1.5°Climate Strategies Group Projects - Member View

Texas Grassroots Powerbuilding

$1,210,500 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

Texas’s rapidly changing demographics warrant significant long-term power-building investments, while the positive polling trends for 2024 indicate a promising path to a potential Allred victory in Texas that could deliver Senate and trifecta control. In response, 1.5°CSG, in collaboration with Way to Win, is excited to announce our largest-ever $500,000 matching funds challenge. Contributions to any of the three featured organizations will be matched dollar-for-dollar, doubling the impact of your support.

Communications Workers of America (CWA) which leads the “Fight for Democracy” program, focused on mobilizing Black and Latino voters in Texas' five largest counties through canvassing, calling, texting, and paid media. Contact: Derrick Osobase
Texas Organizing Project’s (TOP) voter contact program engages voters with canvassing, calls, texts, relational outreach, mail, and digital. They focus on empowering Black voters through organizing in key Texas counties. Contact: Brianna Brown
Texas Freedom Network (TFN) is a leading voter engagement model, targeting young Texans through comprehensive GOTV efforts including canvassing, digital ads, and campus outreach events across the state. Contact: Val Benavidez

Geography: Texas

Funding Type: PACc4c3

Presentation Date: 09/17/2024

Rural Youth Voter Fund

$1,171,600 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

The Rural Youth Voter Fund (RYVF) supports and expands civic engagement and power-building efforts that nurture the extraordinary promise of young rural voters to protect and strengthen democracy. Launched in 2023 by the Rural Democracy Initiative (RDI), Movement Voter Project, and Clean and Prosperous America, RYVF is building a network of grassroots organizations working to mobilize the 30 million ambivalent young voters living in rural areas and small cities in key battleground states. RYVF aims to deploy at least $10 million to effective efforts focused on voter participation, leadership development, persuasive communications, and rural issues affecting young people. Camille Thompson with Collective Renaissance Georgia, a recipient of RYVF support, spoke on the call as a representative of the types of orgs supported by the RYVF.

Geography: National

Funding Type: c4c3

Contact: Sarah Jaynes, Executive Director

Presentation Date: 08/06/2024

Citizens' Climate Education

$50,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

Citizens’ Climate Lobby's c3 affiliate Citizens’ Climate Education (“CCE”) is a nonpartisan grassroots network with 220,000+ supporters and 380 active chapters across the United States. For this project, CCE is partnering with WorkMoney to raise awareness about their resource center which helps consumers capture electrification and weatherization credits. CCE volunteers will deploy educational resources nationally, including in every key battleground state and district generating an economically efficient cost-per-acquisition. In these battleground areas alone, the expected impact of this $50k project is direct exposure to 57,000 supporters and the promotion of educational materials via 1,250+ tabling events and volunteer-organized presentations.

Geography: National

Funding Type: c3

Contact: Topher Anderson, Acting Director of Development

Presentation Date: 04/16/2024

| Investing in Elections for Climate (2024)

WorkMoney

$127,000 Raised

WorkMoney is a large-scale membership organization providing nonpartisan, trustworthy information, resources, and community to assist 6+ million members raise incomes and lower costs by helping them to take action in their economic self-interest. Building upon a successful pilot that delivered $663 million to 477,000 members, WorkMoney officially launched their Resource Center last month. The Resource Center is a multilingual “one-stop shop” for helping navigate the complex maze of 75 government programs to access benefits. The resource center provides direct assistance for consumers seeking opt-in IRA benefits. The Resource Center is not only about putting hard-earned dollars back in working people’s pockets; it’s also about reframing the role of government in their lives by making cost-saving programs visible, tangible, and accessible.1.5°CSG is raising funds to expand access to the resource center to a number of grassroots organizations launching IRA enrollment education programs in their communities.

