Climate-Critical Underrepresented Business Support (CUBS) is sponsored by Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC). This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

Climate-Critical Underrepresented Business Support | MassCEC Climate-Critical Underrepresented Business Support MassCEC / WorkForce / CUBS The Challenge: Overcome Barriers Facing Underrepresented Businesses Entering and Growing in the Clean Energy Sector By 2030, the clean energy workforce is projected to grow by 34%, or more than 34,000 workers, to meet the state’s climate goals.

New and expanding underrepresented businesses focused on the design, manufacture, installation, and maintenance of clean energy and decarbonization projects are crucial to meeting the Commonwealth’s climate goals. These businesses put climate solutions into practice, foster environments that attract and support a diversified workforce, and pave the way to an equitable energy transition for environmental justice communities.

Unfortunately, most underrepresented businesses face barriers to entry and growth. Regardless of sector, underrepresented businesses are denied access to capital at a much higher rate, face selection bias for projects, and often start with less personal wealth and social capital—all of which exacerbate the challenges that all businesses face during their start-up and early growth phases.

​ Climate-Critical Underrepresented Business Support (CUBS) Grants provide up to $800,000 in grant funds and technical support to applicants to support the expansion of services through a regional “Hub and Spoke” model.

This model provides accessible and uniform support through regional Hubs that will offer a suite of baseline core services designed to help underrepresented businesses become “business ready” to bid successfully on clean energy procurements. Spoke partners will offer complementary or additional services designed to enhance Hub services and further help underrepresented businesses pivot and grow in the clean energy sector.

This funding is not intended to benefit a single underrepresented business. Successful applicants propose projects that address barriers faced by underrepresented business, tackle both supply and demand needs, provide comprehensive wraparound services for individuals participating in the program, leverage existing support systems, and establish a robust cross-referral system between Hub and Spoke partnerships.

Strand A: Hub: Up to $800,000 Strand B: Spoke: Up to $400,000 Strand C: Mass Save® Contractor Development Pathway Spoke: Up to $400,000 Strand D: Planning and Capacity Building: Up to $150,000 CUBS grants are offered on an annual basis. Questions Due to MassCEC via rfpworkforce@masscec.

com Rolling through March 31, 2025 Questions with answers posted to MassCEC Website Rolling through April 6, 2026 Wednesday, December 10, 2025 at 2 pm Pre-Application Office Hours Thursday, 2/19 at 5:30 PM Thursday, 3/26 at 5:30 PM January 16, 2026, 11:59 PM Interviews of Applicants (as needed) Applicants who submit by January 16, 2025 will be notified by April 2026 Applicants who submit by April 17, 2026 will be notified by July 2026 Organizations, or a partnership/team, are eligible to apply and are collectively termed “Applicants”.

If multiple parties are jointly applying, one party should take on the role of leading the application team “Lead Applicant”. If a single organization is applying for this opportunity, that organization would also be the Lead Applicant.

​ Non-profit organizations including Chamber of Commerce organizations, trade associations, clean energy incubators/accelerators, environmental justice organizations, and organizations representing tribes Academic institutions or government agencies with a business support program For-profit entities such as clean energy installers, energy efficiency, or home performance contractors, technical or workforce training organizations, financial institutions or other clean energy practitioners Additional eligibility requirements: Lead Applicant must have a Massachusetts office or staffing and must be able to submit a Certificate of Good Standing (COGS).

Applicants are not required to have experience in clean energy or climate-critical business fields. This funding is not intended to benefit a single underrepresented business, but instead is intended to support the establishment and growth of a regional Hub and Spoke model that helps underrepresented businesses grow and excel in climate-critical business sectors. For full program details, please refer to the CUBS RFP.

The solicitation has four strands, which are described in the FY26 CUBS Request for Proposals (RFP). Spoke Strands B and C have common application materials, provided below. Applicants applying under multiple strands must submit a separate application for each strand.

Applicants may submit multiple applications if proposing partnerships in distinct regions, different programmatic approaches, or separate work with different partners. Please refer to the RFP for more information. Proposals should be emailed to CUBSBusinessSupport@masscec.

com by 11:59 pm on the deadline date, with "CUBS Grant Application” in the subject line.

