Phase 2 of the NJ Green Workforce Training Grant Challenge Approved
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) Board recently approved the creation of Phase 2 of the New Jersey Green Workforce Training Grant Challenge. Building upon the success of Phase 1, the $4 million grant program will position New Jersey residents for green economy careers, with a particular focus on serving New Jersey’s Overburdened Communities.
According to NJEDA Acting Chief Executive Officer Mary Maples, “The Green Workforce Training Grant Challenge is helping expand access to critical workforce development initiatives, ensuring New Jersey residents, particularly those in overburdened communities, are at the forefront for careers in the growing green economy.”
The competitive grant challenge will ask applicants to submit proposals that outline their plans to develop and implement workforce development initiatives to bolster the green economy, with a focus on New Jersey’s Overburdened Communities. Grants ranging from $500,000 to $800,000 will be awarded, and may be used to cover planning, outreach, construction, and implementation to offer training programs in green economy industries.
Following the New Jersey Council on the Green Economy’s Building our Resilient, Inclusive, and Diverse Green Economy (BRIDGE) initiative, the New Jersey Green Workforce Training Grant Challenge was first approved by the NJEDA Board in April 2024. Four applicants were approved under Phase 1 of the program, totaling $4.3 million in grant funding to support training programs in solar energy, weatherization, green infrastructure, electric vehicles and more. Phase 2 of the program is funded with $4 million provided through a Memorandum of Understanding between the NJEDA and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).
Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to, community-based organizations, workforce training organizations, labor unions, technical high schools, county colleges, non-profits, regional workforce development boards, and private-sector companies. Applicants must include at least one Community-Based Organization (CBO) that serves one or more New Jersey overburdened communities as part of their application either as the primary applicant or a collaborator.
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