SECTION A: Overview and Purpose

Energy Trust of Oregon is seeking nonprofit organizations interested in applying for a Working Together Grant. Qualifying organizations must serve communities of color, customers with low or moderate incomes or rural communities and wish to collaborate with Energy Trust to assist their clients, customers or communities in learning about or taking action to save energy or benefit from renewable energy options.

Grant funds are intended to support outreach, energy education, direct services or development of new programs or other approaches that will meet applicant goals while also helping diverse communities access and participate in Energy Trust offers and services. Grant funds cannot be used for lobbying or other political purposes.

Proposed activities must be in Energy Trust service area and align with Energy Trust’s objectives for serving communities of color, customers with low or moderate incomes, and rural customers with energy efficiency and renewable energy such as solar. Click for more information about Energy Trust’s diversity, equity and inclusion plan and goals.

Energy Trust is an independent nonprofit that envisions clean, affordable energy for everyone. We help people, businesses and communities reduce costs and access additional benefits by saving energy and using renewable resources. Learn more about Energy Trust.

SECTION B: Eligibility and Process

To be eligible, nonprofit organizations must be designated by the federal government as a nonprofit entity, be registered and certified in Oregon or Washington state as a nonprofit organization and not appear on the Oregon Department of Justice list of Disqualified Charities. Organizations or groups may apply with a fiscal sponsor, which is a qualified nonprofit organization that provides organizational infrastructure and administrative support for managing a grant. All activities proposed in this application must be capable of completion and submittal of final report by Friday, December 29, 2023.

Application timeline

Applications will be reviewed as they are received to determine compliance with eligibility requirements. Applications will be pre-screened to determine if the proposed activities could be served through existing program offers rather than grant funds. To learn more about existing offers for customers, visit www.energytrust.org. All applications meeting eligibility requirements and advancing through pre-screening will be reviewed and scored by the Working Together Grant panel to determine awardees. All applicants will be notified about the status of their application. All applications must be complete to be eligible for review.

Eligibility requirements

• Nonprofit entity registered and certified in Oregon or Washington
• Organization does not appear on the Oregon Department of Justice list of Disqualified Charities
• Serve customers in Energy Trust service area
• Serve communities of color, customers with low or moderate incomes or rural communities
• Funding request meets grant objectives

Priorities for current round of funding

• 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% of funding supports rural customers and communities

Important dates

Grant application announcement	Monday, August 29, 2022
Informational webinar	Thursday, September 22, 2022, 9-10 a.m.
Office hours	Tuesday, September 27, 2022, 9-11 a.m.
Grant application deadline	Friday, October 14, 2022 by 5:00 p.m.
Grant selection announced	November 2022
Estimated grant payment date	January 2023
Submit final report by	Friday, December 29, 2023

Contact for support

If you have any questions, difficulty completing this application or require translation to another language, please contact workingtogethergrants@energytrust.org

Contracting and grant funding

Grant funding is limited, and applicants will be selected for funding based on their responses to the sections below. Selected applicant(s) will be required to execute a written grant agreement with Energy Trust that details the terms and conditions for grant funding. No award will be considered a commitment, and no obligations or legal relations shall exist between Energy Trust and any selected applicant until has been signed by Energy Trust and the selected applicant. See attached sample grant agreement for required terms and conditions. W9s and an IRS determination letter must be included as part of the application submittal (you will be prompted below). ACH information will be requested of awarded grantees to enable electronic payment of grant funds.