Cleared Climate Ready Workforce Competition IRA NOFO.pdf

NOTICE OF FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

2023 Inflation Reduction Act

Climate Ready Workforce for Coastal States, Tribes, and Territories

Competition

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 5

A. Overview and Program Information 5

B. Program Priorities 16

C. Program Authority 19

II. Award Information 19

A. Funding Availability 19

B. Project/Award Period 19

C. Type of Funding Instrument 20

III. Eligibility Information 20

A. Eligible Applicants 20

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 23

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility 24

IV. Application and Submission Information 24

A. Address to Request Application Package 24

B. Content and Form of the Application 24

C. Unique entity identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 35

D. Submission Dates and Times 35

E. Intergovernmental Review 35

F. Funding Restrictions 35

G. Other Submission Requirements 36

V. Application Review Information 36

A. Evaluation Criteria 36

B. Review and Selection Process 41

C. Selection Factors 41

D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 42

VI. Award Administration Information 42

A. Award Notices 42

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 42

C. Reporting 45

VII. Agency Contacts 47

VIII. Other Information 47

IX. Instructions for Application Submission via Grants.gov 51

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Federal Agency Name(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC)

Funding Opportunity Title: 2023 Inflation Reduction Act Climate Ready Workforce for Coastal States, Tribes, and Territories Competition

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-OAR-SG-2024-2007783

Federal Assistance Listings Number: 11.417, Sea Grant Support

Dates:

● Letters of Intent are due at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on November 30, 2023.

● The deadline for application submission is 11:59 pm Eastern Time on February 13, 2024.

● Letters of Intent or applications received after the above deadlines will not be reviewed or considered.

Funding Opportunity Description:

A climate ready nation requires a climate ready workforce. 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. This competition is designed to meet the emerging and existing skills needs of employers while helping workers enter good jobs, so that together they may enhance climate resilience. NOAA envisions making between 10-20 awards under this competition, at amounts ranging from $500,000 to $10 million each. NOAA is issuing this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for qualified organizations to form and support partnerships that will work collaboratively to support regional economies and their associated workforces by developing training programs that build in-demand skills, offering wraparound services that allow workers to successfully enroll in and complete training, and helping workers enter or advance into good jobs that enhance climate resilience. Wraparound services allow people to overcome barriers to participate in the program, especially individuals in underserved groups. Examples of wraparound services include transportation, childcare, elder care, and housing services. NOAA heavily prioritizes efforts to reach individuals from historically underserved communities (see Executive Order (EO) 13985; see https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-adva ncing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/), and to benefit disadvantaged communities (see Executive Order 14008; see https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tac kling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/ and defined in M-23-09, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/M-23-09_Signed_CEQ_CPO.pdf).

Moreover, Executive Order 14096 recognizes that the Federal Government must continue to remove barriers to the meaningful involvement of the public in such decision-making, particularly those https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/M-23-09_Signed_CEQ_CPO.pdf barriers that affect members of communities with environmental justice concerns (see https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/04/21/executive-order-on-revi talizing-our-nations-commitment-to-environmental-justice-for-all/). Ultimately, the purpose of this

NOFO is to ensure workers in coastal states and territories are trained for and hired into quality private- and public-sector jobs in the U.S. economy that are needed to increase resilience to climate-related hazards

(https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-06/NOAA_FY2226_Strategic_Plan.pdf).

This document sets out requirements for submitting to NOAA-OAR-SG-2024-2007783.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Through this Inflation Reduction Act Climate Ready Workforce for Coastal States, Tribes, and

Territories Competition (hereafter referred to as “Climate Ready Workforce Competition''), NOAA will advance the Federal Ocean Climate Action Plan (see https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Ocean-Climate-Action-Plan_Final.pdf), make equity central to our work, and support economic growth–all toward the agency’s mission of science, service, and stewardship. Specifically, funded efforts will prepare and place workers in good jobs that enhance climate resilience and will advance environmental justice.

For purposes of this opportunity, a coastal state follows the definition in 16 U.S.C. § 1453(4), and includes Great Lakes states and US territories; the District of Columbia is also eligible under this opportunity.

NOAA may make changes or additions or cancel this NOFO at any time. All changes will be communicated via Grants.gov.

