Massachusetts Workforce Development Grants

This program provides financial support to small businesses in Taunton with fewer than 10 employees, helping them improve their digital capabilities and customer engagement through upgraded technology and enhanced online presence.

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Technology Center (MassCEC) is offering Climate-Critical Workforce Training, Equipment, and Infrastructure Grants (“Climate Training Grants”) to increase access to modern, relevant training equipment and infrastructure. These grants provide direct funding and technical assistance to organizations that can build and scale career pathways and upskilling programs. The core mission alignment is to help Massachusetts residents access and advance in climate-critical priority occupations, thereby addressing clean energy and climate tech employer needs and providing high-quality training and support opportunities across the Commonwealth. The target beneficiaries for these grants are Massachusetts residents who can benefit from career pathways and upskilling programs in climate-critical priority occupations. The impact goals are to fill workforce gaps in climate-critical sectors, expand recruitment pipelines, and create new or expand existing technical and job readiness training opportunities. This initiative also aims to create and expand career advancement programming and upskilling training for incumbent workers, ensuring businesses can grow to support the state’s climate goals. The program prioritizes several key areas, including expanding recruitment pipelines to broaden access to climate-critical priority occupations, creating and expanding technical and job readiness training, and fostering career advancement and upskilling opportunities. It also focuses on leveraging effective workforce development models like registered apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships, developing new relationships with employers for job placements, and establishing wraparound and retention support services to address barriers to entry and advancement. Furthermore, a significant focus is on expanding the availability and effectiveness of climate-critical training by securing modern equipment and infrastructure resources. Expected outcomes include a more robust workforce for climate-critical sectors, increased access for residents to high-quality training and job opportunities, and businesses expanding their capacity to meet climate goals. Measurable results will likely involve the number of residents trained, placed in climate-critical occupations, and upskilled, as well as the expansion of training programs, equipment, and infrastructure. The overall theory of change is that by investing in workforce development, equipment, and infrastructure, MassCEC can directly support the state's clean energy and climate tech employer needs while creating equitable access to career advancement for Massachusetts residents.

This grant provides financial support to nonprofit organizations that offer summer programs for youth in the Greater Lawrence area, focusing on enhancing educational and developmental opportunities while addressing achievement gaps.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations in Boston that help 7th and 8th grade students, particularly those who are first-generation college aspirants, prepare for post-secondary education through mentorship, tutoring, and career exploration programs.

This program provides financial assistance to small, independently owned businesses in Wakefield, Massachusetts, to help them enhance their digital marketing efforts and expand their online presence.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations in Worcester County for youth-led projects that enhance arts, health, basic needs, and economic opportunities in the community.

This program provides financial assistance to cannabis entrepreneurs in Massachusetts, specifically targeting pre-licensed businesses and licensed establishments owned by individuals from social equity backgrounds, to support their entry, operational needs, and growth in the cannabis industry.

The Northeast SARE Professional Development Grant program aims to advance sustainable agriculture practices by enhancing the knowledge, awareness, skills, and attitudes of agricultural and other service providers. This directly aligns with the foundation's mission to support sustainable agriculture through education and professional development. The grant focuses on empowering professionals who work with farmers, enabling them to teach, advise, or assist in the adoption of sustainable methods. The program seeks to create a ripple effect, where trained service providers then apply their learned expertise to help farmers improve their agricultural practices, fostering a more sustainable food system within the Northeast region. The primary beneficiaries of this program are agricultural service providers, including those in non-profit organizations, colleges, universities, Cooperative Extension, and other entities that serve the farming community. Additionally, the program extends its reach to other service providers such as real estate agents, bankers, and attorneys, who can indirectly influence farmers. The overarching impact goal is to cultivate a more resilient and sustainable agricultural landscape in the Northeast by equipping these professionals with the necessary tools and knowledge. Expected outcomes include increased adoption of sustainable and climate-smart agricultural practices by farmers, improved ecological and economic resilience to climate change, and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The program prioritizes a wide array of topics, encompassing marketing and business, crop production, raising livestock, aquaculture, social sustainability, urban and Indigenous agriculture, and traditional ecological knowledge. A significant focus is placed on climate-smart agriculture practices, which are intended to improve ecological, social, and economic resilience to climate change. This includes practices such as reduced and no-till farming, cover cropping, prescribed grazing, ruminant feed management, manure management, fertilizer management, and on-farm energy efficiency. The program's strategic priorities are clearly aligned with addressing contemporary agricultural challenges through education and practical application. Northeast SARE actively encourages projects from, or in collaboration with, women, the LGBTQIA+ community, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Furthermore, it encourages proposals from Minority Serving Institutions and other organizations in the Northeast that work with historically underserved communities, demonstrating a commitment to equity and inclusivity in agricultural development. The theory of change behind these priorities is that by supporting a diverse range of voices and institutions, the program can foster more innovative and equitable solutions for sustainable agriculture, leading to broader and more effective adoption of sustainable practices across the region. The expected measurable results include an increase in the number of service providers trained in sustainable agriculture, a documented increase in farmers adopting climate-smart practices, and the successful implementation of projects that demonstrate improved ecological, social, and economic resilience. Awards typically range from $30,000 to $150,000, with project lengths usually spanning 2 to 3 years, and a maximum allowed duration of 3.5 years. The program's geographical focus is exclusively on the Northeast region, which includes Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., ensuring targeted and localized impact within this specific area.

