Questions & Answers

In May 2026, the Building the Future Workforce Challenge was launched to identify, test, and scale sustainable, tech-forward solutions that will strengthen the advanced manufacturing and technician workforce—today and for the future. This challenge welcomes fresh perspectives on training from various sectors and geographies and will award up to five teams $1 million each to implement their bold solutions over a maximum two-year project period. Winning solutions will have the opportunity to be implemented in Caterpillar facilities and Caterpillar communities—providing a testing ground for introduction, replication, and scale.

Note: The testing, evaluation, monitoring and/or assessing the feasibility, viability or implementation potential of winning solutions will occur in select Caterpillar facilities or Caterpillar communities. Applicants will identify their preferred locations on the registration and application forms.

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The Building the Future Workforce Challenge requires each applicant to identify a Lead Organization who will assume responsibility for the receipt and management of any award.

While Lead Organizations may be located anywhere around the world, teams must demonstrate the ability to implement their proposed solutions within the continental United States, Brazil, India, or Mexico. The following types of organizations are eligible to apply as a Lead Organization:

• For-profit, limited liability company or partnership
• Non-profit or fiscally-sponsored non-profit (including 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(6) entities)
• College or university
• PreK-12 public, private, or charter school Note: If awarded, solutions led by educational entities should implement their proposed solution at more than one school and should not be limited to serving only that Lead Organization.
• Benefit corporation, flexible purpose entity, or similar “hybrid” entity

Eligible Lead Organizations are welcome to collaborate with non-profit organizations, for-profit companies, foundations, K-12 schools, colleges and universities, government agencies, individuals, and other entities to implement the proposed solution. Review the Rules for a complete set of eligibility requirements and take the readiness quiz to help gauge if you are eligible and a strong fit for this challenge.

The following are not eligible to participate or apply as a Lead Organization:

• Government entities, including non-501(c)(3) preK-12 education entities, tribal governments, United Nations agencies, inter-governmental bodies, and regional cooperation agencies.
• Current Caterpillar Foundation or Caterpillar Inc. Social Impact Fund awardees.
• Individuals, including employees of Competition Sponsor, Carrot, and any of their subsidiaries and affiliates, and immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where they live) or persons living in the same households of such employees.

Review the Rules for a complete set of eligibility requirements and take the readiness quiz to help gauge if you are eligible and a strong fit for this challenge.

Past Caterpillar Foundation or Caterpillar Inc. Social Impact Fund awardees are eligible to serve as a Lead Organization and/or as part of a team. Please be sure to note any past work with Caterpillar Foundation or Caterpillar Inc. in responses within your application, such as under Track Record & Capabilities or Other Considerations.

Current Caterpillar Foundation or Caterpillar Inc. Social Impact Fund awardees are not eligible to participate.  

Eligible Lead Organizations are welcome to collaborate with other nonprofit organizations, companies, foundations, schools, colleges and universities, government agencies, individuals, and other entities to develop and implement the solution. By listing a collaborator, the Lead Organization confirms they have conducted due diligence on any partner organizations included in the application and takes accountability for the disbursement and management of any subgrants should the Lead Organization receive an award from Building the Future Workforce Challenge.

Organizations proposing to work together may be asked to provide a fully executed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), or a similar agreement, signed by all participating organizations. This agreement must demonstrate that all parties acknowledge that a single eligible entity (the Lead Organization) serves as the Winner, with full direction, control, and supervision of the proposed project, including the management of all Award funds and responsibility for all reporting requirements. This MOU will not be collected during the application process but may be requested from teams that are selected as awardees.

The Building the Future Workforce Challenge aims to identify, test, and scale innovative, sustainable solutions that will address today’s and tomorrow’s advanced manufacturing and industry technician skill gaps. A core requirement of any solution is that it remains relevant amid evolving technology—ensuring that breakthrough innovation and human potential rise together.

