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Building Healthy Communities
in Rural & Urban America

Learn how Sharing the Power Foundation invests in clean energy, good jobs and the next generation of leaders in the communities we serve.

Clean energy that stays in the community.

We are an independent 501(c)(3) that turns energy infrastructure investment into lasting community benefit: workforce training, lower energy bills, healthy food, STEM pathways and a real seat at the table.

See our work →
A father and his young daughter planting seedlings at a community garden
$25M+Community impact funds managed as an independent fiduciary
90+HBCU Energy & Sustainability Fellows placed
$3M+Community grants distributed, 2021–2026
20States with community investments
Who we are

Philanthropy done with communities, not to them.

Founded in 2021, the Foundation is funded by contributions from clean energy project revenue generated through Community Impact PPAs. We fund and support organizations that build healthy communities in rural and urban America.

With the guidance and contributions of our corporate partners, including Microsoft and Google, we provide essential financial and programmatic support to community-based organizations nationwide, and we prepare the next generation of energy and sustainability leaders through our HBCU fellowship.

About the Foundation
Residents seated in a circle at a community listening session
Five investment pillars

Our investment pillars at work

Investing in communities and opportunities to create lasting impact where clean energy and data centers are built.

$3M+Community grants distributed (2021–2026)
90+HBCU Clean Energy Fellows supported
20States with community investments
5Years of impact

*Partner organization results.

Where we invest

Our Impact

Map of Sharing the Power Foundation community grant investmentsGrant investments in California, Nebraska, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Washington, DC.ALFLGAINNCPATXWVILCAWashington, DCMDMIMSNYOHTNVANELAOmaha
Community grant investments
20 stateswith community grant investments
$3M+community grants distributed and administered
$1M+scholarships awarded to our HBCU Energy & Sustainability Fellows
2,500+workers retrained and placed in good-paying jobs*
10,000+households supported with energy bill assistance and weatherization*
35M+meals served in food-insecure communities*

*Results from grantees funded.

Energy & Sustainability Fellowship

Meet the 2026 HBCU Energy & Sustainability Fellows

Our fellowship carries HBCU students from campus to careers in clean energy, sustainability and data center operations, with paid placements at the organizations doing the work.

90+Fellows placed
$1M+Scholarships & stipends
22Fellows in 2026
Meet the fellows →

Click to enlarge

Media & Press

Latest news

Partner with us

Let’s design the community benefit for your next project.

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About Us

A trusted partner investing in healthy communities in rural and urban America

Sharing the Power Foundation contributes to causes that provide renewable energy access in vulnerable urban and rural communities. From Appalachia to Atlanta, these organizations promote access to clean air, water and renewable energy; residential and commercial weatherization and energy efficiency; workforce training in clean energy careers; and effective solutions to expand the availability of affordable food and transportation.

A smiling young girl wearing a medal
Our mission

Turning energy infrastructure into lasting community benefit

Sharing the Power Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides funding and resources to organizations and programs that build healthy communities in rural and urban America. The Foundation identifies programs that focus on workforce training, weatherization, utility bill payment assistance, renewable energy education and access to clean air, water and healthy food. Through its college internship program, Sharing the Power prepares the next generation of energy business and sustainability leaders for careers in the public and private sectors.

In 2020, Volt Energy Utility founder Gilbert Campbell envisioned a process through which the basic tool used to finance major solar projects, the power purchase agreement (PPA), could produce a funding stream to support environmental justice causes. A percentage of revenue generated by these projects would be dedicated to funding a foundation. Volt developed the Environmental Justice PPA, which later became the Community Impact PPA. In 2021, with the assistance and support of Microsoft, Sharing the Power Foundation became a reality. Since that time, corporate partners such as Google and others have also supported the Foundation.