A. Overview and Program Information

New federal, state, private sector, and philanthropic investments across the United States are advancing historic efforts to confront climate change, make the nation more resilient to growing threats to health and well-being, and drive much-needed economic investments into historically underserved communities (see https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Inflation-Reduction-Act-Guidebo ok.pdf). The influx of resources has created demand for jobs whose skills require specialized training. This competition is designed to meet the emerging and existing skills needs of employers focused on climate resilience, while helping workers enter good jobs that enhance climate resilience. NOAA expects the results from this opportunity to directly support the actions from the U.S. Ocean Climate Action Plan (OCAP, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Ocean-Climate-Action-Plan_Final .pdf), including, but not limited to:

● Promote coastal community resilience strategies that are adaptive, equitable, and based on best practices.

● Support transformational resilience investments in coastal habitat restoration, conservation and in coastal community resilience.

● Advance evaluation and adoption of nature-based solutions, such as living shorelines, to build resilience against climate-driven coastal hazards.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/04/21/executive-order-on-revitalizing-our-nations-commitment-to-environmental-justice-for-all/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/04/21/executive-order-on-revitalizing-our-nations-commitment-to-environmental-justice-for-all/ https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-06/NOAA_FY2226_Strategic_Plan.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Ocean-Climate-Action-Plan_Final.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Inflation-Reduction-Act-Guidebook.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Inflation-Reduction-Act-Guidebook.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Ocean-Climate-Action-Plan_Final.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Ocean-Climate-Action-Plan_Final.pdf

● Reduce climate threats and improve the resiliency of climate-vulnerable protected species, including marine mammals.

The Climate Ready Workforce for Coastal States, Tribes, and Territories Competition will advance the President’s Justice40 Initiative established by EO 14008, which set a goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits from certain federal investments in climate, clean energy, and other investment areas flow to disadvantaged communities. The Climate Ready Workforce Competition is aligned with and advances the goals of the Justice40 Initiative, including to improve the quality of life, environment, and health of communities. Applicants should use the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, created by the White House Council on Environmental Quality, to identify geographically located disadvantaged communities or “Justice40 communities” that will benefit from this program (https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/;

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/M-23-09_Signed_CEQ_CPO.pdf).

For the purposes of this NOFO, “good jobs that enhance climate resilience” meet two sets of criteria. The first set of criteria is defined by the Departments of Labor and Commerce Good Jobs Principles, whereby “Good Jobs” address benefits; diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; empowerment and representation; job security and conditions; and pay, among other factors. Additional details on the dimensions of job quality are available at https://www.dol.gov/general/good-jobs/principles#:~:text=Organizational%20Culture%3A%20 All%20workers%20belong,fair%2C%20transparent%2C%20and%20equitable

The second set of criteria addresses the phrase “enhance climate resilience.” Within this NOFO, worker roles that perform one or more of the following climate-informed skills shall qualify as “enhancing climate resilience”:

1. Apply equity-centered climate resilience principles such as the following:

a. Articulate historical precedents leading to differential exposure of people to climate-related hazards.

b. Include diverse voices in delivering climate resilience priorities.

c. Establish community consent and support for climate resilience priorities, including how to identify impacts of greatest concern before, during, and/or after a climate-related event.

2. Reduce exposure, vulnerability, and risk to climate-related impacts, including but not limited to:

a. Apply best available science and knowledge, such as projections of climate risk.

b. Evaluate potential climate-related impacts so that the return on investment of one project may be evaluated relative to that of another.

c. Measure initial conditions, as well as improvements to climate resilience.

d. Evaluate and measure actions to enhance climate resilience, taking into consideration multiple value systems to ensure long-term sustainability. Measures may include, but are not limited to, monetary value, community values, continuity of operations, supply chain reliability, business functions, and ecosystem services.

e. Develop funding and finance plans for resilience projects that include all phases of implementation and project sustainability.

3. Design, build, operate, maintain, and/or improve the infrastructure and systems (including https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/M-23-09_Signed_CEQ_CPO.pdf https://www.dol.gov/general/good-jobs/principles#:~:text=Organizational%20Culture%3A%20All%20workers%20belong,fair%2C%20transparent%2C%20and%20equitable https://www.dol.gov/general/good-jobs/principles#:~:text=Organizational%20Culture%3A%20All%20workers%20belong,fair%2C%20transparent%2C%20and%20equitable nature-based systems) needed to reduce climate-related vulnerability and/or risk to people, assets, services, resources, ecosystems, or other attributes valued by individuals, businesses, communities, and/or governments.

4. Other relevant skills.

a. The applicant must demonstrate that “other relevant skills” are necessary to complete climate resilience work that may be missing in the applicant’s workforce.

b. Such skills may be defined by climate-resilience plans, employers, and resilience experts.

