Energy Trust’s Working Together Grants Program is sponsored by Energy Trust of Oregon. Offers grants to nonprofit organizations in Oregon and Washington to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy among priority customers.

Communities: Working Together Grants - Energy Trust of Oregon Energy Trust’s Working Together Grants are a competitive funding opportunity to help nonprofit organizations reach and serve their customers and communities with clean energy solutions . With these grants , Energy Trust seeks to extend the benefits of energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy to more customers and create awareness for its programs and services.

Th e application window is now closed Level One Grants up to $5,000: Level One funding is available to help 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations conduct outreach, explore Energy Trust offers and build capacity through education and training.

Funding can support activities related to energy efficiency, clean energy and renewable energy for priority customers (communities of color, customers with low incomes and rural customers) in Energy Trust’s service area . Costs must be itemized, and grants can be requested for any amount up to $5,000.

Grant costs will be reviewed to ensure requested funding amounts are reasonable, and applicants may receive follow-up questions to better understand itemized grant costs. Allowable grant funding uses include activities and costs that: 1.

Increase priority community and customer awareness of clean energy solutions and Energy Trust offers Printing or designing of materials Translation and interpretation services Event costs, such as rental space and food Costs and staff time for hosting trainings, workshops, and delivering education 2.

Increase the organization’s understanding and capability to support clean energy programs Time to meet with Energy Trust to learn about options and funding sources for working together Staff training in energy technology or equipment that is supported by Energy Trust incentives Staff training to support greater understanding of Energy Trust programs and services and deepen understanding of ener gy efficiency and renewable energy generation Costs to write grants that if funded would leverage Energy Trust programs and services Level One grants will be chosen based on our Level One Grant selection process .

Level Two Grants up to $10,000: Level Two funding can support the following program or project activities related to energy efficiency, clean energy and renewable energy for priority customers in Energy Trust’s service area . Allowable grant funding uses include activities and costs that: 1.

Supplement an existing program or program in development that would result in priority customer participation in Energy Trust’s energy efficiency and renewable energy offers Costs can include buying goods or services; staff, intern, or contractor time; costs for training, workshops or education Level Two grants will be chosen based on our Level Two Grant selection process .

Level one and Level two g rant funds cannot be used: For the purchase or installation of home repairs, energy efficiency or renewable energy equipment To fund projects covered through Energy Trust existing programs, services and incentives, this includes: Cost to conduct Home Energy Assessments Costs that are within the scope of another Energy Trust contract.

Nonprofit organizations that participate in Community Partner Funding, the Trade Ally Network, or have another Energy Trust contract, should contact workingtogethergrants@energytrust. org to determine grant eligibility. To encourage changing existing fuel sources For direct lobbying or political activities Our existing programs support a wide range of home and equipment upgrades.

For more information on residential , commercial equipment upgrades or solar incentives call 1. 866. 368.

7878. Organizations eligible for Working Together Grants must meet the following criteria: Registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity in Oregon or Washington Organizations or groups who are currently in the process of becoming a 501(c)(3) may apply with a fiscal sponsor, which is a qualified nonprofit organization that provides organizational infrastructure and administrative support for managing a grant.

Applicant or fiscal sponsor does not appear on the Oregon Department of Justice list of Disqualified Charities Benefit utility customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas or Avista Benefit communities of color, customers with low incomes and/or rural communities.

For information about Energy Trust’s diversity, equity and inclusion plan and goals, view our plan here Align with grant purpose to support activities that meet applicant goals while also helping diverse communities access and participate in Energy Trust offers and services Additional requirements and details: Organizations can apply for only one grant (either Level One or Level Two) per funding cycle Organizations receiving other funds from Energy Trust are invited to apply but grant activities must be outside the scope of other funds Organizations previously awarded a Working Together Grant may apply Email workingtogethergrants@energytrust.

org with any eligibility questions 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. Energy Trust reserves the right to not fund any applicant applying for grant funds for any reason.

Level One Grants (up to $5,000) Selection Process Staff will prescreen applications to ensure that proposed activities and costs align with grant purpose. Applications will be grouped into five tiers allowing Energy Trust to prioritize funding for this round.

Tiers are determined by alignment with the following categories: How well the organization reflects and serves grant priority communities Customers with low incomes If the organization is located outside of the City of Portland and does not have access to the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund mini grant offer Whether the organization has been awarded a Working Together Grant previously, with preference given to those who have not been awarded a grant in previous rounds Organization size, with preference given to smaller organizations Funding will be awarded starting with applications in tier one, then on to tier two.

The process will repeat down the tiers until all funding has been allocated. If there are more applications than funds available in a tier, awards will be made through random selection. Tiers may be updated in future rounds to ensure equitable distribution of funds across funding rounds.

Tier One Tier Two Tier Three Tier Four Tier Five Reflect and serve all three grant priority communities Reflect and serve at least one of the grant priority communities Reflect and serve at least one of the grant priority communities Reflect and serve at least one of the grant priority communities Reflect and serve at least one of the grant priority communities Are based outside the City of Portland Have the equivalent of three full-time employees or less Have the equivalent of four or more full-time employees Are based in a rural community* Have not been awarded a grant in previous rounds Have not been awarded a grant in previous rounds Have not been awarded a grant in previous rounds Have received two or fewer Working Together Grants Organizations that work with Tribal Governments and/or serve Native communities will be prioritized within each tier * R ural community: For the purposes of this grant round, rural is defined as communities with populations under 25,000 .

Level Two Grants (u p to $ 10 ,000 ) Selection Process Staff will prescreen applications to ensure that proposed activities and costs align with the grant purpose. All eligible applications advancing through prescreening will be scored by a diverse grant review team. The team will evaluate and score all eligible grant applications.

Applications will be scored in two groups: organizations located in the Portland metro area* and organizations located outside the Portland metro area. This is to ensure grants are awarded to applicants from across Energy Trust’s service area. We anticipate we will receive more requests for funding for Level Two grants than we have funds for this round.

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 greatest community and organization impact Have not received a grant previously Deliver greatest benefit to Energy Trust customers and diversity, equity and inclusion priority customers Meet current funding round priorities: Organizations that received funding previously will be considered for funding if funding remains after other applicants are scored A distribution of awardees from across Energy Trust service area and priority customers served Organizations that work with Tribal Governments and/or serve Native communities *Portland metro area is Clackamas , Columbia , Multnomah , Washington , and Yamhill counties in Oregon and Clark and Skamania counties in Washington.

Each grant awardee will be assigned an Energy Trust staff member to assist with any questions or support needs. We do not anticipate grantees will require significant Energy Trust staff time to support grant completion. All awardees must submit a final report by August 1, 2026.

Have more questions or looking for more information? Check out the Working Together Grants FAQ page or email us at workingtogethergrants@energytrust. org .