RFP will be addressed.
Learning about this RFP
MI will host Office Hours for this RFP on March 9, March 13, March 23, and March 26. Please register here.
This is the time to ask questions about this RFP.
Who Should Apply
The MI is looking for local or regional organizations who have demonstrated credibility with manufacturers in the geography they represent and wish to serve as the organizing entity for the FAME multi-employer apprenticeship program. Examples of hub organizations currently in the FAME network include:
Grant Activities
If you are selected, you will be working with the MI and FAME USA to start a FAME chapter in your location. The period of performance will be about six months and if successful, you, a group of committed employers, and their selected community college partner will enter the FAME Academy starting in October 2026. The FAME Academy teaches every new region how to deliver the FAME program and operate the FAME Chapter to deliver global-best results year-over-year. Students will be selected in the Spring of 2027 and begin employment at their selected company and classes at the community college partner in August 2027.
Your job over the six-month period of performance is to build a group of 8-12 manufacturers that are committed to working together to start a FAME chapter. This means they are willing to sponsor students in the first FAME class and in most years after that. You will also identify the community college that will be your education partner.
Don't worry.
The MI and FAME USA have done this in dozens of regions around the country. We have a process that works and we will be with you every step of the way.
Enter your email to download the RFP.
Selection Process
We’ll release the application portal and scoring rubric shortly. What you need to do is show us that you are the right organization in your community to rally the manufacturers to start a FAME chapter.
Here are a few examples of how you can do that:
Demonstrate your relationship with the manufacturing sector in your region.
Prove you have the convening power to bring manufacturing companies to the table.
Show a few manufacturers that already trust you on workforce.
Share why previous efforts to create manufacturing workforce programs succeeded or failed and what you learned.
Barriers
We have done this in a lot of places.
We know that every community has barriers to starting any new workforce program, much less one that requires as many partners as FAME does. It can be scar tissue from old disagreements. A lack of trust between the industry and one of your local colleges. An 800-pound gorilla. You should be honest with us about what the barriers are in your community. This project won’t succeed unless we are ready to address them. And if you don’t know what the barriers are, you are probably not the right organization for this grant.
Prerequisites
There are some base requirements that you need to meet to be eligible for this grant.
For example, if you don’t have an accredited community college in your region or if it does not offer a degree program in industrial maintenance or similar discipline, you are ineligible for this grant. You may still be able to start a FAME chapter, but not at the pace that this grant requires. We’ll ask a few questions early in the application to make sure you are the right fit for this opportunity.
Allowable Costs
The MI will award each selected organization $50,000. The funds awarded under this grant will be restricted to supporting activities in service of starting a FAME chapter. This includes staff time, travel, and a small amount of necessary supplies. What we want is your time over the next six months to work with us to start a FAME chapter in your area and we are willing to pay for it.
Number of Grantees
We hope to select 6-8 organizations under this grant opportunity, but it final number depends upon the quality of the proposals.
FAME National Conference
May 12-14 in Jacksonville, FL
If you are awarded funds under this grant, you will be expected to attend the FAME National Conference on May 12-14 in Jacksonville, FL. If you apply for this grant, please hold those dates. We know the timing is tight. It was unavoidable.
Measuring Success
There is only one measure of success under this grant – did you start a FAME chapter in your region? This is defined as enrolling in the FAME Academy starting in October 2026 with a critical mass of companies committed to participating in the FAME program and a community college committed to being the education partner for those companies.
That’s it.
Cost of Starting FAME
This grant is not intended to cover the cost of starting a FAME chapter. It is intended to organize the companies in your region to begin the process. If you are successful in this grant and enroll in the FAME Academy, your region will develop a plan to cover the costs. However, for this grant, it is important to know that the costs are coming and that you will need a way to cover them.
For every chapter, the biggest cost is purchasing equipment for your college partner.
The FAME model requires only FAME students in FAME technical classes, so your college partner needs a new lab for FAME. The equipment cost of an entire new lab is approximately $2 million. These costs can be spread over several years and are typically covered by a combination of grants, contributions, donations, and smart planning of existing annual resources.
Relationship to Registered Apprenticeship
The activities under this grant do not preclude or require participation in the Registered Apprenticeship program. After a FAME chapter is formed, individual companies may choose to participate in Registered Apprenticeship. Across the current FAME program, approximately 15% of FAME students are Registered Apprentices.
Don’t worry about Registered Apprenticeship right now. The decision to register or not to register will be made at a later date.
Proposal Components
Please try to address the questions asked under each category. * indicates required.
Lead Organization (6,000 characters)*
Tell us about your organization. Who do you serve? What is your core mission? What is your staff makeup? What is your relationship to the manufacturing sector in your geography? What is your experience in workforce programs? What makes you likely to succeed in this project?
Manufacturing Sector (6,000 characters)*
Describe the manufacturing sector in your geography. What are the key sectors? Who are the biggest companies? What are they doing in workforce right now? Are any of your companies participating in FAME at other locations? Have they expressed an interest in starting a FAME chapter in your location? How is manufacturing a part of the region’s economic growth strategy? What are the major barriers to manufacturing companies working together on this program?
Other Sectors (3,000 characters)*
The technicians trained through FAME are qualified to maintain automated equipment in any industry. Please identify other major sectors in your geography that would be competitors for similarly skilled talent. Who are the largest employers in those industries and do you believe they would be willing to partner with the manufacturing sector through FAME? Why?
Higher Education (3,000 characters)*
Who are the community and/or technical college(s) in your region? Describe the relationship between the college(s) and the manufacturing sector. What are their current offerings (Certificate, AA/AAS) in the core manufacturing disciplines (Mechatronics/IM/Automation, machining, welding)? How would manufacturers describe the effectiveness of those offerings? What are the major barriers to creating a partnership with the college(s) to deliver FAME? Is one college the clear choice to be the FAME education partner? Why?
Why FAME (6,000 characters)*
There are many successful workforce development models. Why is FAME the right answer for your community? Did you learn or hear about FAME from somewhere? What makes you believe that FAME would be successful where other efforts have failed? How will FAME complement existing apprenticeship and/or education efforts in manufacturing?
Need To Know (3,000 Characters)
What else do we need to know? It can be strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, or threats about your organization, geography, industry, or history. Don’t write just to fill character spaces. If there is something else, tell us. If not, leave it blank.
Application Portal COMING SOON
Review & Selection
Proposals will be evaluated based on:
Milestones
Proposals will be evaluated based on:
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RFP Opens:
March 1, 2026; see www.FAME-USA.com/RFP for details
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FAME 101 Sessions:
March 5, March 13, March 24; registration link here: https://calendly.com/jtonydavis/fame-overview
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Office Hours:
March 9, March 13, March 23, and March 26; registration link here: https://calendly.com/jtonydavis/rfp_office_hours
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Deadline:
April 10, 2026; submissions are reviewed as received
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Selection Notification:
April 30, 2026
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FAME National Conference:
Selected entities will be required to attend the Conference, May 12-14, 2026, in Jacksonville, Florida. Details here: https://themanufacturinginstitute.org/events/2026-fame-national-conference/