Source: Empire Wind

Excerpt:

Equinor and bp, together with the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), have awarded eight New York area organizations a total of $5 million in grants to provide local economic benefits that support sustainable growth, workforce development, empowerment of underserved communities, and climate justice in New York’s emerging offshore wind industry ecosystem.  

The new Offshore Wind Ecosystem Fund recognizes leading organizations working to create systemic change toward an equitable energy transition.  Applicants were chosen by a selection committee, comprised of representatives of the Sunset Park Task Force (SPTF), which advocates to maximize the economic potential and community links between Sunset Park residents and the waterfront, NYCEDC and Equinor. Recipients reflect stakeholders and geographies of critical need.   

The eight organizations and related programs chosen to be implemented are as follows:   

• City Growers at Brooklyn Grange Farm – The Ecosystem Fund grant will enhance the programming of City Growers’ Green Ambassadors program and Sunday Open Houses and Family Farm Days, which provide environmental education for urban youth. 
• Educational and Cultural Trust Fund of the Electrical Industry – A comprehensive program will be implemented with Ecosystem Fund support to recruit, educate, and train a diverse future workforce for New York’s offshore wind industry.  
• Jewish Community Center of Staten Island – The grant will support the JCC program “Creating Career Pathways in Offshore Wind,” open to all Staten Island residents and educating at least 3,000 children in grades K-12 and over 1,500 adults about wind energy.  

• New York Academy of Sciences – The grant will support a variety of programming, including experiential learning of the offshore wind industry for public school students and providing support to residents of historically marginalized neighborhoods to enter and grow careers in the offshore wind industry. 
• New York City District Council of Carpenters Apprenticeship Journeyman Retraining Educational & Industry FundFunding will be used to support advanced training for skilled workers and apprentice recruitment from environmental justice communities who will join the pipeline for new jobs created by the offshore wind industry. 
• Research Foundation of the City University of New York – The grant will support the City University of New York Offshore Wind Advisory Network’s Bridge to Offshore Wind, which will offer an interactive instructional seminar for people interested in learning about the region’s offshore wind industry. Focus will be on the maritime, electrical, construction and manufacturing, assembly, and supply chain subsectors. 
• Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation (SBIDC) – Funding will support SBIDC’s Wind Connections initiative to advance an inclusive and diverse local supply chain for the offshore wind industry in New York while increasing awareness of and access to these opportunities among disadvantaged business enterprises. 
• Uprose – The grant will support Uprose’s Just Transition Worker Resource Initiative to connect members from historically marginalized waterfront communities in New York City to employment opportunities in the emerging green energy economy. 

Selection criteria for Ecosystem Fund grants focused on three key priorities: (1) developing career pathways in the offshore wind ecosystem through job education and training; (2) support to directly impacted New Yorkers from historically marginalized and environmental justice areas by prioritizing access to workforce and business opportunities; and (3) advancing inclusive growth of the supply chain ecosystem by supporting local Minority-, Women- and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (M/WBE and SDVOB) and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE).  

Read more: Awardees of $5 Million Offshore Wind Ecosystem Fund Announced