1.5°Climate Strategies Group Projects - Member View

Investing in Elections for Climate (2024)

Ohio Organizing Collaborative

$130,000 Raised | $35,000 Match Remaining

Ohio Organizing Collaborative (OOC) is the state's largest community organizing group and independent voter engagement program centering people of color, women, and young people. OOC membership includes students, people of faith, felony impacted people, public school parents, care economy workers and more. Through this program, OOC will apply their deep experience running field programs to a new partnership with WorkMoney to educate Ohioans about opportunities to receive financial benefits generated by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Geography: Ohio

Funding Type: PACc4c3

Speaker: Molly Shack, Executive Director

Presentation Date: 07/09/2024

| Powering Up the Deployment Decade (2023/2024)

Pennsylvania United

$150,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

Pennsylvania United is a membership organization in Western PA that has played an important role in supporting the election of the Mayor of Pittsburgh, the Allegheny County Executive, and progressive federal candidates, all based on a shared vision of climate, jobs, and justice. PA United is part of a broad coalition focused on implementing the Inflation Reduction Act by decarbonizing large buildings. This project will expand PA United’s efforts to include canvassing 20,000 doors with scripts educating voters about the benefits the IRA is delivering to their communities while directing individuals interested in accessing federal financial benefits to the WorkMoney resource center.

Geography: Pennsylvania

Funding Type: c3

Speaker: Alex Hanson, Executive Director

Presentation Date: 06/11/2024

Down Home North Carolina

$150,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

Down Home North Carolina is building a statewide network of member-leaders who advocate for economic, climate, and racial justice in rural and small-town communities. They are successfully establishing a permanent, year-round organizing infrastructure in North Carolina’s rural areas by leveraging member-leaders who are deeply rooted in their communities. This project will utilize Down Home’s network to educate rural voters about the historic climate investment opportunities available to their communities while directing individuals interested in accessing federal financial benefits to the WorkMoney resource center.

Geography: North Carolina

Funding Type: PACc4c3

Speaker: Todd Zimmer, Co-Director

Presentation Date: 06/11/2024

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

Speaker: Topher Anderson, Acting Director of Development

Presentation Date: 04/16/2024

Northern Plains Resource Council

$70,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

Northern Plains Resource Council (NPRC) organizes a multi-generational mix of farmers, ranchers, environmentalists and rural people in some of the toughest parts of Montana to advocate for clean air, clean water, and progressive natural resource policies. We use face-to-face organizing to develop trust, win strategic campaigns, develop new leaders, and build power. Northern Plains is talking to hundreds of Montanans about the Biden Administrations investments in home energy rebates, LIHEAP, and REAP, to provide immediate financial relief to hundreds of economically stressed Montanans. NPRC’s educational campaign triages interested parties to WorkMoney’s resource center to streamline each individual’s enrollment process.

Geography: Montana

Funding Type: c3

Speaker: Maggie Gordon, Executive Director

Presentation Date: 04/16/2024

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

Speaker: Evan Kost, Chief Partnerships Officer

Presentation Date: 03/26/2024

| Coordination, Collaboration, and Technical Assistance

Student PIRGs

$154,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

The Student PIRGs are a national network of student-run non-profits that have recruited, trained, and mobilized college and university students to win on public interest issues since 1971. The organization helped pass the first GHG reduction bills in the 2000s, won commitments for 100% renewable energy at the campus, city, and state level accomplished with a Boards of Directors made up entirely of current college students. This spring, the Student PIRGs aim to leverage their year-round infrastructure on campuses in Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia to educate young people about how their network and families can save money and save the environment through new programs and tax incentives created by the Inflation Reduction Act. StudentPIRGs IRA education program triages interested parties to WorkMoney's resource center to streamline each individuals enrollment process.

Geography: Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia

Funding Type: c4c3

Speaker: Dan Xie, Political Director

Presentation Date: 02/20/2024

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

Speaker: 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

Speaker: Sean Kidney, CEO and Founder

Presentation Date: 01/09/2024

Working Power

$100,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

WP is a project development and financing company collaborating with NGOs, small businesses, and labor unions to co-develop community solar projects for racial and economic justice while utilizing IRA resources. With a current pipeline of 50 projects involving 16 partners, totaling 50 MW of clean energy, these initiatives aim to reduce CO2 emissions by over 42 metric tons and generate $115M in community benefits. 1.5°CSG funds will help the Ecological Citizen’s Project (ECP)'s 1.1 MW solar installation on 10 city properties in Peekskill, NY which is within competitive Congressional District-17. The $2M in community economic benefits this project generates will provide free food through an innovative food sovereignty program.

