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Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund · Express Program

Get your team trained. Get the cost reimbursed.

Texture Ready™: Textured Hair Safety & Production Readiness is approved for Express Program funding. Qualifying Massachusetts employers with 100 or fewer employees may receive up to 100% reimbursement. Course ID C-16558.

Reserve your seats Check eligibility first

Sharing this with your team? Download the 3-page brief (PDF)

Next public cohort starts Monday, November 30, 2026. Must apply by Monday, November 2, 2026 to take advantage of this funding program.

Commonwealth Corporation sets your grant start date 21 days after you apply. Training can't start before it.

Why this matters

Producing professional work?

Textured hair protections already appear in current AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and AGMA agreements.

But the contract does not build the production system.

Your team still needs to know who is qualified, what gets planned and budgeted, how consent works, and what happens when the plan is not working.

The protection may be in the contract. The production still has to deliver it.

Training future professionals?

Students should not have to enter the industry before learning how textured hair affects production.

Texture Ready™ helps educators prepare performers and production professionals to understand their role, their limits, the right questions to ask, and when additional expertise is needed.

The goal is not to make everyone a hairstylist. It is to make the whole system safer and more ready.

The course

Texture Ready™: Textured Hair Safety & Production Readiness

Training across the 6 Texture Ready™ competency domains: Literacy, Fluency, Architecture, Consent, Care and Escalation. Texture Ready™ credential assessment included.

Next public cohort

Mondays, November 30, December 7 and 14, 2026

1 to 3 PM EST · 3 live virtual sessions, 2 hours each

$997 per participant

Express Course ID: C-16558

Reserve and apply by November 2, 2026

See cohort details

Before you start

Could your organization qualify?

Start with 4 questions. Check the box for each YES.

  • Count employees of the applying employer, not just your department or program.

  • Nonprofit and not sure? Ask HR, payroll, or finance whether your organization uses the contributory method for Massachusetts unemployment insurance.

  • Full-time and part-time employees can qualify. Independent contractors cannot.

0 of 4 checked.

Confirm 3 final things

  1. Participants can attend training on paid work time
  2. Your organization can apply by November 2, 2026
  3. You have checked how much Express funding your organization has already used this calendar year

Eligible employers can receive up to $15,000 in new Express grant funding per calendar year, subject to program limits and available funding.

Need HR, payroll or finance to answer these? The same 4 questions are on page 2 of the 3-page brief (PDF).

Gather 3 documents

All 3 are free. Whoever has your MassTaxConnect and unemployment insurance logins, usually payroll or finance, can do this in one sitting. Start here, because the application rejects any document that's missing, expired or the wrong version.

Certificate of Good Standing (Massachusetts Department of Revenue)

How to request it (Mass.gov)

  • Already registered with MassTaxConnect: log in, click More, then choose Request a Certificate of Good Standing under Other Actions.
  • Not registered: from the MassTaxConnect homepage, choose Request a Certificate of Good Standing under Businesses.
  • Timing: online requests are generally ready 24 to 48 hours after approval. Paper requests take 4 to 6 weeks, so don't use paper.
  • It has to be current: the notice date must be within 6 months of your application, and it must show your full legal name and FEIN.
  • If it won't issue: unfiled returns or an outstanding balance block the request. Clear those first.

Certificate of Compliance (Department of Unemployment Assistance)

Step-by-step instructions (Commonwealth Corporation help center)

  • Where: log in to the Unemployment Services for Employers portal, then go to Additional Services, Compliance, Request certificate of compliance.
  • One choice matters: when asked for the entity type, choose Commonwealth Corporation.
  • To download it: Additional Services, Correspondence, View Letters.
  • Check it before you upload. It must show all 4 of these, or the application is rejected:
    1. Your correct legal business name and address
    2. Your correct FEIN
    3. The line saying your organization contributes to the Workforce Training Fund Program, with your average employee count
    4. An expiration date later than today
  • If the Workforce Training Fund line isn't there, your organization isn't eligible for Express funding.

IRS Form W-9

  • Complete and sign a current W-9 for your organization.
  • It must match your application exactly: legal business name, any DBA, FEIN and legal address.
  • An incomplete or mismatched W-9 gets the application rejected.

Reserve your seats with Texture Ready™

Tell us how many people you're sending. You don't pay anything yet. You pay after Commonwealth Corporation approves your grant, before training starts.

Within 1 business day, you'll get a registration confirmation with everything the application asks about the training:

  • Course: Texture Ready™: Textured Hair Safety & Production Readiness
  • Express Course ID: C-16558
  • Dates: Mondays, November 30, December 7 and 14, 2026, 1 to 3 PM EST
  • Instructional hours: 6 (3 live virtual sessions, 2 hours each)
  • Cost: $997 per participant, with your seat count and total

We hold your seats through Monday, November 2, 2026. If no application is submitted by then, we release them to the next organization.

Reserve your seats

Apply through Commonwealth Corporation

Your organization (not Texture Ready™) submits the application through Commonwealth Corporation. Apply by Monday, November 2, 2026.

Open the Express application

Don't refresh your browser or press Back while you're in the form. It erases your answers. Use the navigation buttons at the bottom of each page.

Have these ready

Organization details

  • Your FEIN. If your organization is already in their system, key details fill in automatically.
  • Legal organization name, any DBA, and entity type
  • Whether you have a parent company, plus industry and website
  • A short description of your organization
  • Your Massachusetts address as it appears on your W-9 (no P.O. box), and a mailing address for payments
  • Answers to the business diversity questions (certifications are optional)

Contacts (all must be your employees; one person can hold more than one role)

  • Authorized Signatory: the person who can sign contracts
  • Primary Contact: receives all communication
  • Finance Contact: handles invoices and budget

Compliance

  • Full-time and part-time employee counts, in Massachusetts and worldwide
  • Whether you've had layoffs in Massachusetts in the past 2 years
  • Your 3 documents from Step 1, plus the DUA expiration date and employee count, the DOR notice date and the W-9 signature date
  • The course: find it in the Express course directory by Course ID C-16558, and use the details from your Texture Ready™ registration confirmation

Apply for every seat you might fill. Texture Ready™ is priced per participant, so you can't add people after your grant is approved without a new application.

