On April 4, the U.S. EPA announced its selections for grant awards within the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). The GGRF is a $27 billion investment that aims to combat the climate crisis and finance clean technology deployment nationally, with a focus on low-income and underinvested communities.
In total, CHC’s coalition partners were selected to receive 3.48 billion in EPA funding. Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) and Justice Climate Fund (JCF) were selected to receive awards under the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA). The CCIA is an initiative within GGRF that designates nonprofit "hubs" like OFN and JCF to administer financial resources and technical support to bolster the climate lending capabilities of community lenders. OFN was awarded $2.29 billion and JCF was awarded $940 million.
OFN and JCF will disburse resources to coalition partners, CHC included, to build capacity and increase access to financing for clean energy initiatives within our communities. The CCIA initiative will yield a multitude of benefits for targeted communities, including reduced carbon emissions, enhanced air quality, lower energy expenses, and the creation of climate-focused employment opportunities.