Update on the Renew America’s Nonprofits (RAN) Grant
On October 25, the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU-Boulder) a D.O.E. Prime Recipient, and the Mountain Sky Conference as its major nonprofit partner, were awarded a grant of $5.87 million by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) to perform energy efficiency projects over a five-year period. This Rocky Mountain Region award will fund projects over 5 states – Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Other partners on the award include utilities, energy services companies, an equipment manufacturer, a city, a national lab, UMCOR and a community development nonprofit.
Now that selections are official, CU-Boulder will enter into negotiations with DOE which could take up to six months to sign a contract. Together they will work towards an agreement to include the demographic and geographic impact of the projects, a final budget, and the scope of work necessary to achieve the objectives of the award.
The Creation Justice Task Force is planning to meet with CU-Boulder and the other partners in late January or early February to discuss the operating plan and understand the requirements outlined in the final agreement with DOE. The Creation Justice Task Force – Local Church Engagement Team plans to pull the group of 30 churches together after the first of the year for an informational meeting. There are about 100 different entities hoping to be awarded grants through CU with this process. Because our church is not in a Justice40 community, we will need to demonstrate our strong ministry with vulnerable populations to compete for these monies.