Susan Harwood Training Grant Program

Program Overview

OSHA competitively awards grants to nonprofit organizations through its Susan Harwood Training Grant Program. Grant awards support organizations that train employers and workers on recognizing, avoiding, and preventing workplace safety and health hazards. Workers and employers learn about their rights and responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act. Solicitation for the Susan Harwood Grant Program is a function of Congressional budgetary approval and appropriation by the Department of Labor.

Program Background

OSHA established its discretionary grant program in 1978, titled New Directions. In 1997, the program was renamed in honor of Susan Harwood, a former Office of Risk Assessment director in OSHA's Health Standards Directorate. During her 17-year tenure with the agency, Dr. Harwood helped develop OSHA standards to protect workers exposed to bloodborne pathogens, cotton dust, benzene, formaldehyde, asbestos, and lead.

Grant Opportunities

The types of grant opportunities offered each year may vary. Recent grant opportunities have been awarded to nonprofit organizations under the Targeted Topic Training, Training and Educational Materials Development, and Capacity Building programs.

  • Targeted Topic grantees must train workers and employers on occupational safety and health hazards associated with one of the OSHA-identified training topics.
  • Training and Educational Materials Development grantees must develop, evaluate, and validate classroom quality training materials on one of the OSHA-identified training topics.
  • Capacity Building grantees must focus on expanding the organization's occupational safety and health training and education expertise by developing a training program for a targeted audience, industry, or a new safety and/or health topic. The organization must establish a plan to continue the training program beyond the end of the capacity building period without additional grant funds.
OSHA Selected Grant Topics

OSHA-identified training topics are selected based on the agency's training needs and can vary from year to year. Topics may relate to injury and illness rates, workplace fatality statistics, national emphasis programs, or new regulations and support training needs in most industries.

Who is Eligible?

Eligible applicants include:

  • Nonprofit organizations
  • Public/state-controlled institutions of higher education

Ineligible applicants are federal, state, and local government agencies.

How to Apply for a Grant

Notices of Funding Opportunities are published in the Federal Register and posted on the government-wide Grants.gov website. Grants.gov is the single access point for all Federal grant-making agencies. Organizations must use Grants.gov to apply for Federal grants. To apply, organizations must register with SAM.gov and complete the Grants.gov registration process, which may take up to two weeks to process. Grant applications cannot be submitted until the registration process is complete. Sam.gov requires organizations to review their registry to remain active and eligible for grant funding. See Applicants | Grants.gov for guidance.

How to Find Training Classes

Grantees can list their training sessions on the OSHA website at Current Susan Harwood Grantee-Developed Training List | Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Additionally, interested parties can learn more about training classes that Susan Harwood grantees are conducting by contacting their OSHA Regional office. Each Regional office has a program coordinator who monitors the grant activities and training. For contact information, see OSHA Regional offices.

Best Practices for Training

The Best Practices for Development, Delivery, and Evaluation of Susan Harwood Training Grants document was created to assist grantees in developing, delivering, and evaluating training for workers and employers. Being a good training provider takes preparation, skill, and flexibility.

How to Access Grantee Training Materials

Many Harwood grantees develop training materials and products that address workplace safety and health hazards as part of their grant activities. As applicable, OSHA posts the Grantee Materials - By Topic | Occupational Safety and Health Administration, where training materials may be accessed and downloaded at no charge.

The materials developed by grantees meet the needs of various training audiences (e.g., workers and employers). They are available in multiple formats such as training manuals, PowerPoint presentations, PDF files, etc. As additional training products become available, OSHA will post them on this site.

Please note:

  • Disclaimer: The material produced under a Susan Harwood Training Grant from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U. S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U. S. Government. The U.S. Government does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed.

  • Copyright Information: The materials available on the Susan Harwood Training Grant program website may be copyrighted property of the grantee. By federal regulation, OSHA reserves the right to use and disseminate such material to promote safety and health in the workplace. The grantees allow employers and workplace safety and health professionals to use these materials, distributed by or through OSHA, in their workplaces or practices per the guidance in the material.

  • Permission is granted to use the copyrighted material solely for non-commercial, instructional, personal, or scholarly purposes. The material may be used and incorporated into other workplace safety and health programs on the condition that no fee is charged for the subsequent use. Use of the material for any other purpose, particularly commercial use, without the prior, express written permission of the copyright owner is prohibited. Any modification to the material is prohibited without the copyright owners prior, express written permission.

Additional Information

For more information on the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program, please visit the OSHA website at Susan Harwood Training Grant Program | Occupational Safety and Health Administration or contact OSHA via email at HarwoodGrants@dol.gov.