2023 Inflation Reduction Act Climate-Ready Workforce for Coastal States and Territories Competition | NOAA OAR SG 2024 2007783

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA OAR SG 2024 2007783

The 2023 Inflation Reduction Act Climate-Ready Workforce for Coastal States and Territories Competition is a federal funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Commerce, administered by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), focused on building a workforce that can help coastal and Great Lakes communities better prepare for and respond to climate-related hazards. The central idea is straightforward: climate resilience efforts depend on people with the right skills, and NOAA is using this competition to help regions create or expand workforce pipelines that train workers and connect them directly to real jobs that support climate adaptation and resilience in both the public and private sectors.

This opportunity funds partnerships, not isolated training programs. Applicants are expected to form collaborative, regional partnerships that bring together the kinds of organizations needed to make training translate into employment. That generally means aligning training providers with employers who have hiring needs, while also involving community-based organizations and other partners that can recruit participants and support them through completion. The emphasis is on developing training programs that build in-demand, job-relevant skills tied to resilience work, and on ensuring that participants do not just earn a credential but also successfully enter or advance into quality jobs.

A notable feature of this competition is its strong expectation that programs include wraparound services so people can realistically participate and finish training. NOAA explicitly frames wraparound services as supports that remove common barriers to enrollment and completion, especially for people who are often excluded from workforce opportunities. Examples named in the announcement include transportation assistance, childcare, elder care, and housing-related services. The underlying message is that training alone is not enough if participants cannot afford to attend, cannot travel to training sites, or are juggling caregiving and housing instability.

Equity and environmental justice are central priorities in how NOAA intends to evaluate and support projects under this NOFO. The program heavily prioritizes efforts that reach historically underserved communities as described in Executive Order 13985 on advancing racial equity, and that deliver benefits to disadvantaged communities consistent with Executive Order 14008 and related federal guidance (including definitions referenced in OMB memorandum M-23-09). It also aligns with Executive Order 14096, which emphasizes reducing barriers to meaningful public involvement, particularly for communities with environmental justice concerns. In practice, this means applications are expected to show who will be served, how underserved or disadvantaged communities will benefit, and how program design will remove participation barriers and produce measurable employment outcomes.

Funding is offered through grants and cooperative agreements under CFDA 11.417, and it is categorized as a discretionary opportunity spanning workforce and education, environment, natural resources, and related science and technology and R&D areas. NOAA anticipates making roughly 10 to 20 awards. Individual award sizes are expected to range from about $500,000 up to $10 million, with an overall award ceiling listed at $50,000,000. The competition was created June 29, 2023, with an original application deadline of February 13, 2024. The funding opportunity number is NOAA-OAR-SG-2024-2007783, and applicants are directed to follow the NOFO requirements for submission.

Overall, the grant is designed to strengthen regional economies in coastal states and U.S. territories by building training-to-employment systems for resilience-related work. The most competitive projects will typically be those that can clearly demonstrate employer-aligned training for in-demand resilience jobs, credible placement pathways into good-quality employment, and robust participant supports that expand access for underserved and disadvantaged communities while delivering real, trackable workforce outcomes.

• The Department of Commerce in the business and commerce, education, environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2023 Inflation Reduction Act Climate-Ready Workforce for Coastal States and Territories Competition" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.417.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 29, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 13, 2024. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $50,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 20 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA OAR SG 2024 2007783

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