The Transition Readiness Grant (TRG) program was established under 2017 Act 59 (Act 59, the 2017-19 biennial budget) with a base funding of $1,500,000. This program was designed to support Wisconsin’s students with disabilities to successfully transition to competitive work and post-secondary education environments after high school. Since the inaugural grant program began in FY 2019, the TRG program has accepted 618 applications and awarded 259 grants to school districts and charter schools across the state and in all 12 CESAs.
The 2026-2027 Transition Readiness Grant Application will be available on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
Apply here: TRG Online / Web Application
The deadline for submitting the TRG application is Friday, May 1, 2026.
Transition Readiness Grant Applications
School districts and charter schools under Wis. Stat. 118.40(2r) and (2x) are eligible to compete for funding that supports evidence-based practices related to the successful transition from high school for students with Individualized Education Programs. The $1.5 million fund will support:
- Transportation options (including contracted services or vehicle purchases)
- Competitive Integrated Employment Training (CIE) Programs
- Post-secondary tuition or supports for students
- Transition Training for Staff MembersGrant awards mut e not less than $25,000 and not more than $100,000. Substitutions for a funding category will not be allowed. Grant applications become available in early March and are due May 1st.
Bi-Weekly Open House Hours for Transition Readiness Grant
Meet with the Cecile David and Alicia Reinhard, the TRG grant directors, every other Friday in March and April, to discuss your program or project, or to ask questions about the TRG applicaton.
Join: Link to join TRG open house meeting via MS TEAMS
Meeting ID: 244 100 126 518 16
Passcode: Zp2hB3Jj
March 13th @ 11:00am – 12:00pm
March 27th @ 11:00am – 12:00pm
April 10th @ 11:00am – 12:00pm
April 17th @ 11:00am – 12:00pm
April 24th @ 11:00am – 12:00pm
2026-27 Transition Readiness Grant Q&A Webinar
To view the current webinar recording, please see 2026-27 Transition Readiness Grant Q&A Webinar.
The slides for the PowerPoint presentation at the webinar can be found here: 2026-2027 TRG Q&A Webinar PowerPoint Slide Deck
Application Support
Utilize the resources below to complete TRG applications for FFY 2026. Eligible entities must submit the TRG Qualtrics Survey to DPI by the deadline. Digital signatures are accepted for the TRG application.
- Transition Readiness Grant Application Template
- Transition Readiness Grant Guidelines
- Transition Readiness Grant Scoring Rubric
- TRG WUFAR Coding Guidance
- Transition Readiness Grant Application Data Analysis Resources
Making a Claim
Claims for the TRG program should be made at least twice per school year using The Program Fiscal Report (PI-1086).
The completed PI-1086 form can be submitted to dpiclaimforms@dpi.wi.gov.
Budget Revisions
Budget revisions can be made at any time. An approved budget must be on file with the Department in order to process a claim for reimbursement.
Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding the Transition Readiness Grant program please contact Alicia Reinhard, Statewide Transition and Graduation Consultant at alicia.reinhard@dpi.wi.gov or Cecile David, Transition Readiness Grant Program Director at cecile.david@dpi.wi.gov.