Strong proposals for Building the Future Workforce Challenge will meet four criteria outlined in the scoring rubric, and proposed solutions must focus on one or more of the following solution categories for Building the Future Workforce Challenge:

• Build interest and awareness of advanced manufacturing and industry technician careers: Shift perceptions among students, teachers, parents, and/or other key influencers by showcasing the opportunities available in modern manufacturing and technician careers
• Prepare new workforce entrants for “day one” success: Implement flexible, sustainable solutions that keep pace with technology and industry needs, enabling learners to arrive job‑ready and increasing the likelihood of retention
• Upskill and reskill the current manufacturing and industry technician workforce: Expand career pathways and mobility by implementing flexible, sustainable solutions that keep pace with technology, enabling current employees to build new technical and leadership capabilities

Please review these Resources and take the readiness quiz to help gauge if you are eligible and a strong fit for this challenge.

All applicants must provide clear data and evidence that the approach has delivered the proposed results and impact. Eligible solutions will be at one of the following project stages:

• Validated concept: Early‑stage idea that has undergone testing or review, producing initial evidence that the approach is effective and worth further development
• Proof of concept: Solution tested on a small scale with internal evaluations or outcomes assessments that demonstrate feasibility in real‑world or controlled environments
• Validated Solution: Solution with demonstrated effectiveness, supported by measurable outcomes and consistent performance across multiple settings or implementations
• Ready to Scale: Proven solution with strong internal and external evidence indicating it is prepared for broader, large‑scale implementation with fidelity
• Operating at Scale: Mature solution that is widely deployed, supported by established external assessments of impact, and benefiting from ongoing iteration to further strengthen outcomes

Note: On the application form, teams must demonstrate they will meet all staffing, funding, and other resource requirements necessary to begin the two-year project period. Awards are expected to be announced in early 2027, so applicants may use March 2027 as the project period start date for the purposes of this application (dates are subject to change). Applicants will have opportunity to explain plans and other funding sources on the application under Contingency & Financial Sustainability and Other Project Financing.

Please review the Resources and the read-only version of the application for more information.

The following project types are not eligible:

• Traditional education or credentialing, including degree programs, accredited certifications, or standalone curriculum development
• Academic research without a clear pathway to real world testing, deployment, and scale
• HR systems or enterprise infrastructure, such as applicant tracking, payroll, HRIS, or performance management tools
• Recruitment marketing or employer branding, including job boards or awareness-only initiatives without a skills development component
• Policy advocacy or regulatory reform efforts
• One-off pilots or bespoke implementations that lack a credible plan for replication or global scalability
• Low-tech or manual service models that are not enabled by digital, AI, or platform-based solutions
• White-collar or knowledge worker only solutions not applicable to industrial or frontline workforces
• Physical infrastructure or capital projects, including construction of facilities or equipment purchases without a learning or workforce-enablement layer

Award funds must be used for the project for which they are intended and may be dispersed to partners for project-related purposes. Award funds may not be used:

• For non-charitable purposes;
• To influence the outcome of any specific public election or to carry on, directly or indirectly, any voter registration drive (within the meaning of United States Internal Revenue Code (“Code”) section 4945(d)(2));
• To carry on propaganda or otherwise to attempt to influence legislation within the meaning of Code Section 4945(d)(1);
• To distribute funds to any organization not related to the proposal;
• To make a grant to any organization not identified in the proposal, to make a grant to any individual for travel, study, or other similar purposes, or to make a grant to any organization, except in compliance with the provisions of Sections 4945(g) or (h), as the case may be;
• For the creation of any endowment or for the aggregation of philanthropic capital by organizations that regrant to nonprofit organizations;
• For the creation of a venture capital fund, or pooled funds to invest in or distribute to for-profit organizations;
• For loans or microloans to individuals, nonprofit, or for-profit entities;
• To fund general operating support for the Lead Organization and/or any partners;
• To fund political organizations (501(c)(4) organizations and 527s).
• For government services.

Review the Rules for a complete set of eligibility requirements.

We encourage you to first assess your fit and eligibility for the Building the Future Workforce Challenge, then register no later than 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Tuesday, July 30, 2026, to participate. Registration is required and is a simple two-step process. First, create a username and password then check your inbox to confirm your registration. Next, complete the online registration form.

Once you are registered, submit your application online no later than 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Thursday, August 25, 2026.

Please note: In the interest of fairness, the application deadline is firm and the platform closes automatically at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time. Please plan to log on and enter your application responses on to the platform well ahead of the August 25 deadline.

