Every fall for the past three years, Clean Power Alliance (CPA) in partnership with Calpine Energy Solutions has selected local non-profit organizations in CPA’s service area to receive thousands of dollars in funding from our Community Benefits Grant program. Funding supports advancing clean energy goals, such as growing green jobs, promoting environmental education, and supporting energy equity and diversity initiatives in the 35 communities that CPA serves.
The 2024 Community Benefits Grant will be opening soon, and the application period is Aug. 6 through Sept. 13. This year, there is $325,000 in available funding – the largest amount since the grant was first launched in 2021.
Awards to selected recipients will range from $15,000 to $30,000 and may be utilized to advance a wide array of sustainability and renewable energy focused initiatives, including the purchase of electric vehicles to support local community events, sustainability workshops and education opportunities for students, and research on potential local energy projects.
Last year, 12 non-profit organizations received $275,000 in grant funding.
Deanna Armbruster, Executive Director of the Santa Monica Mountains Fund (SAMO Fund), was a 2023 grant recipient and believes the funding support was essential to helping establish a local student-focused seed planting initiative.
“We have done a lot of projects with the National Park Service (NPS),” said Armbruster, “but with the Benefits Grant funding we were able to put together this unique and innovative project working with the NPS restoration team on a native plant nursey focused on growing plants that help restore the Santa Monica mountains, which was devastated by fire in 2018.”
Joseph Algiers, Restoration Ecologist with the NPS’ Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and a partner on the project, highlighted the impact of funding on project planning and implementation.
“This nursery provides a great model for a long-term native seed program,” said Algiers. “Before SAMO Fund received this grant, we didn’t have any prospect for large scale seeding operations, now we are able to provide education opportunities where local youth and youth from underserved communities come here and work on a farm, learn to do conservation work, work in the native plant nursery and engage in some real science as well.”
The 2023 Community Benefits Grant recipients included Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas, Columbia Memorial Space Center, Friends of the LA River, Grid Alternatives, LA Regional Collaborative for Climate Action and Sustainability (LARC), Merito Foundation, Oxnard Performing Arts Center, Pando Populus, Santa Monica Mountains Foundation, Tree People, U.S. Green Business Council (USGBC), and the Ventura County Community Foundation.
The grant is one of many ways that CPA invests locally to support community wellbeing and bolster the growth of sustainability efforts. CPA also provides funding for college scholarships and skills training programs throughout Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
The grant application process officially opens on August 6. Learn more about the grant and how to apply at cleanpoweralliance.org/cbg.
