In 2050, approximately half of the U.S. building stock will consist of buildings that exist today.  Considering that buildings contribute to nearly 40% of our country’s carbon emissions, which runs up costs and compounds environmental problems, we know that improving the efficiency of the existing building stock is critical. We also know that bringing energy efficiency practices into more homes, businesses and communities can reap rewards such as local jobs that can’t be outsourced or increased property values and lower energy bills. The Sustainable Environments Program supports efforts to promote retrofitting, which is the practice of updating existing buildings and structures with energy efficient measures and innovations. We also believe that businesses and communities need increased knowledge about how to do this, and financing options to make it affordable.

Want to learn more about the Sustainable Environments Program’s current vision for Energy Efficiency in the Built Environment? Click here.

What we fund:

We seek funding opportunities that:

• Advance policy, market, and program performance standards and community organizing strategies that stimulate supply and demand for retrofitting services.  We are especially interested in efforts that spur enterprise development and job creation, and provide energy efficiency gains for low income communities and people of color.
• Create innovative financing models to increase funding for retrofits.  More specifically, we are interested in models that will expand effective local and state incentive and financing programs and promote viable public private partnership financing agreements.  In addition, we seek efforts that ensure affordability and participation across a wide range of home and building owners, and create financial intermediaries that connect public and private entities to infrastructure projects.

We give preference to efforts that:

• Ensure that retrofit programs benefit those most in need of economic opportunity and advance community-based anti-poverty strategies and high quality job creation;
• Connect retrofit programs with other infrastructure needs (e.g., a building retrofit that incorporates a green roof which provides stormwater management benefits);
• Build market and policy support through networking and partnerships;
• Emphasize the public benefits of public private partnerships.

How to apply:

If you are interested in applying for a Surdna Foundation grant, please submit a letter of inquiry by clicking here. Please note: We can only support organizations that meet our guidelines listed under What We Fund.