Geography: National

Funding Type: c4c3

Contact: Evan Kost, Chief Partnerships Officer

Presentation Date: 03/26/2024

| Coordination, Collaboration, and Technical Assistance

Evergreen Action

$100,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

Evergreen Action was founded in 2020 with the goal of advancing bold - and actionable - policies to defeat the climate crisis and create millions of jobs in a just, thriving, and inclusive clean energy economy. The foundational Evergreen Action Plan was formed out of Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s 2020 presidential bid and his gold standard climate platform. In three years, Evergreen has made a demonstrative impact, shaping Biden’s first term agenda by helping pass, defend, and implement the Inflation Reduction Act. Join the presentation for a briefing on the Evergreen 2025 Action Plan which articulates what winning climate policy should be for Biden and other candidates. Also learn how Evergreen plans to align and inspire elected officials and advocates to take ownership of a progressive path forward that maximize the likelihood of success for the climate cause come November and beyond.

Geography: National

Funding Type: c4c3

Contact: Craig Segall, Vice President Evergreen Action

Presentation Date: 02/06/2024

Clean Energy for America

$30,000 Raised

Clean Energy for America (CE4A) and CE4A Action are organizations that are dedicated to the clean energy workforce. They engage and catalyze their base for advocacy and elections, hold elected and appointed officials accountable at all levels, and amplify stories from workers. They are committed to ensuring the success of the clean energy transition. In 2024, CE4A will continue to support narrative building work in key states by telling the stories of clean energy workers, engaging decision makers through projects in their districts, and strengthening the durability of federal investments like the IRA, BIL, CHIPs Act, and other key programs. CE4A Action, their federal hybrid PAC, will grow support for clean energy champions through targeted programs in key geographies to ensure that clean energy is a winning issue.

Geography: National

Funding Type: PACc4c3

Contact: Andrew Reagan, Executive Director

Presentation Date: 01/23/2024

Climate Bond Initiative

$20,000 Raised

Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) is a UK-based nonprofit, deeply engaged with policymakers and financial firms around the world as the top certifier of green bonds, but has limited presence in the US. Carbon Washington, founded to promote the first carbon pricing ballot initiative in the US, is now focused on mobilizing the trillions of dollars in public and private investment needed to meet climate goals and is partnering with CBI to facilitate its U.S. expansion.

Geography: National

Funding Type: c3

Contact: Sean Kidney, CEO and Founder

Presentation Date: 01/09/2024

Inclusive Prosperity Capital

$117,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

Inclusive Prosperity Capital (IPC), a mission-driven 501(c)3 national clean energy financing platform spun out of the Connecticut Green Bank, focuses on bridging the gap in clean energy financing for traditionally underserved communities and market segments. IPC has invested over $50 million in clean energy and resilience projects across the U.S. and Territories, with a near-term pipeline of over $100 million of additional investment opportunities. Approximately 50% of IPC's investments benefit low to moderate income communities, with approximately 60% directed towards communities of color IPC's unique business model leverages a blended capital stack to ensure sustainable operations and capital reinvestment. As a lead coalition partner with the Justice Climate Fund, IPC is well-positioned to access Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) capital facilitating the potential to exponentially scale its impact during the coming years. Currently, IPC is spearheading the creation of a secondary market platform, collaborating with organizations like Opportunity Finance Network, Inclusive, Carsey School of Public Policy, and Natural Resource Defense Council, to standardize clean energy financing, making it easier for small community lenders to issue clean energy loans to subprime applicants with the risk reduced by philanthropic dollars.

Geography: National

Funding Type: c3

Contact: Kerry O'Neil, Chief Executive Officer

Presentation Date: 11/28/2023

| Climate Finance

UndauntedK12

$500,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

UndauntedK12 is committed to assisting K-12 academic institutions in optimizing their access to IRA and federal resources. Their mission is to accelerate the transition to zero-carbon schools while enhancing institutional and student awareness of the health benefits of clean buildings. UndauntedK12 is actively seeking resources to expand their successful initiatives in California and Massachusetts to school districts nationwide; with a focus on purple States. This expansion includes a program to track the allocation and utilization of IRA funding within school districts, creating a valuable resource for showcasing how IRA resources have improved children's health and well-being.

Geography: National

Funding Type: c3

Contact: Jonathan Klein, Co-Founder

Presentation Date: 10/24/2023

| Coordination, Collaboration, and Technical Assistance

Land & Liberty

$105,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

Land & Liberty, part of the Clean Grid Alliance, boasts a highly experienced team with a two-decade track record of effectively navigating utility-scale siting conflicts across several states, including Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Their renewable energy siting efforts are distinctly concentrated on the more conservative, rural regions within these states, acknowledging that these areas hold the greatest technical potential for renewable energy projects while concurrently harboring the lowest levels of public support for the fundamental reasons behind transitioning to carbon-free sources of electricity.

