Coalitions must be five-member partnerships, at minimum, consisting of at least one entity from each
of the following:
(1) Labor Organization: A single or multiple union local(s), an association of labor unions (e.g., a local or state Building and Construction Trades Council, a local or regional Central Labor Council, or a State Federation of Labor), or a combination of different labor organizations.
(2) Clean energy employer: Any public or private entity that employs workers in a clean energy sector.
(3) Community-based organization: A membership-based, non-governmental organization that represents the target population or a non-governmental organization with a track record of working with and serving the target population.
(4) Public agency: A governmental entity involved in implementing clean energy programs (e.g., a city or county sustainability office or a state energy office), a governmental entity involved in economic and workforce development (e.g., a local or state workforce investment/development board), a governmental entity involved in delivering public assistance programs (e.g., a county or state social service agency that provides financial assistance for food, housing, childcare, etc.).
(5) Education and workforce training provider: A public or private institution or organization that delivers workforce education and training services focused on middle-skill occupations (e.g., community colleges, adult high schools, registered apprenticeship programs, or apprenticeship readiness programs).
Challenge Overview
The Good Jobs in Clean Energy Prize is designed to encourage coalition-building in communities across the country that focus on creating quality jobs and fostering an equitable and inclusive workforce in clean energy sectors.
A Coalition Competition Structured for Success
The Good Jobs in Clean Energy Prize encourages building new and newly focused placed-based coalitions to create quality, accessible jobs and training partnerships in their community. Each coalition is required to include, at a minimum, one coalition representative from each of the five key stakeholder groups below:
Labor organizations
Clean energy employers
Community-based organizations
Public agencies
Education and workforce providers
These competing coalitions will develop and implement Coalition Action Plans that improve the quality of and expand access to good jobs in clean energy.
Competitors participate in three prize phases designed to increase the long-term engagement of place-based coalitions to ensure that the clean energy jobs created nationwide are high quality and accessible to target populations. Coalitions must compete and win in Phase One of the prize to qualify to compete in Phase Two and Phase Three of the prize. Qualified coalitions will have the chance to win part of $3,375,000 prize pool to help them develop plans and accelerate the implementation of their solutions.
More than $3 Million in Prizes
The three-phase competition catalyzes coalition building to understand, plan, and improve job quality and job access within the clean energy economy for target populations.
The Three Phases
Phase One: Coalition Formation
Up to 15 winning coalitions / $50,000 cash prize each
Winning coalitions are selected for:
Identifying a clean energy employment opportunity and workforce challenge in a specific sector and target community, and
Displaying robust partnerships that include at least one organization from each of the five stakeholder types: labor organization, clean energy employer, community-based organization, public agency, and education and workforce provider.
Phase Two: Coalition Action Plan
Up to 10 winning coalitions / $100,000 each
Competing coalitions participate in a virtual U.S. Department of Energy-led training on High Road economic and workforce development strategies for clean energy and develop a robust Coalition Action Plan to create quality, accessible jobs, and training partnerships.
Phase Three: Implementation and Impact
Up to 10 winning coalitions. First place: $300,000 / Second place: $250,000 / Third place: $200,000 / Seven runner-up coalitions: $125,000
Competing coalitions implement their Phase Two Coalition Action Plans and participate in community-of-practice activities and quarterly check-ins with prize administrators.
Up to 15 coalitions can win $50,000 cash prize during Phase One. This is a prize-based competition rather than a grant.