Deadline: 21-Jun-23
The Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR) of the U.S. Department of State announces an opportunity for organizations to submit applications to carry out the Women Energy Leaders (WEL) by implementing a professional development and leadership program to advance the professional development of early- to mid-career level women working in energy sectors in select partner countries.
Program Goal: The successful transition to an inclusive clean energy economy will depend on women’s participation and leadership in the energy sector. The overall goal of this project is to increase women’s leadership in the clean energy workforce and empower women to become leaders and agents for change in their organizations to support decarbonization and the clean energy transition.
The objectives of WEL are to:
- Empower, encourage, and guide women participants in setting targeted professional goals to advance their clean energy careers;
- Build confidence and leadership skills in the next generation of women clean energy leaders;
- Strengthen women participants’ professional network;
- Improve women participants’ clean energy and job function knowledge and skills; and
- Provide women participants with opportunities for career development, public speaking, and project management.
The Women Energy Leaders (WEL) program will support the advancement and leadership of women in clean energy at minimum through the following:
- Regional Women in Energy Conferences: At least one virtual and one in-person regional Women in Energy Conference will bring together industry leaders, women energy leaders, government ministries, civil society, NGOs, and universities, with ENR leadership in the selected region to discuss the state of women in energy, status of efforts to advance leadership roles for women in the sector, as well as the importance of male allies that can serve as advocates.
- Mentorship Program: The WEL Mentorship Program will match early to midlevel women with U.S. or regional women mentors to empower, encourage, and support mentees in identifying and developing targeted professional goals and milestones to advance their clean energy careers.
- Technical and Leadership Skills Workshops: Technical and Leadership Skills Workshops will build and increase WEL mentees industry and job function knowledge as well as strengthen and develop new technical and leadership skills, while building confidence of mentees.
- Capstone Project: Capstone Projects will help WEL mentees develop their project management skills and final oral presentations will provide mentees an opportunity to hone their communication and public speaking skills by presenting their project during the Closing Conference.
- Job Shadows: Job Shadows will provide WEL mentees the opportunity to observe U.S. or regional female leaders in action and gain one-on-one learning time with women leaders.
- Closing Conference: The closing conference will allow mentees to demonstrate all they have learned throughout the WEL program presenting their capstone projects to in-country and regional industry leaders, including male allies.
Funding Information
- Award Ceiling: $987,654.
Eligibility Criteria
- U.S.- based non-profit/non-governmental organizations having a 501 (c)3 status with the IRS;
- U.S.- based non-profit/non-governmental organizations without 501 (c))3 IRS Status (other than Institutions of Higher Education);
- Public International Organizations (PIO).
- For-profit and commercial firms are not eligible to apply in response to this NOFO. No exceptions.
Requirements
- The proposal must be demonstrably informed by a contextually-specific gender analysis.
- All applicants must provide the following in their proposals to demonstrate alignment with relevant U.S. strategies:
- Gender Analysis: Proposals must include a gender analysis identifying how the work will address gender gaps and opportunities to enhance the program’s effectiveness and narrow gender inequities. This should be a stand-alone document rather than a section of the proposal narrative.
- Sample Gender Analysis Questions are provided as an attachment of this NOFO package, but the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Energy Resources also welcomes more detailed analyses. Gender analyses should be limited to 2-3 pages per country (these will not count toward the proposal page limit). Funding priority will be given to proposals that demonstrate a strong understanding of how intersecting aspects of identity, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, geography, marital or relationship status, or religious, caste, or tribal affiliation, combine to further marginalize certain sections of the population, and how these will be addressed to realize meaningful inclusion.
- How the program will take an inclusive, locally led approach that represents a broad range of women and is clearly driven by the needs of the community.
- At a minimum, the proposal must address the different ways in which different genders might affect and be affected by the project, and articulate a plan to minimize gender inequalities the project may encounter. The proposal should also include plans to review and update the gender analysis periodically throughout the period of performance.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.