The Massachusetts Clean Energy Technology Center (MassCEC) is seeking proposals for the Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Support Grants to assist Massachusetts-based MWBEs in entering and expanding into fields that are critical to meeting the Commonwealth’s climate goals of reaching net zero emissions by 2050.
Donor Name: Massachusetts Clean Energy Technology Center (MassCEC)
State: Massachusetts
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/12/2024
Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
Goals
Funding from this RFP is intended for an organization that can support Minority- and Women owned Businesses Enterprises and the creation of MWBEs in Massachusetts for the following goals:
- Increase MWBE business activity in climate critical business fields;
- Increase expertise of MWBE’s in climate critical business fields;
- Grow employment and revenue of existing MWBEs that operate in climate critical business fields and continue long-term growth strategies;
- Create new MWBE firms in climate critical fields and support healthy long-term growth of those firms; and
- Tie together relevant existing support for small businesses and fill gaps in support for MWBEs focusing on climate critical business fields.
Applicants may apply for MWBE Support Grants for programming that falls within one (1) or more of the following categories:
- Strand A: Training, Certification, and Support Services for Climate-Critical MWBEs; or
- Strand B: Access to Capital for Climate-Critical MWBEs.
Funding Information
- Strand A: Training, Certification, and Support Services for Climate-Critical MWBEs
- Grant Range: $250,000 to $1,000,000
- Duration: One (1) to Three (3) years
- (An additional year of post-program monitoring and metrics tracking is required after the proposed project is complete, so applicants should plan and budget for that obligation.)
- Strand B: Access to Capital for Climate-Critical MWBEs
- Grant Range: $50,000 to $250,000
- Duration: One (1) to Two (2) years
- (Programs only proposing a single-year program are less likely to be competitive for the maximum funding award.)
Uses of funds
For the MWBE Support Grants opportunity, Applicants must propose the implementation of innovative projects. All projects must focus specifically on support of MWBEs or the creation of MWBEs in climate critical business fields. The expectation is that MWBE Support Grant funds would be utilized within three (3) years of contract execution for active programs, with an additional one (1) year of outcome and metric monitoring under Strand A, and within two (2) years of contract execution for active programs under Strand B. MassCEC anticipates these grants shall be utilized for activities such as (without limitation):
- Staff or individual time devoted to program, or project preparation and implementation; including under Strand A one-on-one business counseling, strategic business introductions, assistance navigating government procurement processes, assisting with recruitment and retention of employees, and support accessing capital and under Strand B research, stakeholder engagement, resource development, and preparation of a final recommendation;
- Marketing activities & 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 MWBEs may incur while participating in extended training offerings;
- Ongoing costs for accountants, lawyers, or other professional services;
- Costs associated with initial and/or ongoing MWBE engagement, including translation services; and/or
- Administration and distribution of small grants to provide MWBEs with capital needed for clean energy projects.
Eligibility Criteria
Single organizations or partnerships are eligible to apply. If there are multiple parties that are jointly applying, one party should take on the role of Lead Applicant. The following entities are eligible to serve as a 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 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.
- Applicants are not required to have experience in clean energy or climate-critical business fields.
- Lead Applicant is currently in good standing with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and can provide a Certification of Good Standing (COGS). Please note that community colleges, public vocational-technical high schools, and public state universities serving as the lead applicant do not need to submit a Certificate of Good Standing.
- This funding is not intended to benefit a single MWBE, but instead is intended to support an organization that can help several different MWBEs grow and excel in climate-critical business sectors.
For more information, visit MassCEC.
