The Massachusetts Clean Energy Technology Center (“MassCEC”) announces the availability of funding under the second Climate-Critical Underrepresented Business Support (“CUBS”) grants Request for Proposals (“RFP”).
Donor Name: Massachusetts Clean Energy Technology Center (MassCEC)
State: Massachusetts
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/16/2026
Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
Funded through the Equity Workforce Program, the CUBS Grants program builds upon the foundation established by MassCEC’s Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprise (“MWBE”) Support Grants, expanding services through a Hub-and-Spoke service model (“Hub and Spoke”), regional coordination, and sector-specific business pathways.
Through this CUBS RFP, eligible grant applicants (“Applicants”) can submit proposals under one of three (4) distinct strands:
- Strand A: Serve as the primary regional service provider of core business support services and as regional coordinating lead organization (“Hub”) aligned with one (1) of the seven (7) Workforce Skills Cabinet Regions;
- Stand B: Deliver specialized additional services designed to overcome sector-specific barriers or to address the unique needs of a particular type of underrepresented business in one or multiple regions (“Spoke”); or
- Strand C: Serve as a Spoke supporting the Contractor Development Pathway, which supports the diversification and growth of the Mass Save® Contractor and Vendor ecosystem.
- Stand D: Develop a Plan or Capacity to prepare for Implementation or to Run a Pilot Focused on Climate-Critical Underrepresented Business Support.
Funding Information
- The CUBS Grants program Hub and Spoke model intends to equitably allocate resources across regions while addressing the unique needs of MWBEs and Underrepresented Businesses. MassCEC anticipates awarding a total of up to Six Million and Fifty-thousand Dollars ($6,050,000) but may increase the total awards should additional resources become available.
- Applicants proposing to serve as a Hub may apply for up to Eight Hundred Thousand Dollars ($800,000) in funding for work completed over a period of two (2) or three (3) years. MassCEC anticipates that Hub awards will average between Six Hundred Thousand Dollars ($600,000) and Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars ($700,000) based on past MWBE Support Grant awards, with those awards exceeding the higher end of the average being unique cases where the Applicant has demonstrated through data and evidence significant need and barriers and/or unique and impactful program models.
- Applicants proposing a Spoke program may apply for up to Four Hundred Thousand Dollars ($400,000) for work completed over one (1) or two (2) years. MassCEC anticipates that Spoke awards will average between One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000) and Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000) based on past MWBE Support Grant awards. Spoke Applicants may apply for funding to provide services across multiple workforce regions, however the Applicant will be assessed for capacity and the maximum total funding request still applies.
Eligible Funding Uses
Funding can support operational capacity, programmatic delivery, and ecosystem development. All programs must focus specifically on support of MWBEs or Underrepresented Businesses or the creation of Underrepresented Businesses in climate-critical business fields. The expectation is that CUBS Grant funds be utilized within three (3) years of contract execution for active programs, with an additional one (1) year of outcome and metric monitoring. MassCEC anticipates these grants shall be used for activities such as:
- Staff or individual time devoted to program, or project preparation and implementation; including under one-on-one business counseling, strategic business introductions, assistance navigating government procurement processes, assisting with recruitment and retention of employees, and support accessing capital;
- Marketing activities and expenses commonly associated with outreach initiatives such as purchasing marketing collateral, renting space for events, promotional mailers, and website or social media hosting costs;
- Technical support needed to move projects forward;
- Field-specific training and coaching;
- Training stipends to address anticipated losses of wages or revenue that Underrepresented Businesses may incur while participating in extended training offerings;
- Wraparound Support and Support Services that mitigate barriers for participating businesses;
- Ongoing costs for accountants, lawyers, or other professional services;
- Costs associated with initial and ongoing Underrepresented Business engagement, including translation services; and
- Administration and distribution of small grants to provide Underrepresented Businesses with capital needed for clean energy projects.
Eligibility Criteria
- Organizations, or a partnership/team, are eligible to apply and are collectively termed “Applicants”. If multiple parties are jointly applying, one party should take on the role of leading the application team “Lead Applicant”. If a single organization is applying for this opportunity, that organization would also be the Lead Applicant.
- Non-profit organizations including Chamber of Commerce organizations, trade associations, clean energy incubators/accelerators, environmental justice organizations, and organizations representing tribes
- Academic institutions or government agencies with a business support program
- For-profit entities such as clean energy installers, energy efficiency, or home performance contractors, technical or workforce training organizations, financial institutions or other clean energy practitioners
- Additional eligibility requirements:
- Lead Applicant must have a Massachusetts office or staffing and must be able to submit a Certificate of Good Standing (COGS).
- Applicants are not required to have experience in clean energy or climate-critical business fields.
- Applicants who have received prior funding or are pursuing separate funding opportunities from MassCEC are eligible to apply for this funding so long as the proposed work is sufficiently distinct and does not lead to the same project being funded.
- This funding is not intended to benefit a single underrepresented business, but instead is intended to support the establishment and growth of a regional Hub and Spoke model that helps underrepresented businesses grow and excel in climate-critical business sectors.
For more information, visit MassCEC.
