January 30, 2025

As the national landscape rapidly shifts, MAPC remains steadfast in our commitment to advancing our vital climate mitigation and resilience work in the region. While we anticipate familiar and new challenges ahead, we are honored to collaborate with municipal, community, and state partners committed to supporting a just clean energy transition and building community resilience. As we learn more, we will provide updates about changes to federal climate-related funding and technical assistance opportunities.

This month's newsletter highlights updates at the state-level to enable electric vehicle and charger adoption as well as information about relevant webinars and funding opportunities.

2024 Massachusetts Climate Report Card

Earlier this month, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs released its annual Massachusetts Climate Report Card, which outlines state-level progress to advance mitigation and resilience goals, including those outlined in the 2025/2030 Clean Energy and Climate Plan. The report provides updates on successes and challenges and specific targets in the following categories: environmental justice; transportation decarbonization; buildings decarbonization; power decarbonization; natural and working lands; and climate adaptation and resilience. For example, the report card provides data on metrics like number of communities that adopted the specialized energy code by the end of 2024. This metric increased from 29 communities in 2023 to 48 in 2024. Almost 30% of the state's population now lives in a community that has adopted the new code! Read the report.

Report: Pathways to a Community-Centered, Resilient, and Decarbonized Grid for New England

The Clean Air Task Force and Acadia Center published a new report highlighting how the region can decarbonize while meeting growing electricity demand and ensuring clean energy infrastructure involves comprehensive community engagement and education. The report analyzes several regional case studies and outlines opportunities to improve community engagement related to siting and permitting of clean energy infrastructure. Read more.

Webinar: Community Engagement Conversations

On Thursday, February 27 from 12-1 pm, MAPC's Community Engagement team is hosting a webinar on tools you can use to make engagement accessible for people who speak different languages and for persons with disabilities. This webinar is part of a monthly Community Engagement Conversations series. Register

Winter Energy Price Spike Communications Toolkit for Municipalities

In recent weeks, we have seen below-freezing temperatures in the Greater Boston region. The Commonwealth has numerous different energy incentive, rebate, and assistance programs to help residents with the financial strain of winter heating bills. Municipal and community leaders in the region can use MAPC's Winter Energy Price Spike Communications Toolkit to help inform residents about the incentives, rebates, and programs available to them. This toolkit includes information from utilities, state agencies, and others, as well as template social media content you can tailor for your use in communicating with your residents.



Environmental Protection Agency Thriving Communities Grants

Funded through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the grant program will award $48 million to community-based organizations, environmental justice organizations, nonprofits, federally and state recognized Tribal governments, and other groups representing "underserved, urban, rural, Indigenous, remote, and capacity-constrained communities." The EPA selected a coalition of organizations (including Health Resources in Action, Alternatives for Community & Environment, and New England Grassroots Environment Fund) to serve as the grantmakers. Funding is available for assessment, planning, and implementation projects that aim to "address past, current, and future environmental health and justice challenges, and specifically the legacies of disinvestment and injustice." Learn more about eligibility and project types and how to receive support on your application.

The grantmaking coalition is holding the following upcoming office hours:

• Monday, February 3, 2025, 11 am-12 pm, Register
• Thursday, February 6, 2025, 3:30-4:30 pm, Register
• Monday, February 10, 2025, 11 am-12 pm, Register

The first deadline is Friday, February 14, 2025. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis with quarterly deadlines until funding is expended.

Municipal Investment Fund

Through the Municipal Investment Fund, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA and the Coalition for Green Capital are seeking about 100 local governments, Tribes, and their partner not-for-profit organizations interested in creating public-private partnership plans to "accelerate the deployment of capital to clean energy projects." During the first phase, selected communities will receive up to $250,000 and technical assistance to develop these plans. In the second phase, 10 communities will be selected for additional funding of up to $2 million for market-building activities. Learn more and apply by March 5, 2025. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis on Wednesday, February 5.

EmPower Innovation and Implementation Grants

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) is accepting proposals for the second round of its EmPower Innovation and Capacity Building and Implementation grants. For both grants, MassCEC is prioritizing proposals that 1) leverage existing incentive programs (e.g. Mass Save), 2) serve renters through investments in landlord outreach and anti-displacement measures, 3) test innovative finance or partnership models (e.g. on-bill financing, green leasing), 4) provide public health and air quality co-benefits, and 5) improve language access for clean energy resources.

• Innovation and Capacity Building Grant ($5,000-$25,000): These grants are meant to provide "seed funding" for organizations, local governments, individuals, or a partnership to research potential program models or projects and/or to build organizational capacity to support potential program models or projects. Applications are due on a rolling basis through Thursday, April 3, 2025. Learn more.
• Implementation Grant (Up to $150,000): These grants are intended to fund implementation-ready place-based or network-based projects that result in improved access to clean energy benefits and reduced energy burdens for defined priority groups. Community-based organizations, individuals, local governments, and other groups with a history of working with priority groups are eligible to apply. The second round of applications are due Thursday, April 3, 2025. Learn more.

On-Street Charging Solutions

MassCEC will provide technical and financial assistance to municipalities developing on-street charging, with a focus on communities with higher support needs. The program will provide free EV charging stations to 15 municipalities and feasibility studies and planning to an additional 25 municipalities. Learn more and apply by Friday, February 14, 2025.

Charging Smart Technical Assistance

The Charging Smart program, which is managed by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) and Great Plains Institute (GPI), offers free technical assistance to local governments to support them in expanding their network of electric vehicle chargers. Modeled after the SolSmart program, the program defines criteria local governments across the U.S. must meet in order to achieve Bronze, Silver, or Gold Charging Smart designations. These criteria fall into the following categories: planning, regulation, utility engagement, education and incentives, government operations, and shared mobility. For example, to achieve bronze designation, a local government must review zoning requirements for elements that hinder EV charging construction, among other actions. Learn more or join a webinar about the program on Tuesday, February 4 from 2-3 pm.