OpportunityTitle: 2023 Inflation Reduction Act Climate Ready Workforce for Coastal States, Tribes, and Territories Competition
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: 1. Applicant Type  Eligible applicants for the Climate Ready Workforce Competition must be located in coastal states or  territories as defined by 16 U.S.C. &#167; 1453(4) or in the District of Columbia. They are:  &#9675; State governments;  &#9675; Tribal governments - the recognized governing body of any Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band,  nation, pueblo, village, community, component band, or component reservation, individually  identified (including parenthetically) in the list published most recently as of 2022 pursuant to  section 104 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131);  &#9675; Territorial governments;  &#9675; Local governments;  &#9675; Institutions of higher education (as defined in subsection (a) of section 101 of the  Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))), including Historically Black Colleges  and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, other Minority-Serving Institutions,  community colleges, and technical colleges;  &#9675; Non-profit organizations or associations.  2. Applicant Role  Applicants will have all or most of the following characteristics:  &#9679; Convening power in the region, which is the ability to catalyze collective action by relevant  actors to address regional climate challenges. Exercising convening power is not an end-goal but  rather a means to foster collective action to achieve desirable development outcomes.  &#9679; Committed support of the executive leadership from the region and buy-in from appropriate  relevant groups (e.g., a governor, mayor or chief executive of a jurisdiction, chief executives of  major employers, heads of labor unions, presidents of two- and four-year institutions of higher  education).  &#9679; Strong fundraising or budget-management capabilities or connection to a system with strong  fundraising capabilities.  &#9679; Relationships and credibility with key players in the workforce ecosystem, including  employers, governmental entities, state or local workforce development boards, educational  institutions, labor organizations, and worker-serving organizations.  &#9679; A proven track record of coordinating across sectors and partners and of driving relevant groups  to successful action.  &#9679; Dedicated full-time employee(s) focused on addressing regional workforce issues to support  regional economic development.  &#9679; Ability to translate various sectors&#8217; objectives and key concerns to other sectors.  &#9679; Strong outreach and engagement capabilities.  Applicants do not need to have a background in climate resilience but are expected to engage with  employers that have good jobs that enhance climate resilience, as well as with strategic partners who  can work with the applicant and employers to ensure the training provides the skills needed for those  jobs. The workers trained under this NOFO must fill jobs located in a coastal state, Tribal nation, or  territory, with a focus on workers from the community where the jobs are located (per section VIII.H).    3. Partner Roles  Applications must include project teams that consist of committed partners. Partners are  essential within the Climate Ready Workforce Competition. Partners may include government  entities, educational institutions (including community and technical colleges), training  organizations, economic development organizations, workforce development organizations,  unions, labor management partnerships, industry associations, employer-serving  organizations, conservation corps, not-for-profits, philanthropic organizations, and/or  community-based organizations. All partners do not need to be located in coastal states, Tribal  nations, or territories (though, as stated elsewhere, applicants and resulting jobs must be).  We encourage applicants to partner and work directly with climate service practitioners, who  themselves: have a range of experiences (Figure 2); are trained to evaluate climate risk and develop  strategie
Description: A climate ready nation requires a climate ready workforce. NOAA will assist communities in coastal and Great Lakes states and territories so they may form partnerships that train workers and place them into jobs that enhance climate resilience. This competition is designed to meet the emerging and existing skills needs of employers while helping workers enter good jobs, so that together they may enhance climate resilience. NOAA envisions making between 10-20 awards under this competition, at amounts ranging from $500,000 to $10 million each. NOAA is issuing this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for qualified organizations to form and support partnerships that will work collaboratively to support regional economies and their associated workforces by developing training programs that build in-demand skills, offering wraparound services that allow workers to successfully enroll in and complete training, and helping workers enter or advance into good jobs that enhance climate resilience. Wraparound services allow people to overcome barriers to participate in the program, especially individuals in underserved groups. Examples of wraparound services include transportation, childcare, elder care, and housing services. NOAA heavily prioritizes efforts to reach individuals from historically underserved communities (see Executive Order (EO) 13985; see https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/), and to benefit disadvantaged communities (see Executive Order 14008; see https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/ and defined in M-23-09, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/M-23-09_Signed_CEQ_CPO.pdf).Moreover, Executive Order 14096 recognizes that the Federal Government must continue to remove barriers to the meaningful involvement of the public in such decision-making, particularly those barriers that affect members of communities with environmental justice concerns (see https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/04/21/executive-order-on-revitalizing-our-nations-commitment-to-environmental-justice-for-all/). Ultimately, the purpose of this NOFO is to ensure workers in coastal states and territories are trained for and hired into quality private- and public-sector jobs in the U.S. economy that are needed to increase resilience to climate-related hazards (https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-06/NOAA_FY2226_Strategic_Plan.pdf).This document sets out requirements for submitting to NOAA-OAR-SG-2024-2007783.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: Business
GrantorContactText: The National Sea Grant Office mailing address is: &lt;br/&gt;NOAA Sea Grant &lt;br/&gt;1315 East-West &lt;br/&gt;Highway Silver Spring, &lt;br/&gt;MD 20910 &lt;br/&gt;sg.grants@noaa.gov &lt;br/&gt;NOAA&apos;s website at www.noaa.gov provides additional information on NOAA and its programs.