Accessing Federal Funding for Climate, Environmental Justice, and Infrastructure
If an application has already been started in response to this RFP, please visit the Concepts and Proposals in Progress section in the Grantee Portal to view and/or continue the application process.
Background
The federal government has recently made billions of dollars available for projects and programs that reduce climate pollution, promote clean energy, increase climate resilience, address environmental justice issues, and improve essential infrastructure via the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Federal funding is available in the form of grants, tax incentives, rebates, and financing. Many funds fall within the Justice40 Initiative, which set a goal for 40% of the benefits of certain federal investments to flow to communities “marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.”
But meeting federal funding requirements is notoriously difficult, and special attention is required to ensure that communities most in need of funding can receive it. William Penn Foundation (WPF) has already made several grants to support organizations working to drawdown federal funding (more information available here). We are now issuing this RFP to assist a greater number of organizations.
Opportunity Overview
WPF seeks to support efforts to access available federal funding for climate, environmental justice, and infrastructure for the Philadelphia region (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties). In this RFP, “accessing” funding means that federal dollars have been successfully received by an entity located within the region who will spend the funds to benefit regional communities.
We are interested in prioritizing work that is focused on benefitting communities most vulnerable to climate change, environmental burdens, and/or the impacts of inadequate infrastructure.
We know that barriers to accessing federal funding include but are not limited to stakeholder coordination, communications, and community engagement; project development (including concept paper development and technical analysis); community benefits agreement/plan development; grant writing; match requirements; bridge expenses for reimbursable grants and tax credits; legal guidance; tax guidance; and challenges with meeting federal procurement, compliance, and grants administration requirements. We are interested in helping the region address these and other barriers to accessing funds.
We also know there are many different tactics or approaches that could be used to address barriers or to otherwise advance the goal of accessing federal climate, environmental justice, and infrastructure funding for the region. All proposals that meet the criteria described in the full RFP are encouraged to apply.
We are requesting proposals for projects that will last up to two years. After reviewing proposals, WPF will conduct site visits and gather additional information from a limited number of organizations.
WPF has allocated up to $3.5 million to award to organizations who respond to this RFP. There is no minimum that organizations may request. The maximum that organizations can receive from WPF through this RFP is $1,000,000. However, most grants will likely be smaller. The grant amount requested should be commensurate with the additional federal funding that is likely to be accessed.
WPF is committed to collaborating with other funders to help the region access funding. As such, we plan to share proposals with funding partners who are working to advance this same issue. One such funder is the Green Family Foundation, which is focused on drawing down and equitably deploying available federal climate funding specifically. The Green Family Foundation is operating with an invitation-only grant application process, but will review proposals submitted through this RFP. Please notify us if you do not wish us to share your proposal with the Green Family Foundation and other funders.
Full Request for Proposals (RFP) and Application
Download the full RFP packet for more information about this opportunity including eligibility, review criteria, learning and evaluation, budget, and link to an application template.
All applications must be submitted through the Grants Portal.
Webinar
Interested organizations are invited to participate in an optional informational webinar on Thursday, July 11, 2024 at 10:00AM ET. Following the live webinar, a recording will be posted to this page.