Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. The Families and Workers Fund can support government agencies directly or via affiliated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or fiscally sponsored projects based in the U.S.

Any Native and/or Tribal government and their entities are eligible to apply for either track of the Challenge. 

Yes, as long as the primary applicant is an eligible entity, we encourage collaborative applications. We ask, however, that only one organization be listed as the primary applicant in an application. Potential secondary partners could include: unions, training providers, employers with hiring commitments, among others.

Your organization does not need to meet specific climate or infrastructure standards to be eligible for the Challenge. We’re eager to hear about wide-ranging projects with potential to benefit from federal funding – from transportation and water management to broadband and solar. We’re most interested in identifying projects where philanthropic support can make the biggest impact in terms of unlocking opportunities for underinvested communities. Review our Round 1 selection criteria to better understand how we’ll select awardees.

The Powering Climate & Infrastructure Careers Challenge will categorize applicants and award grants in two tracks:

1. Training and Career Pathways focuses on labor supply by investing in catalytic models for training and career pathways that connect diverse workers to quality climate and infrastructure careers. For this track we envision applicants representing higher ed/community colleges, workforce agencies, community-based organizations, and other training providers in any U.S. state or Native land.
2. Government Planning and Implementation will grant funding to state, Native, and local agencies and their nonprofit partners to support workforce planning procurement, and job quality efforts to ensure effective, impactful delivery of federal funds and effective implementation. In track 2 we invite government agencies representing the following states AZ, CA, FL, GA, IL, MI, NC, NM, NV, NY, OH, PA, TX, WI and those representing Native lands across the United States.

While these tracks are designed with different organizations and project types in mind, the selection process does not change based on the track selected; rather, this categorization allows the Fund to better understand the context for and support the needs of different types of applicants. If you are submitting a proposal for a project with substantial overlap between the two tracks, you may select “both” as an answer choice. 

The Powering Climate & Infrastructure Careers Challenge will award core support grants that can be used in any way that directly advances the mission of the project, from funding wraparound supports (e.g., child care stipends, transportation) and supplies for training program participants to dedicated staffing to enable deeper coordination between government agencies and community-based partners on implementation of labor standards. This funding is designed to be flexible and to fill gaps that public dollars cannot in order to support the effective implementation of high-impact projects.

The Powering Climate & Infrastructure Careers Challenge is structured in three phases. All participants must submit a Round 1 application, from which select applicants will be invited to submit a Round 2 application. Finally, a subset of these applicants will be invited to interview with the Families and Workers Fund, and in some cases Fund staff may conduct a site visit.

The Round 1 application must be submitted through this online form. We are unable to accept paper applications, but the Fund aspires to make this process as accessible as possible. Please contact us to explore additional accommodations if needed.

The Round 1 application is designed to be as simple as possible for applicants while asking for enough information to ensure that the Families and Workers Fund and its advisors can make well-informed selection decisions. A PDF version of the Round 1 application is available here; however, the Round 1 application must be submitted through this form.

The Round 2 application builds off the information provided in Round 1, giving room for applicants to share additional depth and context about their work. 

An organization may only submit one application for which they would be the primary recipient of grant funding. However, an organization can join other applications as a secondary collaborator, including as a sub-grantee.

We anticipate naming between 10 and 20 awardees, but the exact number of grant recipients will depend on the quantity and quality of applications received. Additionally, we ask all Round 1 applicants whether they’d be comfortable with the Fund sharing their application details with its funder network, which we hope may unlock additional funding opportunities. 

Grant amounts will range between $150,000 and $1.5 million, disbursed over the course of one to three years. The Fund will work in partnership with grantees to determine the best streamlined disbursement strategy following their selection.

The Families and Workers Fund collects quantitative and qualitative data through an annual grantee survey, and holds three learning calls with each of our grantees annually. We use these data and insights to generate aggregated fund-level outcomes, along with lessons learned and implications for strategy and future investments. As a funder collaborative, we strive to uplift our grantees’ work and outcomes within philanthropy and among key stakeholders in the field. Detailed financial reporting is not required of grant recipients.

As a lean organization, the Families and Workers Fund is unable to schedule one-on-one conversations with all prospective applicants. But to learn more about the Challenge, we encourage you to review the recording of an informational webinar here, that took place on December 12, 2023. Please email us with any questions at challenge@familiesandworkers.org.

Thank you for your interest. The Fund provides other funding opportunities beyond this Challenge by invitation. Please feel free to email challenge@familiesandworkers.org.