Mobilizing Funds
for Investment
in Communities

Farm-to-Power (FTP) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that provides factual information and trustworthy testimonials on rural clean energy opportunities to farmers, ranchers, and rural landowners. They cultivate a coalition of rural residents who advocate for renewable energy and transmission projects while combatting misinformation and inaccurate data. FTP’s work in rural communities aims to break down barriers to clean energy development, ward off misguided attempts at curtailing deployment, boost rural perceptions of clean energy, and strengthen support for new projects. FTP is piloting expanded outreach efforts in states with significant prospects for new clean energy development in rural areas.

Forward Together Wisconsin (FTW) was founded with two goals in mind. First, turbo-charging new federal clean energy investments, directing them into the Wisconsin communities most in need. Second, building a base of support across residents, business leaders, unions, schools, and community organizations for an equitable and inclusive clean energy transition. Invest in Our Future’s grant supported FTW’s efforts around organizing and canvassing, communications, and direct investments in union-built clean energy projects.

Groundswell is a nonprofit that champions clean energy projects as pathways to building community power and creating an equitable economy powered by clean energy. The organization has programs and projects in four states (Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina) and the District of Columbia, which have generated more than $8 million in savings for low- and moderate-income households. Now, with the incentives and grants offered within the Inflation Reduction Act, Groundswell is working to scale their initiatives—which include community solar, resilience hubs, home energy efficiency, community-centered project finance, and R&D. Groundswell is creating a hub in Georgia to widen their reach across the Southeast. The organization is also launching a fund to directly support creation of community-owned clean energy projects.

The Nevada Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) is a nonprofit that provides financial and technical resources to Nevada residents, Tribes, businesses, schools, and governments. NCEF serves as a “green bank” for the state, unlocking upfront funding for clean energy projects in frontline and underserved communities. The organization has played a critical role in the state’s implementation of federal clean energy investments. NCEF received a $7.7 million award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program to roll out 25 electric school buses across eight Nevada school districts; are working with the state government to implement clean energy grants from the U.S. Department of Energy; and served as the state’s successful lead applicant for EPA’s Solar for All program, seeking millions in funding to support low-income solar programs.

The North Carolina Clean Energy Fund (NCCEF), created in November 2020, is an independent, nonprofit green bank. The organization was formed to address clean energy financing gaps and support projects that will build climate resilience across North Carolina, with a particular focus on underserved communities. NCCEF aims to leverage hundreds of millions in federal funding to advance high-impact clean energy projects in an equitable, inclusive, efficient manner, reaching individuals and businesses that would struggle to access capital from more traditional banks.

Pennsylvania United is a grassroots organization building long-term organizing infrastructure to empower working class families across Western Pennsylvania. The group has nearly 1000 members across six chapters, who canvass and build support for causes that can deliver benefits to poor and working-class families. Among those causes is advocating for and amplifying the impact of decarbonization of public buildings and deployment of clean energy.

Power a Clean Future Ohio engages local governments throughout the state to create and implement achievable, measurable, equitable, and economical plans to cut carbon pollution. The organization now counts 50 communities across Ohio as members. Power a Clean Future Ohio is working to enact climate action plans in at least 90% of their member communities, and to help these communities reduce carbon pollution by at least 40 percent by decade’s end.

The Texas Climate Jobs Project (TCJP) was founded by a group of labor unions across Texas to give working people a prominent voice in the state’s clean energy transition. TCJP advocates for good-paying jobs in burgeoning clean energy sectors to address both widening inequality and worsening impacts of climate change. TCJP is currently scaling an apprenticeship readiness program, advancing new clean energy projects, and uplifting success stories stemming from federal clean energy investments.