Innovation Fund

The Innovation Fund is a competitive funding opportunity designed to accelerate local efforts in building a clean, resilient future. This fund supports projects that advance decarbonization and enhance resilience through investments in grid reliability, fleet and building electrification, and local clean energy procurement. By empowering Clean Power Alliance’s partner communities to implement forward-thinking, scalable solutions, the Innovation Fund aims to drive impactful change across CPA’s service territory.

We invite our partner communities (agencies who have voted to be a CPA member) to submit their best decarbonization project plans that promote energy equity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reach climate goals.

Innovation Fund Project Categories

We encourage projects that extend beyond the Pathways to Electrification building electrification, fleet electrification, and community EV charging programs, and focus on one or more of CPA’s Board-approved program pillars. While we’ve listed sample projects for guidance, your submissions are not limited to these examples—innovative ideas that align with Innovation Fund objectives to decarbonize our communities are highly encouraged.

Leverage clean energy technologies to provide back-up power during grid emergencies, and/or reduce or shift energy use from periods of peak demand or high costs.

Sample projects include:

Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) electric school bus fleet that charges batteries for facility or grid use.
Rebates or incentive programs for energy management devices that test a new technology, delivery strategy, or target hard to serve populations

Electrification of buildings or transportation in CPA communities

Sample projects include:

Electrification of landscaping equipment or alternative transportation such as e-bikes.

Clean transportation/mobility options: EV carshare, e-bike share with mobile solar and/or electric charging hub.

Electric equipment demonstration and/or lending library for community members to experience appliances and devices.

Projects that support community and customer adoption and installation of clean energy.

Sample projects include:

Mobile battery electric storage systems.

Provide skills training and/or incentive funds to advance expertise needed in clean energy industry and support green jobs workforce to install electrification projects.

Innovation Fund - Round 1 Projects

Investing in local communities is one way CPA strengthens regional resilience and advances access to clean energy for our customers. CPA allocated $2 million over two funding cycles for decarbonization projects through the Innovation Fund. CPA’s Board of Directors selected five projects for funding in March 2025. Download the Round 1 project summary here.

Partner Community	Round 1 Project Title
City of Santa Monica	Renters’ Energy and Cooling/Heating (REACH) Program
City of Culver City	Portable Battery Fleet Program to Replace Gas Generators
City of West Hollywood	Equitable Building Performance Standards (EBPS) and Benchmarking Support
City of Oxnard	Lamppost Electric Vehicle Charging Pilot Project
City of Carson	EV Charging Wallet Pilot Program

How does the Innovation Fund work?

CPA Partner Communities are eligible to apply for up to $250,000 per agency.

CPA’s Board of Directors will make the final selection of projects in late 2025.

Selected partner communities will approve a participation agreement with CPA, and participate in regular reporting on the status of the projects.

Decarbonization projects successfully launch, and will bring cleaner, greener energy to our CPA Partner Communities!

What should my agency keep in mind when applying?

Projects should focus on implementation and should be outside the scope of the Pathways to Electrification building electrification, fleet electrification, and community EV charging projects.
Projects should focus on addressing decarbonization challenges in their community in one or more project categories consistent with the Board-approved program pillars:
- Resilience & Grid Management
- Electrification
- Local Clean Energy Procurement

Applications should demonstrate a reasonable ability to complete the proposed project within two years.
Applicants must consider any requirements to inform or receive approval from City Councils or Governing Boards prior to submitting project applications.
Application responses should be streamlined and not exceed 5-pages in length.
Project sites should be located in CPA’s service area.
Partner Communities cannot receive more than $250,000 in funding. If an agency was previously selected for an Innovation Fund project, the total budget request for the new and existing projects should not exceed $250,000.

Recipient Requirements: What to Expect

Innovation Fund award recipients will:

1

Approve a participation agreement with CPA detailing the project scope, budget, and expected outcomes

2

Submit invoices and/or other documentation to show expenditure of funds on approved activities

3

Attend check-ins every other month and a one-year post-award interview

4

Provide status reports every six months and a project completion summary subject to CPA’s review

Want to learn more about a program? Ask our team for more details

Download

The Application.

Download

The Application.

More Programs

Power Ready

CPA’s power resiliency program provides participating cities and counties with a clean energy backup power system installation to support critical community or municipal functions during power outages.

Energized Communities

CPA assists partner communities in achieving sustainability goals through the program’s three Pathways to Electrification offerings and an Innovation Fund. Pathways offer financial and technological support for adopting electric technologies, while the Innovation Fund incentivizes local customized sustainability projects.