Power Belief is concentrated on bringing clear, inexpensive vitality to all. Nevertheless, sure buyer teams – together with Black, Indigenous and other people of coloration (BIPOC) communities, residents with low incomes and people residing in rural areas – have traditionally been underserved by Power Belief’s applications and companies.
Recognizing the worth of leveraging community-based organizations’ experience and connections to carry the advantages of unpolluted vitality to those prospects, Power Belief started providing Working Collectively Grants in 2022. This can be a aggressive grant alternative with funding as much as $10,000 for nonprofits excited about pursuing actions that assist numerous prospects and communities save vitality or use renewable vitality.
In October, Power Belief awarded its third spherical of grants to 12 organizations throughout the state totaling practically $80,000. Funding will assist outreach, coaching, program growth, grant writing and organizational capability.
Awards on this funding spherical prioritized rural communities and candidates that had not acquired funding in earlier rounds; practically half of the awardees are primarily based outdoors of the Portland metro space.
Awardees are pursuing quite a lot of presents with their funding:
- The Environmental Heart in Bend is dedicating employees time to advertise Power Belief presents inside its applications and develop a revolving mortgage program centered on reaching prospects with low and average incomes.
- NeighborWorks Umpqua in Southern Oregon is coaching employees to carry out vitality audits to assist prospects provoke and full vitality tasks.
- Illinois Valley Group Growth Group in Southern Oregon is coaching employees on present Power Belief presents and surveying the neighborhood on native vitality wants.
- Seeds for the Sol in Corvallis is conducting dwelling vitality assessments and sharing data with The Environmental Heart on its mortgage program.
- Frequent Connections in Grants Go is conducting direct buyer outreach to advertise consciousness of unpolluted vitality design in tiny houses and accent dwelling models, or ADUs.
- The multi-state Small Enterprise Utility Advocates, or SBUA, is elevating consciousness about Power Belief’s presents and companies with the small enterprise neighborhood by way of engagement with chambers and small enterprise associations.
Inside the Portland space, awardees are growing schooling and outreach actions to achieve numerous teams:
- Ethiopian and Eritrean Cultural Useful resource Heart primarily based in Portland is increasing entry to Power Belief presents and companies by means of schooling and direct companies in neighborhood members’ native languages.
- Group Providers Community in Portland is lowering language limitations by delivering shows on Power Belief applications in 4 languages at its useful resource honest.
- Portland-based Northwest Native Chamber is hiring a program supervisor to have interaction with communities of coloration and promote Power Belief presents.
- Catalyst Partnerships NW primarily based in Beaverton is integrating renewable vitality and vitality effectivity into its applications by coaching employees in vitality know-how and launching an outreach marketing campaign.
- Metropolitan Household Providers primarily based within the Portland space is growing advertising and marketing supplies and conducting direct outreach on Power Belief presents.
- ReBuilding Heart in Portland is growing a curriculum on weatherization for householders with low incomes taking dwelling restore courses.
Nonprofit organizations excited about making use of for a Working Collectively Grant can study extra concerning the provide, together with eligibility necessities and the choice course of. People can even enroll to be alerted when the following spherical of funding functions opens.
