A collaboration between New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and Newlab, the Resilient Energy Studio cultivates local energy storage capacity by working with entrepreneurs, community organizations, energy experts, and leading industry stakeholders to advance energy storage for a sustainable urban future.

The Studio supports goals that are critical to NYC’s climate agenda, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pollution in disproportionately impacted environmental justice communities, and increasing the amount of renewable energy that can be stored and utilized as back-up power sources. Leveraging test sites across NYC, the Studio is working with local leaders to align around areas of opportunity to pursue through pilot projects.

Early-stage hardware and software companies and researchers with solutions and capabilities well-suited to deploy innovative energy storage concepts in urban environments should apply. Technologies can be suited for residential, commercial, or industrial environments, and teams should come equipped with demonstrated knowledge of the necessary safety testing requirements to operate in NYC.

Are you the founder of an early-stage company that is developing solutions to modernize manufacturing and advance sustainable production? Help make the factory of the future a reality sooner, and jump-start your startup by getting your product or service in front of the Toyota Ventures team. We’re looking to invest in promising companies that are creating technologies to enable smarter, flexible, connected factories that will amplify people and improve efficiency and sustainability. Software and/or hardware solutions are welcome, and some of the areas we’re exploring include:

• 3D simulation
• Artificial intelligence and computer vision
• Augmented reality
• Additive manufacturing
• Robotics software and/or hardware (adaptive robots; collaborative robots; autonomous mobile robots)
• Solutions to improve energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint in factories
• Technologies to advance electrification and battery manufacturing
• Cybersecurity and data analytics
• Worker training and safety tools

The Ohio Climate Justice Fund funds organizations across Ohio that are led and/or governed by Black, Indigenous, and leaders of color. The Fund awards competitive, one-time grants between $15,000-$30,000 to organizations to host community listening sessions focused on climate and clean energy. Listen. Lead. Share. (LLS), is a statewide grassroots campaign that includes a goal of hosting public conversations with community members and stakeholders about the best and most effective ways to address climate and environmental justice in their communities. We see intentional and authentic community listening as the first step in organizing grassroots power in support of equitable clean energy policies.

The MSI STEM Research & Development Consortium (MSRDC) is a solutions provider, research development partner and strategic asset to more than 60 minority-serving research institutions, industry and government partners. Our members use a combination of basic, applied, and/or advanced technology development research to pioneer groundbreaking solutions. With MSRDC’s unique funding vehicle, its members enjoy access to accelerate and elevate their research from concept to prototype and beyond. Current R&D funding opportunities include:

• Opaque Building Envelopes
• Thermal Energy Storage
• Next Generation Electric Machines (NGEM)
• Directed Energy Weapons – Ultra-Short Pulse Laser and Atmospheric Characterization
• High-Temperature Technologies for Naval Applications
• Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning for Photonics, Power & Energy, Atmospherics, and Quantum Science

With support from Capital One’s Impact Initiative and funded (in part) through a grant with the U.S. Small Business Administration, 2Gether-International (2GI) is launching an accelerator focused on DMV founders with disabilities of early-stage startups in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia (DMV). This accelerator will support ~25 disabled founders (virtually) to learn about key areas of business including product-market fit, management, sales, marketing, financial projections, and negotiations. Throughout this program, founders will engage with world-class speakers and be supported by accredited leadership coaches to further develop their startups.

Voyager invests in early-stage climate technology companies creating the foundation of a decarbonized global economy and a livable future for all. Its focus includes technology companies creating the future of mobility, energy, materials, food, the built environment, analytics, industrial systems, and carbon removal.

The Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship program funds recent graduates and energy professionals to work with critical energy organizations to advance clean energy solutions. The program recruits talent from diverse backgrounds to spend up to two years supporting the work of eligible host organizations, which include electric public utility commissions, municipal and cooperative utilities, and grid operators, such as regional transmission organizations or independent system operators.

Innovator Fellows receive a stipend and an educational allowance to support host institution projects that will help decarbonize the power system, electrify transportation and industry, and make the U.S. power system more equitable and inclusive.

Enduring Planet offers rapid financing without dilution, personal guarantees, or collateral. Specifically, this organization backs impactful teams working across mitigation, removal, adaptation and resilience.

Enduring Planet prioritizes investing in underrepresented founders, diverse teams, and companies serving marginalized communities.

Small grants and pro-bono professional support for smaller nonprofits is available from the ERM Foundation. This foundation invests in organizations and programs that focus on:

• Protecting and restoring biodiversity (including environmental education)
• Improving access to low carbon products and services
• Investing in women’s livelihoods in the ‘green’ economy
• Improving access to clean water and sanitation

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis to this grant program for grassroots projects. Grants do not exceed $5,000, and the organization aims to award $100,000 in funding throughout 2022.

Story of Stuff gives grants to BIPOC led and serving groups with a budget of $50,000 or less that focus on water privatization, plastic pollution, and other environmental justice focus areas.

Nonprofits are eligible to apply for this prize focused on creating a national innovation messaging campaign for the Urban and Community Forestry Program (U&CF). The campaign should also address national priorities of environmental and climate justice.

Partnership collaboration is required and projects are to be completed within 2 years. All grant funds must be matched at least equally with non-federal sources.