By Juliette Jardim
March 23, 2009

The U.S. Conference of Mayors launched the Wal-Mart Foundation Green Jobs Training Program on March 17 with the release of the Request for Proposals (RFP) to member mayors with representation on The U.S. Conference of Mayors Workforce Development Council (WDC).

The Wal-Mart Foundation announced the award of the $5 million grant to The U.S. Conference of Mayors on January 17 to promote the development of green job training in cities at the 2009 Annual Winter Meeting. The Green Jobs Training Initiative is a two-year program and will award grants in two different awards categories.

During the first year, the Conference of Mayors will honor six cities with “Best Practices” awards for their current green jobs training programs that can be further developed and enhanced, and ultimately act as a model for cities of similar sizes to use as guidance in their prospective green job endeavors. The Best Practices grants will be in the amounts of $700,000 for one large city (with a population greater than one million), $550,000 for four medium'size cities (with populations between 200,000 and one million), and $372,500 for one small city (with a population less than 200,000). The “Best Practice” programs will consist of comprehensive green job training programs that focus on transitioning workers from blue collar to green collar jobs. The awards will be presented at the 77th Annual Conference of Mayors in June held in Providence (RI).

The proposals for the “Best Practices” grants are due on April 17. They consist of a cover sheet, executive summary, budget proposal, and written responses to a set of criteria questions. The grants will be awarded to non-profit [501(c)(3)] organizations in partnership with a member mayor of The United States Conference of Mayors who has representation on The U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Workforce Development Council (WDC). For more information, contact Kathy Amoroso at kamoroso@usmayors.org or 202-861-6723.

The “Pilot Award Program” grants will be awarded in the second year of the Green Jobs Training Initiative to three cities sites that deliver innovative proposals for pilot green jobs training programs. The grants will be awarded at the 78th Annual Conference of Mayors in June 2010, to be held in Oklahoma City. Awards will consist of $500,000 for a large city, $400,000 for a medium'size city, and $250,000 for a small city. All member mayor cities will be eligible to apply for the Pilot Award grants.

Both grants will be awarded to green job training programs that involve mayoral leadership and demonstrate high performance in a variety of criteria, including recruitment and outreach, graduation rates, career options, and innovation. An independent panel of judges selected by the Conference of Mayors will determine the honored cities.

The Conference of Mayors will also hold two workshops on Green Jobs Training during the 77th Annual Conference of Mayors in June in Providence. The “Mayoral and Green Jobs Training and Best Practices Workshop” will highlight a number of green jobs training best practices developed by the Conference of Mayors. The WDC Green Jobs Training Workshop will consist of mayors’ workforce development directors and their administrators teaching strategies to develop and implement green jobs training programs.

Wal-Mart is a member of the Mayors Climate Protection Council, established to support The U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Center. The Wal-Mart Foundation is committed to creating a sustainable economy and has funded a number of environmentally friendly initiatives since it created three global environmental goals in 2005: to run on 100 percent renewable energy, create zero waste, and sell products that promote environmental sustainability. For more information on Wal-Mart’s environmental programs and practices, visit the website http://walmartstores.com/Sustainability/.