Skills that solely lead to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (i.e., “mitigate climate change”) as their primary focus (for example, building renewable energy infrastructure) are not included under “good jobs that enhance climate resilience,” for the purpose of this funding opportunity. However, where greenhouse gas reductions are co-benefits of resilience efforts, such projects are welcome.

In this NOFO, applicants can use funds to develop or fill “good jobs that enhance climate resilience” in a variety of ways. A project may address one or more skills, across one or more roles, and at a variety of geographic scales. Below are several descriptive scenarios describing how climate-informed skills might be incorporated into new or enhanced worker roles through this opportunity. Even if not explicitly described in these examples, all skills from the list above may be cited as relevant within a given proposal.

Scenario 1 - one skill, one role: An investment-oriented professional organization, in collaboration with major lending institutions, establishes a partnership to train 70 employees (who were slated to be laid off due to technological redundancies) and obtains commitments to hire them to a new chosen career path as Climate Equity

Officers within multiple regional offices after they learn how to establish baselines and assess risks that climate variability and change pose to capital investments and customers’ collateral.

Scenario 2 - one skill, multiple roles: Recognizing that some groups face a greater risk of heat-related illness than others (e.g., as a result of age or poor health) or lack resources that enable them to adapt or recover, a major municipal health-care provider partners with community groups to create 125 entry to mid-level positions for heat-health outreach specialists/assistants, nurses, and home health coordinators. Newly hired professionals will talk with patients, visit homes, help residents identify current and future heat-health risks, and connect those residents with community resources to mitigate them.

Scenario 3 - multiple skills, one role: A region’s coastal resilience plan requires crews that can address coastal erosion using nature-based solutions. One thousand workers are retrained in multiple cohorts for entry-level work on coastal landscapes, with specific training on erosion prevention, uses of native plants, and wetland restoration.

Scenario 4 - multiple skills, one role: A new partnership has identified a new local government worker role, Climate Resilience Officer, is needed in urban communities in a multi-state region to work with disadvantaged community leadership to incorporate local knowledge of recurrent flooding and elevated flood risks; armed with that knowledge, they will secure funds to protect at-risk populations and improve stormwater management systems, transportation networks, and other critical infrastructure. They propose to recruit and train four cohorts of 20 people each, for a total of 80 new hires.

Scenario 5 - multiple skills, one role: A coalition of community-based organizations in historically underserved communities come together to recruit and train 65 grant managers who have the skills to solicit, write and manage grants to improve climate resilience in those communities.

Scenario 6 - multiple skills, multiple roles: The state’s Climate Action Council brings municipal, county and state agencies together to identify a diverse set of needed skills, for which 30 new transportation analysts and 40 new water resource planners will be trained and hired to implement community climate resilience plans.

Scenario 7 - multiple skills, multiple roles: A coastal city has received a large climate resilience federal grant to implement the next stage of their climate resilience master plan.

Through the plan, they have identified essential worker roles that need to be recruited to build a comprehensive flood defense infrastructure project, which includes appropriate use of nature-based solutions, that will protect the city’s waterfront from strengthening coastal storms for decades into the future. To complete the project and ensure its upkeep over time, the city needs to hire 45 resilience landscape technicians and 30 environmental inspectors to bury floodwalls, design landscapes that create a line of elevated ridges, and conduct ongoing modifications and maintenance.

Successful applicants can receive funding for two types of activities:

● Program design for partnerships to identify the skills needed by industry and workers;

develop the skills training curriculum and materials in collaboration with NOAA (see

Program Priorities in Section I.B.); and secure technical expertise needed to train workers with the skills needed by employers, including providing professional development and capacity-building to trainers.

● Program implementation to deliver workforce training and wraparound services

(e.g., childcare, transportation) that place workers into good jobs that enhance climate resilience through one or more sector partnerships.

All funded projects will be employer-led, in line with the Department of Commerce’s workforce principles (https://www.commerce.gov/issues/workforce-development), and will support

Americans in securing and retaining good jobs that enhance climate resilience in coastal states, tribes, and territories. A competitive application will seek to place at least 50 workers into jobs but could be as high as 1,000 or more workers, through the duration of their project.

1. Definitions and Essential Concepts https://www.commerce.gov/issues/workforce-development

For the purposes of this NOFO, several terms have specific definitions, as outlined below.

