Category: Press Release

Partnership will support over 450 students with credentialing and securing internships in the energy field within the next year and thousands more by 2033  

[August 25, 2025] The Community Funding Accelerator (CFA) and Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL) have kicked off a new partnership to strengthen workforce readiness and expand opportunities for K-12 students to explore careers in the energy industry. Over the next three years, starting in the 2026 – 2027 school year, FUEL will support and facilitate enhanced career pathway programs in key regions in Louisiana to support over 450 students with credentialing and securing work-based learning opportunities, such as internships and apprenticeships, in the energy field. Together, CFA and FUEL aim to reach thousands of students across Louisiana by 2033. 

Louisiana’s energy sector is growing with over 2,240 job openings through December 2027, with 597 openings predicted annually, with wages 20% above the national average, about $72,500, and there is an increasing demand for high-wage roles like industrial and mechanical engineers, chemical and plant system operators, and electricians and carpenters. CFA and FUEL’s partnership will build on this momentum and prepare young talent to take advantage of these opportunities by developing and replicating high-quality workforce readiness programs, using locally-informed strategies proven to work.

“We are beyond thrilled to partner with FUEL for this important work in building the local workforce in Louisiana,” said Matt Ramirez, Project Leader at CFA. “Together, we’re not just expanding access, we’re connecting K-12 education to real job opportunities and creating meaningful pathways for Louisiana’s students to enter and take advantage of this growing and vital sector.” 

“As FUEL moves into the next three years of strategic workforce efforts in Louisiana, we are thrilled to bring in the additional capacity and thought leadership of CFA — a trusted advisor to a number of leading workforce initiatives across the country,” said Lacy McManus, Director of Workforce Development for FUEL. “It’s crucial that we make our energy industry as strong as possible and that means we must create a healthy talent pipeline with our state’s best and brightest students.” 

To learn more about this partnership, visit the CFA website at communityfundingaccelerator.org and FUEL’s website at fuelouisiana.org.

About the Community Funding Accelerator 

The Community Funding Accelerator (CFA) helps communities win and implement public funding. With a focus on cradle-to-career education and workforce pathways, CFA identifies relevant funding opportunities, builds coalitions, and provides deep technical assistance to submit winning applications. CFA also supports implementation to create innovative education and workforce solutions in communities across the U.S. The CFA program is led by Delivery Associates, a public sector consulting firm.

About Future Use of Energy in Louisiana

Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL) is a collaborative initiative bringing together universities, community and technical colleges, state agencies, industry partners, and capital investors, all led by LSU. With up to $160 million in funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the NSF Engines program and an additional $67.5 million from Louisiana Economic Development, FUEL is dedicated to driving the state’s energy innovation forward. The initiative will support energy-focused research and development, workforce training, the commercialization of cutting-edge technologies, and energy startups in Louisiana.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has awarded Apprenticeship Tennessee nearly $6 million to increase capacity of Registered Apprenticeship and state-certified pre-apprenticeship programs across the state. The newly awarded, highly competitive grant will be used to develop Tennessee’s workforce in rural and underserved areas, expanding career pathways for a new generation of talent. 

The funding includes a $5 million grant for State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula (SAEF), with an additional $939,312 from the grants awarded to all 50 states. Over the course of three years, part of the funding will go toward piloting career and technical education (CTE) integration with a goal to reach over 1,500 participants, enrolling over 1,000 participants in Registered Apprenticeships and about 150 participants in high-school level programming including pre-apprenticeships. Read the full press release.

Central Virginia Community College (CVCC), with support from the Community Funding Accelerator (CFA), is among 18 recipients of funding through the U.S. Department of Labor’s fifth round of Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants. This $1.5 million grant will enable CVCC to scale high-quality workforce training programs, in fields including Mechatronics and Nuclear Technology, tailored to meet industry needs around Lynchburg, Virginia, and beyond.

The grant will support CVCC’s Accelerate Advanced Manufacturing Pathways and Learning program. With this funding, the program will directly impact nearly 2,000 high school and post-secondary students by expanding dual-enrollment opportunities and offering career-aligned pathways in mechatronics and nuclear technology. Through partnerships with regional employers (e.g., Delta Star, Framatome, BWXT), students will gain access to internships, apprenticeships, and job placement services, ensuring workforce readiness and long-term career success in high-quality jobs. Read the full press release here.

A coalition of semiconductor-focused Ohio organizations, led by the Midwest Microelectronic Consortium (MMEC), has progressed to the final phase in the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Engines grant application process, NSF announced in October. They are now able to request up to $160 million over the next decade to develop and expand initiatives that will help K-12 students prepare to access well-paying, local technology jobs. Read the full press release here. 

The Community Funding Accelerator (CFA) announced today that all three states it recently supported with applications won U.S. Department of Education grants, resulting in up to $153 million to support hundreds of thousands of students learning to read more effectively.
Earlier this month, Massachusetts, Nebraska, and Ohio each won a Comprehensive Literacy State Development grant, with possible total awards ranging from $38 million to $60 million over five years depending on appropriations from Congress and grantee progress. The funding comes at a critical time as states move to implement practices backed by the science of reading just as COVID-related federal funding is running out. Read the full press release here.

