Fern Gillespie
A major Brooklyn energy collaboration has been created partnering National Grid Foundation, Brooklyn Org and Brooklyn nonprofits that prepares residents for careers in the growing energy sector and supports residents with home heating and efficiency upgrades.
It’s the Brooklyn Energy Initiative, a $700,000 boroughwide effort focused on expanding opportunities in energy careers and consumer energy services launched by Brooklyn Org and National Grid Foundation. Brooklyn Org will lead the 24-month initiative which has awarded selected nonprofits $400,000 for energy workforce training through Future of Energy Workforce and $300,000 for home heating and efficiency upgrades through Future of Homes.
“This investment in energy and the future of energy workforce is hugely important. These nonprofits receiving grants will be focusing on jobs, clean energy, construction, building operations, and green infrastructure,” said Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, President and CEO of Brooklyn Org, told Our Time Press. “By investing in trusted nonprofits, we think about making sure that people who have the highest energy burden, which are often people who come from communities that are more marginalized, that they will be able to get emergency heating assistance from nonprofits, energy efficiency education, retrofits to make their houses more energy efficient and also having community-based conversations around energy and education.”
The Future of Energy Workforce, which is distributed to eight nonprofits, will be used to prepare young adults and early-career workers for STEM and energy-related careers. Grantees will provide technical training, green-skills development, job-readiness programming, and direct exposure to energy systems through Energy Hub Site Visits coordinated with the National Grid Foundation.
“I think there are different types of jobs from engineering to those who work in the field for a company like National Grid,” Dr. Robert Simmons III, Executive Director of the National Grid Foundation, told Our Time Press. He is also a veteran STEM educator. “But also highlighting for young people, is that you don’t necessarily have to have a focus on STEM, because there are a variety of ways in which you can gain employment in a STEM company. You can be an attorney, work in HR, or be like myself work on the community engagement and philanthropic side. It takes a lot of different people to run a utility as well as other STEM and tech companies. Our goal is to nurture that in young people in Brooklyn.”
At Marcy Lab, Inc, which trains low-income young adults for high-paying careers in tech through an alternative education model, the Future of Energy Workforce will be expanding opportunities tied to energy and infrastructure innovation. “Our Fellows are some of the most brilliant young technologists in this city. They’re growing up in Brooklyn neighborhoods where decisions about energy, infrastructure, and the future are made about them, not with them.
The energy sector is one of the largest, most stable, most consequential industries in the country, and it’s about to undergo a generational transformation,” Reuben Ogbonna, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Marcy Lab School, told Our Time Press. “Our young people deserve to be the ones building that future, not just living with the consequences of it. When a Fellow walks into a six-figure technical role at a utility or an energy company, that’s not just a job. It’s a family lifted, a neighborhood that sees what’s possible, and a workforce that finally starts to look like the communities it serves.”
The additional Brooklyn Org Future of Energy Workforce grantees are: Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, which expands economic opportunity in Central Brooklyn through workforce development, financial empowerment, and community-based programming, connecting residents to careers in growing industries including energy. Green City Force Inc, which engages young adults from public housing in service and training programs focused on sustainability, clean energy, and environmental justice, preparing them for careers in the green economy.
The HOPE Program, which provides comprehensive job training, career readiness, and employment placement services for New Yorkers facing barriers to work, with growing pathways into energy and infrastructure sectors. Red Hook Initiative, which connects youth and young adults in Red Hook to education, employment, and leadership development opportunities, including pathways into emerging industries. Resilience Education Training and Innovation Center (RETIC), which delivers hands-on training in construction, environmental resilience, and green infrastructure, preparing participants for careers in climate and energy-related fields.
St Nicks Alliance Corp, which provides workforce development, housing, and community services across North Brooklyn, with programs that prepare residents for careers in construction, energy efficiency, and building operations. Welder Underground, which offers hands-on welding and fabrication training to young adults, creating pathways into skilled trades that are critical to energy infrastructure and the green economy.
There are six nonprofits awarded the Future of Homes, where residents are eligible for programs providing heating assistance, energy efficiency education or their homes and other opportunities.
At Bridge Street Development Corporation, a grantee, Central Brooklyn homeowners and renters are provided with housing stability services, hands-on guidance to access energy efficiency programs, navigate rebates, and make informed home retrofit decisions. “Bridge Street Development Corporation is proud to partner in this important initiative to ensure that Central Brooklyn residents have access to the resources, information, and support needed to manage rising energy costs.
By pairing direct support with community-based education, we are helping residents not only get relief today, but also better navigate and benefit from the evolving energy landscape.,” Gregory Anderson, President & CEO, Bridge Street Development Corporation told Our Time Press. “This funding allows us to provide direct support to residents while also expanding community-based education around energy affordability. It helps ensure that households facing high energy burdens can access available resources today, while building the knowledge needed to make informed decisions over the long term.”
The other Future of Homes grantees are: Brooklyn Level Up, Inc is a community-rooted organization in Central and South Brooklyn that builds neighborhood resilience through energy education, resource navigation, and its Powering the Block initiative, connecting residents to efficiency programs and training local “Energy Champions.” Flatbush Development Corp delivers housing counseling and community services across Flatbush, supporting homeowners and tenants with energy efficiency education, direct assistance, and connections to retrofit and utility assistance programs.
Grow Brooklyn Inc provides housing, legal, and financial support to low- and moderate-income residents, incorporating energy education and one-on-one guidance to help IMPACCT Brooklyn is a long-standing community development organization that integrates energy efficiency services into its homeownership and housing programs, helping residents reduce utility costs and navigate retrofit opportunities. Pratt Center for Community Development is a leading research and advocacy organization that helps Brooklyn homeowners access energy efficiency and electrification upgrades while advancing equitable clean energy policies through its EnergyFit initiative.
“At National Grid, we must be engaged in conversations around sustainability, but we also must listen to the community perspective on sustainability. What does sustainability mean to folks in Brooklyn? At the end, (of the grants) there will be a convening with community members from Brooklyn Org and others to talk about the lessons that we learn during this process. What are the things that we need to do going forward to adjust? Also, to address such things as clean, energy and sustainability from the communities perspective.,” said Dr. Simmons. “We are going to be working with nonprofits where they’re going to be creating solutions in the community that address issues of sustainability and affordability. We are excited to see that take hold.”
There is a similar energy program in Queens sponsored by National Grid Foundation and organized by the United Way of New York City.
Learn more at brooklyn.org.