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What Works Plus Bulletin:December Edition
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A digest of news and funding opportunities. The What Works Plus (WW+) funder collaborative is a partnership coordination hub across philanthropy, government, and nonprofits to advance equity and climate resilience through thoughtful implementation of historic federal infrastructure, climate, and economic development funding. WW+ is a project of Freedman Consulting, LLC, which provides strategic consulting services to foundations and nonprofit organizations.
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As we enter a new federal landscape, the WW+ funder collaborative remains committed to our mission to support effective and equitable implementation of federal infrastructure, climate, and economic development funding. Our approach remains flexible, and as we adapt our strategies to fill new gaps in 2025, we invite your suggestions, ideas, and new opportunities for collaboration.
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New Report from Freedman Consulting: Landscape of Federal Climate Resilience Funding and Opportunities for Philanthropy
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The David and Lucile Packard Foundation engaged Freedman Consulting, LLC, to better understand how philanthropy can help advance the implementation of over $50 billion in climate resilience funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The project’s final report – Landscape of Federal Climate Resilience Funding and Opportunities for Philanthropy – includes 1) a landscape analysis of this $50 billion in climate resilience funding and 2) opportunities for philanthropy to address gaps and maximize the funding’s intended benefits. It is primarily meant to inform philanthropies interested in needs and opportunities to support implementation of BIL and IRA climate resilience funds.
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December Spotlight: News from Members & Friends
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Have a notable investment, partnership, or event coming up? Let Max Shipman know at shipman@tfreedmanconsulting.com and we’ll feature it next month.
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Building on research and planning catalyzed by WW+, Brookings Metro Senior Fellow Xav de Souza Briggs and Next Street Director Spencer Lau published a piece arguing the US needs a Marshall Plan for small businesses and their workers to realize the promise of historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), CHIPS and Science Act (CHIPS), and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding for industrial policy. The authors explain the plan would center on three pillars: 1) establishing results-driven national programs that prepare small business to navigate evolving market conditions, 2) creating a new workforce development approach centered on small businesses that is equipped to mobilize the workforce on an industrial scale, and 3) crafting small business financing programs and products.
Work for America launched “Civic Match”, a talent match program that connects outgoing federal workers and campaign staff with jobs in state and local governments across the country. Applicants will complete a profile in the Civic Match Resume Bank, after which government hiring managers will review the applicant’s materials and send invitations to apply for specific roles.
The Let’s Hear It podcast released an episode featuring Rachel Korberg, the Executive Director and co-founder of the Families and Workers Fund, and David Etzwiler, the CEO of the Siemens Foundation. Rachel and David discuss how philanthropy and business can team up to create a fair and accessible clean energy transition, with a focus on good jobs, workforce training, and equity. The episode centers on how their organizations are working together to push for an economy that includes all workers—especially women, people of color, and rural communities—in emerging fields like green energy.
Accelerator for America and the Drexel University Nowak Metro Finance Lab launched the Funding Pathfinder through the Local Infrastructure Hub to help cities navigate diminishing BIL funds and grant opportunities. The tool offers a brief interactive survey and then curates federal funding programs that match a given project’s goals and elements, as well as published resources – including detailed guides on BIL and IRA programs and case studies of transformative projects – to aid grant preparation and research.
Volts released a podcast episode discussing the IRA’s household electrification incentives. In the episode, Rewiring America’s co-founder Ari Matusiak discusses the $2 billion awarded to his organization through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to increase household energy savings, the barriers to electrifying homes, and the creation and implementation of the IRA over the past few years.
The Funders Network (TFN), in partnership with the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN), opened the latest round of the Partners for Places grant program. The program provides matching awards between $45,000 and $100,000 for one year projects, or between $75,000 and $150,000 for two year projects, to support equitable sustainability programs and build partnerships between local leaders, community groups, and placed-based funders. To qualify for a grant award, one or more local foundations are required to provide at least a 50% matching grant. The deadline to submit proposals is February 28, 2025. TFN will hold an informational webinar to discuss the program on January 22 at 3 PM ET.
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PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
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EQUITABLE TRANSPORTATION FUND The Equitable Transportation Fund (ETF), a project of Global Philanthropy Projects, launched in 2020 to support local, regional, and national groups working on policy, technical assistance, coalition-building, and community to secure climate and clean transportation policies. This fund prioritizes grassroot groups focused on climate justice and racial and health equity. To date, it has deployed over $2,000,000 to 42 mobility advocacy groups working to advance equitable mobility access and use in priority communities. ETF is aiming to raise $10 million in 2025. For more information about this opportunity please reference the 1-page Fund Strategy or reach out to Susanna Sutherland.
