New Opportunity Funds Non-Profit Educational Organizations’ Efforts to Grow a Diverse Clean Energy Workforce

The Clean Energy Careers for All program will award nearly $3 million for workforce development programs that promote STEM pathways to clean energy careers among diverse groups.

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a new program to fund initiatives aimed at developing a diverse clean energy workforce by targeting a wide variety of groups within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The Clean Energy Careers for All (CEC4A) program will award nearly $3 million to non-profit educational organizations-including engineering, scientific, and technical societies-to support programs that promote awareness and interest in clean energy careers among K-12 and university students, alumni and academic professionals, veterans, and formerly incarcerated individuals.

DOE will accept applications for new or expanded workforce development programs in key clean energy sectors including renewable energy, building energy efficiency, energy storage, advanced materials and manufacturing, electric vehicles, among others.

Eligible programs will be focused on some or all of the following criteria:

• Facilitating work-based learning opportunities (like internships, apprenticeships, or other job-based experiences) with industry partners
• Providing career coaching and mentorship (including soft skills development)
• Enhancing education and curriculum development
• Providing career exposure (virtual exposure or in-person visits) to stakeholder groups at multiple levels of the clean energy workforce pipeline.

Up to 10 organizations will be awarded approximately $300,000 each during Phase 1 of the program. Phase 1 awardees will be eligible to receive a Phase 2 award based on their initiative's performance. The top three to five teams will split an additional award pool of $750,000 in the culmination of Phase 2.

The deadline for Phase 1 submissions is Dec. 13, 2024. DOE will host an informational webinar on Oct. 16 to give potential applicants a better understanding of the scope, scale, and intent of the opportunity.

This program is managed by TechWerx in partnership with DOE, a collaboration made possible through an innovative Partnership Intermediary Agreement set up by DOE's Office of Technology Transitions. This agreement enables TechWerx to broaden DOE's engagement with innovative organizations and non-traditional partners, facilitating the rapid development, scaling, and deployment of clean energy solutions.

For more information on Clean Energy Careers for All and to apply, please visit TechWerx's website.

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