Climate-Ready Workforce

Volunteers plant natural grasses safely behind a newly constructed breakwater, which is part of a living shoreline project, at Camp Wilkes in Biloxi, Mississippi. The breakwater’s role is to reduce erosion on the shoreline by decreasing the wave energy and allowing plants to grow on the shore.
Volunteers plant natural grasses safely behind a newly constructed breakwater, which is part of a living shoreline project, at Camp Wilkes in Biloxi, Mississippi. The breakwater’s role is to reduce erosion on the shoreline by decreasing the wave energy and allowing plants to grow on the shore. (Image credit: Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant)
RESOURCES
Volunteers plant natural grasses safely behind a newly constructed breakwater, which is part of a living shoreline project, at Camp Wilkes in Biloxi, Mississippi. The breakwater’s role is to reduce erosion on the shoreline by decreasing the wave energy and allowing plants to grow on the shore.
Volunteers plant natural grasses safely behind a newly constructed breakwater, which is part of a living shoreline project, at Camp Wilkes in Biloxi, Mississippi. The breakwater’s role is to reduce erosion on the shoreline by decreasing the wave energy and allowing plants to grow on the shore. (Image credit: Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant)
RESOURCES

Through a new competition and technical assistance, NOAA will invest ~ $60 million to meet the emerging and existing needs of employers while helping workers find high quality jobs by investing in workforce training focused on climate resilience concepts, principles, and techniques and implementation, and ensuring direct hire or promotion into jobs related to climate resilience with an emphasis on training and hiring in place, especially to benefit underserved communities.  

Announcements

2023 Inflation Reduction Act Climate Ready Workforce for Coastal and Great Lakes States, Tribes and Territories Initiative 

Sea Grant and the NOAA Climate Program Office, with support from the NOAA Office of Coastal Management, seek to establish programs aimed at at placing people across the country into good jobs that advance climate resilience and assist employers in developing a 21st-century workforce that is climate literate, informed by climate resilience and skilled at addressing consequent challenges. NOAA will assist communities in coastal and Great Lakes states and territories so they may form partnerships that train workers and place them into jobs that enhance climate resilience. 

NOAA envisions making between 10-20 awards under this competition, at amounts ranging from $500,000-$10 million each. NOAA expects projects to range in duration from 24 months to 48 months, beginning no earlier than August 1, 2024. This opportunity is open to state, tribal, territorial and local governments, institutions of higher education, and non-profit organizations in coastal states or territories. Resources from NOAA’s Climate Program Office, Office of Coastal Management, and National Sea Grant Office and its partners will be available to provide technical assistance to applicants and recipients to support these innovative efforts. 

Read the formal announcement on Grants.gov NOAA-OAR-SG-2024-2007783 (PDF of NOFO)

Letters of intent are required in order to be eligible to submit a full proposal.

Letters of Intent due: November 30, 2023 

Full Proposals due: February 13, 2024

Find dates and registration for informational and application support webinars here.

See Resources for a Climate Ready Workforce.

Questions about this opportunity may be submitted to sg.grants@noaa.gov.

Volunteers plant natural grasses safely behind a newly constructed breakwater, which is part of a living shoreline project, at Camp Wilkes in Biloxi, Mississippi. The breakwater’s role is to reduce erosion on the shoreline by decreasing the wave energy and allowing plants to grow on the shore.
Volunteers plant natural grasses safely behind a newly constructed breakwater, which is part of a living shoreline project, at Camp Wilkes in Biloxi, Mississippi. The breakwater’s role is to reduce erosion on the shoreline by decreasing the wave energy and allowing plants to grow on the shore. (Image credit: Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant)
RESOURCES