‘Green’ grants coming to Brockton
Clean energy companies, community-based nonprofit groups, educational institutions and labor organizations are among those eligible for the $1 million that will be allocated for new “green collar” job-training grants in MA.
BROCKTON — Brockton is among 11 cities in the state of Massachusetts eligible to receive “green collar” job training grants.
The state office of Energy and Environmental Affairs will award five grants of $100,000 to $300,000 each to programs that serve workers with incomes at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level, which amounts to $63,600 for a family of four.
The grants will target programs in Brockton, Fall River, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, New Bedford, Pittsfield, Springfield and Worcester – former mill cities that continue to provide first homes and first jobs for new immigrants.
Clean energy companies, community-based nonprofit groups, educational institutions and labor organizations are among those eligible for the $1 million that will be allocated for new “green collar” job-training grants, EEA Secretary Ian Bowles said in a press release.
Authorized by the Green Jobs Act signed into law by Gov. Deval Patrick in August, EEA’s new Pathways out of Poverty grants are designed to jump-start training in clean energy careers for low- and moderate-income residents.
Grant applications are due to EEA by Jan. 6 for programs that are expected to begin in February and last through June 2010.
Projects eligible for Pathways out of Poverty grants include job training and apprenticeship programs, relevant education, career coaching, outreach and recruitment of unemployed participants and skills credentialing programs.
While grant applicants are not required to provide matching funds, EEA will give more weight in the selection process to projects that leverage funding from additional sources.
In addition to authorizing Pathways out of Poverty grants, the Green Jobs Act created a new Clean Energy Technology Center that will support workforce development, university partnerships, research and development and clean energy entrepreneurship.