A partnership (see Figure 1) consists of employers and strategic partners who join together to train and place workers into good jobs that enhance climate resilience. The lead entity of a partnership is referred to in this NOFO as a “Backbone Organization.” The Backbone Organization serves as an intermediary across all the partners and must be an eligible applicant (Section III.A.). Strategic partners can include government, educational institutions (including community and technical colleges), training organizations, economic development organizations, workforce development organizations, unions, labor management partnerships, industry associations, employer-serving organizations, and/or community-based organizations. Partnerships are encouraged to collaborate with NOAA-affiliated entities, which include NOAA programs, offices, and labs, as well as NOAA-funded programs (see Section III.A.3. for details).

Figure 1. The figure illustrates how employers work with strategic partners to train and hire workers in a partnership.

Resilience is the capacity to prevent, withstand, respond to, and recover from a disruption. Climate resilience, more specifically, refers to building resilience to climate-related impacts and requires that the frequency and severity of climate-related impacts be factored into planning, infrastructure, services, and other relevant operations. More information on climate resilience is available at https://toolkit.climate.gov/steps-to-resilience/steps-resilience-overview. Enhancing climate resilience can include retrofitting or building new infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and “soft” measures such as administrative changes, preparedness, and programs that enhance people’s adaptability to climate-related impacts. Climate resilience is strengthened by reducing the potential for future injury, enhancing “up-time” for employers and/or supply chains, and strengthening capacity to troubleshoot and address vulnerabilities. Application submissions must explicitly demonstrate how the partnership will place people in good jobs that enhance climate resilience.

Additional information about enhancing resilience is available at https://toolkit.climate.gov/content/practitioners-guidance-implementing-steps-resilience.

2. Components of a Climate Ready Workforce

The goal of this opportunity is to (a) connect the in-demand and emerging climate resilience skills needs of employers with qualified workers and (b) help workers find and keep good jobs and advance along their chosen career path, while working to enhance resilience to climate-related impacts.

Applicants to this opportunity should be Backbone Organizations who will lead partnerships.

Successful applicants will serve as intermediaries who play a convening and coordination role among project participants. Successful applicants will ensure programs are successfully implemented, meet employer needs, are leading to long-term positive outcomes for workers and their communities, and meet agreed-upon milestones. Successful applicants will include proactive employer engagement and mobilization linked to explicit commitments to hire (see Employer

Commitments and Leadership in Section I.A.2.e).

Successful applicants to this NOFO will receive funding for program design for partnerships and/or program implementation (see Program Priorities in Section I.B. for more detail). NOAA anticipates making an overarching award to each successful Backbone Organization. NOAA will further approve the release of award funds over the period of performance based on successful completion of specific applicant-proposed benchmarks that will be clearly identified in the award as the organization moves through its objectives as articulated in its application. The Backbone

Organization may make subawards as necessary and as approved by the grant program manager.

Applicants should submit one application for program design and/or program implementation, as necessary.

Partnerships funded under this NOFO should connect employers in an industry or sector with regionally relevant groups, including State, Tribal, and local governmental entities, indigenous-led organizations, economic development organizations, workforce development boards, Career

OneStops (https://www.careeronestop.org/), employer-facing organizations and employer associations, education and training providers, community-based organizations (CBOs), faith-based organizations, worker-serving organizations (WSOs), labor unions, professional associations, and/or other relevant groups with roles or responsibilities in advancing resilience to climate-related https://toolkit.climate.gov/steps-to-resilience/steps-resilience-overview https://toolkit.climate.gov/content/practitioners-guidance-implementing-steps-resilience https://www.careeronestop.org/ impacts. Those employers, industries, and sectors are listed below under Eligibility Information

(Section III).

NOAA encourages applicants to recruit workers with barriers to the labor market, including historically underserved and under-resourced communities and individuals (as defined by Exec Order No. 13985;

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advanc ing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/) and including, but not limited to, communities of color, women, people with disabilities, and others facing employment barriers; disconnected youth, such as individuals in their late teens to mid-twenties with limited education, experiencing social exclusion, with lack of work experience, and/or with few opportunities to develop mentors and valuable work connections; individuals in recovery, where

“recovery” is defined as the process of improved physical, psychological, and social wellbeing and health following cessation or reductions in substance use; individuals with past criminal records including justice-impacted and reentry participants; those participating in the public benefits programs; and veterans and military spouses.

While not all applications will cover each criterion equally, applicants will likely address each of the following to successfully compete under this program:

● include all necessary partners before workforce solutions are designed;

● cut across traditional economic development, workforce, education, and social services system silos;

● target in-demand climate resilience skills and service delivery within relevant economic sectors;

● create opportunities for workers with barriers to employment;

● lead to good jobs that enhance climate resilience; and

● consider the economic realities of a region, industry, and sector in assessing workforce demand and training needs.