Geography: New York

Funding Type: c3

Speaker: Bracken Hendricks, Chair of the Climate Justice Investment Committee

Presentation Date: 11/28/2023

| Coordination, Collaboration, and Technical Assistance

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

Speaker: Kerry O'Neil, Chief Executive Officer

Presentation Date: 11/28/2023

| Climate Finance

Somos Votantes

$206,500 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

Somos Votantes has initiated a field program with seven canvassers dedicated to Nevada and another seven in Arizona, with a focus on educating Latino communities about the opportunities provided by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Through a comprehensive approach involving canvassing, community events, mail programs, digital advertising, and local radio, Somos Votantes casts a wide net to inform Latinos about the economic opportunities brought to them by the Biden administration's IRA. Those who they encourage to access these financial benefits are seamlessly connected with WorkMoney, which takes the lead in facilitating their enrollment in IRA programs.

Geography: Arizona, Nevada

Funding Type: PACc4c3

Speaker: Melissa Morales, Founder & President

Presentation Date: 11/07/2023

Nevada Clean Energy Fund

$32,000 Raised

The Nevada Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) is dedicated to fostering a thriving, affordable, and accessible clean energy economy in Nevada, with a primary emphasis on supporting frontline and underserved communities. With roughly $350 million in pending federal grant applications and the anticipated arrival of federal grants in July 2024, NCEF recognizes the pressing need to bolster its capacity. Presently staffed with four essential operations employees, the addition of one program staff offers the potential to double the project pipeline's readiness to deploy resources following the receipt of federal funds from the EPA. This additional staff member would enable us to have a more rapid and significant impact towards advancing clean energy initiatives in Nevada during the 2024 calendar year.

Geography: Nevada

Funding Type: c3

Speaker: Kirsten Stasio, CEO

Presentation Date: 11/07/2023

| 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

Speaker: Jonathan Klein, Co-Founder

Presentation Date: 10/24/2023

| 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

Speaker: Matt Traldi, Founder and CEO

Presentation Date: 10/10/2023

| Down Ballot Races

| 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

Speaker: Beth Soholt, Executive Director

Presentation Date: 10/10/2023

| Coordination, Collaboration, and Technical Assistance

Forward Together WI

$100,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

Forward Together Wisconsin (FTW) was founded to educate Wisconsinites about resources made available to them by the Biden-Harris Administration, to immediately connect community members to these resources, and to direct additional charitable dollars to aid in the implementation of these resources to make them as accessible as possible. Not only does FTW help tell the story of the positive impact progressive policy has on communities and community members, but we are a part of making this story a reality. We especially focus on engaging underserved groups, including communities of color, working class families, rural communities, and tribal communities. FTW's education program triages interested parties to WorkMoney's resource center to streamline each individuals enrollment process.

Geography: Wisconsin

Funding Type: c3

Speaker: Peter Drummond, Executive Director

Presentation Date: 09/26/2023

Arizona Coalition for Change

$180,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

The Arizona Coalition for Change (C4C), a 501(c)3 Black-led community organization focuses on community empowerment and civic power-building including advocating for progressive policies like voter justice, economic and environmental justice, and youth justice in marginalized Arizona neighborhoods. Notably, they've launched the Clean Energy Clear Lungs (CECL) campaign, promoting clean energy and reducing air pollution in marginalized communities through education and resources while leveraging Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) benefits. This campaign also nurtures lifelong advocates for environmental justice at both state and federal levels. C4C's education program triages interested parties to WorkMoney's resource center to streamline each individuals enrollment process.

Geography: Arizona

Funding Type: c3

Speaker: Reginald Bolding Sena Mohammed, Founder Executive Director

Presentation Date: 09/26/2023

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

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

Presentation Date: 09/05/2023

| Coordination, Collaboration, and Technical Assistance

Conservation Voters for Idaho

$120,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

Conservation Voters for Idaho (CVI) is an LCV affiliate leading an initiative aimed at garnering conservative support in Idaho for the federal funding, job creation, and economic development opportunities presented by the IRA. Through activities ranging from lobbying state legislators to orchestrating advocacy campaigns and facilitating group grant proposals for federal funds, CVI is engaging in an extensive NGO-led state coordination, collaboration, and technical assistance endeavor.

