Powering Climate & Infrastructure Careers for All
REBUILDING OUR PLANET WITH UPLIFTING CAREERS
Meet the Awardees
Selected from 460 applicants across all 50 states, our Powering Climate and Infrastructure Careers Challenge awardees are leading the way in building uplifting career pathways, training and job opportunities for all. These grants, ranging from $150,000 to $1.5 million, represent the first deployment of funds from Powering Climate and Infrastructure Careers for All, Families and Workers Fund’s landmark commitment to advance at least one million uplifting careers in clean energy, construction, and other specialized industries.
Totaling more than $12 million in grant funding and technical assistance, the Challenge awards will help community organizations and state and local governments tackle the serious workforce challenges facing the United States on its path toward a sustainable economy and 21st-century infrastructure. Among the winning projects are regional hubs for battery innovation, immigrant-centered education and apprenticeship programs, and state governments leveraging data to better coordinate workforce planning across agencies and industries.
AFL-CIO Working for America Institute
Manufacturing Core Curriculum (MC2)
Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity
Green Economy Workforce Enhancement Initiative
Baltimore Workforce Funders Collaborative, Maryland Philanthropy Network
Baltimore Climate and Infrastructure Hub
CASA’s Technical Institute
Cook County Bureau of Economic Development
Good Jobs Standards
Inclusive Training for Appalachian Green Jobs
Inclusive Training for Appalachian Green Jobs
Creating New Standards and Increasing Access to Family-Sustaining Careers in Construction
Advancing Equity and Early Career Pathways in Maine Climate Projects
Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity
Supporting Michiganders Navigating Transitions in the Energy & Auto Sectors
New Energy New York at Binghamton University
Energy in Education
New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions
Energy Transition Workforce Equity
San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG)
Workforce Opportunities for Rising Careers (WORC) Program Initiative
High-Road Battery Workforce Development Model
Awardees are working
in two tracks:
Government Planning
& Implementation
Supporting state, Native, and local agencies and their partners with workforce data analysis and planning, procurement, and job quality efforts to ensure effective, impactful delivery of federal funds
Training & Career Pathways
Scaling catalytic models to train, place, support, and retain a diverse workforce that meets the growing labor demand in the clean energy, infrastructure, and related industries and spurs uplifting careers
In partnership with the Siemens Foundation, we have launched the EV Charging Workforce Fund, housed under the Training & Career Pathways Track.
Learn more about the EV Charging Workforce Fund
Designed and launched in partnership with the Siemens Foundation’s EVeryone Charging Forward™ Initiative, the EV Charging Workforce Fund was created in response to the rapid growth of the EV charging sector and the demand for skilled workers across the industry.
Investments in the EV Charging Workforce Fund will support workers and the ecosystem necessary to build a more inclusive workforce, including education and training providers, communities, small businesses, and relevant state and local agencies at the forefront of the clean energy transition.
people impacted
in public and private funding leveraged
equity outcomes than industry averages
Get Involved
The Families and Workers Fund is committed to a working model that brings together diverse, unlikely coalitions to take on systemic challenges. As we foster these collaborations between government, community organizations, and technical assistance providers, we are committed to sharing what we learn with our community of funders and strategic partners – and our work on this initiative is just getting started.
We invite fellow philanthropists, business leaders, and government officials who are engaged in climate action, workforce development, education, or any aspect of poverty reduction and economic development to join us in this effort. By getting involved, you can help move the needle on job quality and shape the future of equitable opportunity in the U.S.
For funders in these sectors: We welcome you to review our pool of high-scoring Challenge applications from across the country – or to review our report with data and insights from this process. Please get in touch for more information.
About the Challenge
From transportation and water management to broadband, solar, and electric vehicles, transformation is underway in the booming infrastructure and clean energy industries. Driven by $2+ trillion from public investments like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, along with hundreds of billions more in private sector investment, we’re accelerating toward a 21st-century economy expected to create 15 million jobs over the next decade. This shift presents a once-in-a-generation chance for economic opportunity and good job creation – especially for the people who have been most locked out of our country’s prosperity.
The Powering Climate & Infrastructure Careers Challenge, an initiative of the Families and Workers Fund, was designed to support the state and local agencies, education and training providers, communities, small businesses, and workers at the forefront of this effort. From an open application, the Challenge deployed flexible, gap-filling philanthropic funding and technical assistance to scale inclusive workforce development, support effective planning and implementation, and deliver uplifting careers.
Our open application period for the Powering Climate & Infrastructure Careers Challenge closed on January 19, 2024. Thanks to all who submitted applications and helped us spread the word about this initiative!
