The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), in ongoing efforts to include the needs and voices of underserved and underrepresented communities in its decision-making processes, today created a $30 million Equity and Access Grant Program to provide technical assistance and capacity building for California Native American Tribes and community‐based organizations (CBOs).
Three grant accounts will provide funding to California Tribes and CBOs to participate in CPUC processes and make clean energy programs more accessible to underserved and underrepresented communities, including communities that are geographically and racially diverse and socio‐economically disadvantaged. The programs include:
- Public Participation Grant: This program helps remove financial and capacity-based barriers to participation in CPUC work, while creating a flexible and accessible process to apply for and receive compensation. The $3.1 million program will award grants of up to $15,000 for participating in a CPUC activity that informs proceedings and programs, such as a working group, panel, or focus group.
- Equity, Engagement, and Education Grant: This program helps build Tribal, CBO, and community capacity to understand and engage with the CPUC’s decision-making processes. The $9.75 million program will award grants of up to $200,000 for work that will educate consumers or perform outreach within an underserved community on a CPUC matter.
- Clean Energy Access Grant: This program helps communities access CPUC programs such as the Microgrid Incentive Program (MIP), the Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP), and the Technology and Equipment for Clean Heating (TECH) Initiative. The $15.65 million program will award grants of up to $500,000 for work that will address access to or education about the customer programs. There will be a clean energy subject matter expert who will provide technical assistance for applicants as well as for grantees.
“I appreciate that the grant program supports the Microgrid Incentive Program by providing funding for technical project development. That technical funding will help disadvantaged and Tribal communities at high risk of power outages develop solutions to create opportunities for clean energy programs that can include vehicle charging, solar and storage, building electrification, and energy efficiency,” said Commissioner Genevieve Shiroma.
In 2022, the Legislature appropriated $30 million in the Budget Act of 2022 (AB 179) for grants to Tribes and CBOs for participation in CPUC decision-making processes and supporting activities. Today’s action by the CPUC sets out a framework, fund allocation, and details of the grant program.
Applications Opening in September 2023
Applications for Public Participation Grants and Equity, Engagement, and Education Grants will be available in September. Applications for Clean Energy Access Grants will be accepted late 2023/early 2024. The CPUC will hold a workshop on Aug. 9, 2023, to provide more information and guidance. Additional details will be posted to the CPUC’s website.
The Equity and Access Grant Program supports the CPUC’s efforts, memorialized in its Environmental and Social Justice (ESJ) Action Plan, to solicit the participation of ESJ and Tribal communities in CPUC proceedings and decision‐making, and ensure that investments in clean energy resources, transportation, and communication services benefit all communities.
The proposal voted on is available on the CPUC’s website.
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