RFP - Climate-Critical Underrepresented Business Support FY26 Attachment 1 - Authorized Applicant Signature & Acceptance Form Attachment 2 - Strand A Application Form Attachment 3 - Budgets and Proposed Project Schedule Attachment 4 - Cost Reimbursement and Milestone Grant Agreements Attachment 5- Sample Grantee Progress Report Attachment 6 - Sample Memorandum of Understanding Attachment 1 - Authorized Applicant Signature & Acceptance Form Attachment 2 - Strands B and C Application Form Attachment 3 - Budgets and Proposed Project Schedule Attachment 4 - Cost Reimbursement and Milestone Grant Agreements Attachment 5- Sample Grantee Progress Report Attachment 6 - Sample Memorandum of Understanding Attachment 1 - Authorized Applicant Signature & Acceptance Form Attachment 2 - Strand D Application Form Attachment 3 - Budgets and Proposed Project Schedule Attachment 4 - Cost Reimbursement and Milestone Grant Agreements Attachment 5- Sample Grantee Progress Report Attachment 6 - Sample Memorandum of Understanding Send completed application to: CubsBusinessSupport@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! Thursday, 2/19 at 5:30 PM Thursday, 3/26 at 5:30 PM On December 10, 2025 MassCEC held a pre-application webinar for the 2026 Climate-Critical Underrepresented Business Support Grant funding opportunity.

The webinar addressed eligibility, budget, and the application process. 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 to use Powering the Future: A Massachusetts Clean Energy Workforce Needs Assessment , along with the following additional resources to inform their applications: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics MA Department of Economic Research Labor Market Information MIT Living Wage Calculator Environmental Justice Populations in MA Powering the Future: A Massachusetts Clean Energy Workforce Needs Assessment MassCEC Clean Energy Industry Report MassCEC Clean Energy Careers Training and Education Directory Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2050 Mass Save Massachusetts Energy Efficiency Workforce Development Needs Assessment Small Business Enterprises/MWBEs Boston Indicators, "The Color of the Capital Gap" report MA District Office of the US Small Business Administration Massachusetts Business Development Resources Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office We're excited that you're learning about one of our programs!

Please also use Massachusetts' Business Front Door service, which suggests additional state resources every step of the way as your company grows. CUBS and MWBE Support Grantee Projects Frequently Asked Questions New questions will be accepted on a rolling basis until March 31, 2026. Answers will be posted on or about the second Tuesday of each month.

Submit questions to CubsBusinessSupport@masscec. com . 1.

What requirements determine if an entity is better suited as a Hub or a Spoke? An applicant’s staffing capacity, services, and strategic focus may determine whether it is best suited to apply with a Hub or a Spoke application. Hubs serve as the primary public-facing, regional point of entry for underrepresented businesses in their designated region.

Hubs will offer regional coordination for outreach, intake, communication, and coordination of service referrals between Hub and Spokes, as well as provide a comprehensive suite of core business-support services to support businesses to become “business ready” and “contract ready.

” Spokes play a specialized and complementary role in addressing sector-specific or population-specific barriers faced by climate-critical underrepresented businesses. Spokes design customized, high-touch interventions that accelerate business readiness and procurement success in defined climate-critical sectors. See RFP Section 3 “Program Goals and Description” for detailed explanation of expectations and roles.

2. If our organization is not ready to implement a CUBS program, can we apply for a planning or capacity grant? Yes, the 2026 RFP solicitation includes funding of $20,000.

00 to $150,000. 00 under Strand D for planning and capacity proposals. These grants are intended to support organizations building readiness to implement a future Hub or Spoke or to pilot a discrete component of CUBS-aligned business support.

Applicants should clearly describe how planning or capacity initiatives will position the organization for future implementation or scaling within the Hub and Spoke ecosystem. Additionally, MassCEC may elect to award a Planning or Capacity Grant if the Hub or Spoke proposal does not yet demonstrate sufficient scope, readiness, or infrastructure to justify full implementation funding. 3.

If our organization has received prior funding from MassCEC’s MWBE Support Grants or other RFPs, are we eligible to apply to this RFP? Yes, organizations that have received prior funding from other MassCEC Workforce Development RFPs are eligible to apply, as long as proposed work is separate and distinct from currently funded efforts.

To be considered competitive, organizations that have received prior MWBE Support Grants must demonstrate successful outcomes and align to baseline services and requirements such as regional coordination expectations, data reporting, sectoral procurement navigation, and cross-referral responsibilities required by the CUBS Hub and Spoke model. 4.

If I am an underrepresented business looking to develop my own workforce, how would I go about doing that given the available grants at MassCEC? 5. My organization currently supports businesses in more than one Workforce Skilled Cabinet regions.

