In honor of Veteran's Day, the CPA office and contact center will be closed Wednesday, November 11th

Pathways to Electrification

Partner communities can choose one of the three pre-defined focus areas and receive up to $250,000 in funding and technical expertise to support implementation of electrification projects.

Key dates for participation in Pathways to Electrification:

  1. Dec. 31, 2026: Contact CPA with your interest in enrolling
  2. March 31, 2027: Submit signed participation agreement to CPA

The Building Electrification Assistance pathway aims to deploy electric equipment in municipal facilities to support cleaner and healthier buildings in our communities. CPA will work alongside partner communities to select essential facilities for electrification retrofits.

Building Electrification Assistance projects may include:

  • Site electrification plans and electric load analysis to determine project feasibility
  • Electrical plans and engineering designs for key facilities
  • Support during permitting and installation, as needed
  • Funding to implement building electrification measures

The Community Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging pathway offers funding and technical assistance to support the adoption of public EV charging at partner community sites.

Community Electric Vehicle Charging projects may include:

  • Site selection support
  • Charging infrastructure plans and site designs
  • Request for Proposal (RFP) and contracting support
  • Financial planning that accounts for upfront and ongoing costs, including grant and rebate support
  • Funding to purchase and install charging equipment

The Electric Fleet Transition pathway focuses on streamlining fleet planning, vehicle replacement, and installation of charging infrastructure to support municipal fleet EV charging.

Electric Fleet Transition projects may include:

  • Zero emission vehicle fleet planning
  • Charging infrastructure plans and electrical site designs
  • Charging optimization planning
  • Funding for electric vehicles, charging equipment and/or managed charging services and equipment
Want to learn more about Energized Communities? Ask our team for more details.

Pathways to Electrification Process

Partner communities can select a Pathways to Electrification focus area to receive technical assistance and funds for project implementation. CPA will work with partner communities to understand their priorities and establish the project’s scope. CPA expects projects to be completed within a three-year timeframe.
1
Enroll
Select a focus area and sign the participation agreement
2
Scope
Confirm project scope and technical assistance needs
3
Implement
Commence work to meet the three-year project implementation deadline
Download

the Pathways to Electrification program fact sheet here.

Download

the Pathways to Electrification program fact sheet here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Energized Communities program?

Energized Communities provides funding and technical support to CPA’s partner communities as they implement electrification projects to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, promote resiliency, and create green jobs. This program is designed to support CPA’s communities as they lead the way toward a more sustainable and resilient future.

Energized Communities is made up of two tracks: Pathways to Electrification and the Innovation Fund. Pathways to Electrification offers three pre-defined focus areas – building electrification, community EV charging, and fleet electrification – for project development. The Innovation Fund provides competitive funding for creative decarbonization projects that do not fit within the Pathways to Electrification or other CPA programs. Partner communities may receive up to $250,000 through each Energized Communities track.

Why is CPA offering the Energized Communities program?

As a not-for-profit entity, CPA reinvests back into the communities we serve through customer programs. By providing technical assistance and implementation funding, Energized Communities supports partner communities as they pursue electrification projects to accelerate their climate and decarbonization goals. The program also offers an important opportunity to streamline the implementation of decarbonization projects for communities that may not otherwise have the staffing capacity or budget in place to move forward with important electrification measures.

How much funding is available?

CPA committed $10 million to implement the first phase of the Energized Communities program, which supports Pathways to Electrification and Innovation Fund projects. Each partner community can select one focus area from the Pathways to Electrification track and receive up to $250,000 for technical services and project implementation. Partner Communities can also apply for up to $250,000 from the Innovation Fund over the three-year program period. Innovation Fund projects are selected through a competitive process.

What does the Pathways to Electrification track include?

The Pathways to Electrification track is made up of three focus areas: (a) Building Electrification Assistance, (b) Community Electric Vehicle Charging, and (c) Electric Fleet Transition. Each partner community can select one focus area and receive up to $250,000 to cover technical assistance and project implementation. Within each focus area, CPA has contracted with a technical assistance provider to offer a selection of pre-scoped services to support the project.

How does a community participate in the Energized Communities program?

CPA’s partner communities are eligible to participate in both tracks of the Energized Communities program. To participate in the Pathways to Electrification track, each partner community will select from one of the three focus areas and sign a participation agreement with CPA. To participate in the Innovation Fund track, partner communities should submit an application during the open application windows. Awarded applicants will need to sign a participation agreement with CPA.

Participation may require approval from the partner community’s City Council or Board of Supervisors to participate in the program and receive funds from CPA.

Is there a deadline to participate in the Energized Communities program?

Each partner community can choose one focus area within the Pathways to Electrification during the three-year course of the program. The last day to submit a signed participation agreement for Pathways to Electrification is March 31, 2027.  

The Innovation Fund is a competitive application process, and partner communities can apply during the open application windows. The application for Round 3 of the Innovation Fund will be released Nov. 2, 2026.