Oct 09, 2018
Announcing the 3rd Round of the RVA Solar Fund Grants for Public Schools, Governments & Nonprofits
Secure Futures and the Community Foundation are proud to announce our 3rd and final round of the RVA Solar Fund, offering grants from $4,000 to $100,000 to public entities and nonprofit organizations.
Central Virginia schools and groups: If you’ve been waiting for a sign to go solar, this is it.
Now is the perfect time for any public-school systems, local governments, and non-profit organizations to go solar.
You may have heard that even if your school or organization is non-taxable, you can still benefit from the 30% federal tax credit if you work with a company like Secure Futures that offers on-site solar through a power purchase agreement, where you buy the power and not the panels. But that tax credit, the major incentive for solar power available in Virginia, will start to decline soon, so time for saving on your solar panels is running out.
If you’re a school, local government agency or non-profit group in Central Virginia, there’s another reason why it’ll be more affordable to get solar now rather than later. Secure Futures, partnering with the local Community Foundation, is launching the third and final round of the RVA Solar Fund.
This program will offer grants from $4,000 to $100,000 to K-12 public schools, local government agencies and non-profit organizations in the Richmond, VA metro area and surrounding counties that enter into a power purchase agreement for solar power installed at their sites. Grant recipients may use the funds for administrative costs, clean energy education, or other on-site energy improvements.
In the most recent past round of the RVA Solar Fund, Richmond Public Schools received the full $100,000 grant to go solar. As a result, we’re now preparing to install 2.59 megawatts of solar panels over ten school buildings around the city. The schools are using their grant money to install energy monitoring equipment and hire a sustainability associate to interpret the energy monitoring systems and share the results with faculty and students.
Jealous? Well, this could be you!
Your school system or group could qualify for a grant to help go solar too. Interested applicants should submit a non-binding notice of interest by January 15, 2019. You can get full details about this unique grant opportunity at the RVA Solar Fund website.
And, if you work for a school or local government in the central Virginia area, or if you know someone who does, you may be interested in one of the informational sessions or webinars that Secure Futures has scheduled in the next few weeks to discuss the RVA Solar Fund.
Two in-person information sessions will take place at Gather (409 E. Main St., Richmond) on Monday, October 29 at times listed below. Refreshments will be served.
- 8:30 a.m.: Public schools and local governments. Click here to RSVP.
- 10:00 a.m.: Non-profit organizations. Click here to RSVP.
For those who can’t make the in-person session, we’ll offer informational webinars on November 8:
- 1:30 p.m.: Non-profit organizations. Click here to RSVP.
- 3:00 p.m.: Public schools and local governments. Click here to RSVP.
In all sessions, we’ll cover the basics of the program and take questions from potential fund applicants and interested stakeholders.
To get more information, please email [email protected].
The RVA Solar Fund is a remarkable opportunity for public agencies to win grant dollars while also bringing clean solar power to their facilities – all with a guarantee of reduced net energy costs for 20 years.
If you’re not with a school, local government or non-profit group in Central Virginia, help a friend out who is. Teachers, city and county government officials and staff, or nonprofit workers will all be interested – do them a favor and share this opportunity!
— Nicole Duimstra, Secure Futures
