Con Edison, as part of its ongoing commitment to usher in New York’s clean energy transition, is granting awards totaling more than $4 million to four New York nonprofit organizations. These organizations will train more than 1,200 participants from underserved communities for careers in clean energy and technology fields over the next three years.
The four nonprofit organizations include: Green City Force, LaGuardia Community College, Public Housing Community Fund, and RETI Center.
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These awards reflect Con Edison’s charitable grant efforts to invest in nonprofits that share the company’s vision to combat the effects of climate change, advance social justice, and create green jobs in the communities it serves.
“Con Edison’s vision is for every New Yorker to be able to share in the benefits of the clean energy transition,” said Tim Cawley, chairman and CEO, Con Edison. “We are proud to invest in these partners who will create pathways to well-paying careers in clean energy. We want to help build a clean energy economy that will make New York a model for the rest of the country.”
“These grants represent Con Edison’s investment in the people we serve, helping them develop skills, competencies and receive experiential learning opportunities so they can enjoy rewarding careers in clean energy fields that will in turn benefit our communities and our environment,” Cawley continued.
The four nonprofit agencies were chosen for their efforts to break down barriers and increase opportunities for participation in historically disadvantaged communities. They include:
Green City Force (GCF) will train hundreds of program participants in clean energy, building on its current curriculum. Con Edison’s support will help GCF increase its staff expertise in clean energy and efficiency sectors. It will help provide its members with career preparation, job placement, advancement support, and job coaching at all steps in their professional career. This will help young adults build the career readiness skills they need to enter the green workforce.
“Green City Force is thrilled to build on our longstanding partnership with Con Edison.” said Tonya Gayle, executive director, Green City Force. “This multi-year investment will expand our capacity to enable young adults of color from low-income backgrounds to learn about the growing clean energy field during their service term, provide trainings, and create job pathways for them. In the fight against climate change, this ensures that frontline communities–often overlooked–have a say in solutions that impact their lives, while developing the next generation of skilled workers in the green economy.”
LaGuardia Community College, in partnership with Urban Upbound and Building Skills NY, will recruit from low-income communities of color, including public housing residents from the Queensbridge, Ravenswood, and Astoria Houses, to train job seekers as solar installation technicians and electrical helpers, and connect them to a range of clean energy jobs. In addition, with the help of Con Edison volunteer mentors, the program will provide retention services and financial counseling to graduates for one year to help participants succeed and advance their careers over time.
“We are grateful to Con Edison for supporting the launch of our Solar Technician Workforce program,” said Kenneth Adams, president of LaGuardia Community College. “With support from Con Edison, training and supporting individuals from communities that have borne the brunt of environmental and economic injustice, such as public housing residents in Long Island City and Astoria, will lead to both the economic empowerment of these communities and improved quality of life for workers and their families. LaGuardia looks forward to providing training to NYCHA residents for rewarding careers in solar energy.”
Public Housing Community Fund, in partnership with New York City College of Technology (City Tech), will support NYCHA Caretaker H Heating Technology Training Program. This program teaches about traditional and innovative heating technologies, with a special emphasis on providing a combination of classroom instruction and on-the-job training in heating fundamentals, mechanics, repair, and maintenance of heating equipment and provision of heat and hot water for all NYCHA-managed properties.
“The Public Housing Community Fund is immensely grateful for Con Edison’s support, which marks a transformative step towards empowering NYCHA residents through the NYCHA Caretaker H Heating Technology Training Program. This grant fuels our mission to provide vital skills, training, and knowledge in clean energy technologies and paves the way for sustainable, long-term employment opportunities within our communities,” said Public Housing Community Fund Executive Director Alex Zablocki. “Through a partnership with the New York City Housing Authority and CUNY City Tech, funding from Con Edison allows us to nurture a new generation of green energy professionals. This public-private partnership is a testament to the power of community, education, and industry to forge a cleaner, greener, and more equitable future for New York City.”
“The Caretaker H program will teach NYCHA residents the fundamentals of heating technology, repair, and maintenance,” said NYCHA
Chief Operating Officer Eva Trimble. “We are appreciative of the opportunity to work alongside Con Edison and the Public Housing Community Fund on this hands-on job training that NYCHA residents will be able to apply towards careers in this field.”
RETI Center, in partnership with Good Shepherd Services, Brooklyn Solar Works, and Cambio Labs, will expand its Local Power workforce training program to provide community members in all five boroughs with hands-on skills training, certifications, and work experience in the renewable energy sector. The program will build out a green careers pipeline at local high schools to support clean energy and climate-related occupations. Training modules will also be added for electric vehicle infrastructure installation and maintenance, battery storage, and offshore wind.
“The Con Edison Clean Energy Careers Award comes at a transformative moment, for RETI Center, the economy, and our changing energy systems,” said Tim Gilman-Ševčík, executive director, RETI. “With this award we can make sure that it’s opening new opportunities for historically marginalized communities to be part of this transformation and to receive the benefits they’ve been excluded from for so long.”
Con Edison is focusing on investing in nonprofits and community partners who share a commitment to combat the effects of climate change, advance social justice in communities, and create green jobs across the New York metro area.
