Supporting an Equitable Clean Energy Transition in New York State

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) oversees a $1 billion portfolio of programs aimed at accelerating the state’s clean energy transition, including up to $170 million for workforce development. From 2018 through 2023, these programs trained more than 20,000 New Yorkers.

For more than five years, Social Finance has worked hand-in-hand with NYSERDA to maximize the impact of its investments, especially in communities that have been historically underserved. Social Finance has supported NYSERDA to assess its workforce development and training strategies, design and launch new funding programs, and facilitate peer learning and technical assistance for its grantees—all to meet New York’s ambitious climate goals.

Goals

• Maximize the scale and impact of NYSERDA’s funding through partnerships, capacity-building, and tailored technical assistance.
• Create pathways into family-sustaining wages for individuals who may experience barriers to employment.
• Support the clean energy economy by building a qualified workforce that meets the needs of employers, especially small businesses.

The Work

Mapping New York’s workforce system to identify challenges, develop solutions, and prioritize state investments.

• Workforce landscaping: Conducted interviews with 35+ community-based organizations, training providers, and employers to understand successes and challenges in New York’s workforce landscape.
• Labor market analysis: Analyzed publicly available labor market information and programmatic data to validate and quantify these opportunities.
• Programmatic surveying: Surveyed nationally for promising programs to address interrelated environmental and workforce challenges.
• Programmatic prioritization: Prioritized recommendations for NYSERDA decision-making based on agency and community goals.

Collaborating with other public and private funders to pilot new workforce development programs.

• Launching Pay for Success Clean Energy Training: An $8.2 million partnership with the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Labor, as the first award under the Social Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results Act, to train more than 600 New Yorkers from low-income communities for careers in HVAC and other clean energy careers. Learn more.
• Supporting the Climate Justice Fellowship Plus Program: A $3 million pilot with the 14th Congressional District in New York City to place individuals from select priority populations in two-year fellowships with nonprofit employers that advance climate justice and clean energy priorities. Fellows receive work-based learning, access to supportive services, and professional development. Learn more.
• Supporting the Environmental Protection Agency’s Solar For All: Assisted the state’s successful application for the EPA Solar for All program, including $5+ million for an industry-specific, on-the-job training pilot.

Curating support for current grantees through communities of practice and technical assistance.

• Training provider analysis: Analyzed the performance of training providers under the Pay for Success Clean Energy Training project and facilitated a quarterly community of practice. Training providers have shared adaptations they have taken to their recruitment, enrollment, training, and placement strategies. Results have improved over time; for instance, the project’s program completion rate increased from 50% for its first cohorts to over 90% for its latest cohorts.
• Community of practice development: Launched a new Career Pathways community of practice for NYSERDA’s Energy Efficiency and Clean Technology Training providers. More than 15 community colleges, nonprofit organizations, and other organizations are currently participating.

The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation generously supports Social Finance’s work with NYSERDA. The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is to improve the quality of people’s lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and child well-being, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke’s properties.