What region(s) should I apply to serve? Applicants applying for funding to operate Hubs in multiple regions must submit a separate application for each region.

Applicants seeking to operate a Spoke in multiple regions may submit a single application if the work does not significantly vary per region; e.g., the sector focus, proposed services, target businesses, and delivery model should be substantially the same across regions to be served. If approaches differ by region, the Spoke Applicant must submit applications for each distinct Spoke program. 6.

Who is responsible for data collection in the Hub and Spoke model? Do Hubs and Spokes need standardized data metrics? In this RFP, Hubs and Spokes share responsibility for data collection and reporting.

The Hub is responsible for collecting and consolidating standardized data, using shared tools, to produce regional performance reports for MassCEC. Separately, both Hubs and Spokes are required to submit participant-level performance and outcomes data directly to MassCEC monthly. Applicants should anticipate the use of standardized baseline data and alignment within a region.

Hubs and Spokes, operating within the same workforce region, are required to execute a Memorandum of Understanding during the initial months of an awarded grant period. 7. How can two separate entities jointly submit a Hub Application?

Two separate entities may collaborate to jointly apply as a Hub, provided the application clearly identifies one organization as a Lead Applicant and describes the partnership arrangement enabling the full delivery of all required Core Services. The RFP permits Hubs to subcontract with partners or third-party vendors to deliver elements of the required services, but the Lead Applicant must retain overall responsibility. 8.

Can we apply as subcontractors in multiple Hub applications? Yes, an entity may serve as a subcontractor in multiple Hub applications. Subcontractors with expertise in service delivery in a clean energy sector may also want to consider applying as a Spoke.

9. How should applicants budget indirect (overhead) costs? Applicants may include an indirect cost rate applied only to program personnel costs.

Up to 15% indirect rate is allowable without additional MassCEC review; organizations with a federally negotiated indirect cost rate (NICRA) may request approval to use a higher rate by submitting documentation.

Salaries for executive directors or other permanent administrative personnel should only be charged directly as a distinct line-item if those individuals are actively managing or delivering program components; otherwise, those costs are considered overhead, are considered and covered by the indirect, and should not be built into the project budget. Indirect costs may not be applied to non-personnel expenses. 10.

Are venue rental and facility costs allowable as direct project expenses? Yes, venue rental costs are allowable when they are directly tied to program delivery, such as renting a separate facility for a training, workshop, participant meetings, or required project event. General office rent is considered through the indirect rate and may generally not be charged as a direct cost with a distinct line-item.

In limited cases, subject to MassCEC approval, applicants may propose a portion of general office and facility costs as a direct expense if the space is necessary to successfully deliver a unique program requirement (e.g. in-person consulting office hours administer by the Hubs) and the percentage allocation is clearly explained and justified in the budget narrative. 11. What circumstances would lead to an applicant interview?

We may request applicant interviews if the review committee requires additional clarification on proposal components not fully addressed in the application form and budgets. 12. Can we find an example or format for a letter of support?

Does it need to be from the head of the organization? We do not require a specific format for letters of support. We do require letters of support to be submitted on the organization letterhead.

Letters must be signed by an authorized representative with sufficient knowledge of the proposed partnership and should include the role, commitment, and responsibilities of the organization providing the letter.

MassCEC / WorkForce / CUBS Equity Workforce Training Implementation Grants Career Pathway Training: up to $1,200,000 Career Preparedness: up to $600,000 Planning or Capacity: up to $50,000 or $150,000 Climate-Critical Workforce Training, Equipment & Infrastructure Grants Career Pathway Training: $800,000 Climate-Critical Upskilling: $600,000 Equipment, Infrastructure and Training Ecosystem Support: $750,000 Capacity for Climate-Critical Educators and Trainers: $400,000 Students and Young Adults Career Awareness and Training Priority: January 15, 2026 Program Area High Performance Buildings Award Potential: $2.

5M total funding Application Deadline: May 8, 2026 at 11:59 PM Request for Proposals: Maritime and Aviation Decarbonization Sector Mapping Program Area Clean Transportation Program Type Consulting/Services Award Potential: Blind bid Application Deadline: May 1, 2026 Climate-Critical Underrepresented Business Support Program Area Env.

Justice/DEI, Workforce Strand A: Hub: Up to $800,000 Strand B: Spoke: Up to $400,000 Strand C: Mass Save® Contractor Development Pathway Spoke: Up to $400,000 Strand D: Planning and Capacity Building: Up to $150,000 Application Deadline: January 16, 2026