Recent Environment Grants

Connecticut Focused Grants

Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (formerly Connecticut Clean Energy Fund) | Connecticut

$40,000 to support the following activities (1) engaging Connecticut municipalities in broader and deeper climate action, building upon the successful foundation of the Connecticut Clean Energy Communities Program and (2) continuing outreach to the general public through successful Connecticut climate change initiatives, such as an interactive website.

$144,000 to support the hiring of a staff person to engage in the following two activities: (1) training members of Connecticut Town Energy Task Forces and municipal leaders to be appropriate advocates for clean energy and energy efficiency policy at the local and state level, (2) providing capacity- building through training, support and regional collaborations for Energy Task Forces in Connecticut towns.

$50,000 to support their efforts to coordinate and convene key state policy makers, municipal leaders, and private funders to advocate and build consensus for policy that will empower municipalities to effectively use state and federal resources toward smart transit-oriented development planning.

$25,000 to support a part-time reporter for the Connecticut Mirror, on-line newspaper, focused on environmental issues, specifically clean energy, climate protection, energy, transportation and green jobs.

$200,000 to support the following activities: (1) Advocate energy efficiency at the municipal, state and regional level; (2) Advocate continuation of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI); and (3) Defend, refine and improve the existing RGGI program.

$100,000 to support to the One Region Fund and support tri-state (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut) transportation efforts to reduce vehicle miles traveled.

Pennsylvania Focused Grant

Citizen's for Pennsylvania's Future | Pennsylvania

$200,000 to support the following activities: (1) Encourage schools and municipalities to make energy efficiency investments with available state resources; (2) Evaluate and publicize the use of American Recovery & Reinvestment Act and Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funds for projects in Pennsylvania municipalities; and (3) Support and promote federal, state and local energy conservation policies.

South Carolina Focused Grants

Conservation Voters of South Carolina | South Carolina

$160,000 to support the development and launch of the state's first green schools campaign.

$150,000 to support the following activities: (1) Creation and Expansion of an Energy Efficiency Partnership (which is a financing mechanism for municipalities, residential and business owners) and (2) Adoption of a statewide clean energy standard.

$90,000 to support the following activities: (1) Identify and showcase the results of South Carolina public schools that have invested in energy efficiency projects; (2) Quantify the energy savings of 3 – 6 South Carolina communities that have utilized federal Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant resources to implement energy efficiency projects at the town and county level; (3) Demonstrate the energy savings and operating cost reduction resulting from investment in energy efficiency projects; and (4) Develop an award to recognize state agencies that have met a 20% reduction of their energy usage to encourage an informal competition to reduce energy consumption.

Multi-State Focused Grants

Ceres | Massachusetts

$100,000 to support their Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP) initiative in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. The priority for those states is to leverage existing BICEP members and other Ceres partner companies to recruit and cultivate new business leaders who will deliver compelling economic arguments in favor of strong state climate and energy policy.

$100,000 to support their continued efforts to (1) educate federal policy makers about the critical role of local governments in promoting clean energy and addressing climate change and the need for ongoing federal resources to empower local action; and (2) showcase how communities are effectively using Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant resources to create local green jobs, save energy costs, and reduce GHG emissions, specifically in Connecticut, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.

$150,000 to support bringing together the public, academic and private sectors to analyze various clean energy, energy efficiency and smart growth financing methods and make up-to-date recommendations to policymakers at a local, state and federal level as well as to the public.