Prospective applicants should note that Section III sets out eligibility criteria for applications, and only applications meeting the eligibility criteria will be considered. NOAA will evaluate and select applications according to the evaluation criteria set forth in Section V. Applicants who are unsure whether their proposed project is eligible under this NOFO should contact NOAA at the email address listed in Section VII.

a. Regional, Industry, and Occupation Focus

The size and scope of a given partnership can vary significantly based on the needs of the employers and workers in a region and the focus of the partnership itself.

Successful applicants will train workers for and place workers into good jobs that enhance climate resilience, as defined above (Section I.A.). Among other things, these jobs can help execute the climate resilience projects funded through other Federal grants; support industries in operating in new ways given the impacts of climate change; and help address the impacts of climate change.

b. Benchmark Approach to Funding https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/

The size of award available under this NOFO will depend on the proposed geographic, industry/sector, and occupation coverage of a given partnership. Applicants should justify their budget requests by referencing those factors. Each applicant shall be a Backbone Organization and an Eligible Applicant (see Section III.A) with convening power in the region and the capacity to coordinate all relevant groups necessary for the partnership.

NOAA may require applicants to demonstrate they have met certain, pre-determined benchmarks before accessing the full amount of their award.

The following hypothetical example is designed to help explain how NOAA anticipates awarding funds and implementing benchmarks:

A Backbone Organization submits an application on behalf of a partnership to design and then execute a training program, including funds for trainers, leased facilities, equipment purchase, childcare, transportation, and coaching services.

NOAA may approve an award to the Backbone Organization. Before the Backbone

Organization can access program implementation funds, it must demonstrate it already has sufficient program design standards in place to move to program implementation.

c. Examples Highlighting Distinct Approaches to this NOFO

Each region, employer, or sector of the U.S. and its territories has distinct climate resilience needs.

One region may need to build and design a new climate resilience partnership. Another region may already have elements of an effective partnership in place but seek funding to combine those components in a unique way. A third region may have a partnership that functions well and is ready to move forward with implementation projects, expand the partnership to other regions, or support other industries and occupations or skills needs within an industry.

For example, a community college may develop a partnership by matching employers (each of which has job openings that require similar skill sets), a local training provider, a labor management partnership, and a group of community colleges in the region (see, for example, https://theseedcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/COWSSEED_ResiliencyReport_1014_web.pdf).

Their partnership prepares workers to meet employers’ climate resilience needs.

A partnership may include one or more community-based organizations that provide wraparound services to support workers during training and apprenticeships (see, for example, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Advancing-Equitable-Workforce-Devel o pment-for-Infrastructure-Jobs_110122.pdf). Employers express interest in recruiting individuals who enroll in the training program; those employers commit to hiring and retaining workers who successfully complete the program.

A union might work with an employer or group of employers to create or scale a registered apprenticeship or an employer-led partnership that provides a work-and-learn model where workers can continue to work as they develop new skills. Training should teach foundational principles as well https://theseedcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/COWSSEED_ResiliencyReport_1014_web.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Advancing-Equitable-Workforce-Development-for-Infrastructure-Jobs_110122.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Advancing-Equitable-Workforce-Development-for-Infrastructure-Jobs_110122.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Advancing-Equitable-Workforce-Development-for-Infrastructure-Jobs_110122.pdf as applied knowledge, should be applicable to more than one employer as much as practicable, and should help workers advance along a career path.

d. Training Models

There are several different skills training models that have proved to be effective if the fundamental characteristics we have described in previous sections are in place. In all effective models, an essential component is upfront employer engagement and mobilization, as well as employer commitments to hire workers (see Employer Commitments and Leadership in Section I.A.2.e).

Models may differ in the type of worker skills training they provide and will differ based on the sectors or occupations to which each training is aligned. Applicants are encouraged to refer to the

NOAA guidebook, Implementing the Steps to Resilience

(https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/46456), as they explore which employers may require workers to advance climate resilience. Training programs may include Certification or

Credentialing, as well as Work and Learn programs.

