Author: Brian Lum

There is more funding available than ever before for projects that protect the climate, but the path to getting that funding can be daunting. If you have questions about grant applications, or tax credits, or you’re not even sure what grants and tax credits are in the first place, you’re in the right place.

Check out the resources below to find the support you need to secure funding.

General

Elective Pay & IRA Tax Incentives Resources Page

A collection of articles and resources on tax incentives, including:

• Clean Energy Tax Navigator, a project-specific decision tree that will help you learn about elective pay eligibility and requirements

Local governments: cities, counties, tribal governments and other public agencies

EPA

• Information about how to apply for a grant under the Inflation Reduction Act

Association of Washington Cities

• Federal Infrastructure Law: a central place to find news, events, and other important resources for funding opportunities through the federal infrastructure law

• Inflation Reduction Act: News, updates and training resources for cities looking to access funding from the Inflation Reduction Act

Puget Sound Recovery Acceleration Funding Tool (PS RAFT)

• Provides any grant-seeking partner with a centralized location for information about national, state, and regional funding opportunities for Puget Sound ecosystem and salmon recovery projects. PS RAFT also provides partners with a forum to connect and collaborate on funding applications. This tool is intended to help reduce barriers and capacity needs and to share and find funding opportunities.

Washington’s Clean Energy Tax Credit Assistance Program (CETCAP)

• The federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) extended and expanded important clean energy tax credits. This expansion included making these tax credits available to more entities, including organizations that have not traditionally filed tax returns or had access to clean energy tax credits, also referred to as “direct pay” or “elective pay”.
• The Washington Department of Commerce, in partnership with Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG), is launching the Clean Energy Tax Credit Assistance Program (CETCAP) to assist organizations with accessing these tax credits.

Federal Funding Grant Writing Assistance Program (FFGWAP)

• The Washington Department of Commerce, in partnership with Hagerty Consulting, is launching the Federal Funding Grant Writing Assistance Program, which is designed for Washington community-based organizations, local government agencies, ports, housing authorities, tribes, businesses, and others eligible to receive Federal funds to prepare and submit grant applications.

Nonprofits, nongovernmental organizations and community-based organizations

University of Washington Center for Environmental Health Equity (UW CEHE):

• The center works to support community-based organizations and Tribes to help build their capacity to address environmental and energy justice issues in their communities and access funding for that work

• Assistance includes: planning support, collaboration support, funding and proposal development, project development, literature review and data synthesis and administrative and financial support

Inflation Reduction Act Tracker

• A hub to provide information that will help maximize environmental justice communities’ access to IRA funding, to help make the vast IRA landscape more accessible to those who need its funding most

Puget Sound Recovery Acceleration Funding Tool (PS RAFT)

• Provides any grant-seeking partner with a centralized location for information about national, state, and regional funding opportunities for Puget Sound ecosystem and salmon recovery projects. PS RAFT also provides partners with a forum to connect and collaborate on funding applications. This tool is intended to help reduce barriers and capacity needs and to share and find funding opportunities.

Federal Funding Grant Writing Assistance Program (FFGWAP)

• The Washington Department of Commerce, in partnership with Hagerty Consulting, is launching FFGWAP, which is designed for Washington community-based organizations, local government agencies, ports, housing authorities, tribes, businesses, and others eligible to receive Federal funds to prepare and submit grant applications. It also helps Washington meet its clean electricity and greenhouse gas reduction goals using approaches that enhance equity, innovation, economic growth, and job creation. If you are an organization or government agency within Washington that is eligible to receive federal funding, you can email WAFederalGrants@hagertyconsulting.com to learn more about FFGWAP

Individuals and families

Rewiring America 

• A calculator to help individuals understand the IRA-funded Home Energy Rebates and other funding opportunities that may be available to them and their household

Grants provided by the Washington State Department of Commerce are making public buildings statewide healthier, more comfortable, and more efficient. 

Governor Jay Inslee visited Kitsap and King counties to see firsthand how state funding is making schools and public buildings more energy-efficient and climate-friendly. His visit included two key stops:  

• Richard Gordon Elementary School: Governor Inslee met with students, teachers, and staff to discuss how $315,000 from the Department of Commerce’s energy efficiency grant program funded upgrades like new controls, variable flow pumps, and improved lighting. These improvements have made the school more comfortable for everyone. 

• Shoreline Community College: Governor Inslee learned about the campus’s new electric heat pumps and pressurization control upgrades, which were funded by a $250,000 grant from the Department of Commerce’s state project improvement in 2020. These upgrades are part of broader efforts to reduce energy bills and improve air quality. 

He also met with students and professors at Shoreline Community College, who demonstrated advanced manufacturing technologies and discussed career opportunities in specialized fields like CNC machining, biotechnology, and clean energy.  

Students interested in climate and clean energy careers can find more information on Washington’s Climate Action website. They can also explore Career Connect Washington for career opportunities. To learn more about Governor Inslee’s visit, visit here. 

Washington State Department of Commerce to receive EPA grant to develop long-lasting solar programs for low-income and overburdened communities. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded the Washington State Department of Commerce $156,120,000 to help low-income households, especially those in overburdened communities, access solar power.  

The money from the Solar for All grant will be used to launch programs that will make solar energy more accessible to everyone, especially those who need it most. These programs will support income qualified single-family homeowners, affordable housing buildings, and households on tribal lands, ensuring that the benefits of solar reach the people who can benefit most.  

