COMMUNITY CLEAN ENERGY GRANTS SUPPORT LOCAL ORGS ADVANCING GREEN ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE AND PROGRAMS
SAN DIEGO (Feb. 2, 2026) — San Diego Community Power, in partnership with San Diego Foundation, today announced a $750,000 clean energy reinvestment into the region and invited local organizations to apply for the funds.
The Community Clean Energy Grants program is an annual opportunity for nonprofits and other tax-exempt organizations to join with Community Power to advance clean energy, green jobs and sustainability programs across the San Diego region.
“Community Power was created to ensure the clean energy transition delivers real, local benefits,” said San Diego County Supervisor and Community Power Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer. “This year’s grant cycle reflects what we’ve learned from our partners on the ground — that investing in both infrastructure and people is essential to building healthier, more resilient communities.”
Since launching in 2023, the program has invested nearly $2.5 million in local organizations delivering clean energy education, workforce training, electrification projects and resilience initiatives throughout Community Power’s service area – the cities of Chula Vista, Encinitas, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, National City and San Diego, as well as the unincorporated communities in San Diego County.
Funding is made possible by Community Power, in partnership with San Diego Foundation and Calpine Community Energy.
“San Diego Foundation is honored to partner with Community Power to and reinvest clean energy dollars back into local communities,” said Pamela Gray Payton, San Diego Foundation Vice President, Chief Impact and Partnerships Officer. “This year’s grants give nonprofits the flexibility to build clean energy solutions that reflect community priorities while supporting a healthier, more resilient region.”
This year’s grant cycle introduces a two-track funding model. Nonprofits and other tax-exempt organizations are invited to submit proposals to use the grant funds for both clean energy infrastructure projects and community-driven clean energy programming:
- Clean Energy Infrastructure grants support projects such as solar and battery storage, electric vehicle charging, and community resilience hubs, with a strong emphasis on serving communities of concern and, when applicable, enrolling distributed energy resources into Community Power’s Virtual Power Plant – a system of distributed energy resources such as solar panels and batteries that is aggregated together and managed collectively to benefit the energy grid.
- Clean Energy Programming grants focus on expanding energy literacy, workforce development, youth engagement and educational initiatives that help residents understand, access and benefit from clean energy solutions.
Grant awards will range from $25,000 to $150,000, depending on the funding track, with projects designed to be completed within 12 months. Only organizations serving Community Power customers may apply for funding.
Former grantees say the program has been transformative to serving the community.
“These grants fund impactful projects that advance climate justice while delivering benefits that ripple throughout our community for generations,” said Tara Hammond, Founder and Executive Director of Hammond Climate Solutions Foundation. “We are so grateful for the support from Community Power and San Diego Foundation, which enabled us to pair clean energy infrastructure with community education and workforce development in a way that creates equitable, lasting benefits well beyond the grant period.”
The 2026 Community Clean Energy Grant application period opens February 2, 2026, with proposals due by March 6, 2026 at 5 p.m.. Applications are administered through San Diego Foundation’s grant portal.
Community Power and San Diego Foundation will offer technical assistance opportunities during the application period to support interested applicants. Full grant guidelines and application materials are available at SDCommunityPower.org/Community-Grant-Program. Grant awardees will be announced in late summer 2026.
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Acerca de San Diego Community Power
Community Power es un programa energético elegido por la comunidad que ofrece a los clientes la opción de gestionar sus negocios y hogares con niveles significativamente más altos de energía renovable a precios competitivos. Desde 2021, Community Power ha crecido hasta dar servicio a casi un millón de clientes municipales, empresariales y residenciales en las ciudades de San Diego, Chula Vista, Encinitas, La Mesa, National City e Imperial Beach, así como en las comunidades no incorporadas del condado de San Diego. Más información en SDCommunityPower.org.
Acerca de la Fundación San Diego
San Diego Foundation believes in just, equitable and resilient communities where every San Diegan can thrive, prosper and feel like they belong. We partner with donors, nonprofits and regional leaders to co-create solutions that respond to community needs and strengthen San Diego. Since our founding in 1975, our community foundation has granted $1.8 billion to nonprofits to improve quality of life in San Diego County and beyond. Learn more at SDFoundation.org.
Acerca de Calpine Community Energy
Calpine Community Energy, part of Constellation, is the leading provider of data management and customer contact center services for Community Choice Aggregation agencies. Calpine continues to be a trusted and worthy business and thought partner that serves 21 operating and working CCA’s and coordinates customer data and billing operations for more than 5.5 million meters across the state of California.