Your grant start date is set automatically, 21 days after you submit. Training must start on or after that date.

Get approved, pay, attend

  • Commonwealth Corporation reviews your application within 21 days. If there's a problem with your documents, they tell you within 7 business days.
  • Your Authorized Signatory gets the service agreement by DocuSign. It must be signed before training starts.
  • Forward the approval to arielwelch@textureready.com. We send your invoice through Stripe, with the course name, Course ID, dates and hours.
  • Pay the invoice in full by Tuesday, November 24, 2026. Keep the bank or card statement; you'll need it in Step 5.
  • Your team attends all 3 sessions on paid work time, at their regular pay rate.

No email from Commonwealth Corporation or DocuSign by 4 days before training? Check spam for express@commcorp.org, then email them for a status update.

Request reimbursement

Within 30 days of the last session, email these 4 items to express@commcorp.org. For this cohort, that means by Wednesday, January 13, 2027.

  1. The reimbursement form, filled in completely, signed and dated
  2. The list of employees who attended, first and last names
  3. Your Texture Ready™ invoice, which names the course
  4. Proof of payment, such as a bank statement, cancelled check or card statement

Express reimburses up to $300 per instructional hour and up to $3,000 per person per course. Texture Ready™ is $997 per person for 6 hours, about $166 per hour, inside both limits.

Step 2

Reserve your seats

No payment now. Your registration confirmation arrives within 1 business day.

Must match your application and W-9.

Up to 15. Express funding caps at $15,000 per employer per year.

Who handles HR, payroll or finance (optional)

We'll copy them on your confirmation.

0 seats × $997 = $0

Not the right person?

Send this to HR

Not the person who handles payroll or unemployment insurance? Copy this and send it to the person who does.

Subject: Can we get this training reimbursed? Express Course ID C-16558

Hi [name],

I'd like to send [number] people from our team to Texture Ready™: Textured Hair Safety & Production Readiness. It's 3 live virtual sessions, 2 hours each, on Mondays, November 30, December 7 and 14, 2026, 1 to 3 PM EST, at $997 per participant.

The course is approved for the Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund Express Program, Course ID C-16558. If we qualify, we may be reimbursed up to 100% of the cost.

Could you check 2 things?

  1. Do we have 100 or fewer W-2 employees in Massachusetts across the whole organization?
  2. Can you request our Certificate of Good Standing from the Department of Revenue and our Certificate of Compliance from the Department of Unemployment Assistance, and pull a signed W-9?

The application deadline for this cohort is Monday, November 2, 2026. Every step is laid out here: www.textureready.com/express

Thanks,
[your name]

Open in my email Download the 3-page brief (PDF)

Attach the brief so they have the 4 eligibility questions and the steps in one place.

Questions

What happens if we aren't approved before the cohort starts?

You don't pay Texture Ready™ until Commonwealth Corporation approves your grant, so a denial costs you nothing with us. If you don't have a signed Express agreement by Tuesday, November 24, 2026, you choose: keep your seats and pay $997 per participant without reimbursement, or release your seats at no charge and aim for the next public cohort, planned for late January or early February 2027. Commonwealth Corporation only reimburses training that starts on or after your grant start date, so training taken before approval can't be reimbursed later.

If your approval arrives after that, you likely don't need to reapply. An approved grant is good for 1 year, and you can ask Commonwealth Corporation at express@commcorp.org to move your course dates to the next cohort.

What if our application is rejected?

Commonwealth Corporation tells you within 7 business days and explains what to fix. You can fix it and reapply, but the 21-day review starts over. For a November 2 application, that means missing this cohort. Your next option is our next public cohort, planned for late January or early February 2027. Getting the documents right the first time is the fastest path.

What if we're approved but our reimbursement is reduced or denied?

Texture Ready™ doesn't decide eligibility, approval or reimbursement. Commonwealth Corporation does. Reimbursement depends on your team attending on paid time and on your paperwork. Once training begins, your invoice stands.

Can we add people after we're approved?

Not on the same grant. Texture Ready™ is priced per participant, and the approved amount can't go up after your agreement is signed. Adding people means a new application, with a new 21-day review. Apply for every seat you might fill.

What if someone misses a session?

Commonwealth Corporation may reduce reimbursement based on the actual time spent in training. Plan for every participant to attend all 3 sessions.

Do we pay Texture Ready™ or Commonwealth Corporation?

You pay the Texture Ready™ invoice. Commonwealth Corporation reimburses your organization after training.

We have more than 100 employees in Massachusetts. Can we still use this?

Not through Express. Larger employers can look at Commonwealth Corporation's General Program.

Can independent contractors attend?

They can't be reimbursed through Express. They can still enroll in the public cohort at $997.

What if we miss the November 2 deadline?

Applications after November 2 can't be approved in time for our November 24 payment date. You can still enroll in this cohort at $997 per participant without Express funding, or apply for the next public cohort, planned for late January or early February 2027.

Must apply by November 2, 2026.

Reserve your seats now. Apply through Commonwealth Corporation. Train on November 30.

Reserve your seats

Questions? Email hello@textureready.com

Eligibility, grant approval, and reimbursement are determined by Commonwealth Corporation and are subject to current program requirements and available funding. Texture Ready™ is an independent training provider. Course C-16558 is approved for Express Program funding eligibility.

Reserve your seats