Community Benefits Grant Application 2024

Eligible applicants must be an IRS-designated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving the areas where CPA provides electricity. Qualifying projects must fall within the priority focus areas outlined below. 
 
Please note that funding is not permitted for political action committees, trade associations, government entities, or political candidates. 
 
Previous Community Benefits Grant recipients are eligible to apply for the 2024-2025 grant cycle. However, previous grant recipients are ineligible to receive funds more than two years in a row.   

The CBG is available to projects and organizations focused on advancing clean energy, sustainability, and resiliency through the following pathways:

• Research
• Environmental and Social Justice Communities*
• Workforce Development
• Education
  • 
    
    * The CPUC identified environmental and social justice communities as those where residents are:
  •  
    • • • Predominantly communities of color or low-income
        • Underrepresented in the policy setting or decision-making process
        • Subject to a disproportionate impact from one or more environmental hazards and
        • Likely to experience disparate implementation of environmental regulations and socioeconomic investments in their communities

• • • On the ground, targeted communities typically include but are not limited to:
    •  
      • • Disadvantaged Communities, located in the most environmentally burdened California census tracts, as determined by the 25 percent highest scores (75th percentile) when using the CalEnviroScreen tool
        • All Tribal lands
        • Low-income households (household incomes below 80 percent of the area median income) and
        • Low-income census tracts (census tracts where aggregated household incomes are less than 80 percent of area or state median income).

Awards will range from $15,000 to $30,000 for a one-year grant term.

• Tuesday, August 6, 2024 — The opportunity to apply for a Community Benefits Grant will be made available here.  
• Wednesday, August 14, 2024 from 1–2 pm — Community Benefits Grant webinar. Sign up for the webinar. 
• Friday, September 13, 2024 by 5 pm — All applications and relevant attachments are due. 
• September through Early October — Application evaluation period
• October/November — Awardees contacted.
• Grant funds will be disbursed by December 2024.

Interested nonprofit and community-based organizations can download an application here.  Completed applications and all relevant attachments can be submitted to communitybenefits@calpinesolutions.com no later than 5pm on Friday, September 13, 2024.

In addition to completing the 2024-2025 Community Benefits Grant application, applicants must submit a budget of the proposed project, program, or initiative (see attachment A in the application packet). 

If an applicant is working with a fiscal sponsor, the fiscal sponsor must also submit the following documents:   

• A fiscal sponsorship letter taking responsibility for your organization’s fiscal administration.  

• A letter of request authorizing your organization to apply for the community benefits grant for the amount you are requesting. 

Awardees of the Community Benefits Grant must agree to provide the following:  

1. Eight-month post-award status report, including pictures and videos, a statement of expenditures to date, and a description of the progress of the project, as applicable. 
2. One-year post-award interview, including pictures and videos, a statement of expenditures, and a project wrap-up summary. Note: During this interview, CPA, Calpine Community Energy, and the grant recipients’ staff will discuss the status of granted projects and their local impact.   

The Community Benefits Grant is an annual grant. The next grant cycle will open in August 2025.  Sign up for CPA’s monthly newsletter to be informed when additional grant funds will be available.

* CPA does not provide service to the City of Los Angeles

Calpine Community Energy awards the program funding, while Clean Power Alliance determines the grant guidelines and project criteria and helps engage nonprofit organizations to apply for funding. Both entities work together to assess grant applications.