The Working Together Grants are a competitive grant opportunity with funding up to $10,000 for nonprofit organizations interested in pursuing activities that help diverse customers and communities save energy or use clean, renewable energy.

Before filling out an application for grant funding, please read through the eligibility requirements, deadlines and other important details to ensure you understand the grant purpose and expectations.

Applications open Monday, August 29, 2022 and are due Friday, October 14, 2022 at 5:00 p.m.

Energy Trust staff are available to help with the application process and answer any questions you may have. Please reach out to us at WorkingTogetherGrants@energytrust.org.

Not ready to apply for a grant?

Purpose

The Working Together Grants are a new way Energy Trust is engaging with community organizations to reach and serve diverse customers. By providing small grants to nonprofit organizations, Energy Trust will extend the benefits of energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy to more customers.

Funding Amounts 

Through this round of funding, Energy Trust will award a total of $150,000 in grants up to $10,000 each, with the ability for nonprofit organizations to request smaller amounts.

Eligibility

Organizations eligible for the 2022-2023 Working Together Grants must meet the following criteria:  

• Registered as a nonprofit entity in Oregon or Washington 
• Proposed activities funded through the grant are in Energy Trust service area and directly or indirectly benefit utility customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas or Avista 
• Proposed activities funded through the grant benefit priority diversity, equity and inclusion audiences in Energy Trust focus areas: communities of color, customers with low incomes or rural communities. For information about Energy Trust’s diversity, equity and inclusion plan and goals, visit our website.  
• Proposed activities funded through the grant align with grant purpose 
• Complete and submit grant application by Friday, October 14, 2022 by 5:00 p.m.
• Do not appear on the Oregon Department of Justice list of Disqualified Charities  

Additional requirements and details:  

• Organizations can apply for only one grant per funding cycle  
• Organizations may apply with a fiscal sponsor, which is a qualified nonprofit organization that provides organizational infrastructure and administrative support for managing a grant 
• Organizations receiving other funds from Energy Trust may apply 
• Funding may not be used for direct lobbying or political activities  

What activities can grant funds be used for?

Grant funds can be used to support the following activities in Energy Trust service area:

1. Increase community and customer awareness of clean energy solutions and offers—such as events
2. Spur customer participation in Energy Trust’s energy efficiency and renewable energy offers—such as funding to supplement an existing program or program in development
3. Support for organizations needing additional capacity to connect customers to clean energy solutions and offers—such as staff time, training costs, costs for a grant writer, contractor, intern

Grant funds cannot be used to cover the cost of energy efficiency or renewable energy equipment. Energy Trust has existing programs that support a wide range of equipment upgrades. For more information on residential, equipment upgrades or solar incentives, visit our website or call 1.866.368.7878.

If you are unsure whether an activity is eligible for Working Together Grant funding, contact workingtogethergrants@energytrust.org.

Application Deadline

Applications for the Working Together Grants are due Friday, October 14, 2022 by 5:00 p.m. All applications meeting eligibility requirements will be reviewed by our selection committee.

Selection Process

Energy Trust will review all applications for eligibility requirements. Applications will also be pre-screened to determine if the proposed activities could be served through existing program offers rather than grant funds. All eligible applications advancing through prescreening will be scored by a diverse slate of reviewers. The review panel will consist of Energy Trust staff and external stakeholders who understand the objectives of the Working Together Grants offer and have experience working with community-based organizations and grant offers. All applicants will be notified about the status of their application.

We anticipate that we will receive more requests for funding than we have budget. Priority will be given to applications that:

• Align most directly with grant objectives  
• Demonstrate ability to manage and implement planned activities with grant funds  
• Highlight community and organization impact 
• Deliver greatest benefit to Energy Trust customers and diversity, equity and inclusion priority customers 
• Meet current round priorities:
  • All nonprofits in Oregon and Washington are eligible to apply, including those that have received funding or applied previously 
  • Organizations that received funding in the first round will be considered for funding if funding remains after other applicants are scored 
  • Applications serving customers in rural communities will be scored separately with the goal that at least 50 percent of funding supports rural customers and communities      

To ensure grants are awarded to applicants from across Energy Trust’s service area, applications will be scored in two groups, applications from organizations located in the Portland Metropolitan Area* and applications from organizations located outside. Grants will be awarded to applicants with top scores in the two groups and the remaining applications assessed as one group.

*Portland Metropolitan Area: Comprising Clackamas, Columbia, Multnomah, Washington, and Yamhill Counties in Oregon, and Clark and Skamania Counties in Washington.

Key Dates

Applications open: Monday, August 29, 2022

Informational webinar: Thursday, September 22, 2022
View the recordings: English | Spanish
View the webinar slides

Office hours: Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Applications due: Friday, October 14, 2022 by 5:00 p.m.

Awards announced: November 2022

Funding available: January 2023

Application Details

The applications include the following information:

Organizational background 
This portion of the application is designed to gather information about the applicant’s organization.    

Staffing
This portion of the application is designed to understand the relevant skills, experience and capacity the organization has to manage a small grant and carry out the proposed work, including fiscal accountability and reporting needs for a successful project.

Community impact 
This portion of the application is designed to understand the alignment between the proposed activity and Energy Trust focus areas including the impact on the organization and community. Specific consideration is given for how the project might impact Energy Trust diversity, equity and inclusion priority customers.       

Approach  
This portion of the application is designed to understand the organization’s overall funding needs and how they might be used to complete the proposed project or activity, along with any other funding sources that may be applied to the work proposed.

Additional Questions

Have more questions or looking for more information?  

• View the recorded Working Together Grants Webinar English | Spanish
• Check out the Working Together Grants FAQ page 

Email us at workingtogethergrants@energytrust.org for further assistance.