IGS Energy, a leading sustainable energy provider committed to a cleaner, healthier future, announced a $1.2 million grant fund to help non-profit organizations accelerate the adoption of renewable energy for everyone. The Clean Energy for Everyone Grant Program is open to all qualified nonprofits for projects that expand access to renewable energy to help reduce the effects of climate change. It aims to ensure that the benefits of renewable energy – healthier communities, workforce development and a strong economy, to name a few – are available to everyone in an equitable and just way.
“We believe that investing in improved access to renewable energy not only helps mitigate the effects of climate change, but it also empowers consumers to save money while bolstering local economies,” said Jen Bowden, vice president of Social Impact for IGS Energy. “As a provider of sustainable energy, we feel a strong responsibility to invest in projects that help consumers reduce their carbon footprint by connecting them with the resources to get started.”
The data is clear when it comes to climate change and the lack of broad access to the benefits of renewable energy in underserved communities:
- Climate change represents humanity’s most dire existential threat, but, according to a report published by ClimateWorks Foundation, less than 2% of annual worldwide giving is directed toward climate change mitigation.
- To be considered affordable, utility bills should be no more than 6% of one’s income. But energy costs now represent 20% or more of income for many of the poorest Americans (source: Independent Institute).
- Clean energy jobs paid 25% more than the national median wage in 2019 (source: Clean Jobs, Better Jobs Report).
- The clean energy economy workforce is older, dominated by male workers, and lacks racial diversity when compared to all occupations nationally. Recent data shows that less than 20% of workers in the clean energy production and energy efficiency sectors are women, while black workers fill less than 10% of those jobs (source: The Brookings Institution).
To help to combat these disproportionate outcomes, IGS Energy created the Clean Energy for Everyone grant program that directly invests in organizations and projects designed to:
- Educate individuals on the environmental effects of energy usage;
- Assist people in developing plans to address energy-related environmental issues;
- Support underrepresented populations to advance within energy-related fields of study and with job training and placements; and
- Increase access to renewable energy for households, communities and nonprofits
Eligible projects must be action-oriented, identify specific goals and outcomes that can be effectively measured to evaluate success, and work to build an inclusive and diverse transition to renewable energy. Applications are being accepted starting on Earth Day through June 11, 2021. Grant recipients will be notified in August. Click here to learn more about the program and to access the application.