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Committee backs application to seek $250,000 market-building grant for clean-energy planning
Summary
The committee approved moving forward on a $250,000 market-building grant application that would fund a public–private plan to accelerate clean-energy investments in New Haven; presenters said the grant is for planning and market-building, not direct project construction.
City staff and partners told the Board of Alders committee they have applied for a $250,000 market-building grant to develop a public–private plan to accelerate clean-energy investment in New Haven, with Connecticut Green Bank identified as the stewards of awarded funds.
Anna Zochim Reyes and Jason Velasquez presented the proposal and said the grant would fund outreach, an inventory of municipal and school clean-energy projects, a financing needs assessment and a public plan with recommendations. Velasquez said the grant is intended to "identify who wants to do this work and how can we help them," and emphasized the award is for planning and market building rather than deployment.
The presenters said program partners include the Connecticut Green Bank, the Center for Inclusive Growth, the Yale Center for Business and the Environment and the Kresge Foundation. The grant application also includes a $20,000 scholarship line: "The scholarship line item is $20,000. So 4 scholarships of $5,000 each," Velasquez said.
Alders asked about how landlords, renters and low-income homeowners would be reached; presenters said the plan would map the landscape, identify gaps and consider tenant organizing and nonprofit engagement to encourage landlord participation. Presenters said reaching a clear understanding of where projects and needs exist is a prerequisite to effective targeting of implementation funds.
Presenters described the federal selection process as two-stage: round 1 selects a pool (the presenters said roughly 104 municipalities nationally for round 1, with a later round 2 selecting a smaller group for follow-on capital), and round 2 would target a smaller set of municipalities for larger investment if selected. The city team said New Haven has already applied and they are awaiting updates from the grant program.
Alders praised the city’s partners and the proposal’s focus on directing future investments more surgically. The committee moved the item forward; the motion passed and the presenters said they will keep the committee informed about selection updates.
