Renew America's Nonprofits

Register for our upcoming webinar, "Going Solar: Opportunities and Resources for Nonprofits"

April 30 from 12:30-1:30 PM ET.

Questions?

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched the $50 million Renew America’s Nonprofits Program – referred to in President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as the Energy Efficiency Materials Pilot Program – to reduce carbon emissions, improve health and safety, and lower utilities costs at buildings owned and operated by 501(c)(3) nonprofits. This first-of-its-kind investment in the nonprofit sector aims to help nonprofits make high-impact energy efficiency improvements that will create cleaner, healthier community spaces, while generating sustainable savings so that critical funds can be redirected toward mission-driven work. It also aims to stimulate widespread energy improvements in the nonprofit sector, promoting the formation of partnerships between stakeholders to create a pipeline of energy and cost-saving projects that will continue beyond the life of the grant.

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Subscribe to the Renew America's Nonprofits Newsletter to learn about upcoming webinars, events, and funding opportunities.

Read the most recent Newsletter!

Hey Teaming List members!

Join the Distribution List now to stay informed and get involved.

The DOE’s Teaming List for the Renew America’s Nonprofits program was established to facilitate engagement and collaboration between nonprofits and potential partners. Participation has been at an all-time high from community members, nonprofits, local businesses, funders and more! To align with the evolution of the Renew America’s Nonprofits Program, to better accommodate participants, and to allow for more direct communication about opportunities specifically for nonprofits, we will be closing the Teaming List and redirecting stakeholders to the Distribution List. We are asking all current Teaming List members to sign up for the Distribution List to gain access to tools, resources, webinars, and more.

Please note that previous participation in the Teaming List does not automatically add you to the Distribution List. Click this link to join today!

Illustration of a cityscape with various buildings.

Are you a nonprofit looking for energy efficiency upgrades and wondering how to get involved in the Renew America’s Nonprofits?

Here’s how:

Sign up for Distribution List to stay in the know on upcoming technical assistance and funding resources in 2024.
Find tools and resources for nonprofits now in the Related Resources section below.
Collaborate with us on the clean energy future. DOE's Renew America's Nonprofits team wants to hear from you! Let us know how we can better serve the nonprofits sector in achieving your clean energy goals.
Stay tuned!

Technical Assistance for Nonprofits is Now Underway

DOE’s Renew America's Nonprofits Program will be offering technical assistance (TA), open to all nonprofits, nationwide, to share resources and information about building energy improvements, solar tools, and tax credits financing opportunities and more!

Register for our upcoming webinar, "Going Solar: Opportunities and Resources for Nonprofits"

On Tuesday April 30, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Renew America’s Nonprofits Program is looking forward to hosting a webinar to provide information for nonprofits considering investing in solar energy.

Register to learn about free tools and resources about identifying solar possibilities with your building and to understand how to assemble your project team. Nonprofits will speak to their experience with successful solar projects and the energy saved, and an expert from the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) will demo the use of two solar assessment tools.

This is the second part of a webinar series about current opportunities for nonprofits to improve and invest in their buildings. DOE encourages nonprofits to check out the previous webinar in this series, “Energy Efficiency First: Preparing your Nonprofit for Solar,” which was held on February 27, 2024. Stay tuned for more details about our next webinar, which will provide an overview of how nonprofits can receive cashback for clean energy, including solar, as a result of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Register today!

Check out our inaugural TA offering:

On February 27, 2024, the Renew America's Nonprofits program hosted an informational webinar about the importance of energy efficiency as a first step in preparing for solar. This webinar focused on tools for benchmarking, identifying low-cost improvements, and identifying the right financing option. Experts from the DOE, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute provided information tailored to the nonprofits sector.

View the webinar and read the slides.

Congratulations to the Prime Selectees of the Renew America’s Nonprofits Grant!

Renew America's Nonprofits Prime Selectees 2023: Map of the US with Projected Portfolio Impact of Prime Selectees

Learn more about the Prime Selectees for the Renew America's Nonprofits grant!

