The U.S. Department of Labor announced that the city of Newton has been awarded a $250,000 grant to help it recover from the closing of the Maytag Corp. factory and headquarters later this year, the Associated Press reported.

“This grant will help the city of Newton prepare innovative approaches to assisting workers affected by the closure of Whirlpool (Corp.),” said Assistant Secretary of Labor Emily Stover DeRocco in a statement. “This effort also will assist the Department of Labor in assessing the effectiveness of these new Regional Innovation Grants as a means to better prepare areas facing economic shocks.”

Regional Innovation Grants are intended to help state and local workforce agencies reduce the time that workers are unemployed and prepare them for high-skill, high-wage jobs.

The grant will help Newton create new strategies and realign existing ones to establish economic recovery throughout the affected region.

Whirlpool bought Maytag last year and said it would close the company’s facilities in Newton by the end of this year. About 1,800 workers will lose their jobs.