Certification and Credentialing necessitates a worker to obtain an industry-recognized certification and/or license recognized by appropriate levels of government and/or private sector entities. Work and Learn might involve skills training, Registered Apprenticeships, or hybrid models. Skills Training programs provide workers with foundational and relevant climate resilience knowledge and skills needed for in-demand, good jobs. Trained workers advance along career pathways that enhance resilience to climate-related impacts. Registered Apprenticeship Models

(https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/11/30/2022-26108/prevailing-wage-and-appre nticeship-initial-guidance-under-section-45b6bii-and-other-substantially) combine paid, on-the-job training (under the direction of a mentor) with classroom instruction and result in an industry-recognized credential (e.g., for climate resilience proficiency) within a worker role. As an example of a hybrid model: a worker is conditionally hired for a specific training period and earns wages, while receiving on-the-job training in foundational skills and applied concepts. After successful completion of the training period, the worker is officially hired as a full-time employee.

Programs may provide unemployed or underemployed workers or incumbent workers with opportunities for increased wages through targeted upskilling. Programs should include appropriate wraparound services.

Successful applicants will work in consultation with NOAA program managers to incorporate climate resilience concepts into interventions honed to a given sector or industry. NOAA program managers will work with project teams to promote successful applicants’ work through NOAA and NOAA-funded programs and offices. Where possible, NOAA will provide technical assistance to successful applicants (see Section II.C.), to ensure that their training programs leverage the best available science, data, and practices in enhancing climate resilience, including utilizing NOAA’s Digital Coast (https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/) and the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit (https://toolkit.noaa.gov).

e. Employer Commitments and Leadership https://doi.org/10.25923/9hhx-2m82 https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/11/30/2022-26108/prevailing-wage-and-apprenticeship-initial-guidance-under-section-45b6bii-and-other-substantially https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/11/30/2022-26108/prevailing-wage-and-apprenticeship-initial-guidance-under-section-45b6bii-and-other-substantially https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/ https://toolkit.noaa.gov/

Successful applications will require strong leadership from employers.

NOAA is seeking applications that have firm employer commitments to hire. The employer commitment may come in different formats. Some examples include:

● Work-and-Learn, including Registered Apprenticeships and other earn and learn models (see Training Models in Section 1.A.2.d.);

● Conditional Hire, whereby an employer hires workers on the condition of successful completion of a training program and the successful demonstration of skill acquisition;

● Post-Training Hire, whereby employers commit to hiring a specific number of workers who successfully complete a training program.

Employers should be active in the partnership, steering its agenda toward what is needed in the marketplace. While partnerships contain a broad-based team of partners and are a “team effort” made up of educational institutions, professional organizations, workforce development consortia, and economic development leaders who collaborate to support the partnership, the partnership should focus on responding to industry and sectoral needs for bolstering resilience to climate-related impacts. Employers should define the priorities and be integrally involved in crafting the solutions (as opposed to providing input only). Employers define their skills needs and the priorities for addressing them. Therefore, if climate resilience priorities necessitate industry-specific techniques, the development, teaching, and evaluation of those industry-specific methods are considered within scope of what this competition may fund. Employers and the other partners should all commit appropriate resources to identify and solve any problems identified by the collaborators.

B. Program Priorities

In forming a partnership that supports training for and placement into jobs to enhance climate resilience, all projects considered for funding under this NOFO must address the program priorities set out below in bulleted text.

● Be consistent with NOAA’s strategic focus to enhance climate resilience, make equity central to our work, and support economic growth and the agency’s mission of science, service, and stewardship

(see https://www.noaa.gov/organization/budget-finance-performance/value-to-society/noaa-fy22-26-strategic-plan).

● Support one or more of the following actions from the Ocean Climate Action Plan

○ Promote coastal community resilience strategies that are adaptive, equitable, and based on best practices.

○ Support transformational resilience investments in coastal habitat restoration, conservation and in coastal community resilience.

○ Advance evaluation and adoption of nature-based solutions, such as living shorelines, to build resilience against climate-driven coastal hazards.

○ Reduce climate threats and improve the resiliency of climate-vulnerable protected species, including marine mammals.

https://www.noaa.gov/organization/budget-finance-performance/value-to-society/noaa-fy22-26-strategic-plan https://www.noaa.gov/organization/budget-finance-performance/value-to-society/noaa-fy22-26-strategic-plan

● Recruit workers (e.g., 50-1000+ over time) into “good jobs that enhance climate resilience,” and train them for using one or more of the five climate-informed skills (see I.A.).

● Place workers in good jobs within coastal states, tribal nations, and territories or the

District of Columbia, with a focus on training workers from the community where the jobs are located (per section VIII.H).

● Support work in communities with climate justice vulnerabilities and in disadvantaged communities as identified by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST;

https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov ).

● Identify and include relevant climate experts as strategic partners on the project team to inform project definition and skill development.

