Request for Proposals: Climate-Critical Workforce Training, Equipment & Infrastructure

Two workers in hard hats consulting clipboard

The Challenge: Train Massachusetts Residents for Clean Energy Workforce Opportunities

By 2030, the Massachusetts clean energy workforce will need to grow by 38%, or more than 38,000 workers, to meet the state’s climate goals. To fill gaps in the workforce for climate-critical sectors, clean energy and climate tech employers need assistance in providing high-quality training and support for residents across the Commonwealth.

About Climate-Critical Training, Equipment, and Infrastructure Grants

Climate-Critical Workforce Training, Equipment, and Infrastructure Grants increase access to modern, relevant training equipment and infrastructure and provide up to $800,000 across one to two years in direct funding and technical assistance support to organizations that can build and scale career pathways and upskilling that help Massachusetts residents access and advance in climate-critical priority occupations. Applicants may apply for one or more of the following strands:

Strand A: Career Pathway Training Leading to Employment in Climate-Critical Priority Occupations
Strand B: Climate-Critical Upskilling for Incumbent Workers
Strand C: Equipment and Infrastructure to Support Climate-Critical Training

Successful applicants will propose projects that demonstrate a high level of employer engagement and leverage of existing workforce development systems, and lead to high-quality careers in climate-critical occupations.

Status

Open

Award Potential

Career Pathway Training: $800,000
Climate-Critical Upskilling: $600,000
Equipment & Infrastructure: $750,000

Application Deadline

Jan 26, 2024 and May 1, 2024

Apply

Questions? Contact

Funding Schedule

This solicitation has two proposal deadlines, each associated with a separate review and award notification timeframe.

Applicants not currently ready for training or equipment should consider Equity Workforce Training Planning & Capacity Grants to prepare for the next round of training funding.

Process Step	Timing
Release of RFP	December 7, 2023
Questions due to MassCEC via rfpworkforce@masscec.com	Ongoing, through April 5, 2024
Questions with answers posted to MassCEC website	Updated monthly on 2nd Tuesday through April 5, 2024
Pre-application webinars	December 19, 2023, 1 pm March 14, 2024, 3 pm
Pre-application office hours	Detailed below
Proposals due	January 26, 2024, by 11:59 pm for review during February 2024 May 1, 2024, by 11:59 pm for review during May 2024
Interviews of applicants (as needed)	TBD
Notification of award	March/April 2024, if received by January 26, 2024 June 2024, if received by May 1, 2024

Who's Eligible

Single organizations or partnerships are eligible to apply. Partnerships are strongly encouraged and may be looked upon more favorably to the extent that they can provide a range of expertise and experience to deliver a comprehensive proposal. One party should take on the role of Lead Applicant.

The following entities are eligible to serve as a Lead Applicant:

Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), including CBOs relying on a fiscal agent
Community Colleges, Colleges, Universities, Comprehensive and Vocational High Schools, and Vocational Schools offering an after-hours or Career Technical Initiative evening training program
Comprehensive and Vocational High Schools, including Vocational Schools offering an after-hours or Career Technical Initiative evening training program
For-Profit Entities
Workforce Development Organizations
MassHire Workforce Investment Boards and Career Centers

Additional eligibility requirements:

Lead Applicant must have a Massachusetts office or staffing.
Lead Applicant is currently in good standing with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and can provide certification if requested (COGS).

Applicants are also eligible to apply for MassCEC’s other workforce development grants and programs, as long as those applications seek support for separate and distinct efforts from those described in this application.

For full eligibility requirements and other Program details, please refer to the Climate-Critical Training, Equipment, and Infrastructure Grant Request for Proposals (RFP).

Apply

Application Process

RFP - Climate-Critical Training FY24

This solicitation has three stands, which are described in the RFP above. Strand A and Strand B have common application materials. Strand C has specific application materials, provided below.

Proposals should be emailed to rfpworkforce@masscec.com by 11:59 PM on the deadline date with "Climate-Critical Workforce Training, Equipment and Infrastructure Grant Application" in the subject line.

Application Materials

Send completed application to rfpworkforce@masscec.com

Pre-Application Office Hours

MassCEC hosts a series of office hours (one-hour blocks) to answer questions about all open Workforce Development grants. Register below to receive a meeting invite. Join anytime during the one-hour block!

Tue, Feb 27 at 12 pm

Fri, Mar 8 at 1 pm

Wed, Mar 13 at 5:30 pm

Tue, Mar 19 at 11 am

Wed, Mar 27 at 2 pm

Pre-Application Webinars

On December 19, 2023, MassCEC held a webinar about the Climate-Critical Training Grants, including eligibility, budget, and the application process.

Watch Dec 19 webinar recording

View slides

You can also register for a live, pre-application webinar on March 14, 2024 to learn more about the application process and ask questions. (The same content will be presented as during the December 19 webinar.)

Which Program is Right for Us?

MassCEC has two open solicitations that provide funding and technical assistance to develop and scale workforce training programs for climate-critical occupations: 1) Climate-Critical Training, Equipment, and Infrastructure (this page), and 2) Equity Workforce Training, Equipment and Infrastructure. Both programs support training, the purchase of equipment, and the development of training infrastructure. In both programs, equipment and infrastructure projects will be funded with federal ARPA monies, however the required financial match for these projects differs by program. See which funding opportunity best suits your program goals.

	Climate-Critical Workforce Training	Equity Workforce Training
Funding Amount per Award	Up to $800,000	Up to $1.2 million
Deadlines	January 26, 2024 May 1, 2024	January 19, 2024 May 1, 2024
Programmatic Goals	Support Massachusetts residents with career pathway training or incumbent workers with upskilling	Support individuals from priority populations with career pathway training or exploration
Match Requirement (Equipment and Infrastructure only)	Private entities must provide a 1:1 financial match; public entities must supply a 25% project cost-share.	Matching funds are recommended, but not required.

Frequently Asked Questions

These FAQs were posted on January 11, 2024.

1. For Strand B, can an applicant apply for funding for its own internal upskilling/workforce development for existing and future employees?

An applicant is not restricted from proposing upskilling of its employees, however awards are competitive and the overall scale and impact of the proposed project on the clean energy workforce ecosystem will be taken into consideration during scoring.

2. Can the plan combine Strand C funding with the Technical Trades and Learning subsidy reimbursements?

We encourage applicants to leverage other MassCEC workforce development resources, such as the Clean Energy Internship Program and the Technical Trades and Learning Program, as long as the proposed budget for a strand is distinct from the reimbursement funding that other programs offer.

3. Are universities required to demonstrate matching funds for Strand C?

Public universities are required to supply a 25% project cost-share and private universities are required to provide a 1:1 financial match for Strand C proposals.

4. Can a lead applicant apply to multiple strands?

Yes, applicants are eligible to apply to multiple strands if each strand application showcases distinct outcomes. The capacity to successfully complete the work will be part of the award consideration.

5. Can the Match requirement be satisfied in Strand A or does the Match requirement only apply to the budget for Strand C?

The Match requirement in the Climate Critical Training Grants only applies to Strand C and the budget must show matching funds that satisfy the requirement based on lead applicant type (i.e., 25% project cost-share for public entities and 1:1 Match for private entities).

Other Resources

MassCEC will look favorably on applications that propose data-driven approaches and leverage pre-existing resources from the robust workforce development and clean energy sectors in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Applicants are advised to use Powering the Future: A Massachusetts Clean Energy Workforce Needs Assessment along with the following additional resources to inform their applications: