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As we move deeper into fall, communities and partners across Massachusetts continue advancing local climate and energy goals. This month, we are featuring the launch of MAPC's Municipal Energy and Sustainability Managers (MESM) Academy and the Winter Energy Price Spike Communications Toolkit. Read on to learn about our Technical Assistance Program (TAP) grant opportunity, upcoming webinars and events, EV charging programs, and powerful data tools from the Smart Surfaces Coalition to guide equitable climate investments.
We also recognize that this is an uncertain and scary time for so many in our communities. With the potential for cuts to programs that support stability and wellbeing in our communities, we want to highlight that MAPC and the Commonwealth are coordinating and developing resources to support cities and towns. For example, the state has a tool to help locate food banks and pantries in your community in the event that SNAP funding becomes unavailable to households in November.
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MAPC launches the Municipal Energy and Sustainability Managers (MESM) Academy
Last month, MAPC and partners kicked off the Municipal Energy and Sustainability Managers (MESM) Academy, a year-long training and peer learning program designed to support municipal staff with the knowledge and tools to lead local clean energy and decarbonization efforts. The first cohort includes 24 energy managers representing 63 municipalities across Massachusetts. The Academy is offered in partnership with Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, Mass Save, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, and others, with funding from MassCEC and the Barr Foundation.
Read MAPC's recent blog to learn more about the program!
| | | Winter Energy Price Spike Communications Toolkit | | |
Energy prices in Massachusetts typically increase in the winter due to the combination of regional gas supply constraints and most of our electricity generation and heating for homes and businesses relying on gas. Winter 2025-26 is no different. As of November 1, utility rates shifted to higher winter rates and further rate increases for Eversource and National Grid customers are pending regulatory review.
The Winter Energy Price Spike Communications Toolkit is a communications and social media resource to help municipalities keep your communities informed about available opportunities to assist with high cost electric, gas, and heating bills. The toolkit includes:
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The graphic above is one of several in the Toolkit for you to use on your social media channels to inform your residents. There is also a version for National Grid.
In the Toolkit, you will also find graphics focused on contacting the Community Action Agency within your area, how to be more energy efficient, and more.
Check out Social Media - Best Practices for best practices to use the graphic on your social media channels.
| | Applications Open for MAPC's Technical Assistance Program | | |
Priority Application Deadline: Monday, December 8, 2025
MAPC is now accepting project concepts for the 2026 Technical Assistance Program (TAP). Apply by Monday, December 8, 2025 to have your project considered when the greatest amount of funding is available. TAP supports the region's 101 cities and towns to address local and regional challenges and achieve shared goals. Member municipalities are eligible to participate in TAP, which gives them access to the skills and expertise of MAPC staff for a project or initiative.
This is an opportunity for you to work with MAPC on local programs and planning initiatives that advance regional goals. Please visit the TAP webpage for information on the 2026 funding priorities. Reach out to us to discuss refining a project concept or a question you’d like to think through together.
MAPC is hosting a TAP webinar on Wednesday, November 12, 2025 at 4pm. Register!
| | Applications Open for 2026 Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI) Grant | | |
Application Deadline: Thursday, March 12, 2026
Award Potential: $60,000 to $115,000
The Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI) is accepting applications for 2026 CSCI grants. CSCI provides funding and technical assistance to advance community-based climate resilience in communities or regions that are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, with priority for communities that include historically disinvested populations at increased risk to climate-related impacts. The competition is open to US-based project teams composed of a climate adaptation practitioner and representatives from a local or regional government entity and a community-based organization.
See below for key dates and timeline. Learn more and apply!
CSCI is hosting an informational webinar on Thursday, November 13, 2025 at 2pm. Register!
| | Registration Open for the Green Communities + Lead by Example Summit | | |
On Tuesday, November 18, 2025 the Department of Energy Resources' Green Communities Division is hosting Green Communities Summit in Worcester, MA. From 9am to 3:30 pm, participants can attend presentations about local energy initiatives, policy updates, and opportunities for collaboration and engage in discussions about energy efficiency strategies that can further greenhouse gas emissions goals. Municipal staff and officials, clean energy and climate practitioners, school staff, committee members, and other stakeholders are invited to attend the free event.
Register for the Summit.
| | Applications Open for STAR Solar Program | | |
The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Massachusetts is accepting applications to the sixth cohort of the STAR program through Monday, December 1, 2025. This program is designed to remove barriers and dramatically increase the adoption of solar PV for affordable housing properties across the Commonwealth. The participants receive staff-time support grants and free technical analysis services to analyze solar potential and financing options for their portfolio. The selection for the sixth cohort will prioritize organizations that have at least 10 distinct buildings in their portfolio and at least 100 units of housing.
Complete your STAR Application!
Interested in learning more? LISC Massachusetts and Resonant Energy are hosting an informational webinar on Wednesday, November 12, 2025 at 9am to provide an overview of the program. Register for the webinar!
| | Smart Surfaces Coalition Launches New Tools for Metro Boston | | |
The Smart Surfaces Coalition has released a suite of new tools to help cities evaluate and implement smart surface strategies to create cooler, healthier, and more resilient communities:
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Benefit Cost Analysis Tool: The BCAT enables users to explore the financial, temperature, stormwater, and CO2e impacts associated with Smart Surfaces adoption at the metro area or city scale.