Geography: National

Funding Type: c3

Contact: Beth Soholt, Executive Director

Presentation Date: 10/10/2023

| Coordination, Collaboration, and Technical Assistance

Greenlight America

$100,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

Greenlight America is focused on leveraging local grassroots support with the goal of winning local clean energy siting and permitting fights. The U.S. needs to build 6,000 clean energy facilities over the next decade, almost 2 per day, as well as more than 10,000 miles of transmission lines to hit emission reduction goals. Local opposition is the biggest obstacle to these projects, and there are few coordinated efforts to engage supporters as advocates for these projects. Greenlight is building a scalable, nationwide clean energy campaign hub to work with partner organizations, engage and mobilize local residents, and win project approvals.

Geography: National

Funding Type: c3

Contact: Matt Traldi, Founder and CEO

Presentation Date: 10/10/2023

| Investing in Elections for Climate (2024)

| Down Ballot Races

| Coordination, Collaboration, and Technical Assistance

Lawyers for Good Government

$100,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

Lawyers for Good Government organizes a robust network of 125,000 volunteer legal advocates across all fifty states. This dedicated community offers pro-bono legal services to protect human and civil rights while creating the social and economic conditions that lead to true equity. Their Climate Change and Environmental Justice program provides essential legal support to marginalized communities empowering them to effectively navigate federal funding opportunities. This initiative plays a crucial role in promoting equitable access to benefits, including those established by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Geography: National

Funding Type: c3

Contact: Jillian Blanchard, Director of Climate Change and Environmental Justice Program

Presentation Date: 09/05/2023

| Coordination, Collaboration, and Technical Assistance

Work on Climate

$100,500 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

Founded in 2020, Work On Climate focuses on propelling professionals, especially in the tech sector, towards utilizing their expertise for climate solutions. With an active online community of over 25,000 members, they've aided 2,000 individuals in securing jobs through mentorship, events, and networking. Now, they aim to address the pressing challenge of climate talent transition, crucial for a successful shift to a green economy, as burgeoning clean industries confront skill shortages due to high demand for various roles. Work On Climate strives to bridge this gap by providing essential support structures for education, workforce development, and entrepreneurship, aligning them with the requirements of the evolving economy.

Geography: National

Funding Type: c3

Contact: Eugene Kirpichov, Co-Founder and ED

Presentation Date: 08/22/2023

| Coordination, Collaboration, and Technical Assistance

Climate Cabinet Education

$202,800 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

Climate Cabinet Education is leading a coordination, collaboration, and technical assistance effort focused on enhancing the engagement of municipal utilities with the Inflation Reduction Act resources. The need is massive, with 1,500 municipal utilities in the U.S. sourcing 86% of their electricity from dirty sources. This project, which they are looking to scale, engages all of these utilities at conferences and through materials while providing direct one on one support to 40 prioritized utilities. Additionally, Climate Cabinet has recruited 14 utilities to join a peer learning cohort led by them.

Geography: National

Funding Type: c3

Contact: Caroline Spears, Executive Director

Presentation Date: 05/30/2023

| Coordination, Collaboration, and Technical Assistance

Environmental Protection Network

$102,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

EPN organizes a massive volunteer network of former federal agency staff to provide pro-bono technical assistance to grassroots organizations all over the country helping them access IRA, IIJA, and other federal funding opportunities. We are creating a matching fund for EPN to utilize in their fundraising gala.

Geography: National

Funding Type: c3

Contact: Davina Resto, Community Outreach Associate

Presentation Date: 04/18/2023

| Coordination, Collaboration, and Technical Assistance

Texas Climate Jobs Project

$250,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

TCJP is developing and expanding NGO-led state coordinating tables focused on expanding the partnership between labor and environmental organizations to access IRA funding for climate and economic development efforts in the fossil fuel heavy State of Texas.

