Climate-Critical Workforce Training, Equipment & Infrastructure Grants

The Challenge: Train Massachusetts Residents for Clean Energy Workforce Opportunities

By 2030, the Massachusetts clean energy workforce will need to grow by 34%, or more than 34,000 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 Infrastructure and Training Ecosystem Support

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.

Applicants applying to multiple strands must submit a separate application for each strand.

Open

Award Potential

Career Pathway Training: $800,000
Climate-Critical Upskilling: $600,000
Equipment, Infrastructure and Training Ecosystem Support: $75,000

Application Deadline

January 24th, 2025
May 2nd, 2025

Apply

Questions? Contact

Funding Schedule

Climate Critical Grants are awarded on an annual basis. Applicants not currently ready for training or equipment should consider Equity Workforce Planning & Capacity Grants to prepare for the next round of training funding.

Process Step	Timing
Release of RFP	November 15th, 2024
Questions due to MassCEC via rfpworkforce@masscec.com	Updated monthly on 2nd Tuesday through April 25, 2025
Questions with answers posted to MassCEC website	Update monthly on 2nd Tuesday through April 25, 2025
Pre-application webinar	December 6th, 2024
Pre-application office hours	See Dates and Times
Proposals due	Deadlines: January 24th, 2025, by 11:59 PM May 2nd, 2025, by 11:59 PM
Interviews of applicants (as needed)	TBD
Notification of award	Applications summitted (January 24th) will be notified March 2025 Applications submitted (May 2nd) will be notified July 2025

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 Entities (often referred to as Community Based Organizations) such as community action partnerships, environmental justice organizations, neighborhood revitalization organizations, advocacy groups, affordable housing providers, affordable housing developers, and non-profits.
Post-secondary educational institutions, K-12 School Districts, Comprehensive and Vocational High Schools, Middle Schools, and Vocational Schools offering a Career Technical Initiative evening program.
For-Profit entities such as for-profit training companies, trade associations, unions or other coalitions of businesses, clean energy installers, energy efficiency or home performance contractors, financial institutions, or other clean energy practitioners.
Workforce Development Organizations, both Non-Profit and For-Profit.
MassHire Workforce Investment Boards and Career Centers.

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 Equipment Infrastructure Grant FY25

This solicitation has three strands, 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 grant opportunities. Join anytime during the one-hour block!

Pre-Application Webinars

On December 6th, 2024, at 11:30am, the MassCEC Workforce Development Team will host an informational webinar on the Equity Workforce Training and Climate Critical Grants. Please Register below and join us to learn more information about the RFP opportunities, applications, eligibility information and more. The webinar will be recorded, and slides will be posted below.

Recent Climate-Critical Grant Projects

FY24 Grantee Projects

Frequently Asked Questions

These FAQs were last updated on April 17, 2024.

1. Can the same 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.

2. Can the same applicant apply for both the Climate-Critical Training Grant and the Equity Workforce Training Grant?

Yes, but the proposals for the Climate-Critical Training Grant and the Equity Workforce Training Grant must be separate and distinct. The proposals should have different sets of participants. Additionally, applicants must submit one application per strand that they apply to.

3. Is there any preference in the selection process for a specific type of organization?

The type of organization of the lead applicant does not influence our selection process. However, we recommend that the lead applicant should perform the contract administration, which handles the invoicing, reporting, and technical assistance meetings. The lead applicant should have the staff capacity, as reflected in the application form, to perform the contract administration.

4. If a proposal doesn’t receive funding during the current round, can the applicant resubmit for the next round of applications?

Yes. Applicants who did not receive funding for the current round may request written feedback from MassCEC. Applicants are encouraged to revise their proposals and submit them by the next deadline.

5. If an applicant has previously received funding from MassCEC, do they have to target a different geographic area?

MassCEC reviews applications based on multiple factors, including geographic area. If an applicant has previously received funding from the same grant type, the new application must be separate and distinct from the previously funded project. Diversifying the target geographic area is one way that the project can be distinct, and will be more competitive.

6. Are municipalities eligible for this funding?

Municipalities are eligible to apply for the workforce training grants as leads or can partner with an organization that meets the eligibility criteria for lead applicants.

7. Should applicants submit a separate budget for partners or include them in the same budget?

The lead applicant should submit the budget and add partners in a subcontractor line. If the partner is receiving $50,000.00 or more from the requested funding, the lead applicant will need to submit an additional budget that includes the allocated amount for each line item for the given amount.

8. If the lead applicant is using another entity to assist in wrap-around support services, is an MOU required or can they list the entity’s information on the application without a formal letter of agreement?

We ask that applicants obtain a letter of support that proves the other entity is aware of this application. The MOU or LOS should include the responsibilities of the entity as included in the application.

9. Under 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.

10. When applying for Strand C, are written quotes for equipment costs needed?

They are not required, but they are recommended, as they make the application stronger. Once an application has been reviewed, we may request written quotes for items included in the proposed budget.

11. Can state grants be used as matching funds?

State grants can be used as matching funds. However, grants from other MassCEC departments are not eligible as matching funds.

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 and Implementation Grants. While both solicitations support training programs, The Equity Training Implementation Grants look to support individuals from priority populations with career pathway training or exploration while Climate-Critical Training, Equipment, and Infrastructure Grants look to support Massachusetts based residents with career pathway training or incumbent workers with upskilling. See the table below to decide which funding opportunity suits your program goals.

	Climate-Critical Workforce Training	Equity Workforce Training
Funding Amount per Award	$900,000	Up to $1.2 million
Deadlines	January 24, 2025 May 2, 2025	January 24, 2025 May 2, 2025
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)	Not Required	Not Applicable
Target Population	EJ Neighborhood, Federally Recognized and State Acknowledge Tribes, Fossil Fuel Workers, Low/moderate income Populations, Massachusetts Residents	EJ Neighborhood, Federally Recognized and State Acknowledge Tribes, Fossil Fuel Workers, Low/moderate income Populations

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: