Almost $1 million in funding awarded, 32 communities reached, 17 partners supported across 13 countries and territories, and two new grant programs launched: it's been a big year for the Honnold Foundation and our solar energy partners worldwide.
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community fund
A few weeks ago, the Honnold Foundation launched the Community Fund, a grant program supporting rooftop solar for BIPOC-led organizations in the most polluted regions of the United States.
But what can solar do for your organization? For your community? Is it really going to save you money? If you’re interested in a solar installation for your organization, read on!
The Community Fund is the Honnold Foundation’s newest way to bring solar energy to grassroots organizations across the United States, but this isn’t the first time HF has been directly involved with local nonprofits’ solar projects. We partner with a few US-based nonprofits each year with a simple, impactful goal: put solar panels on roofs.
In January 2020, Hopelink of Southern Nevada was $10,000 short on funding a solar energy project that would save them 35% of their monthly electricity bill of $800. When HF heard about their mission to eradicate homelessness in the greater Las Vegas region, we stepped in to fill the funding gap.
Don Miller, Hopelink’s Senior Program Manager, says that the installation has surpassed their expectations by a long shot. “As a small nonprofit, every dollar counts,” explained Don. “It’s $800 a month to run electricity for the place—and that’s money that could and should be going directly to our clients, the community.” Hopelink’s savings have surpassed expectations. Since their installation was powered on, they’ve saved 46% of their typical monthly bill—roughly $400 a month! Ultimately, Hopelink is poised to save over $100,000 across the panel’s expected 25+ year lifespan.
Solar energy helps small community organizations’ budgets, and it’s better for the environment, too. At the Honnold Foundation we also know that applying for a grant, especially one involving construction, is a formidable task. Planning, logistics, and compatibility could all be major concerns for grassroots organizations whose employees wear multiple hats. That’s why when you receive a Honnold Foundation Community Grant, you also receive our commitment to support your organization throughout the installation process. The Community Fund exists because we want to help nonprofits dedicate more of their budget and time to their essential mission work. If you’re selected for a grant, the Honnold Foundation and our partners at Amicus Solar Cooperative will ensure the entire process, from design to installation, runs smoothly.
Could your BIPOC-led nonprofit benefit from solar energy access?
“The reality is that in the United States, to focus on environmental issues like air quality and particulate pollution, is to focus on BIPOC communities.”
By Alex Honnold, Founder
I’m excited to announce the launch of a new program at the Honnold Foundation: the Community Fund. In partnership with Sunrun, the Community Fund will provide solar to domestic nonprofits with BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) leadership. It will be a simple but meaningful way to reduce those nonprofits’ overhead (by lowering their utility bills) and allow them to spend more on their core missions. It’s our goal to help these organizations have a bigger impact in their local communities in an environmentally friendly way.
I started the Honnold Foundation in 2012 with the broad idea that I should try to do something useful in the world that benefited the environment. But I also realized that there was no reason to support environmental projects that didn’t also improve human lives. The truth is, there’s no shortage of projects that easily benefit both people and the planet.
This summer, in the midst of the Black Lives Matter protests sweeping the nation, I came up with the idea to put solar on nonprofits, an idea that blossomed into our new Community Fund. We already have a history of funding and supporting projects involving schools and education, because it feels like such a clear win to use renewable energy to help facilitate already meaningful work. Solar for nonprofits seemed like an extension of the same idea: they’re already working to improve their communities, we’re just using solar to help them do that job better.
At first I was hesitant to focus our new Community Fund specifically on BIPOC-led organizations because I’ve always preferred to focus on environmental issues. But the reality is that in the United States, to focus on environmental issues like air quality and particulate pollution, is to focus on BIPOC communities. In Detroit, years of racist policies and poor environmental oversight have left residents with the highest childhood asthma rates in the country, and dramatically increased rates of chronic health issues in children and adults. And in Baltimore, predominantly Black neighborhoods experience higher rates of heart disease, lung cancer, and other diseases linked to air pollution than the rest of the city.
The Community Fund is rooted in a simple idea: use renewable energy to help nonprofits in pollution-impacted places do more of their positive work. All of us must transition to renewables like solar in the near future if we’re going to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change. I believe we might as well start that transition by providing solar to the nonprofits that are already making a big local impact in the places that need it the most.
We’re delighted to be collaborating with Sunrun, the nation’s leading residential solar installer, to launch this first cycle of Community Fund applications, and are looking forward to supporting BIPOC-led nonprofits in the United States to advance their work. To learn more about the Community Fund and how to apply, click here.
