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Foundation announces $1 million pilot fund for nonprofit building decarbonization in Tompkins County
Summary
A foundation representative told the Ithaca City Green New Deal Commission of a newly launched pilot fund offering $500,000 in grants and $500,000 in low‑interest loans to support nonprofit building decarbonization and resilience projects in Tompkins County, with at least half of funding targeted to city-defined climate justice communities.
A foundation representative announced a newly launched $1 million pilot fund for nonprofit building decarbonization and resilience projects in Tompkins County, saying the program includes $500,000 in grants and $500,000 in low‑interest loans.
"This is meant for building decarbonization funds," the foundation representative said, adding the pilot will run "probably 2 to 3 quarters, but basically until the money runs out." The representative said an information session was scheduled for "this Friday" and provided parkfoundation.org as a web resource.
The fund is restricted to nonprofit applicants. The foundation representative said government agencies, schools and universities cannot participate in the program at this time: "We cannot get approval yet for allowing government agencies or schools or universities." A commissioner asked about equity criteria; the representative said the fund will align with the city's Justice50 initiative and that the foundation intends to dedicate at least 50% of the funding to the city's definition of climate justice communities.
The representative described eligible projects broadly, saying they could include insulation, heat pumps or other measures that make a nonprofit's building more resilient. When asked whether applicants must be 501(c)(3) organizations, the representative confirmed that formal 501(c)(3) status was required.
Staff and commissioners in the meeting encouraged spreading the announcement to local nonprofits and suggested follow‑up questions about how justice‑focused allocations would be applied to organizational rather than household eligibility. The representative said the program is a pilot and that the foundation and city would test how Justice50 criteria work in practice for nonprofit organizations.
The announcement did not include application deadlines beyond the general timeline of the fund running until monies are exhausted. The foundation representative provided parkfoundation.org for additional information and said staff would hold an info session to explain application details.
The commission did not take a formal vote on the announcement at the meeting; the presentation was an informational item.