PARTNERS & ADVISORS
Powering Climate & Infrastructure Careers for All is supported and steered by an esteemed group of leaders in philanthropy, business, government, labor, policy, and workforce development. Their collective wisdom and guidance have shaped an initiative that will deliver uplifting careers across diverse sectors and communities nationwide.
- The Annie E. Casey Foundation
- Ascendium Education Group
- The Autodesk Foundation
- Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
- The Ford Foundation
- Invest in Our Future
- The James Irvine Foundation
- JP Morgan Chase & Co.
- The Joyce Foundation
- The JPB Foundation
- Robin Hood
- The Rockefeller Foundation
- Siemens Foundation
- Truist Foundation
Challenge Advisory Group
- Debbie Clifford, Chief Financial Officer and Board Chair of the Foundation
Kate McElligott, Senior Future of Work Practice Lead
Autodesk - Margaret Spellings, President & CEO
Bipartisan Policy Center (former U.S. Secretary of Education) - Jason Walsh, Executive Director
BlueGreen Alliance - Xavier de Souza Briggs, Senior Fellow
Brookings Institution & Senior Advisor, What Works Plus - Shaun Donovan, CEO and President
Enterprise Community Partners (former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development) - Darren Walker, President
Sarita Gupta, Vice President for U.S. Programs
The Ford Foundation - Peter Colavito, Executive Director
Invest in Our Future - Maria Flynn, President & CEO
Taj Ahmad Eldridge, Managing Director – Climate Innovations
Jobs for the Future - Clarence Anthony, CEO
National League of Cities - Thomas J Kriger, PhD, Director of Research and Education
North America’s Building Trades Unions - Chymeka Olfonse, Managing Director
Robin Hood - Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President
Danielle Goonan, Managing Director, Economic Equity Initiative
Rachel Isacoff, Director, Economic Equity Initiative
The Rockefeller Foundation - David D. Etzwiler, Chief Executive Officer
Crystal Bridgeman, Senior Director of Workforce Development Programs
Siemens Foundation - Tracy Palandjian, CEO & Co-Founder
Social Finance - Jason Mark, CEO
U.S. Energy Foundation - Talya Karr, Vice President
What Works Plus and Freedman Consulting - Clair Minson, Co-Director
Workforce Matters - Pronita Gupta, Senior Fellow
Workshop (former Special Assistant for Labor and Workers to the President of the United States)
“As we prepare individuals for the jobs of tomorrow, it’s critical that workers from all backgrounds and communities have access to and can fully participate in the economic growth sparked by innovations in the clean energy sector. Initiatives like this one play an important role in better connecting the public and private sectors, helping us realize the potential for good job creation at a time of historic investment. Today’s announcement is part of our ongoing commitment to create long-term solutions that advance economic inclusion.”
Tim BerryGlobal Head of Corporate Responsibility and Chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Region, JPMorgan Chase“As a champion of economic opportunity, I am thrilled to support Powering Climate and Infrastructure Careers for All. This effort by the Families and Workers Fund transcends political divides, focusing on the universal goal of uplifting American workers into fulfilling careers.”
Margaret Spellings CEO & President, Bipartisan Policy Center Former U.S. Secretary of Education“Good climate jobs are key to achieving a just, equitable, and sustainable future for us all. Philanthropy has a vital role to play to augment historic federal investments and ensure the benefits of this once-in-a-generation transition extend to every corner of our society, especially to those who have traditionally been left behind.”
Darren Walker President, The Ford Foundation“Attracting and training new talent across the energy, infrastructure, and construction sectors is a critical component in driving better, more sustainable solutions in these industries. As board chair of the Autodesk Foundation, I’m grateful to have played a role in our decision to direct philanthropic capital toward the Powering Climate and Infrastructure Careers initiative; it’s a great example of how aligning financial and philanthropic priorities can help create a better world for all.”
Debbie Clifford Chief Financial Officer, AutodeskBoard Chair, Autodesk Foundation“With the clean energy transition accelerating, it's crucial that historically under-invested communities aren't left behind. The Powering Climate and Infrastructure Careers for All initiative not only addresses our country’s workforce needs but helps drive sustainable, equitable growth.”
Shaun DonovanCEO and President of Enterprise Community Partners
Former U.S. Secretary of Housing & Urban Development
“The Siemens Foundation is committed to investing in clean energy jobs of the future in the United States. With unprecedented federal infrastructure investments come challenges for the private sector to meet the demand and have the workforce available to support it. We have an opportunity and responsibility to work across sectors to build a robust, equitable, and sustainable pipeline for good jobs particularly in the rapidly growing climate and infrastructure sectors.”
David D. EtzwilerChief Executive Officer of Siemens Foundation
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