As a part of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), between fifteen and twenty million dollars is available nationally each year through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration for programs to increase opportunities for women and minorities in the highway and bridge construction industry. TEA-21 is the legislation that funds transportation projects. Specifically,
TEA-21 provides that states may use ½ of 1 % of their bridge and highway construction funds to increase opportunities for women and minorities in highway construction jobs. States are not required to use this money for job training and support services for women and minorities. Instead, each state may choose to use this money (in the language of the transportation industry, states may choose to draw down these funds). If states do not draw down this money, it will continue to be spent on highway construction projects - paving roads or building and repairing bridges.

Northeast Women in Transportation (NEWIT) has been the leader in educating people about the availability of TEA-21 Supportive Services funds and in bringing together coalitions to advocate for the drawing down of these funds.

If you are interested in accessing these funds in your state, the information on this website will help you get started. In addition, NEWIT is available to provide technical assistance to you in your efforts.

For more information about NEWIT's services, click here.

To learn more about On-the-Job Training/Supportive Services Funds, click here.