A nonprofit group that has sought to prepare people to work in the burgeoning solar power field has gained financial help from City Hall.

City Council on Monday approved Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s request to award a $30,000 grant to Bridging the Gap in Virginia to support the training initiative its founder and leader, Richard Walker, began four years ago.

The unanimous vote came at a brief meeting at which council, after nearly 10 months of negotiations, finally approved the development of a South Stafford Street property for an apartment and restaurant, with curtailed evening hours.

The grant to Bridging the Gap, a felon support program, is the first direct aid from the city to the program that seeks to enable people to be hired to install solar panels on the roofs of homes and businesses.

“It’s not huge, but it’s a help,” said Mr. Walker, whose program was spotlighted in an October 2022 Free Press article.

Mr. Walker said the grant would enable him to hold four weeklong training sessions this year, with a limit of 10 people per class. He said the next training session would begin Monday, March 27.

Most participants are recruited through the city’s Office of Community Wealth Building, a work training and job development service for city residents. A significant portion of those who sign up are people who have served time in state prisons or local jails or who are homeless.

The Office also has arranged for the program to use space in the East District Initiative building in Church Hill and also provides services to participants, including helping them fill out the paperwork and assisting them in developing résumés and filling out job applications.

Mr. Walker is hoping to secure more city assistance and has applied for an additional grant through the Community Block Develop Grant program.

He said he also is working with state and city agencies to develop an apprenticeship program to enable trainees to gain more on-the-job experience with pay.

Mr. Walker also is one of three candidates running in a June primary for the Democratic nomination in the 79th House of Delegate District that covers much of the city’s North Side and East End as well as a bit of South Side. His rivals include attorney Rae Cousins and 3rd District Councilwoman Ann-Frances Lambert.