The Grants are HERE the Grants are HERE!

For those of you who have read through my Blog: first, thank you for reading; second, we have been tracking and highlighting the Recovery Act funds since February and the first set of training grants are now available to apply for.

As background, there were over 5 billion dollars in the Recovery Act allocated for training. Over 4 billion have been already allocated, mostly to state and local workforce boards. The rest will be granted out, most of that to green jobs to grow the nation's green economy.

The first rounds of grants were announced last week, and here is a brief overview. These grants are designed to help build and expand the green economy. Below you will find a link to the Department of Labor (DOL) site for more specific application information. Here are the grants, listed in order of size of the total grant.

1. State Energy Sector Partnership Grants ($190 million), with applications due 10/20/09. These grants are designed for partnerships with state workforce boards, state workforce agencies, local workforce boards and one stop career centers. Training needs to be targeted towards the industries identified in the Green Jobs Act of the Workforce Investment Act.

2. Pathways Out of Poverty Grants ($150 million), with applications due 9/29/09. These grants are designed to help national and local non-profits provide career pathways for unemployed individuals, high school drop outs, reentry of prisoners to the workplace and those individuals living in high poverty areas. The grants are to be used for training in the industries identified in the Green Jobs Act of the Workforce Investment Act.

3. Energy Training Partnership Grants ($100 million), with applications due 9/04/09. These grants are designed for partnership with state and local workforce boards, one stop career centers and employers to provide training for targeted populations. Priority will be given to unemployed workers, returning veterans and reservists. The grants are to be used for training in the industries identified in the Green Jobs Act of the Workforce Investment Act.

4. State Labor Market Information Improvement Grants ($50 million), with applications due 8/14/09. These grants are designed to help state workforce boards and state workforce agencies to improve their labor exchange information for careers in energy efficiency and renewable energy industries. Applicants must show that projects will be implemented through partnerships within the state.

5. Green Capacity Building Grants ($5 million), with applications due 8/5/09. These grants are designed to help those currently receiving federal funding in certain programs outlined in the grant proposal. The grants will be used to help provide entry level training in careers in energy efficiency and renewable energy industries.

Here is the link back to the DOL site for more information: http://www.doleta.gov/grants/find\_grants.cfm

This is a great opportunity if your organization is involved within the green industries to build community partnerships and help fund training programs.

Check with your local or state workforce board for more information also.

Good luck if you apply!