The Justice40 Accelerator’s vision is to “to leverage this moment to radically reimagine the existing government resource delivery system as a restorative and reparative framework that better supports Black and historically disinvested communities of color.”

They share information and resources with frontline community organizations. Specifically, their website lists funding opportunities from government agencies as well as private industry.

The Climate Access Fund is a nonprofit green bank that:

1. Offers attractive financial products to solar developers who offer discounted community solar rates to low- to moderate- income households;
2. Develops urban, infill community solar projects located in lower-wealth communities in Baltimore; and
3. Advocates for clean energy policies that benefit lower-income and disadvantaged communities.

The Shine On Awards will recognize communications campaigns that are successful in increasing solar energy adoption and/or solar workforce recruitment and retention among a diverse target audience and that cross a variety of mediums, including digital, print, event, video, mobile, podcast, marketing, social media, audio, and more. Excellent campaigns will be able to show evidence that their campaign has had a positive, meaningful impact on their target audience. Examples of targeted, effective, and inclusive campaign goals could include but are not limited to:

• Increased solar adoption rates among the target audience,
• Savings on electrical bills among the target audience,
• Decreased energy burden among the target audience,
• Reduction in pollution or other environmental harm due to solar adoption in target communities or areas,
• Increased knowledge and positive sentiment among the target audience about the benefits of solar energy,
• Increased opportunities for the target audience to join, stay in, or advance in the solar workforce, or
• Increased solar jobs in the target communities or areas.

Winners will be publicly announced by the Department of Energy (DOE) and invited to participate in a DOE-hosted webinar on communications and outreach best practices. Winners’ best practices will also be used to develop a guide to encourage greater adoption of these practices. No cash prizes will be awarded.

At Women in Cleantech & Sustainability (WCS), we are committed to ensuring that those who are seeking to make an impact in the cleantech and sustainability industries have the ability to access opportunities through our programs and network. Women in Cleantech & Sustainability is excited to create the WCS Scholarship Membership which is designed to open doors and strengthen access into the cleantech and sustainability conversations and to allow new members the opportunity to grow their careers and create their positive impact on the green economy. Benefits:

• WCS Chapter Membership valued at $147/year
• Access to WCS Mentorship Program application
• Access to all WCS Virtual Events free
• Access to a network and community of women in diverse fields of work

The Miller Center Accelerator is designed for high-potential social enterprises with proven traction, working on women’s economic empowerment, climate resilience, or the intersection of both. This 6-month accelerator program combines mentorship with structured curriculum to help social entrepreneurs address gaps in their impact model, business model, and growth strategies, and ultimately move them along the path toward growth, significant scale, and investment.

The DOE has announced $1.5 million for new grants to colleges and universities that are underrepresented in DOE’s climate, Earth, and environmental science investments to help provide technical assistance to build capacity and achieve the goal of broadening institutional participation. 10-20 awards will be given.. Institutions with a history of training students from populations that are underrepresented in climate and environmental sciences, such as those served by Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and minority-serving institutions (MSIs), are encouraged to apply.

Future Founders invites you to apply for the Early Entrepreneur Bootcamp, which is sponsored by the AB InBev Foundation (ABIF) with the financial and technical support provided by ZX Ventures. A six-month program focused on supporting founders from underrepresented populations (e.g., Black, Hispanic, female, non-binary), the Early Entrepreneur Bootcamp will guide early-stage entrepreneurs as they navigate the journey of launching their own business. Participation in the program will be 100% virtual and built on a framework of live skill-development workshops covering topics ranging from design thinking and customer discovery, to leadership, communication, and pitching. Founders who successfully complete the attendance and participation requirements of the Early Entrepreneur Bootcamp will also receive a $5,000 non-dilutive grant to help kickstart their business.

The goal is to have 2-3 Power Connectors with skillsets in justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion service and support to quickly and easily engage as new prizes join the American-Made Challenges platform and as current prizes have repeat or overlapping needs, or as new needs are identified for other DOE/EERE commercialization programs.

The Power Connector shall provide expertise in the areas of JEDI, energy security, and environmental justice. Willingness to help expand and enhance the ability and impact of our programs to reach and serve individuals in groups historically underrepresented, in STEM, and disadvantaged communities. This work
could include, but not be limited to, focusing on providing access to resources that will help improve commercialization opportunities for individuals and businesses in these communities, building regional/place-based hubs to assist these communities in preparing for program/prize participation, recruiting diverse organizations into appropriate support network programs, assisting with developing new programs and incentives for these communities, reviewing and providing feedback for program plans, goals, incentives/rewards, and submissions with a JEDI focus, and more.

To apply, submit a two-page letter of intent (LOI) and a slide by March 3rd.

Together with Clean Energy Trust, Nicor Gas is proud to support the launch of the Nicor Gas Multicultural Innovator Award – a $25,000 equity and inclusion grant to support the development of a clean energy technology startup with a minority founder or CEO. In addition to the grant, recipients of the inaugural award – part of Clean Energy Trust’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion initiative – will receive 12 months of business mentorship and heightened exposure to investors and customers. Entrepreneurs and businesses making a positive environmental impact throughout the state will be considered.

Small Illinois businesses, or those with a substantial presence in the state, with a focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency, smart buildings and cities, energy storage, water, ag-tech, digital solutions for operational efficiencies, reduced maintenance costs, customer engagement and/or worker training and management may be eligible to apply for the award. Other company criteria include:

• Founder or CEO who identifies as Black, Indigenous and/or person of color
• 2-12 full-time employees
• No more than $3 million in funding raised; must be able to demonstrate at least three to six months of funding runway
• Can be product or service-based; does not need to be market-ready, but is preferred

Evergreen Climate Innovations is on a mission with the U.S. Bank Foundation to support underserved and underrepresented cleantech entrepreneurs. The U.S. Bank Foundation Cleantech Inclusion Award is a grant awarded to entrepreneurs who are female and/or people of color and who are building innovative companies that benefit the environment, create jobs, and drive economic development.

MassCEC’s Catalyst and Diversity in Cleantech – Early-Stage (DICES) Programs provide grants of up to $65,000 to researchers and early-stage companies looking to demonstrate initial prototypes of their clean energy technologies. The Programs are jointly administered by MassCEC and MassVentures with the primary intent of stimulating the commercialization of clean energy technologies developed in the Commonwealth. Awarded funds are used to demonstrate the feasibility of technologies in specific industry applications in order to obtain increased industry and investor interest. Recipients must use funding for projects that move their technologies towards commercialization.  This includes gathering initial data to demonstrate proof of concept, how the technology compares to existing technologies and competitive advantages of the technology or to develop a prototype for the technology.

Bloomberg Philanthropies and Kapwa Consulting recently announced the Climate Challenge Justice 40 Capacity Building Fund (J40 Fund). The purpose of the J40 Fund is to provide funding to support community-based organizations to engage and partner with their local government to advance community-led projects that align with the Justice40 Initiative.

Investment areas include: clean energy and energy efficiency, clean transit, affordable and sustainable housing, training and workforce development, the remediation and reduction of legacy pollution, and the development of critical clean water infrastructure.

The fund is managed by Kapwa Consulting, LLC, who will issue approved awards as direct professional service subcontracts to qualified contractors. Contract amounts for community-based organizations are estimated to be up to $30,000. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the pool of funds is depleted; to apply to Round 3, do so by April 14th.