Selectees were announced on October 25, 2023. Nine nonprofit organizations will share $45 million in awards, and collaborate with 38 partners, to deliver energy improvements in approximately 300 nonprofit buildings across the country – including 28 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Prime Selectees now enter the award phase, and will submit portfolios identifying subrecipients, efficiency projects, and a complete picture of their impacts by approximately June 2024. To date, Prime Selectees have already indicated plans to support nonprofits with diverse missions including emergency response services, support for unhoused populations, support for refugees, protection against domestic violence, protection against food insecurity, housing, religious services, health services, and more. To stay up to date on the progress of the Renew America’s Nonprofits program, sign up for our distribution list below.

Spotlighted Questions

The Teaming List is a tool intended to help organizations with complementary goals connect and explore partnerships - including prospective Prime selectees and subrecipients. It is not a source of news/updates from the DOE. If you would like to receive updates about program and Prime selectees, tools, resources, and additional opportunities from the Renew America's Nonprofits program, join our mailing list. If you would like to explore a partnership with another organization on this list, please reach out to them directly using the contact information provided.

DOE is not responsible for the formation of partnerships between prospective Prime and prospective subrecipients. However, we have provided the Renew America's Nonprofits Teaming List to help connect organizations that may wish to partner with each other. We recommend reviewing the current teaming list for potential candidates, researching their backgrounds, and contacting them using the contact information provided. As a best practice, we recommend exploring relationships with multiple candidates to promote best fit and normalize expectations.

Related Resources

Federal Funding Opportunities for Nonprofits 

EPA Climate Change Grants Program View and apply for the open Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Environmental and Climate Justice Change Grants by November 21, 2024.

EERE Funding Programs View open funding opportunities from the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. 

Grants.gov (List of Federal Grants) Search by eligibility for “Nonprofits”, then filter by the category “Energy” and “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)” to find relevant federal funding opportunities for energy improvements. 

Tax Credits for Nonprofits 

Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency Find tax credits, rebates and savings available in your state. 

Direct Pay for Tax Credits White House factsheet explaining how nonprofits can now access tax credits for clean energy through direct pay, following guidance from the Treasury. 

Tools & Resources 

Better Buildings Initiative Solution Center Resource center of building solutions by building type, sector, technology, or barrier.  

DOE Building Efficiency Targeting Tool for Energy Retrofits (BETTER) This tool quickly and easily identifies the most cost-saving energy efficiency measures in buildings using readily available building and energy data.

DOE Buildings Asset Score Audit This tool allows users to generate energy retrofit measure recommendations and energy savings estimates. Create a login then score the building and review the associated Energy Asset Score Report.  

Justice40 Initiative Learn about the whole-of-government initiative to ensure 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. 

National Community Solar Partnership Ecosystem which enables organizations to interact with each other, funders, and solar providers. NCSP also provides technical assistance, including credit-ready guidance. 

Renew America's Nonprofits Grant Information

Review the Renew America's Nonprofit's Virtual Office Hours 1

Review the Renew America's Nonprofits Virtual Office Hours 2

Renew America's Nonprofits Office Hours 2 Presentation Slides
Renew America's Nonprofit's Office Hours 2 Recording (Starts at 16:55)

Review our Digital Engagement Toolkit for ways to engage with, and amplify the news of, the Renew America’s Nonprofits grant and its Selectees.

Grant funds will support the installation of materials to reduce energy or fuel use in buildings owned and operated by 501(c)(3) nonprofits.

The Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) intends to use an aggregation model to implement the Renew America’s Nonprofits program. In this model, successful nonprofit applicants would be “prime” recipients of the awards, characterized by their ability to curate a portfolio of “subrecipients”— nonprofits seeking to implement energy efficiency upgrades in buildings they own and operate—and to provide technical assistance, program, and project management for these organizations.

To expand their capabilities, potential prime recipients may plan to work with partner organizations which are not required to be 501(c)(3) nonprofits.

Prime Selectees will submit portfolios identifying subrecipients, efficiency projects, and a complete picture of impacts by approximately June 2024.

The Department of Energy announced selections for the Renew America's Nonprofits grant on October 25, 2023.