Drawdown Georgia Announces $1.2 Million in New Climate Solutions & Equity Grants

November 29, 2023 /3BL/ - Six Georgia-based family foundations today announce the awarding of the 2024-2025 Drawdown Georgia Climate Solutions & Equity Grants in support of efforts that advance climate solutions and prioritize equity in Georgia.

Six two-year grants of $100,000 per year were awarded to: Community Farmers Markets, Concerned Citizens of Cook County, ECO-Action, Groundswell, Mothers & Others for Clean Air, and Sustainable Georgia Futures.

The Climate Solutions & Equity Grant program is designed to accelerate the Drawdown Georgia mission to advance achievable climate solutions that prioritize equity across the state through composting, electric vehicles, energy efficiency improvements, food waste reduction, plant-based diets, and rooftop solar.

“Drawdown Georgia’s framework is distinguished by our pursuit of practical solutions to climate change solutions that center equity,” said John Lanier, executive director of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation and a founder of Drawdown Georgia. “These grants extend this framework, by empowering BIPOC communities across Georgia to scale climate solutions that bring new jobs, environmental benefits, improved public health, and neighborhood investments where they are most needed. We are proud to be a part of this collaboration, along with our partners at the R. Howard Dobbs, Jr. Foundation, the Ghanta Family Foundation, The Wilbur & Hilda Glenn Family Foundation, the Reilly Family Fund, and the Tull Charitable Foundation.”

This new round of six, two-year grants of $100,000 per year will fund work to be conducted in 2024-2025, including:

• Community Farmers Markets - this grant will help to expand the MARTA Markets program to serve more transit riders with healthy, locally-grown fruits and vegetables. The program rescues leftover food from local farmers markets and divides produce into ready-to-eat, grab-and-go portions conveniently available at Atlanta-area transit stations. Funds from the Climate Solutions & Equity grant will also be used to feature Black chefs from the local community to present year-round, seasonally-appropriate cooking demonstrations at MARTA Markets.
• Concerned Citizens of Cook County - in partnership with Georgia Interfaith Power & Light (GIPL), the group will work to organize, educate, and implement clean energy strategies in multiple houses of worship in the town of Adel and across Cook County. The work will focus on providing energy efficiency upgrades and solar installations with a goal of giving these communities of faith the opportunity to serve a dual role as centers for both education and resilience.
• ECO-Action - in partnership with Proctor Creek Stewardship Council, and the Peoplestown Revitalization Corporation, in two of Atlanta’s most disinvested neighborhoods, ECO-Action will conduct community-wide monthly trainings on energy efficiency strategies, weatherization, composting, and plant-based diets. Adult volunteers and youth apprentices will have the opportunity to receive training and conduct weatherization assessments and upgrades. The training and experience gained by the youth apprentices will be valuable for workforce development and eventual placement in clean energy jobs.
• Groundswell - funds from this grant will provide energy efficiency upgrades to more homes in rural Troup County through Groundswell’s Save On Utilities Long term (SOUL) program. SOUL reduces utility bills for homeowners by boosting energy efficiency, using a “Pay As You Save” (PAYS) approach to use energy savings to pay for efficiency improvements.
• Mothers & Others for Clean Air (MOCA) - In partnership with Georgia Clinicians for Climate Action and the Georgia State Medical Association, MOCA will provide educational programming at the city and county level on the health and equity co-benefits of electric school buses. The grant will also help these groups connect school districts to opportunities to apply for federal funding to implement these upgrades in their communities.
• Sustainable Georgia Futures - this grant will expand on the established WeatheRise energy efficiency program that provides weatherization improvements for low-to moderate-income Black households in Atlanta. It will also fund solar workforce development through recruitment, training and certification of solar installation apprentices from the local community. Training these apprentices will help ensure that people in previously disinvested communities of color have equitable opportunities to be hired in the wave of solar-related jobs that are coming to Georgia.

Funding for the 2024-2025 round of grants is provided by the R. Howard Dobbs, Jr. Foundation and its Dobbs Fund, the Ghanta Family Foundation, The Wilbur & Hilda Glenn Family Foundation, The Ray C. Anderson Foundation’s NextGen Committee, the Reilly Family Fund, and the Tull Charitable Foundation.

An expert panel of Georgia-based equity advisors worked with the funders throughout the application and judging process; Hermina Glass-Hill, Senior Field Representative, Oceana, and executive director of the Susie King Taylor Women's Institute and Ecology Center; Tamara Jones, Co-Executive Director, Clean Energy Works, and Eriqah Vincent, Consultant, Environment, Climate and Social Justice.

For more information about the Drawdown Georgia Climate Solutions & Equity Grant, visit www.drawdownga.org/grants.

About Drawdown Georgia

Drawdown Georgia is a statewide research-based initiative launched in 2020 that was born from a multi-university collaboration, funded by the Ray C. Anderson Foundation. Taking inspiration from Project Drawdown®, the world’s leading resource for taking action on climate change, Drawdown Georgia localized that work by identifying the 20 highest-impact solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in our state over the next decade.

This framework focuses on climate solutions in five sectors: transportation, buildings & materials, food & agriculture, electricity, and land sinks. It considers how these solutions can reduce emissions and advance “beyond carbon” priorities, including equity, economic development, public health, and nurturing the larger environment.

Drawdown Georgia has grown into a “leader-full” movement, bringing together many organizations, universities, companies, leaders, and funders who are working to advance climate solutions in Georgia, including members of the Drawdown Georgia Business Compact, Drawdown Congregations, and Drawdown Higher Education. Learn more at drawdownga.org

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