Let’s put a heat pump in your parsonage!
Faith Foundation Northwest has been selected by the Washington State Department of Commerce to receive a $519,300 grant through the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates Program. The Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates Program is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act. The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov. This funding will allow dozens of Washington churches to install heat pumps in their parsonages at no cost.
To qualify, the gross family income of parsonage occupants must be at or below 150% of the 2024 Area Median Income as defined by the Department of Housing and Urban development. Funding will be prioritized to benefit households with the lowest income and/or most vulnerable populations, along with those located in communities that are disproportionately impacted by climate change.
FAQs
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People who live in church-owned residences in the state of Washington are eligible to apply.
About 50% of Washington parsonages house pastors, and the other 50% are rented out to community members. Pastors and renters are all eligible to apply.
Church trustees may not fill out the application; instead, they must encourage parsonage resident(s) to apply.
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Interested parties should apply as soon as possible. Applications are now open, and awards will be made on a rolling basis during the second week of each month until funds are exhausted.
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You don't need your trustees' permission to apply, but you do need your trustees' permission to proceed if you are selected for an award. A memorandum of agreement must be signed by apparent successful applicants, their trustees, and the Foundation before work can begin.
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This grant is primarily for heat pumps, but it can also pay for the following smaller energy-star rated electric appliances as needed:
clothes dryers
water heaters
induction stovetops
And, when needed, electrical panel/wiring updates to the house so that the electric appliances can be safely installed.
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The application's scoring system creates an advantage for applicants who:
Are located in communities that are overburdened and highly impacted, as identified by the Justice40 Initiative’s Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool;
Are located in counties where no award has been made through this program yet;
Are powered by fossil fuels (with the biggest advantage for households with appliances that create the worst indoor air quality);
Have income at or below 115% AMI, with the biggest advantage for income under 80% AMI (households above 150% AMI are not eligible);
Have one or more members who belong to a vulnerable population (racial or ethnic minority).
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That's understandable. However, because this program is designed to benefit low- to moderate-income households, we will not make any awards to households that choose not to disclose their income.
All the information that you submit with your application will be encrypted with 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and Transport Layer Security (TLS), and only accessible via Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to the Foundation's four staff. Any data tables used to compare applications, make awards, and report impact will be rendered name- and address-blind before transmission beyond the Foundation's four staff.
Faith Foundation Northwest has handled sensitive financial information since 1965, and has never experienced a data breach.
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Then you're not eligible. We're sorry!
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Washington applied for and won Home Electrification and Appliances Rebates funding from the US Department of Energy. Oregon won the funding, too, but will distribute funds through qualified contractors rather than sub-grantees. Alaska and Idaho have not applied for this federal funding yet.
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We're not sure. There are 108 UMC-owned parsonages in the state of Washington (with about 55 of them currently occupied by pastors). We estimate that we can put heat pumps in 20-30 of these homes.
We anticipate accepting applications through fall 2024, and disbursing funds through June 2025.
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We'll provide you with a unique link to securely upload supporting documents (which include tax return, utility bill, and memorandum signed by two Trustees of the congregation that owns the property, agreeing to cover cost overruns and/or unqualified expenses). If you don't upload documents within two weeks of notification, your eligibility will be forfeit.
The Foundation will verify your eligibility, conduct a video site visit to verify current equipment and appliances, and provide a Letter of Commitment.
If you need help finding a qualified installer, our Advisory Committee can make recommendations upon request.
You and your and Trustees will review bid(s) and select a qualified installer. The Foundation will review proposed work to make sure that it is within the scope of the rebate program.
You'll schedule the work and a qualified installer will complete it.
A second video site visit will confirm that the system is installed and operational, and ensure operating manuals and warranties are in hand.
The Foundation will advance funds in the amount of the invoice to your Trustees.
You'll upload your first utility bill after installation, along with the bill from one year prior for a like-month to like-month comparison, to the Foundation's secure portal for reporting purposes.