The City of Birmingham, Alabama and a group of community partners are receiving $20 million in federal grant funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program, the most competitive grant programs in the agency’s history. Community Funding Accelerator established K-12 education as the foundation for the workforce readiness strategy in addition to providing application and site visit support. Read the full press release here.  

With support from the Community Funding Accelerator, Indiana’s Heartland Bioworks will receive $51 million and Colorado’s Elevate Quantum will receive $41 million through the federal Tech Hubs program, the U.S. Economic Development Administration announced today. 

Both projects propose cultivating a deep talent pipeline that begins in K-12 schools, connecting the next generation of technology leaders to hands-on learning opportunities and potential employers.

In Indiana, the Tech Hub proposes to serve over 19,000 students with interactive learning experiences in human, animal, and plant biosciences that will result in industry-recognized credentials and employment opportunities.

In the Mountain West, this project seeks to help launch over 50 startups, upskill more than 30,000 workers, and engage more than 600,000 students in over 45 education partners to create a global epicenter for quantum information technology.

CFA played a pivotal role in developing these winning proposals, providing strategic advisory, spearheading grant writing efforts, engaging consortia, and developing innovative workforce models. CFA’s expertise was crucial in navigating the federal grant application process and ensuring the success of these bids.

Read the full Heartland Bioworks press release here. 

Read the full Elevate Quantum press release here. 

The DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), supported by The Community Funding Accelerator (CFA), received $4.1M from the Department of Education for three years, with a potential extension worth $2.95M, to enhance healthcare and cybersecurity career pathways for high school students in the District of Columbia. This initiative aims to improve postsecondary employment and education opportunities for students, offering equitable education and clear paths to post-graduation employment. Focused on the District of Columbia’s Advanced Technical Center (ATC), the program features fee-free dual enrollment and work-based learning opportunities, including paid internships and industry-recognized credentials, in both healthcare and cybersecurity fields.
During the application process, CFA provided the DC coalition with strategic advisory sessions with an experienced Department of Education grant writer, full mock scoring, and grant review to identify opportunities to further strengthen their application. Read the full press release here.

Coalitions in Birmingham, Alabama and El Paso, Texas have been selected as finalists of the Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Recompete
pilot program. This is the most competitive program in EDA’s history with only 10% of over 200 applicants recognized as finalists. The Community Funding Accelerator (CFA) supported both cities’ coalitions in the application process and will continue to provide assistance as they apply for $20 to $50 million in funding in phase 2 of the program.
CFA played a pivotal role in the success of both Birmingham and El Paso’s coalitions by
facilitating engagement of various local partners. This collaboration is key to tackling regional challenges, focusing on strengthening K-12 education and workforce pathways, thereby readying the community and creating robust talent pipelines for future jobs. CFA’s contribution was not just limited to partnerships; CFA also provided deep technical assistance and expert grant writing support, critical elements in development and submission of their successful applications. Read the official press release here.

Two coalitions supported by CFA have been awarded recognition under the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Tech Hubs Program. The Colorado Elevate Quantum Consortium received one of 31 Tech Hub designations nationwide. This opens the door for the consortium to apply for up to $75 million in implementation funding. In Utah, the Advanced Manufacturing of Critical Materials Strategy Development Consortium, led by the Utah Advanced Materials Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI), received a Strategy Development Grant (SDG) of approximately $450,000.

Elevate Quantum, who were also supported by TechHubNow!, aim to usher in a new era of quantum technology in the Centennial State. Flagship programs will build awareness of quantum jobs as early as K-12, with a focus on underserved communities.

For UAMMI, the Tech Hubs SDG highlights Utah’s potential to become an epicenter of the critical materials industry, addressing a crucial national security and economic need. Their strategy will redefine Utah’s critical materials landscape. It will also cultivate a generation of skilled professionals ready to lead the industry into the future. Consortium partners include local schools and leaders in STEM and 4-H programming. These partners will ensure that workforce development, earth stewardship, and skills alignment begin in K-12 education.

CFA supported both consortia in their Tech Hubs bid. It provided coalition-building support and deep technical assistance in developing winning applications. CFA will also provide implementation and further planning support to both coalitions. It will help to make sure K-12 is front and center in these critical regional development initiatives.

“CFA’s work specifically ensured that the applications were centered around diversity, equity and inclusion, that they explicitly developed plans for scaling new, region-wide workforce pathways in support of these emerging tech categories, and that the final grant submissions were of the highest quality,” said JB Holston, Strategic Advisor to Colorado TechHubNow!. “Without [CFA], Colorado would not have been competitive for Tech Hubs.”

“We are so appreciative of CFA’s coaching, which led to this winning proposal,” said Dr. Tulinda Larsen, President of UAMMI.

Read the official press release here.