We partner with environmental causes by funding grassroots solutions to complex environmental challenges, and we invest in the next generation of environmental leaders by equipping students with the experience, professional development, and funding they need to thrive in sustainability and clean energy careers. With the continued collaboration of the communities we serve, and the guidance and generous contributions of our corporate partners, Sharing the Power Foundation continues to be a leader in providing essential financial and programmatic support to community-based organizations nationwide.

Our community-led approach

Grantmaking that starts with listening

Partnership with the local community is paramount. That keeps our solutions authentic, sustainable and transformative.

Listening first

We engage community leaders, residents and local organizations to understand their priorities, needs and vision.

Community advisory groups

Local advisory groups guide our grantmaking and help decide the most impactful solutions.

Shared decision-making

We design grant programs with these groups so funding builds on existing local strengths.

Capacity building

We invest in the organizational capacity of local nonprofits so impact lasts beyond the grant period.

Accountability & transparency

We keep communication open and measure outcomes together with the community.

The value of trust

Credibility is a record, not a claim

Every figure we report is backed by a fund we held, a program we ran, or a partner who will take the call.

$25M+

Funds under management

Held as an independent 501(c)(3) fiduciary, with audit-ready board and 990 records.

100%

Relationships protected

Zero program failures through the federal LIHEAP funding freeze.

Adopted

As a national template

Partners have used our grantee framework to vet, approve and track investments in other states.

Vetted

Every grant partner

Screened through Thomson Reuters CLEAR, 990 review and board approval before any award.

Leadership

The Foundation’s leaders come from a broad range of backgrounds and have a diversity of expertise and experiences that spans science and technology, public policy, education, communications, law and business.

Our Work

Grantmaking with a purpose

Every grant starts with the community. Residents, local leaders and community organizations help decide where funding goes, and we work alongside them to deliver, track and report on the results together.

Workers installing rooftop solar, a technician insulating a wall, and a researcher in a lab

We fund training that puts people to work in the clean energy economy, including coalfield retraining, weatherization and efficiency crews, and solar installation, in cities, rural counties and remote communities alike. Construction crews leave when a project is energized. Workforce dollars written into the PPA last for decades.

2,500+People trained
800Jobs created
72New businesses

Coalfield Development

Central Appalachia · WV

PATH fast-track training with paid stipends, on-the-job crews, and solar and land reclamation social enterprises for displaced miners.

Center for Coalfield Justice

Southwestern PA

Just-transition organizing and advocacy for workers and families in coal-impacted counties.

Appalachian Voices

Central Appalachia

The Appalachian Solar Finance Fund, unlocking solar projects and local installation jobs on mine-impacted land.

Weatherization & efficiency crews

Omaha · Tulsa · Indianapolis

Certified training for insulation, air sealing and HVAC technicians, hired from the neighborhoods they serve.

Coalfield DevelopmentCenter for Coalfield JusticeAppalachian Voices

Outcome figures are Coalfield Development results since 2010, as reported by the organization.

Residents meeting with staff at a community assistance centerA technician installing insulation in a home

Many families spend 20–30% of their income on energy, and one in four skip bills to get by. Federal dollars cover part of the bill. We fund the permanent upgrades and the repairs federal programs will not pay for, at no cost to the household.

10,000+Households supported*
0Program failures
$0Household cost

Home envelope upgrades

STPF funded

Attic and wall insulation, air sealing and duct repair: permanent bill reduction that outlasts any grant cycle.

Systems & safety repairs

STPF funded

Furnace and water heater repair plus the health and safety fixes that would otherwise disqualify a home from federal weatherization.

Emergency bill assistance

Gap funding

When LIHEAP froze mid-program, we became the gap funder and paid arrears directly to the utility so no grantee stopped serving households.

United Way of the Midlands

Omaha, NE

Screens households and clears arrears with Lincoln Electric System. Need is verified locally and dollars move in days.

United Way of the MidlandsHispanic Access FoundationVirginia Interfaith Power & Light

*Partner organization results.

