In April of this year, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management announced the 13 winners of a $19 million Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), titled "Carbon Ore, Rare Earth and Critical Minerals (CORE-CM) Initiative for U.S. Basins." This FOA sought projects in traditionally fossil fuel-producing communities across the country to support production of rare earth elements and critical minerals vital to the manufacturing of batteries, magnets, and other components important to the clean energy economy. The funding awards aligned with the recommendations of the White House Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization, which outlined a national roadmap to partner with local communities to ensure that the shift to a clean energy economy creates good-paying union jobs, spurs economic revitalization, and supports workers. Selected U.S. basins that have the potential to produce rare earth elements and critical minerals include: Alaska, the Appalachian Basin, Green River - Wind River Basin, Gulf Coast Basin, Illinois Basin, Powder River Basin, San Juan River-Raton-Black Mesa Basin, Uinta Basin, and the Williston Basin. The below recording is the first a two-part webinar series introducing the CORE-CM initiative and its winning project teams.