How to apply
Please read the important information on this page before starting your application process.
Apply for the High Road Advisory Council
Purpose
The Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) High Road Advisory Council (HRAC) provides guidance to PCEF staff regarding workforce and contracting issues including, but not limited to, the following:
- Workforce and Contractor Equity Plan. This plan defines measurable and ambitious goals for workforce and contracting diversity on PCEF grants, focus areas for Request for Proposals (RFP), and capacity building that improves the ecosystem of inclusive workforce and contractor development.
- Workforce and Contractor Equity Agreements. These are the grantee requirements and goals for diverse workforce and contractor utilization, positive jobsite trainings, wages, reporting, and contractor payment.
- Workforce and Contractor Equity RFP Criteria. This relates to what elements to score in applications, including incorporation of evaluation findings.
Roles and responsibilities
HRAC is an advisory body to PCEF program staff and provides ideas and input, reviews drafts, and makes recommendations for consideration.
Time commitment
HRAC will meet approximately six times per year. The term of service is two years.
Composition
HRAC is composed of stakeholders with experience and connected to networks that help inform the issues being addressed, such as workforce and contractor goals and equity agreements. Members have familiarity with workforce and contractor development and trends in the areas of renewable energy, energy conservation, green infrastructure, regenerative agriculture, construction, and other climate-related industries.
Members of HRAC are selected based on subject matter expertise and representation of PCEF priority populations. The Council’s work is supplemented by input from key stakeholders, for example through work sessions, surveys, or interviews.
Compensation
Stipends of up to $500 per year are available for HRAC members. Reimbursements for travel and childcare are available.
Conflicts of interest
Persons/organizations who are current or former PCEF grant applicants and/or grantees may serve on the HRAC; these perspectives provide valuable insight regarding how PCEF processes are working and do not provide a conflict of interest because HRAC members are not involved in grant-making decisions.
Governance
HRAC utilizes a modified consensus process for making decisions, which is consistent with the process used by the PCEF Grant Committee.
About PCEF
Approved by voters in 2018, the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) invests in community-led projects that reduce carbon emissions, create economic opportunity, and help make our city more resilient as we face a changing climate. In the next five years, PCEF will invest over $750 million in community-led clean energy projects and climate solutions like energy-efficient upgrades to make apartment buildings safer and more comfortable during extreme heat and tree planting to increase shade in East Portland neighborhoods.
PCEF addresses workforce and contractor equity on its projects by setting requirements for grantees and contractors that address wages, reporting, diversity goals, and the cultivation of safe and inclusive worksites.
Together, we are showing the world what it looks like for climate action to be rooted in economic opportunity and racial justice. When we invest in our communities, we invest in our future.