If you have questions or need technical support, please email us ahead of the August 25 deadline to help make sure we can assist you.

Each Lead Organization may only complete one submission, except as described below. An organization can serve as a partner on a team for multiple applications provided that each application proposes a separate, distinct solution. This means each solution can only be submitted once, and we leave it up to each team to designate their eligible Lead Organization.  

Regional or location-specific branches of larger organizations, as well as departments, schools, and nonprofits within or based in a college/university, can each register and submit separately as the Lead Organization on one application. Participants may list both the parent organization and the specific applicant/project in the Lead Organization field on the registration form, such as College/Department (Parent organization) or Parent Organization – Project Name.

In all circumstances described above, the proposed projects must be separate and distinct. There should be no overlap in team members. The intent of the policy is to ensure that any team is concentrating their best effort into a single application. We encourage teams to select a single project that best represents your organization's ability to deliver a solution that meets the scoring criteria.

Review the Rules for more information.

Each application must include a brief video of no more than 90 seconds that showcases your project. This DOES NOT need to be a professionally produced video – a video shot on a smartphone is acceptable. The quality of your video will not impact the outcome of your proposal.

The following are instructions for recording and uploading your video on YouTube:

1. Record a video using your smartphone’s camera app
2. Download and open the YouTube app
3. Sign-in or create an account on YouTube  
4. In YouTube, select “Create” > “Upload a Video”
5. Select your video and press “Next”
6. Set your video’s visibility to “Unlisted,” which will allow only those with the URL link to view your video (do not set to private or public)
7. Select “Upload Video”
8. Check to make sure embedding is turned on.

For more information about video guidelines, review the submission requirements. If you need technical support, you can email us.

Yes, you may update the registration form until the application deadline at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Thursday, August 25, 2026. From the Submissions tab of the platform, you can select Registration Form to update this information.

Your submission may be shared with five of your fellow applicants as part of Peer-to-Peer Review, five Evaluation Panel members, the Selection Committee, and the Building the Future Workforce Challenge team during the evaluation process.

Portions of your applications may be published online and shared with the general public to promote your proposal or to highlight results. Those portions may include, but are not limited to: Lead Organization, Lead Organization Website, Solution Title, Solution Statement, Executive Summary, Video Pitch, and Solution Description.

We have compiled these resources to help strengthen your application.

Once the submission deadline passes, the Building the Future Workforce Challenge team will perform an administrative review to confirm each submission meets the Rules and submission requirements before advancing to Peer-to-Peer Review.

To remain eligible for the award, all applicants are required to participate in, and complete, the Peer-to-Peer Review process in October 2026. Applications that advance to Peer-to-Peer Review will be scored by five fellow applicants and will result in a rank order of all eligible submissions. Based on the rank order of scores, along with additional considerations (e.g. variety of solution types, geographic balance, and feasibility), a selection of top-scoring applications will move forward to the Evaluation Panel. Applicants that advance to the Evaluation Panel will be reviewed by five judges. Both peer reviewers and the Evaluation Panel will use the scoring rubric to provide scores and valuable feedback on assigned submissions, and all scores will be statistically normalized to ensure fairness.

Informed by the resulting rank order of applications after Evaluation Panel review, along with additional considerations (e.g., variety of solution types, geographic balance, and feasibility), the Building the Future Workforce Challenge team will present a slate of top-scoring applications to the Selection Committee. The Committee will recommend up to five awards of $1 million each and the opportunity to pilot and implement their proposed solution at one or more Caterpillar communities in the U.S., Brazil, India, or Mexico. Winners will be announced in early 2027.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to review and test-drive the scoring rubric to understand how we define a strong proposal for Building the Future Workforce Challenge. This rubric will be used by peer reviewers and Evaluation Panel judges to score and provide feedback on their assigned proposals.

The four criteria are as follows:

FUTURE-PROOF

Does the solution present an innovative approach or technology to address advanced manufacturing and industry technical skills gaps in a way that can flex and adapt with rapidly evolving technology? Does it introduce original concepts, adapt existing efforts in new ways, or apply proven solutions from other sectors?