● Utilize NOAA’s and/or its partners’ scientific data, data access tools, data visualizations, expertise, and/or other physical and intellectual assets to:

○ Document known climate stressors to justify why the identified jobs meet the definition of "good jobs that enhance climate resilience;"

○ Inform training designed to advance skills for workforce recruits

For the purpose of this competition, NOAA-funded tools or assets may be used to meet the requirement for using NOAA resources. Additionally, non-NOAA climate resources may be used to supplement NOAA ones. A list of relevant resources can be found in the

U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit

(https://toolkit.climate.gov/content/resources-climate-ready-workforce).

● Include appropriate wrap-around services (e.g., childcare, transportation) to support training participants in completing the training.

● Work collaboratively to grow regional workforces and their associated economies by (a) co-developing new or (b) enhancing existing training programs that meet the existing and emerging skills needs of employers.

● Build enduring capacity for a workforce that can enhance climate resilience.

● Carry out one or both of the following activities:

○ Program design for partnerships to identify the skills needed by industry and workers, develop the skills training curriculum and materials in collaboration with employers and NOAA (see Section I.A.2.d.), and secure technical expertise needed to train workers with the skills needed by employers, including providing professional development and capacity-building to trainers and educators; and

○ Program implementation to deliver workforce training and wraparound services that place workers into good jobs that enhance climate resilience through new or expanded partnerships.

● Produce tangible metrics, e.g., employer commitments to hire, job placements, advancing workers along chosen career paths, and wage gain Metrics also should be proposed to track progress toward climate resilience, as well as economic, and equity goals.

NOAA strongly encourages partnerships to recruit those with barriers to the labor market, for example persons with disabilities; disconnected youth; individuals in recovery; individuals with past criminal records including justice-impacted and reentry participants; serving trainees participating in public benefits programs; and veterans and military spouses. NOAA also encourages partnerships with

Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, other Minority-Serving https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov https://toolkit.climate.gov/content/resources-climate-ready-workforce

Institutions, community colleges, or technical colleges.

In order to facilitate the use of NOAA’s assets, partnerships are strongly encouraged to collaborate with relevant NOAA and NOAA-funded offices, programs, labs, and/or NOAA employees and affiliates within proposed partnerships.

The following activities, outputs, and outcomes would be responsive to this program. This list is not exhaustive, and projects are not limited to these specific categories of activity:

• Establishing, strengthening, or expanding partnerships to provide workers with good jobs that enhance climate resilience and employers with those skilled workers.

• Funding and staffing for the Backbone Organization to carry out functions outlined in

Section III.A.1.

• Working with employers and other relevant groups to identify in-demand occupations and skills and securing employer commitments to hire workers who successfully complete skills training, including earning relevant industry-recognized credentials.

• Making potential training participants aware of available program resources, such as in-demand climate-resilient occupations, training programs that are aligned to those occupations, and wraparound services that can help workers access jobs and job training resources.

• Developing processes to translate employers’ needs for worker skills into training models, including working with NOAA to ensure that training utilizes the best available data and science and climate resilience principles.

• Developing and executing outreach and recruitment plans to secure workers, particularly from underserved populations, to participate in the skills training program to enhance diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and accessibility in the targeted industry. These plans should be developed in partnership with relevant organizations that focus on target populations, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, other

Minority-Serving Institutions, community colleges, or technical colleges.

• Addressing NOAA’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Accessibility principles (see Eligible

Applicants in Section III.A) in additional ways.

• Developing systems and processes to measure and track outcomes and metrics of skills training programs.

• Delivering quality skills training that places workers into good jobs that enhance climate resilience.

• Delivering technical assistance for employers on skills-based hiring practices to reduce bias, improve return on investment, and promote people-centered practices.

• Working with employers to adopt a strategy that builds a workforce that can enhance climate resilience.

• Securing and offering wraparound services for workers to participate in skills training programs (e.g., transportation, childcare, career coaching/navigation services).

• Leveraging federal and non-federal funds to expand reach.

C. Program Authority

Statutory authority for this program is provided under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022

(Pub.L. 117–169).

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

Under the Inflation Reduction Act, NOAA expects to award approximately $50 million for the Climate

Ready Workforce Competition.

If an applicant is awarded funding, NOAA is under no obligation to provide any future funding in connection with that award or to make any future award(s). Amendments or renewals of an award to increase funding or to extend the period of performance are at the sole discretion of NOAA.

