Green Workforce Training Grant Challenge

Green Workforce Training Grant Challenge is sponsored by New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA). This competitive funding opportunity awards grants to selected applicants that will aid in implementing innovative workforce training and skills programs focused on strengthening and diversifying New Jersey's green economy talent pipeline. Applicants are expected to prioritize New Jersey's Overburdened Communities.

Green Workforce Training Grant Challenge Phase 1 - NJEDA GREEN WORKFORCE TRAINING GRANT CHALLENGE PHASE 1 Applications for the Green Workforce Grant Challenge Phase 1 are now closed. For information on the New Jersey Green Workforce Training Grant Challenge Phase 2, please click on this link .

The Green Workforce Training Grant Challenge is a competitive funding opportunity that will award grants to implement workforce development training programs that bolster the green economy talent pipeline in the state with a particular focus on NJ’s Overburdened Communities. A total of $7 million is available for programs under this Grant Challenge, including $2. 65 million from the Wind Institute for Innovation and Training and $4.

35 million through the Governor’s Council on the Green Economy. The minimum and maximum amounts for individual awards are set at $250,000 and $1. 5 million respectively.

NJEDA anticipates making multiple awards in this grant challenge. Applicants must submit proposals that outline compelling plans to: Implement an existing program or new program that will allow New Jerseyans to access workforce opportunities in green economy industries by providing tangible skills sought by employers in those industries.

Components of programs must include direct workforce training/skill development, and, where relevant, support services such as career development, mentorship, and wraparound assistance including for transportation fare, childcare, eldercare, and counseling.

Proposed initiatives must focus on one or two (but no more than two) of the following industries: Other Renewable Energy Technologies Green Design & Construction Environmental and Green Infrastructure Connect with industry and other stakeholders to design and/or implement a program that prepares and connects participants with job opportunities in the green economy in high-growth and in-demand occupations.

Applicants are expected to demonstrate that their proposed program will provide meaningful career opportunities through labor market research, employer and industry engagements, and other relevant analysis. Develop and/or utilize outreach, recruitment best practices, and program design approaches that target and support a diverse and inclusive pool of training participants to successfully complete the program.

Define program evaluation and success metrics such as: recruitment, enrollment, completion, job placement, and learning acquisition goals. Reach and target New Jersey’s Overburdened Communities and provide opportunities for economic mobility for these communities in green economy careers.

Collect, track, and report programmatic data, including trainee demographics, trainee surveys, instructor evaluations, training enrollments and completions, and job placement and retention information. If applicable, include strategies to connect current and aspiring workforce with skills-based training targeted to transitioning legacy energy workers.

Execute the project efficiently and on schedule, achieving well-defined milestones to complete the proposed initiative. The Grant Challenge will be open to entities who can design and execute workforce and skills training programs.

Eligible applicants can include, but are not limited to, the following: Community-based Organizations Non-profit or Private Workforce Training Organizations Other Non-profit Organizations Regional Workforce Development Boards Applicants must include, at a minimum, one Community-Based Organization (CBO) that serves one or more NJ Overburdened Communities as part of their application.

The CBO must either be the applicant or, in the alternative, a strategic collaborator with the applicant.

For the purposes of this training challenge, a CBO is defined as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with demonstrated experience serving a NJ Overburdened Community as defined by NJ’s Environmental Justice Law that provides direct services or supports to a specific geographic NJ community(ies) or specific segments of a New Jersey community(ies).

For the purposes of this Challenge, government entities, K-12 schools, and institutions of higher learning do not qualify as CBOs. However, these entities may be the applicant or an additional collaborator on the applicant team. Entities that are not 501(c)3 organizations do not qualify as a CBO for the purposes of this grant challenge even if they serve a New Jersey Overburdened Community.

Per the NJ Division of Taxation, a 501(c)(3) Organization refers to a nonprofit organization that has received a determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) stating that the organization is exempt from federal Income Tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

The term also may refer to a church or ministry that may qualify for an IRS 501(c) (3) determination letter, even though it does not intend to apply for an IRS determination. NJ’s Environmental Justice Law at N. J.

S. A 13:1D-157 defines overburdened communities as any census block group, as determined in accordance with the most recent United States Census in which: 1) at least 35 percent of the households qualify as low-income households; 2) at least 40 percent of residents identify as minority or as members of a State recognized tribal community; or 3) at least 40 percent of the households have limited English proficiency.

All applications that include the CBO as a strategic collaborator must submit a signed letter of intent from the CBO stating that they are a strategic collaborator with the applicant for the proposed program, the role the CBO will have in the proposed program, and the amount of the requested budget allocated to the CBO.

The applicant is responsible for transferring the allocated budget to the CBO for their assigned tasks for the proposed program. Applicants may, but are not required to, collaborate with additional entities, including for-profit or non-profit entities of all types, to design and implement the training program as needed.

In addition to the eligibility parameters already stated above, the applicant must also be in substantial good standing with the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development and NJ Department of Environmental Protection to participate in the program.

The applicant must provide a current tax clearance certificate as part of the application to demonstrate the applicant is properly registered to do business in New Jersey and in good standing with the NJ Division of Taxation. The minimum and maximum amounts for individual awards are set at $250,000 and $1. 5 million respectively.

NJEDA anticipates making multiple awards in this grant challenge. Funds will be disbursed according to the following schedule: 25 percent of the grant will be disbursed upon execution of a grant agreement between NJEDA and the selected applicant.

25 percent of the grant will be disbursed upon the applicant’s submission of quarterly and mid-program reports and associated materials, with exact timing and format to be determined based on the grantee’s design and/or implementation plan and reflected in the grant agreement.

50 percent of the grant amount will be disbursed upon meeting specific program milestones and deliverables to be defined by the applicant in their application and negotiated and finalized with NJEDA if a grant award decision is made. No more than five (5) specific program milestones and deliverables shall be defined by the applicant in their application.

Milestones and deliverables should occur between the mid-program report and the end of the grant period. One of 5 milestones and deliverables must be to complete and submit the final report no later than 30 days after the end of the term of the grant. Milestone payouts can be pro-rated if the milestone and/or deliverable is not fully met.

E.g., if a $10,000 budget has been allocated to obtain 20 enrollments for a training program, then the grant agreement could assign $500 per enrollment up to a maximum of 20 enrollments for this milestone. If the grantee acquires 15 enrollments, the grantee’s payout would equal 15 enrollments X $500 per enrollment = $7,500.

These dates are subject to change: August 1, 2024: Notice of Funding Availability, Application Guidance and optional Collaborator Form posted August 8, 2024 at 10 AM EDT: Application Opens August 12, 2024: Grant Challenge Webinar Held August 15, 2024 by 5 PM EDT: Optional Collaborator Forms Due September 6, 2024 by 5 PM EDT: Applicant Questions for Grant Challenge Due September 16, 2024: Q&A Posted October 8, 2024 by 5 PM EDT: Applications Due Award Size and Distribution Optional Collaborator Form Application Guidance Document ( revised Dec.

1, 2022) Eligible Occupation Groups Narrative Description Form OSW Workforce Challenge Amendment (11/16/2022) OSW Workforce Board Memo and Product Specifications (07/14/2022) Environmental Justice Overburdened Communities Environmental Justice Mapping, Assessment, and Protection tool Instructions FOr logging into application portal Notice of Funding Availability Q&A Q&A will be posted by 5 PM EDT on September 16, 2024.

To submit questions, send an email here: WindInstitute@njeda. gov