Eligible applicants for the Climate Ready Workforce Competition must be located in coastal states or territories as defined by 16 U.S.C. 1453(4) or in the District of Columbia. They are:State governments;Tribal governments - the recognized governing body of any Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, community, component band, or component reservation, individually identified (including parenthetically) in the list published most recently as of 2022 pursuant to section 104 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131);Territorial governments;Local governments;Institutions of higher education (as defined in subsection (a) of section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))), including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, other Minority-Serving Institutions, community colleges, and technical colleges;Non-profit organizations or associations.Applicant RoleApplicants will have all or most of the following characteristics:Convening power in the region, which is the ability to catalyze collective action by relevant actors to address regional climate challenges. Exercising convening power is not an end-goal but rather a means to foster collective action to achieve desirable development outcomes.Committed support of the executive leadership from the region and buy-in from appropriate relevant groups (e.g., a governor, mayor or chief executive of a jurisdiction, chief executives of major employers, heads of labor unions, presidents of two- and four-year institutions of higher education).Strong fundraising or budget-management capabilities or connection to a system with strong fundraising capabilities.Relationships and credibility with key players in the workforce ecosystem, including employers, governmental entities, state or local workforce development boards, educational institutions, labor organizations, and worker-serving organizations.A proven track record of coordinating across sectors and partners and of driving relevant groups to successful action.Dedicated full-time employee(s) focused on addressing regional workforce issues to support regional economic development.Ability to translate various sectors objectives and key concerns to other sectors.Strong outreach and engagement capabilities.Applicants do not need to have a background in climate resilience but are expected to engage with employers that have good jobs that enhance climate resilience, as well as with strategic partners who can work with the applicant and employers to ensure the training provides the skills needed for those jobs. The workers trained under this NOFO must fill jobs located in a coastal state, Tribal nation, or territory, with a focus on workers from the community where the jobs are located (per section VIII.H).Partner RolesApplications must include project teams that consist of committed partners. Partners are essential within the Climate Ready Workforce Competition. Partners may include government entities, educational institutions (including community and technical colleges), training organizations, economic development organizations, workforce development organizations, unions, labor management partnerships, industry associations, employer-serving organizations, conservation corps, not-for-profits, philanthropic organizations, and/or community-based organizations. All partners do not need to be located in coastal states, Tribal nations, or territories (though, as stated elsewhere, applicants and resulting jobs must be).We encourage applicants to partner and work directly with climate service practitioners, who themselves: have a range of experiences (Figure 2); are trained to evaluate climate risk and develop strategies responsive to that risk; and can help identify employers who need skilled workers related to climate resilience. Many workers in good jobs that enhance climate resilience will not be climate service practiti