Grants for energy-efficient building upgrades

Written By Julia Frisbie

Nonprofits are now eligible to apply for up to $100,000 in federal funding for energy-efficient building upgrades through the Building Upgrades Inspiring Local Transformation (BUILT Nonprofits) program. This is the best grant opportunity we’ve seen so far for churches who need to upgrade their HVAC systems!

OPPORTUNITY TIMELINE

  • Announced October 1

  • Info session via zoom October 9 (register here)

  • Technical assistance office hours session at 2:00 PM ET on October 30 (no registration info yet, just save the date)

  • Applications due November 12

  • Awards will be announced in December 2024

  • Work needs to be completed by December 2025, with an opportunity to extend until June 2025

WHAT’S THE CATCH?

  • Congregations will need to pay 20% of the total project cost. This grant covers up to 80%.

  • To be eligible, congregations need to prove 501(c)3 status (download your group ruling letter here) and prove that they own their building (your county records department should have it on file).

  • Congregations will need to get detailed bids from contractors quickly. Contractors will have to adhere to Davis-Bacon wage requirements.

IS IT COMPETITIVE? WHO’S MOST LIKELY TO WIN?

Yes, this is a competitive program. It was developed in response to “overwhelming demand for the 2023 Renew America's Nonprofits Grant,” so we expect that many nonprofits throughout the country will apply, and with only $2M in funding and a per-award cap of 100K each, there’s only enough funding for about 20 nonprofits.

This is a new program, so we don’t really know what kinds of nonprofits and projects the grantors are most excited to fund. This is what the application guidelines say about the scoring system:

  • Criterion 1: Energy Related Impacts of Upgrade (40%)

    • Energy Savings

    • Energy Cost Savings

    • Emission Reductions

    • Plan to Measure Energy Impacts

    • Specifications or Rationale for Proposed Upgrade

  • Criterion 2: Organizational Capacity and Need (30%)

    • Project Team Composition

    • Timeline

    • Statement of Need

  • Criterion 3: Community Related Impacts (30%)

Churches who have won IRA funding for green infrastructure in our area so far have been in census tracts designated as disadvantaged by the EPA, and have also made a strong case for how the majority of their building use benefits community members beyond their congregations.

NEXT STEPS FOR INTERESTED PARTIES

  • Register online for the October 9 info session

  • Discuss priorities with church leadership, identify what type of energy-efficient building upgrades are needed most

  • Solicits bids ASAP from contractors

  • Optional: let us know at staff@faith.foundation that you’re interested in this grant. We’ll be following the opportunity closely and sharing updates and reminders along the way, and we can help connect you with experts when questions come up.

Julia Frisbie
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