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Decision Support Tool: The DST is a geospatial analysis tool that empowers users to quickly analyze how surfaces, heat, and hazard vulnerabilities are distributed across the Boston metro area. It contains data layers on existing surface infrastructure, health vulnerability statistics, socioeconomic data, race/ethnicity data, heat mapping, results from micrometeorological heat modeling of Smart Surfaces impact on air temperature, flooding vulnerability, and more.
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Smart Surfaces Policy Tracker: The Smart Surfaces Policy Tracker features a robust, searchable database of nearly 2,000 Smart Surface policies in all 50 states in the US. The site also hosts policy guides and model ordinances / Mayor's Orders, to help municipalities improve existing policy or design new policies from the ground up. A Policy Help Desk is available to provide direct assistance to users interested in implementing Smart Surface policies.
| | Massachusetts Nonprofits Announce New Program: Community Charge | | |
The Community Charge program, a joint initiative of the nonprofits PowerOptions, LISC Massachusetts, and the Green Energy Consumers Alliance, offers public and non-profit entities a simpler, cost-efficient way to install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations for use by their constituents or the greater public. The program reduces the administrative burden and costs for site hosts by pre-negotiating with competitively selected providers.
Public and nonprofit site hosts have two options under this program:
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Charging as a Service: Stations are located on your property, but installed, owned, operated, and maintained by a competitively procured Community Charge program provider.
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Host-Owned: You, the site host, own and operate the EV charging stations, but use Community Charge to either procure hardware, software, or installation “a la carte”, or procure turnkey installation services that handle all three aspects in one.
Interested in hosting a charging site? Email CommunityCharge@PowerOptions.org for an initial consultation.
| | Open Call for Proposals for BuildingEnergy Boston 2026 | | | |
The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) is seeking call for proposals for the BuildingEnergy Boston 2026 conference, scheduled for March 23-2024, 2026. Submissions are due Sunday, November 9, 2025. BuildingEnergy Boston is a conference designed by and for practitioners in the fields of high-performance building and design, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. It brings more than a thousand industry leaders and emerging professionals together to learn from and share ideas with each other.
Learn more and submit your proposals here.
| | Registration Open for Green Energy Consumer Alliance Fall 2025 Meeting | | |
On Wednesday, November 12, 2025 at 5pm Green Energy Consumer Alliance is hosting its annual Fall Meeting at Artists for Humanity in South Boston. Join to be in community with others, and hear from Ari Matusiak, President and CEO of Rewiring America. Rewiring America is a national nonprofit focused on electrifying our homes, communities, and businesses by developing accessible tools and building coalitions and partnerships.
Get your tickets today!
| Registration Open for Media Innovation & Social Impact (MISI) Summit | |
On Friday, November 7, 2025, the Center for Media Innovation & Social Impact (MISI) at Boston University's College of Communication is bringing together leading voices from government, academia, journalism, and activism for a timely conversation on the theme "Communicating Climate." The day-long inaugural MISI Summit will explore the dynamics of climate communication across platforms and sectors, examining the role of misinformation and disinformation, the challenges and opportunities of emerging business models, and the power of narrative strategies to shape public perception and policy. Climate scientists, government officials, journalists, academics, and invited to attend this free event.
Register!
| | Upcoming Webinar: Overcoming Obstacles in Transitioning Fleets to EVs | | |
On Thursday, November 6th, 2025 from 1pm to 2pm, MassCEC is hosting a virtual event to discuss lessons learned from active mobile charging station deployments. This Zoom webinar will feature presentations from MassCEC's Claire Hazzard and Devan DiLibero.
Register for the webinar!
| | Upcoming Webinar: Vehicle-to-Everything Demonstration Program | | |
On Wednesday, November 12, 2025 from 1pm to 2pm, the Clean Energy Group is hosting a webinar that will highlight the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC)’s Vehicle-to-Everything Demonstration Projects program. The program provides funding to residential, commercial, and school district applicants to install bi-directional EV chargers at no cost. Data from the installed charging stations will be collected and analyzed as part of the program to further understand the benefits of the technology. Elijah Sinclair from MassCEC, Sally Griffith from Resource-Innovations, and Katie Peterson from The Mobility House will provide an overview of the program design, highlight initial lessons learned from installations that were completed in October, and share preliminary the findings from the demonstration program including EV charging and discharging data.
Register for the webinar!
| | Online Course: Alternative Fuel Vehicles Trainings and Energy Storage and Safety Training | |
MassCEC, in collaboration with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), is offering two free online courses. The courses, Alternative Fuel Vehicles Trainings and Energy Storage and Safety Training, address new safety needs presented by the rapid deployment of clean energy technologies across the Commonwealth.
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Training 1: Alternative Fuel Vehicles Training Program for Emergency Responders This 4-hour training teaches emergency responders how to safely deal with emergency situations involving alternative fuel passenger vehicles, trucks, buses, and commercial fleet vehicles. Register here and use coupon code MASSCEC1 to sign up for free!
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Training 2: Energy Storage and Solar Safety for Emergency Responders This training teaches emergency responders how to safely deal with emergency situations involving energy storage systems (ESS) and solar panels. Register here and use coupon code MASSCEC2 to sign up for free!
| | Open Municipal Energy Manager Positions | | Several towns and cities across Massachusetts are hiring Municipal Energy Managers, supported by the Mass Save Municipal Energy Manager (MEM) Grant. This grant helps a municipality, or a group of municipalities hire a dedicated staff member to lead efforts in managing energy use, improving energy efficiency, and reducing municipal greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. See below for open positions and apply today: | | | | |