This program provides financial support to projects that enhance economic resilience, diversity, and sustainability in the Cape Cod region, targeting local organizations and initiatives focused on housing, entrepreneurship, workforce education, infrastructure, and climate resilience.

The Assets for Artists' 2025 Capacity-Building Cohort is a 6-month program offering a $2,000 unrestricted grant and professional development resources to emerging or mid-career artists from under-resourced communities in Northern Berkshire County, Massachusetts, aiming to strengthen their creative practice and achieve long-term sustainability.

This grant provides funding to Massachusetts-based non-profits and organizations to expand and enhance previously funded projects that collect and share underrepresented narratives and experiences from the Commonwealth.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to Massachusetts-based organizations that help early-stage climatetech startups grow and innovate, covering various operational and developmental expenses.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to local nonprofits and community organizations working to improve health outcomes and address disparities in mental health, financial stability, and access to healthcare for residents in the Emerson Health service area.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to independent Federally Qualified Health Centers in Eastern Massachusetts to establish new residency programs for Family Nurse Practitioners, enhancing primary care access in communities with low life expectancy.

This funding opportunity is designed to support Massachusetts residents pursuing training in high-demand clean energy careers by providing zero-interest loans for living expenses and tuition gaps.

Focuses on funding new initiatives or expanding existing workforce training programs and studies in the offshore wind sector, with an emphasis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEIJ) principles.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to organizations in Massachusetts to develop training programs and improve equipment for residents pursuing careers in essential climate-related jobs.

The Greater Worcester Community Foundation is inviting applications for its 2024 Community Grant Program, focusing on projects in Arts & Creativity, Basic Needs, and Economic Opportunity. This program is designed to be responsive and flexible, incorporating trust-based philanthropic principles to streamline the application process, encourage more interactive engagement, and offer diverse methods for storytelling. The foundation's mission aligns with this grant by seeking to build a diverse arts and culture ecosystem, ensure access to food and shelter, and promote economic opportunity through English Language Learning and Job Training & Financial Literacy programs within Worcester County. The grant program targets residents of Worcester County as its primary beneficiaries, with a strong emphasis on access and barrier reduction. Organizations based in or having a meaningful physical presence in Worcester County, or those providing unduplicated services with authentic local partnerships, are eligible. The impact goals revolve around addressing pressing community needs through creative and innovative solutions, fostering equity, amplifying community voice, and disrupting existing systems. The program prioritizes three key focus areas. Arts & Creativity aims to build and support a diverse and strong arts and culture ecosystem where all individuals feel they belong. Basic Needs concentrates on ensuring all community residents have access to food and shelter. Economic Opportunity focuses on English Language Learning programs and Job Training & Financial Literacy programs to empower individuals and enhance their financial well-being. Projects will be assessed based on several selection criteria, which inherently define the expected outcomes and measurable results. These include the feasibility of the proposed work and budget within the grant range ($2,500 - $25,000), the level of access and barrier reduction created for Worcester County residents, and the degree of creative or innovative solutions provided for community needs. Furthermore, projects must demonstrate measurable and manageable goals and outcomes aligned with one or more of the specified focus areas, along with an organizational commitment to equity, community voice, and systems disruption, backed by sound financial and governance functions.

This funding opportunity supports organizations in Massachusetts that are creating or expanding programs to promote equitable access to clean energy careers and entrepreneurship for historically marginalized communities.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations and collaborations that address community needs in Andover, Lawrence, and North Andover, focusing on areas such as basic needs, economic development, education, and environmental stewardship.