Perkins is a federal grant that supports students enrolled in Career and Technical Education programs. CTE programs are skills-based courses of study that focus on preparing students to enter the workforce in high demand fields. Perkins offers services for students such as assistance with books, uniforms, tool kit rentals and other resources.
To be eligible:
You must be currently enrolled in a CTE program and meet one of the following nine criteria:
- Individuals with Disabilities (both cognitive and physical)(A) In general.—the term “individual with a disability” means an individual with any disability (as defined in section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102).
- Individuals from Economically Disadvantaged Families – including low income youth and adults.
This statement means a student that qualifies for Financial Aid, Snap Benefits and/or receiving any kind of governmental financial assistance.
- Individuals Preparing for Nontraditional Fields
The term nontraditional fields means occupations or fields of work, such as careers in computer science, technology, and other current and emerging high skill occupations, for which individuals from one gender compromise less than 25% of the individual employed in each such occupation or field of work.
- Single parent(s), including pregnant and parenting teens
Student that is raising a child(ren) on their own; single pregnant women;
- Out of Workforce Individual – The Term Out-Of-Workforce Individual Means
- An individual who is a displaced homemaker, as defined in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102); or An individual who-
- Has worked primarily without remuneration to care for a home and family, and for that reason has diminished marketable skills; or
- Is a parent whose youngest dependent child will become ineligible to receive assistance under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) not later than 2 years after the date on which the parent applies for assistance under such title; and
- Is unemployed or underemployed and is experiencing difficulty in obtaining or upgrading employment.
- English Learners
The term ’English learner’ means—
(A) a secondary school student who is an English learner, as defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; or
(B) an adult or an out-of-school youth who has limited ability in speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language and—(i) whose native language is a language other than English; or(ii) who lives in a family environment in which a language other than English is the dominant language.
- Homeless individuals
“Individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.”
- Children sharing housing due to economic hardship or loss of housing;
- (b) Children living in “motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camp grounds due to lack of alternative accommodations”
- (c) Children living in “emergency or transitional shelters”
- (d) Children whose primary nighttime residence is not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation (e.g. park benches, etc.)
- (e) Children living in “cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations…”
- Youth who are in or have aged out of the foster care system
- Youth with a parent who is a member of the armed forces and is on active duty.
View our flyer which shows a listing of CTE programs eligible for Perkins assistance (PDF)
View the CTE Perkins Newsletter (PDF)
If you think you may be eligible, please fill out the Perkins application form.
Online Perkins Application Form
Downloadable Perkinks Application Form – Word Document