On the same day, the EPA announced additional recipients of funds totaling approximately $5.5 billion, along with six awards to serve Tribes totaling over $500 million, and five multistate awards totaling nearly $1 billion.   

The 60 Solar for All recipients will: 

• Help 900,000 households benefit from distributed solar energy 

• Generate over $350 million in annual savings on electric bills 

• Reduce 30 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions cumulatively 

• Create an estimated 200,000 jobs across the country 

A complete list of the selected applicants can be found on EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Solar for All website. 

To learn more about Washington’s Solar for All award, read more here.

King County will partner with local governments in four counties to transition buildings to clean energy and reduce emissions from construction. 

Local governments throughout the region will now be able to create resilient frontline communities by transitioning multifamily and community buildings to clean energy. The Environmental Protection Agency grant will not only help in the reduction of new building emissions, but also create systems to reuse building wood. 

King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties will use funding from the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant to: 

• Electrify and weatherize over 600 affordable housing units, 150 home-based care centers including daycares and adult family homes, and 55 nonprofit community or municipal buildings to lower energy bills and provide cooling during extreme heat and wildfire smoke. 

• Replace 300 gas water heaters in multifamily homes with heat pump water heaters. 

• Invest in electrification in low-income and disadvantaged communities and reduce emissions in multifamily and small commercial buildings. 

• Update local building codes to lower emissions in new construction and invest in new approaches to reusing wood at the end of a building’s life. 

Read more about the grant here.

Photo courtesy Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance

Grants to 26 community-based organizations will bring more perspectives into local planning in nine Washington counties. 

The Washington State Department of Commerce is giving $2.2 million to local groups to help them be more involved in planning their neighborhoods. This money will support projects where everyone’s voice is heard, especially those who often don’t get a say in local decisions.  

The organizations that receive funding will strengthen community representation in nine counties:  

• Clallam County: $200,000  

• Clark County: $619,354  

• Island County: $176,717  

• Jefferson County: $135,000  

• Mason County: $155,000  

• San Juan County: $180,000  

• Skagit County: $255,000  

• Thurston County: $98,912  

• Whatcom County: $385.000  

The grants are part of Washington’s Climate Commitment Act, which helps fund projects that address climate change and improve public health. As cities and counties update their plans for things like housing, jobs, and transportation, these grants will help ensure that everyone, including underrepresented communities, can contribute their ideas. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov.    

Read more about the grants here.

Economic Development Administration awards $35M to Clallam County to boost jobs and revitalize industries on the North Olympic Peninsula. 

The North Olympic Peninsula is receiving a major economic boost to help it thrive. The Biden-Harris Administration is investing millions to help revitalize the region’s natural resources industries. This funding, provided through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), is designed to create good-paying jobs in areas where employment rates have dropped.  

So, what does this mean for Clallam County, Washington? The goal is for the employment rates to rise with the implementing of the North Olympic Peninsula Recompete Plan. It’s all about tapping into the region’s strengths in forestry, maritime industries, and more, specifically in areas where prime-age (25-54 years) employment significantly trails the national average.  The grant will support infrastructure improvements, innovative forest product manufacturing, and workforce training.  

The towns and Tribes of the Olympic Peninsula have worked for years to earn the largest Recompete in the country. The funding will help turn local plans into reality, building a sustainable and resilient economy for the future.  

Learn more about the grant here. 

There is $1 billion set aside for the Recompete program, and so far, the EDA has received $200 million of that funding. Read more about the Recompete Pilot Program at eda.gov/Recompete.

Climate Commitment Act funds come through a co-designed grant process reflecting tribal priorities and expertise.

Using a strategy co-designed with tribes to distribute grant funding, the Washington State Department of Commerce has awarded $52 million in grant funding. The funding will support climate resilience for 28 federally recognized tribes within Washington and four others with lands in the state. This funding, made possible by the Climate Commitment Act (CCA), will honor tribal sovereignty and knowledge to meet the unique needs of each community.  

Climate change impacts tribes differently, depending on their geography, culture, and economy. The grant funding offers tribes the flexibility to address these challenges in the way that best suits their needs, whether through planning, construction, or emergency preparedness.  

For example, the Quinault Indian Nation will use $13 million to move vital infrastructure out of the tsunami and flooding zones on the Olympic Coast, which includes building a new Generations Building to serve elders and children, as well as emergency shelters and essential utilities.  

This funding marks a significant step in honoring tribal sovereignty and empowering tribes to protect their lands and communities. Funding for Commerce’s Tribal Climate Resilience Program comes from the Climate Commitment Act. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov.   

Learn more about the grants here.

Five projects will receive $1.2 million from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act and EPA funds to advance local salmon recovery efforts.

Everett, Lake Stevens, Ilwaco, the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe, and Thurston County are getting funds from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act and the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help integrate salmon protection into their planning and development efforts. The awarded projects include:  

• Conducting research and advancing new approaches to water resource management  

• Incentivizing implementation of low-impact development and green stormwater infrastructure  

• Developing a wetland mitigation bank  

• Creating an urban tree canopy preservation program  

Why is this important? Salmon face extreme challenges from habitat loss, often due to land use and development. By supporting local communities in planning with salmon in mind, we’re making strides toward a healthier ecosystem for everyone.  

These projects represent a shared commitment to protecting Washington’s salmon and the environments they rely on, and another round of grants will be available in fall 2024.  

Learn more about the salmon grants here. 

Find out how your city’s, county’s or federally recognized tribe’s climate action efforts can be supported as the next round of grants opens this fall. Information about the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) is available at www.climate.wa.gov.