Pay for Success Clean Energy Training

On March 22, 2021, NYSERDA was awarded up to $8.2 million through the Social Impact Partnership to Pay for Results Act (SIPPRA) to prepare members of Disadvantaged Communities for meaningful careers in the clean energy economy. This funding, provided by the U.S. Department of Treasury and the U.S. Department of Labor, will enable our energy efficiency job training program, to serve hundreds of individuals facing long-term unemployment, low-wage workers, and youth between the ages of 18 and 24.

Funding for the project, also known as “Pay for Success Clean Energy Training,” will be awarded based on our results, with up to $7.1 million when our jobs training program increases participants’ wages, and an additional $1.1 million for the costs of independently evaluating the project. To bring Pay for Success to fruition, we are proud to partner with Social Finance and TRC on project management, and MDRC on evaluation and reporting.

Training projects that will be evaluated and may result in future payments to NYSERDA under Pay for Success will be competitively selected through:

• PON 3981 Energy Efficiency and Clean Technology Training (Category 2)

Eligible training providers are encouraged to submit proposals to that solicitation.

A key component of SIPPRA is that projects must produce measurable outcomes before the federal government is required to make an award payment. Similar sector-based training approaches have been shown to improve employment, earnings, and wage rates over a two-year period. Projects that demonstrate positive outcomes will become eligible for additional, federal funding.

As Pay for Success continues underway, NYSERDA is excited to explore future applications of SIPPRA’s innovative funding model to rapidly scale up our clean energy training efforts, including through funding from private impact investors.

To learn more about SIPPRA, please visit the U.S. Department of Treasury website or read NYSERDA’s funding announcement,, or contact [email protected] for more information.

We look forward to continuing our impactful work together to prepare New Yorkers for well-paying clean energy jobs and meaningful careers in this dynamic and growing field. 

The Opportunity

The U.S. Department of the Treasury awarded NYSERDA $8.2 million in SIPPRA funding, including:

• $7.1 million in potential outcome payments to support clean energy career pathway training and job placement services to unemployed and low-wage workers.
• $1.1 million to evaluate training effectiveness.

Project Snapshot

• Scale and Schedule: ~660 low-income individuals / Priority Populations trained over 3 years.
• Services and Costs: Clean energy job training and wrap-around services (~$10,500 per person; soft skills, technical skills, job placement services).
• Payment-linked Outcome Metric: Increase in earnings relative to comparison group, over a 6-year period.
• Partners:
• - Evaluation: Led by MDRC via randomized control trials comparing earnings of treatment and control groups.
• - Project Management: Led by Social Finance with support from TRC.