Publication of this announcement does not obligate NOAA to award any specific grant or cooperative agreement or to obligate all or any part of available funds. The granting of any award is subject to the availability of funds at the time of award. NOAA will not be held responsible for application preparation costs.

NOAA anticipates making approximately 10-20 awards under this NOFO and scaling awards as appropriate to the proposed geographic, industry/sector, and worker role coverage of a given regional system.

Depending on demand under this NOFO, NOAA may exercise its discretion to adjust the total amount available under this NOFO.

B. Project/Award Period

Under the Climate Ready Workforce Competition, the project period of performance depends on the nature of the project for which the grant or cooperative agreement is awarded. Due to the need for recipients to meet identified benchmarks to proceed through project phases, NOAA expects projects to range in duration from 24 months to 48 months.

NOAA will work closely with award recipients to accommodate their projected timelines within reason and allowances of regulations and grant policies, though NOAA will prioritize programs that move expeditiously and are able to place workers into good jobs within 12-24 months of the award.

NOAA expects that all projects will proceed efficiently and expeditiously, and NOAA encourages applicants to clearly document the timeline to start and complete the proposed project scope of work.

Awards are expected to be announced in June 2024. The anticipated start date for these awards is no earlier than August 1, 2024. Projects should be completed no later than July 31, 2028.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement to an eligible applicant. A cooperative agreement is used when substantial involvement of the federal government during performance of the proposed work is anticipated. NOAA's “substantial involvement” (to be included in the terms and conditions of the award) will generally be collaboration between the NOAA Program

Team and the recipient to develop the project’s scope of work and to codesign approaches that help participants:

● Understand the impacts of current and projected climate conditions on worker roles and apply that understanding to improve job efficacy.

● Understand the causes and effects of global climate change on a region, especially as they pertain to the differentiated worker roles within a proposed partnership.

● Understand the actions people can take to build resilience to potential climate-related impacts relevant to a job or region, including reduction of carbon pollution.

● Address exposure, vulnerability, risk, and opportunities in alignment with the Steps to

Resilience (https://toolkit.climate.gov/steps-to-resilience/steps-resilience-overview; also see the Practitioner’s Guide https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/46456) and additional climate resilience resources from NOAA and its funded partners.

● Attain other knowledge, skills, and abilities appropriate to the job, sector, and region that enhance resilience to climate-related impacts.

Other possible examples of NOAA's “substantial involvement” may include but are not limited to:

(i) authority to halt immediately an activity if detailed performance specifications are not met; (ii) stipulation that the recipient must meet or adhere to specific procedural requirements before subsequent stages of a project may continue; and (iii) operational involvement and monitoring during the project to ensure compliance with statutory requirements. Award funds will only be available to a recipient after the recipient has successfully completed specific applicant-proposed benchmarks identified in the award (see Section I.A.2.b).

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

1. Applicant Type

Eligible applicants for the Climate Ready Workforce Competition must be located in coastal states or territories as defined by 16 U.S.C. § 1453(4) or in the District of Columbia. They are:

○ State governments;

○ Tribal governments - the recognized governing body of any Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, community, component band, or component reservation, individually identified (including parenthetically) in the list published most recently as of 2022 pursuant to section 104 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131);

○ Territorial governments;

○ Local governments;

○ Institutions of higher education (as defined in subsection (a) of section 101 of the

Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))), including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, other Minority-Serving Institutions, community colleges, and technical colleges;

○ Non-profit organizations or associations.

2. Applicant Role https://toolkit.climate.gov/steps-to-resilience/steps-resilience-overview https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/46456

Applicants will have all or most of the following characteristics:

● Convening power in the region, which is the ability to catalyze collective action by relevant actors to address regional climate challenges. Exercising convening power is not an end-goal but rather a means to foster collective action to achieve desirable development outcomes.

● Committed support of the executive leadership from the region and buy-in from appropriate relevant groups (e.g., a governor, mayor or chief executive of a jurisdiction, chief executives of major employers, heads of labor unions, presidents of two- and four-year institutions of higher education).

● Strong fundraising or budget-management capabilities or connection to a system with strong fundraising capabilities.

● Relationships and credibility with key players in the workforce ecosystem, including employers, governmental entities, state or local workforce development boards, educational institutions, labor organizations, and worker-serving organizations.

● A proven track record of coordinating across sectors and partners and of driving relevant groups to successful action.

● Dedicated full-time employee(s) focused on addressing regional workforce issues to support regional economic development.

● Ability to translate various sectors’ objectives and key concerns to other sectors.

● Strong outreach and engagement…