SUSTAINABLE IMPACT

Are plans and vision aligned with priorities for this Challenge and the Building the Future Workforce Initiative? Is there evidence the approach can achieve and measure the intended impact and benefits? Does the solution demonstrate potential for sustainability, removing the need for future grant funding or additional financial support?

FEASIBLE

Does the team have the expertise, resources, capacity, understanding of local conditions, buy-in, and other key components to test and evaluate the solution in the identified communities and deliver results? Are there practical plans to mitigate identified risks and achieve success?

SCALABLE

Can the solution be adapted to and replicated within at least one of the proposed countries identified in the proposal and beyond? Does the solution demonstrate understanding of resources, local conditions, users, and/or stakeholders required to replicate the solution if initial testing validates the solution’s efficacy?

• Note: While cross‑country replicability is preferred, the Building the Future Workforce Challenge team recognizes this may not always be feasible due to differences in policy, culture, and other factors. Transformative solutions will not be penalized if they can only be replicated within one country.

All eligible applicants who participate in Peer-to-Peer Review will receive anonymized and normalized scores and feedback from five of their fellow applicants. Applicants advancing to the Evaluation Panel will receive an additional set of anonymized, normalized scores and comments from five expert judges. All reviewers are required to provide comments to justify each score and note their overall impression of each application.

We find that the feedback you’ll receive can be one of the most important aspects of participating in challenges like this—and even if you are not selected for an award, you walk away with valuable feedback that you can use to refine your proposal and seek other funding, partners, and support.

We publish a readiness tool, the full application requirements, scoring criteria, rules, and evaluators.

All applications determined eligible following the administrative review will move to Peer-to-Peer Review. Peer-to-Peer Review aligns with the Challenge’s broader goals of fostering a culture of collaboration and ensuring that input comes from those closest to the work.

The Building the Future Workforce Challenge team will review the results of Peer-to-Peer review—including the feedback applicants provide—to select applications that move on to the Evaluation Panel. Peer reviewers are encouraged to provide the kind of quality, helpful feedback they would wish to see on their own application.

Once review is complete, all scores are statistically normalized to account for reviewers who are naturally more lenient versus those who tend to score more conservatively. This will ensure that an application assigned to a reviewer who tends to give low scores is not disadvantaged, and an application that has a reviewer who tends to score high is not favored.

Award funds must be used for the project for which they are intended and may be disbursed to collaborators for project-related purposes.

Award funds may not be used:

• For non-charitable purposes;
• To influence the outcome of any specific public election or to carry on, directly or indirectly, any voter registration drive (within the meaning of United States Internal Revenue Code (“Code”) section 4945(d)(2));
• To carry on propaganda or otherwise to attempt to influence legislation within the meaning of Code Section 4945(d)(1);
• To distribute funds to any organization not related to the proposal;
• To make a grant to any organization not identified in the proposal, to make a grant to any individual for travel, study, or other similar purposes, or to make a grant to any organization, except in compliance with the provisions of Sections 4945(g) or (h), as the case may be;
• For the creation of any endowment or for the aggregation of philanthropic capital by organizations that regrant to nonprofit organizations;
• For the creation of a venture capital fund, or pooled funds to invest in or distribute to for-profit organizations;
• For loans or microloans to individuals, nonprofit, or for-profit entities;
• To fund general operating support for the Lead Organization and/or any partners;
• To fund political organizations (501(c)(4) organizations and 527s).
• For government services.

Review the Rules for more information.

Winners will be publicly announced in the first quarter of 2027. The Building the Future Workforce Challenge team will work with each awardee to enter into a separate award agreement. Each agreement governing the use of awards may vary, depending on the nature of the project and the type of organization receiving the award.  

Following the execution of an award agreement, the project will be tested/implemented over a maximum two-year project period, working collaboratively with the Challenge’s Sponsor. Winners will be required to report progress towards milestones and other goals. Those reporting requirements may vary, based on the organization and the project, and will be determined by the Building the Future Workforce Challenge team. Review the Resources and Rules for more information.

Note: On the application form, teams must demonstrate they will meet all staffing, funding, and other resource requirements necessary to begin the two-year project period in March 2027 (dates subject to change). Applicants will have opportunity to explain financial plans and other funding sources on the application under Contingency & Financial Sustainability and Other Project Financing.