Funding Opportunity
A partnership between San Diego Foundation (SDF) and San Diego Community Power (SDCP), the Community Clean Energy Grant Program awards funding to new and existing projects that move communities towards a healthier, more sustainable, clean energy future.
Grants will be made to support local clean energy projects and programs that provide economic, environmental, and health benefits to SDCP’s communities.
Together, SDCP and SDF, with support from Calpine Energy Solutions, anticipates granting upwards of $1 million in this grant cycle. Grant sizes will range from $25,000 to $100,000. Grant funds must be expended within 24 months from their award date.
Application Deadline: Friday, April 5, 2024 at 5:00pm PST
A Just Transition Towards a Greener Economy
SDF and SDCP share a vision of a just, equitable, and resilient San Diego. The Community Clean Energy Grant Program creates a collaborative pathway for SDCP funds to be reinvested into the San Diego community to advance a just transition towards a greener economy.
Grant funds may be used for personnel, supplies, equipment, capital purchases, administrative or indirect costs, and any other program costs to effectively execute the proposed project.
We believe intentional, strategic partnerships can be essential to maximizing the impact and value of this grant funding. As part of this commitment, we encourage applications with thoughtful collaborations and partnerships. Please demonstrate in your application how any partnerships and roles will be complementary and additive.
Timeline
February 26, 2024 | April 5, 2024 | Early June 2024 |
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Application Opens | Application Deadline 5:00pm |
Grant Awardees Notified |
Grant Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for the grant funding, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Applications must be led by a nonprofit with 501(c)(3) public charity status.
- A 501(c)(3) public charity may serve as a fiscal sponsor for another applicant to administer the grant and provide regular financial reporting to SDF.
- Any organization may be part of more than one proposal but may only serve as the lead applicant for one proposal.
- Applicants must have proven experience serving community members through projects or programs.
To be eligible to apply for grant funding, proposals must meet the following criteria:
- Proposed projects or programs must serve SDCP customers (cities of Chula Vista, Encinitas, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, National City, San Diego, and the unincorporated communities of San Diego County).
- Proposed projects or programs must be directly related to clean energy and advance one or more of the following focus areas:
- Increasing overall energy literacy of SDCP customers.
- Energy-focused educational programming that encourages clean energy use, particularly for youth.
- Improvements in indoor and/or outdoor air quality related to electrification.
- Workforce development opportunities that support careers in the clean energy industry.
- Improved energy resilience to ensure communities can avoid, prepare for, minimize, adapt to, and recover from energy disruptions.
See Grant Guidelines for more information.
How To Apply
Applicants must submit all application materials using SDF’s grants management system – Foundant. If this is your first time submitting an application through this system, you must create a user profile for your organization.
Please see this tutorial for additional guidance regarding creating a new user account.
Application Deadline: Friday, April 5, 2024 at 5:00pm PST
Grantseekers Webinar
SDF wants all applications to be as strong and successful as possible. To that end, a pre-recorded grantseekers webinar providing an overview of the grant guidelines and application questions is available below.
Frequently Asked Questions
General
Program Design
Budget and Financials
Grant Awards
Questions?
If you have questions regarding the application process or the grant program in general, please contact environment@sdfoundation.org. SDF staff will be available to provide technical assistance throughout the application period ending on April 5, 2024.