MassCEC’s Equity Workforce Training Implementation Grants provide up to $1,200,000 across two to three years in grant funds and technical support to applicants developing or expanding programs that provide job training and support services to underserved individuals seeking employment in the clean energy sector. Successful applicants will propose projects that address barriers faced by these populations, demonstrate a high-level of employer engagement and leverage of existing workforce development systems, and lead to high-quality careers in climate-critical occupations.

Through this Request for Proposals (“RFP”), the Massachusetts Clean Energy Technology Center (“MassCEC”) is offering Community Engagement Planning Grants.  The Community Engagement Planning Grants will provide direct support to community-based organizations, municipalities, or other entities that represent the community interest (“Communities”) to support meaningful community input in the development and deployment of solar energy projects owned by electric and gas distribution companies (“EDCs”).

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center is issuing this Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking an individual or firm to support MassCEC in the launch of a Climate Finance Accelerator or Climate Bank and in applying for federal funding from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), as enabled in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). MassCEC seeks a Contractor with experience in climate finance to support MassCEC’s climate finance efforts including the following key activities:

• Developing and submitting an application (or applications) for funding made available through the GGRF, as a direct and/or indirect recipient.
• Supporting the launch of a Climate Finance Accelerator, including development of initial offerings and programming, engagement with key stakeholders, development of private sector partnerships, and marketing the initiative. This Includes:
  • Engaging in the ongoing partnership effort with the City of Boston and Green Ribbon Commission to help inform the business plan deliverable and translate that business plan into direct implementation; and
  • Providing support in implementing the structural and organizational elements of a climate finance accelerator, informed by recommendations from the partnership effort, which may include formation of a non-profit entity.

MWBE Support Grants provide up to $1,000,000 across three years in grant funds and technical support to organizations that address the barriers faced by MWBEs in the clean energy sector and provide MWBEs with the skills and resources to thrive. Grantees develop or expand programs that provide support to existing MWBEs entering the clean energy sector and/or assist in the creation of new MWBEs in the sector. This funding is not intended to benefit a single MWBE. Successful applicants will propose projects that address barriers faced by MWBEs, tackle both supply and demand needs, provide comprehensive wraparound services for individuals participating in their programs, leverage existing support systems, and propose robust partnerships.

The Low-Income Community Solar and Energy Assistance Fellowship offers energy professionals the opportunity to work with state and regional organizations to support the development of the Community Solar Subscription Tool. This tool, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with three pilot regions (District of Columbia, Illinois, New Mexico), aims to make community solar subscriptions that include verified savings and consumer protections more accessible to households participating in government-run low-income support programs, beginning with the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The fellowship will enable talented candidates from diverse backgrounds to spend up to two years working at host organizations in participating pilot regions. Fellows receive a stipend, health benefits, and an educational allowance.

Now in its third year, the AWS Space Accelerator, delivered by TechConnect, is a hybrid technical, business, and mentorship opportunity open to space startups from around the globe who are looking to power their space missions using AWS. The 2023 programming will take place from May 1 – May 25. Applications are open now through March 6. Startups will advance to a final round of selection on a rolling basis, so early applications are encouraged.

The purpose of this program is to support the creation of good-paying jobs, spur economic revitalization, remediate environmental degradation, and support energy workers located in energy communities. Energy communities are defined as those that have experienced employment loss and/or economic dislocation events as a result of declines in the fossil fuel industry; and/or are disproportionately reliant on fossil fuel energy production or distribution, including coal, oil, gas, and power plants. Supported projects may include the creation or expansion of business(es) that reduce emissions of toxic substances and greenhouse gases from existing and abandoned infrastructure and that prevent environmental damage that harms communities and poses a risk to public health and safety. Supported projects may also employ individuals from energy communities but focus on a range of other industries.

The DOE SC program in Biological and Environmental Research (BER) hereby announces its interest in applications from the scientific community for Climate Resilience Centers (CRCs) that will improve the availability and utility of BER research, data, models, and capabilities to address climate resiliency, particularly by underrepresented or vulnerable communities. CRCs will extend DOE climate science, capabilities, and research by supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), non-R1 Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), and Emerging Research Institutions (ERIs) to address regional resilience needs and impacts on
natural, socioeconomic, and/or built systems and their intersections. CRCs also aim to foster capacity at regional and local scales by connecting with affected communities and stakeholders to translate basic research into actionable science to enhance climate resilience, as well as to identify research priorities for future DOE investments.

The purpose of this program is to establish and operate Agriculture Innovation Centers (Centers) that provide technical and business development assistance to Agricultural Producers seeking to engage in developing and marketing of Value-Added Agricultural Products. The maximum grant amount is $1,000,000 and there is a matching funds requirement of one-third.

Grant and matching funds may be used to operate an agriculture innovation center, and to provide the following services to agricultural producers: Business development services; Market development services; Financial advisory services; Process development services; Organizational assistance; Value chain coordination; or Product development.

The Department of Energy’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) manages the DOE’s Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP). The MPP helps increase participation and maximize opportunities for small businesses to work with the Department. The DOE’s MPP seeks to foster long-term business relationships between small businesses and DOE prime contractors and to increase the overall number of small businesses that receive DOE prime contracts and subcontracts.

This program encourages DOE prime contractors to assist small disadvantaged businesses (SDB) certified by SBA under section 8(a) of the Small Business Act (8(a)), other small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned small businesses (WOSB), service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB), veteran-owned small businesses (VOSB), historically underutilized business zone (HUBZone) small businesses, historically black colleges and universities (HCBUs), and other minority institutions of higher learning to enhance their capabilities and improve their abilities to perform contracts and subcontracts for the DOE and other federal agencies.

For more information about the DOE’s Mentor-Protégé Program, contact the OSDBU office at 202-586-7377 or by email at [email protected]