Champlain Hudson Power Express Announces Third Round of Green Economy Fund Grantees

Champlain Hudson Power Express Announces Third Round of Green Economy Fund Grantees

Funding empowers organizations to train and support New Yorkers pursuing careers in the fast-growing green economy

CHPE GEF has awarded $1.75M in funding ahead of the project’s expected in-operation date of May 2026

New York, NY – The Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) today announced the recipients of the third round of funding from its Green Economy Fund (GEF) – a $40 million, 20-year initiative dedicated to supporting New York State’s disadvantaged communities, low-income individuals, and transitioning fossil fuel workers to careers in the green economy.

The GEF provides funding to organizations and projects that prepare workers from disadvantaged communities for careers in the green economy. This round of funding included $250,000 in grants, bringing the total amount awarded to $1.75M, ahead of the transmission line’s expected operational date of May 2026, when it will begin delivering clean energy to New York City.

This round’s recipients include a pair of organizations active in regions across the state, including:

• Green City Force – New York City
  • Green City Force operates the Green City Force Service Corps program, which trains young adults (18–24) living in public housing in green economy careers. The program recruits year-round and includes training, skills and industry certifications for careers across the green economy, a monthly stipend and MetroCard, support services, and career support.
• Social Enterprise and Training Center, Inc. – Capital Region
  • Social Enterprise and Training runs the “Build Up! Clean Tech” program, which provides training for disadvantaged young adults in HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) and heat pump installation to support their careers in clean energy. The program offers certifications, hands-on experience, and job placements with HVAC employers.

“The Green Economy Fund is helping to ensure that New York’s transition to clean energy creates opportunities for everyone, especially those from disadvantaged communities,” said Laura Gibson, Director of Workforce Development at Transmission Developers. “With this third round of grants, we are continuing to expand access to training, resources, and career pathways that will allow more New Yorkers to thrive in the growing green economy. These programs are not just preparing individuals for jobs, they are building long-term economic resilience in communities across the state.”

“Hydro-Québec is proud of the Green Economy Fund and its role in helping to build a skilled workforce for New York’s clean energy future,” said Serge Abergel, Chief Operating Officer of Hydro-Québec Energy Services. “Each round of funding brings new momentum and impact and these grantees are performing essential work to ensure that the clean energy transition is equitable, accessible, and grounded in strong community partnerships.”

The GEF solicited applications from organizations or projects that focus on:

• Initiatives that link disadvantaged and low-income New Yorkers to good jobs in the green economy with sustainable wages. Funding is available for direct training costs, wrap-around services, and general operating expenses.
• Organizations offering critical support services to workers from target communities. These services may include transportation, technology access, participant stipends, mentorship, and childcare, enabling individuals to connect to and sustain themselves in good jobs and training programs.
• Efforts by organizations to build partnerships with employers, creating pipelines for participants in training or job readiness programs.
• Community colleges and other educational institutions that provide adult basic education and the qualifications needed for union apprenticeships and job training programs with employer partnerships in the green economy.

This round of funding follows the successful distribution of funds to organizations who applied during the last two RFPs. Previous recipients included Pathways to Apprenticeship, Stacks + Joules, Nontraditional Employment for Women, the NYC District Council of Carpenters Apprenticeship Journeyman Retraining Educational & Industry Fund (AJREIF), The Door – A Center for Alternatives, Inc., The Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex Board of Cooperative Educational Services (WSWHE BOCES), BronxWorks, Inc., The East River Development Alliance Inc. (Urban Upbound), The Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce, and Communities for Local Power, and the Osborne Association.

About the Champlain Hudson Power Express

CHPE involves the construction of an underground and underwater transmission line spanning approximately 339 miles between the Canada–U.S. border and New York City.

CHPE will also provide competitively priced hydropower from Québec that is expected to lower climate emissions and local air pollutants, as well as electricity generation costs throughout the state by $17 billion over the first 25 years of operation, all the while providing increased reliability and resiliency for the downstate grid. The project also provides a total of $3.5 billion in economic benefits to New Yorkers and creates approximately 1,400 family-sustaining jobs during construction, with a commitment to use union labor. CHPE will provide an economic boost to 73 municipalities and 59 school districts throughout New York State with an increase in incremental tax revenue of $1.4 billion in funding for local communities over the first 25 years of the project.