Geography: Idaho

Funding Type: c4c3

Speaker: Rialin Flores, Executive Director

Presentation Date: 08/22/2023

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

Speaker: Eugene Kirpichov, Co-Founder and ED

Presentation Date: 08/22/2023

| Coordination, Collaboration, and Technical Assistance

Center for Planning Excellence

$200,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

The Center for Planning Excellence is taking an NGO leadership role in building out state collaborative efforts around accessing federal funds, including the IRA, and deploying those funds well. In particular, they are working to establish a strong state energy office through legislative and other advocacy efforts.

Geography: Louisiana

Funding Type: c3

Speaker: Camille Manning-Broome, President & CEO

Presentation Date: 08/08/2023

| Coordination, Collaboration, and Technical Assistance

Sembrando Sentido

$170,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

Sembrando Sentido is addressing corruption and misallocation of federal resources through a big data approach to enhance transparency. They have partnered with the U.S. Census Bureau to develop a tool that captures funding data in a uniform format and tracks resource movement in Puerto Rico. Algorithms identify red flags for potential corruption and slow-moving funds, while green flags indicate positive outcomes. They use this tool to create digestible resources for community advocacy. Through these efforts, they are empowering communities, holding government agencies accountable, and promoting efficient resource allocation in Puerto Rico.

Geography: Puerto Rico

Funding Type: c3

Speaker: Issell Masses, Founder & Executive Director

Presentation Date: 06/13/2023

Resiliency Law Center

$160,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

The Resiliency Law Center champions a fair balance between local communities and corporate interests in Puerto Rico's redevelopment. They prevent harmful projects and misuse of federal resources, initially as a project of the University of Puerto Rico's law department and now as an independent organization. With dedicated teams of lawyers, they tackle significant cases impacting Puerto Ricans. Alongside legal action, they engage in grassroots advocacy campaigns opposing detrimental projects and supporting positive initiatives.

Geography: Puerto Rico

Funding Type: c3

Speaker: Adi Marinez, Executive Director

Presentation Date: 06/13/2023

| 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

Speaker: Caroline Spears, Executive Director

Presentation Date: 05/30/2023

| Coordination, Collaboration, and Technical Assistance

Harambee House

$155,500 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

Harambee house is organizing the Southeast Environmental Justice Summit on June 7-11th in Atlanta, Georgia. This summit will bring together front-line community organizers with utilities, businesses, energy service companies, and federal agency representatives to prepare them to apply for new federal funding opportunities under IRA and other federal programs. An output of this summit will be a draft 10 year environmental justice plan for the 8 states in EPA Region 4 including: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Geography: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee

Funding Type: c3

Speaker: Dr. Mildred McCain, Founder

Presentation Date: 05/02/2023

| 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

Speaker: 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

Speaker: Bo Delp, Executive Director

Presentation Date: 04/04/2023

| Coordination, Collaboration, and Technical Assistance

United Today Stronger Tomorrow

$300,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

UTST is developing and expanding NGO-led state coordinating tables focused on procuring federal funding in UT, MT, and IA. This work is critically important for making IRA a climate success in these states and will have additional political significance in Montana because of its competitive U.S. Senate race in 2024.

Geography: Utah, Montana, Ohio

Funding Type: c4c3

Speaker: Paul Gestos, Special Project Director

Presentation Date: 03/07/2023

| Coordination, Collaboration, and Technical Assistance

Future Now

$15,000 Raised | Fundraising Goal Achieved!

Future Now is looking to raise funding to elevate climate action within their seven policy priorities. They leverage their network of legislators in purple states to advance policies. In particular, they will take a c4 approach to advocate directly for additional appropriations for new state-funded staff dedicated to capturing federal funds, creating state matching funds for federal grant proposals, and ensuring the funds are deployed towards projects that achieve positive climate outcomes.

Geography: National

Funding Type: c4

Speaker: Mandara Meyers, Chief Program Officer

Presentation Date: 02/21/2023

| Down Ballot Races

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

Speaker: 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

Speaker: Sara Jaynes, Executive Director

Presentation Date: 02/07/2023

| Coordination, Collaboration, and Technical Assistance