Through this grant program, EPA is soliciting applications from eligible applicants as described in Section III.A to assist in the development and utilization of innovative activities relating to workforce development and career opportunities in the water utility sector, which may include
(A) expanding the use and availability of activities and resources that relate to the recruitment, including the promotion of diversity within that recruitment, of individuals to careers in the drinking water and wastewater utility sector, including stormwater;
(B) expanding the availability of training opportunities for (i) individuals entering the water and wastewater utility sector; and (ii) individuals seeking to advance careers within the water and wastewater utility sector;
(C) expanding the use and availability of activities and strategies, including the development of innovative activities and strategies, that relate to the maintenance and retention of a sustainable workforce in the water and wastewater utility sector; and
(D) expanding the availability of workforce development and training that enables drinking water and wastewater utility workers to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other air pollutants to benefit disadvantaged communities.
Under this RFA, only one application can be submitted per applicant. Interested applicants from within Duke should contact fundopps@duke.edu as early as possible.
Deadline: Nov. 17, 2023
- Project Area 1: Targeted internship, apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and postsecondary bridge programs for skilled water utility trades.
- Project Area 2: Education programs designed for elementary, secondary, and higher education students.
- Project Area 3: Regional industry and workforce development collaborations to address water utility employment needs and coordinate candidate development, particularly in areas of high unemployment or for water utilities with a high proportion of retirement eligible employees.
- Project Area 4: Leadership development, occupational training, mentoring, or crosstraining programs that ensure incumbent drinking water and wastewater utility workers are prepared for higher level supervisory or management-level positions.
- Project Area 5: Education and training programs, including internship or apprenticeship programs, designed for decentralized water workers (i.e., private well and/or septic system service professionals) to support public health outcomes for communities that rely on private wells for drinking water or decentralized systems for adequate treatment and disposal of wastewater.
- Project Area 6: Leadership development, occupational training, mentoring, workforce development and/or cross training programs that enable drinking water and wastewater utility workers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions2 and other air pollutants to benefit disadvantaged communities.
Consistent with Assistance Listing 66.445, eligible applicants for Project Areas 1-5 under this RFA are nonprofit professional or service organizations, nonprofit labor organizations, nonprofit community colleges, institutions of higher education, other nonprofit training, and educational institutions4 , or public works departments and agencies. Nonprofit organizations that are not exempt from taxation under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code must submit other forms of documentation of nonprofit status, such as certificates of incorporation as a nonprofit under state or tribal law. Nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that lobby are not eligible for EPA funding as provided in the Lobbying Disclosure Act, 2 U.S.C. 1611. For-profit organizations and individuals are not eligible to apply. EPA may ask applicants to demonstrate that they are eligible for funding under this announcement.
Applicants must address one, and only one of the six Project Areas listed in Section I.B. Applications that address more than one Project Area will not be reviewed.