FY27 Appropriations Sign-On Letter
Now that Fiscal Year 2026 is almost complete, we’re moving full steam ahead with our FY27 ask for workforce and education programing.
As a coalition of national organizations that work to support Opportunity Youth, RYC is urging Congress to pass a final Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations bill that provides robust investments for programs that serve Opportunity Youth.
The Reconnecting Youth Campaign (RYC) is a coalition of national, state, and local organizations that work to scale effective, evidence-based federally funded programs that help young people connect to education and workforce training. Federal investments in programs that serve youth ages 16-24 who have become disconnected from education and the workforce – often referred to as Opportunity Youth (OY) – help young people gain work experience, achieve economic self-sufficiency, and contribute to the nation’s economy.
As of 2022, there were over 4.3 million OY in the United States. In every community, young people are searching for education and employment opportunities.
In Oklahoma, 12.8% (65,300) of young people ages 16 to 24 are disconnected; 16,000 of those young people reside in Oklahoma's fourth district.
In Connecticut, 10.1% (44,800) of young people ages 16 to 24 are disconnected; 8,200 of those young people reside in Connecticut’s third district.
In Maine, 10% (13,800) of young people ages 16 to 24 are disconnected.
In Washington, 11% (94,400) of young people ages 16 to 24 are disconnected.
Research shows that being disconnected as a young person has long-term consequences, including lower lifetime earnings and poorer health outcomes. There are national economic effects from disconnection, too. A study found that the federal government gains, on average, $11,900 in tax revenue annually for each reconnected young person. If all 4.3 million young people were reconnected, the federal government would gain approximately $51 billion in tax revenue per year. In addition to a win for taxpayers, reconnecting OY is a tangible path to countering steep declines in economic mobility.
Unfortunately, federal investments to reconnect students and workers have for decades been funded at levels that don’t keep pace with inflation, let alone demand from workers and employers. To achieve inflation-adjusted funding levels from five years ago, when the FY22 appropriations process was underway, requires an increase of roughly 20%.
Many OY-serving programs are languishing from years of “level funding.” The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Youth Activities program is one of few federal programs that explicitly targets OY (defined as out-of-school youth in WIOA) for education and training. Yet these formula funds were finalized in FY26 at the same dollar amount for the fourth year in a row. When funds dwindle, local programs are unable to respond to employer demands, let alone take on priorities such as supporting more youth apprenticeships and improving data systems.
Given the current funding environment, we seek funding levels that account for inflation, as well as strengthening smaller, chronically underfunded programs. The funding we seek for fiscal year 2027 (FY27) takes into account inflation, need, and federal budget limitations.
We urge you to fortify investments for all education and labor programs to provide more opportunities for young people to engage in economic advancement in FY27.
The Reconnecting Youth Campaign seeks to restore key programs, at a minimum, to inflation-adjusted levels:
We support budget requests from the RYC member organizations YouthBuild Global and The Corps Network:
We also support partner requests for complementary programs that serve youth – including many OY – who face some of the most significant challenges to connection:
Finally, we request funding for these additional workforce programs at the following levels:
We appreciate your consideration. Please contact the Forum for Youth Investment’s Director of Federal Policy & Advocacy, Gerod Blue, at gerod@forumfyi.org with any questions or if you would like additional information.
Sincerely,
Reconnecting Youth Campaign Co-facilitators
Children’s Defense Fund (CDF)
The Corps Network (TCN)
The Forum For Youth Investment (Forum)
National Collaborative for Transformative Youth Policy (TYP Collaborative)
National Network for Youth (NN4Y)
National Skills Coalition (NSC)
National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC)
Young Invincibles
YouthBuild Global
