The Bronx Green Jobs Center, launched last year by Fordham in partnership with community organizations, has received $2.5 million in new capital funding from Con Edison and the office of Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson. The grants will support the transformation of the former industrial space on East Fordham Road into a community hub for green workforce training and entrepreneurship.
Con Edison is providing a grant of $1.5 million for the center. The grant will support a first-floor classroom and event space, which will accommodate up to 200 people for training, job fairs, community events, and other gatherings.
“The clean energy transition is creating new opportunities for New Yorkers, but its success depends on having a skilled workforce ready to meet the moment,” said Jen Hensley, senior vice president, Con Edison Corporate Affairs. “That’s why Con Edison is proud to invest in the Workforce Hub at the Bronx Green Jobs Center. By helping local residents gain the skills needed for careers in energy efficiency, solar, and other growing industries, we’re connecting people to family-sustaining jobs while building the workforce that will help power New York’s energy future.”
A Community Collaboration to Its Core
The announcement comes as the 12,000-square-foot center at 585 East Fordham Road nears completion. The project, which launched in July 2025, will include training labs, an entrepreneurship center, a community-facing café, and event and classroom space.
The second grant, $1 million from Gibson’s office, will support renovations throughout the center. Gibson announced the investment during a Sept. 22 event at the future home of the center, where she presented Fordham President Tania Tetlow with a ceremonial check.
“For too long, many communities in our borough have been left out of … major economic development opportunities like the tech boom,” said Gibson. “With this new center, we are ensuring that residents have access to the training, the skills, the resources, and the opportunities that they need to lead our green economy.”
Tetlow said the center reflects Fordham’s longstanding ties to the Bronx and its commitment to creating economic opportunity for its neighbors.
“This project is a community collaboration to its very core,” said Tetlow. “That collaborative spirit has been part of Fordham’s values now for 185 years … Through this center, we are deepening our commitment to the community and leaning into our powers as a University to bring together the leaders in sustainability under one roof.”
Building Economic Opportunity in the Bronx
The center will initially offer five training tracks: solar-photovoltaic installation and repair; electric vehicle charging-station installation, urban agriculture, green buildings and energy efficiency, and environmental justice. The first two tracks are expected to launch with cohorts of about 30 participants each, with additional programs rolling out during 2027.
Travis Proulx, Fordham’s vice president for external affairs, said the center is intended to be universally accessible, with a particular focus on recruiting trainees from central Bronx zip codes that have experienced disproportionate economic, environmental, and public-health burdens.
The center’s programming is designed to be free or as low-cost as possible for participants, Proulx said, with Fordham continuing to pursue public and private funding to support the programs.
Construction is expected to be complete in early 2027, with on-site programming expected to begin shortly thereafter.