INTERSTATE RENEWABLE ENERGY COUNCIL The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) seeks to launch a comprehensive, national initiative to ensure Solar for All participants have equitable access to connect their clean energy projects to the grid. IREC is a national expert in state-level interconnection policies, having contributed to regulatory improvements for clean energy interconnection in over 40 states. Interconnection delays currently threaten many states’ efforts to reach clean energy targets, and a majority of states lack the foundational interconnection policies necessary to ensure grid access for Solar for All participants.
IREC’s Unlocking the Grid to Deliver Solar for All initiative proposes comprehensive technical assistance that includes detailed interconnection risk assessment for Solar for All awardees and provides ongoing, direct support to identify and resolve interconnection challenges that threaten equitable access for Solar for All participants. For more information, please contact Vaughan Woodruff.
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A snapshot of this month’s key news.
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Climate United launched Climate United NEXT, a $30 million pre-development grant program that will help communities deploy the next generation of clean energy projects through early-stage planning, technical assistance, and community engagement. The first round of funding will provide up to $300,000 in direct funding to Native communities. The deadline to apply for the first round of grants is January 10, 2025, with award announcements planned for late February. The Department of Energy (DOE) released the first-ever “National Blueprint for a Clean & Competitive Industrial Sector.” Building on ongoing industrial investments across federal agencies, the Blueprint outlines five whole-of-government strategies within a private-sector led framework – including accelerating carbon solutions and increasing data-driven emission reduction strategies – to fuel continued growth of American manufacturing. The DOE awarded $915,000 through the “Elective Pay - Blueprints for Communities” funding opportunity, which supports the development and distribution of blueprints or other reference materials for clean energy projects. The following organizations were selected for funding: American Public Power Association, Electrification Coalition, Oceti Sakowin Power Authority, UndauntedK12, and Vision Granted. The DOE’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) launched the “Better Borrower Challenge”, a leadership initiative encouraging private LPO borrowers to expand and strengthen commitments in job creation, community investment, and supply chain. Participants can focus on four priority areas: community and labor engagement, quality jobs, local economic development, and revitalizing communities. A borrower will be labeled an “emerging leader” if they make commitments in one or more areas or a “champion” if they take extraordinary steps in one or more areas. The Department of Treasury (Treasury) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued final regulations to expand access to direct pay for co-owned clean energy projects. This new guidance provides greater clarity and flexibility for eligible entities like schools, nonprofits, hospitals, houses of worship, local governments, and more to jointly invest in clean energy projects.
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The White House hosted the “Classroom to Career Summit”, which brought together Cabinet members, elected officials, educators, and workforce development leaders to discuss career pathways in clean energy and other nascent industries. At the summit, the White House reported $80 billion in funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) has been spent to date on workforce development initiatives like expanding technical education and strengthening registered apprenticeship programs. The Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced that more than 12,000 American workers have been trained and placed into jobs through the American Rescue Plan-funded Good Jobs Challenge – the first large-scale workforce training program in the agency’s history. The program, which is concluding its second year of implementation, initially awarded $500 million to 32 grantees to advance job training across a wide range of sectors including clean energy, resilience, and manufacturing.
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The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that all 50 states, Washington DC, and the five territories participating in the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program have approved Internet for All plans. These plans outline how each state and territory will provide all of their residents with access to the internet. Each approved region can now request access to their allocated BEAD funding and select providers to build and upgrade high-speed internet networks. Alongside this announcement, NTIA released an updated BEAD Progress Dashboard, which allows the public to track their state or territories progress on hitting major deployment milestones.
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The Department of Transportation (DOT) announced over $3.4 billion in grant funding to expand passenger rail, improve road safety, enhance ports, and strengthen supply chains. The funding is provided through three Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) programs—Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail, Safe Streets and Roads for All, and Port Infrastructure Development—and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)’s Low Carbon Transportation Materials Program. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded $3 billion in funding through the Clean Ports Program to 55 applicants across 27 states and territories. These grants will support the deployment of zero-emission equipment as well as infrastructure and air quality planning projects at selected ports.
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The Brookings Institution published a piece exploring the nexus between state and local water funding to better understand various challenges around planning, project selection, and capacity in the current federal investment landscape. The authors provided policy recommendations for federal, state, and local leaders to support utilities, including: 1) urging federal leaders to provide more technical assistance to state and local utilities, 2) tasking state agencies with specifying clearer timelines, targets, and criteria around climate and equity needs, and 3) advising local leaders to test multiple financing tools to proactively address their investment needs.
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WW+ Bulletin: December Edition
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