Helping Energy Communities Access Federal Funds to Transform Local Economies

Coal plant and mine closures are causing economic turmoil in rural areas from the Four Corners of the American Southwest to deep in Appalachia as communities transition to cleaner energy solutions. Although new federal dollars are available, place-based funders know that rural nonprofits can't access funds for local economic diversification, workforce development, or infrastructure expansion without strategic, targeted investments by philanthropy. Participants will learn about the real-time barriers that communities face when accessing federal funds, the strategies that funders can employ to overcome them, and the state of the national effort to help communities on the frontlines of the energy transition to revitalize and transform their economies. 

Session Designer: Heidi Binko, Executive Director, Just Transition Fund