Federal Resources to Enhance and Sustain Green Pathways Out of Poverty Programs

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 provides an unprecedented opportunity to implement, enhance, and/or expand green pathways out of poverty programs. The ARRA, however large, presents only temporary or short-term funding and does not necessarily offer the comprehensive set of services that may be necessary for low-income and under-skilled workers to alleviate barriers to employment and to enter into green career pathways that lead to economic self-sufficiency. Therefore, identifying, coordinating, and accessing multiple federal, state, and local resources will be an essential part of developing an effective  sustainability strategy and implementing a broader range of programming options for green education and training.

This guide includes a short list of federal discretionary resources (mostly that existed before ARRA) that may support a diverse array of services and activities for participants in green jobs training programs, and includes excerpts of descriptions from the programs' websites. This list is not meant to be exhaustive but to encourage broad and creative thinking about strategic planning for the financing and sustainability of green pathway out of poverty programs.