Geography: Texas

Funding Type: c3

Contact: Bo Delp, Executive Director

Presentation Date: 04/04/2023

| Coordination, Collaboration, and Technical Assistance

National Association of State Energy Officials

$205,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

NASEO, at the request of 1.5°CSG, is launching a $100k project to develop a suite of educational materials about the various federal funding opportunities, with a focus on the economic development opportunities and the need for states to allocate funds for new dedicated federal funding-focused state employees and provide matching funds to enhance grant proposals. These materials will be distributed to state energy offices, governor's offices, and other agencies and related associations across the country.

Geography: National

Funding Type: c3

Contact: David Terry, President

Presentation Date: 02/21/2023

| Coordination, Collaboration, and Technical Assistance

| Down Ballot Races

Rural Democracy Initiative

$240,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

Rural Democracy Initiative is launching a new $20-$40m Regional Rural Focused IRA Coordinating Hubs Project over the next four years. It will focus on setting up regional hubs which can offer coordinating, collaboration, and technical assistance to rural communities and small towns particularly in red and purple states. That's where the difference between the probable and the possible for climate action with IRA funds would be the greatest. 1.5°CSG is kickstarting this project with an aim to get he first $200k in the door.

Geography: National

Funding Type: c3

Contact: Sara Jaynes, Executive Director

Presentation Date: 02/07/2023

| Coordination, Collaboration, and Technical Assistance

Movement Labs

$540,957 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

A national texting firm which develops and delivers highly tested partisan and non-partisan GOTV messages to increase voter turnout.

Geography: National

Funding Type: PACc4c3

Contact: Yoni Landau, CEO

Presentation Date: 10/04/2022

Additional Hold the House for Climate Investments

$1,487,493 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

In addition to Hold the House for climate investments made in presenting organizations, 1.5°CSG also directed donor collaborative funds to the following investments:

$600k - Working Families Party
$450k - House Majority PAC
$109k - Vote Vets
$106.2k - Voter Participation Center
$69k - Fuse’s Voter Guides
$52.5k - Environmental Voter Project
$35.9k - Lea Webb NY Senator (52nd a nested district) Candidate Campaign
$65k - Other Candidate Campaigns

Geography: National

Funding Type: PACc4c3

Presentation Date: 10/01/2022

Additional Hold the House for Climate Investments

Clean & Prosperous America

$2,194,410 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

A pooled resource grant maker historically focused on supporting state level and sub-state level grassroots groups using field tactics to engage young voters of color outside urban centers. CaPA provided a wide variety of grants, and coordinated direct contributions, to over 70 organizations for the Hold the House for Climate project. CaPA's support for this project as a pooled resource grant giver expanded beyond CaPA's traditional focus on young voters of color.

Geography: National

Funding Type: PACc4c3

Contact: Greg Rock, Executive Director

Presentation Date: 09/27/2022

Working America

$342,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

A non-college worker focused organization that deploys a highly effective and well tested strategy for turning out voters by connecting to their core values. ($222k raised for House Races and $100k raised for Senate Races)

Geography: National

Funding Type: c3

Contact: Matt Morrison, Executive Director

Presentation Date: 09/20/2022

Contribution Info

Meeting Notes

Forward Majority

$375,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

An independent expenditure effort to boost resources and support for state legislative races with a focus on majority making competitive races.

Geography: National

Funding Type: PACc4c3

Contact: David Cohen, Co-CEO & Founder

Presentation Date: 09/16/2022

| Down Ballot Races

Rural Democracy Initiative

$220,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

Pooled resource grant giver that supports grassroots groups organizing in small towns and rural areas. This presentation highlighted two sub-grantee of RDI: Black Male Voter Project and Progress North.

Geography: National

Funding Type: c4c3

Contact: Sara Jaynes, Executive Director

Presentation Date: 09/06/2022

Movement Voter Project

$50,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

A pooled resource grant maker that supports grassroots groups and has numerous state, issue, and constituency based funds to invest in. This presentation focused on BIPOC organizing and voter turnout and highlighted NM Native Vote and POWER Action Fund.

Geography: National

Funding Type: PACc4c3

Contact: Yulissa Mendez, Climate Vote Fund Director

Presentation Date: 08/30/2022