Students building a solar and wind model in a labPreschoolers driving small electric go-karts at the EV academy

We invest across the whole ladder, from play-based clean energy literacy for preschoolers to paid fellowships and career placement for college students, including the Electric Go-Kart Academy at Howard University’s Early Learning Program.

Ages 3–6

Early learning

Play-based clean energy and EV literacy at Howard’s Early Learning Program.

K–12

School-age STEM

Campus greening and youth environmental programs via the HBCU Green Fund.

Undergrad

Fellowship

Paid fellows placed with grassroots energy organizations and employers.

Career

Scholarships & placement

$1M+ awarded and 90+ fellows placed.

Southern UniversityTuskegee UniversityHoward University

Explore the fellowship

Neighbors shopping for fresh vegetables at a community marketVolunteers handing out fresh produce

Utility-scale projects are often sited on agricultural and rural land. We write food security into community benefit planning before the first panel goes up, and back organizations that put fresh food within reach.

35MMeals served
974KLbs food diverted in 2025
30+Stores in schools

Goodr

Atlanta, GA

Food recovery and no-cost grocery access, including a 26-foot shoppable truck and free grocery stores inside schools.

Dreaming Out Loud

Washington, DC

Food hub and Black farm CSA serving Wards 7 and 8.

Happily Natural Day

Richmond, VA

The Sankofa Community Orchard: five acres and 150+ fruit trees.

West Atlanta Watershed Alliance

Atlanta, GA

Urban agriculture training and greenspace stewardship.

Building Bridges Across the River

Washington, DC

Community farms and food access east of the Anacostia.

GoodrWest Atlanta Watershed Alliance

Meal, diversion and school figures as reported by Goodr.

Residents, developers and local officials seated together in a circlePanelists on stage at a policy conference

We host forums, policy conferences and listening sessions, and we provide plain-language education on siting, load, water and tax impacts so communities negotiate from knowledge rather than rumor.

100+Organizations supported
20States
1Table, no side rooms

Tunica Policy Conference

Tunica, MS

An annual Delta convening. We host the community dinner and sponsor the energy policy panel.

Virginia Environmental Justice Collaborative

Virginia

Statewide coalition advancing environmental justice policy with frontline communities.

Hispanic Access Foundation

National

Connects Latino communities to conservation, energy and health resources.

Clark Atlanta University

Atlanta, GA

Hosts the Environmental Justice & Sustainability Summit and our listening sessions.

NAACPMississippi Policy Conference, TunicaHispanic Access Foundation
Case studies

Already running alongside the data center buildout

Two hyperscalers, two different structures, both deployed through Sharing the Power.

Microsoft logo over scenes from a community resource fair Microsoft · Founding partner

The first Community Impact PPA

No precedent and no template. Microsoft became the first off-taker to dedicate PPA revenue to community benefit, with the 110 MW Hickory Solar project built with Volt Energy Utility funding workforce, STEM and convening programs.

FirstOff-taker to fund communities
110 MWHickory Solar
LargestFunder to date
“The importance of ensuring benefits flowing from renewable energy development directly into communities has never been more important.”Sandhya Ganapathy, CEO, EDP Renewables North America
Google logo over scenes from a community energy assistance event Google · Verified impact

Google Community Investment Funds

No Community Impact PPA and no defined project. Google trusted the Foundation to run its entire community investment mandate across three data center states, from vetting partners to disbursement and reporting.

$2MTotal program value
3 statesNE · OK · IN
1,350+Households reached

Result: funds fully deployed with zero program failures through the federal funding freeze. Google adopted our grantee framework as its template for other states.

The next wave of infrastructure

From the energy transition to data centers

Data centers are essential, and often unpopular and misunderstood. They face the same consent bottleneck as energy projects, with higher stakes. The model transfers intact: neutral convening and trust-building, independent 501(c)(3) fund management, and community benefit written into the deal with OKRs and audit-ready reporting.

Talk with our team →
A data center campus at dusk
Students

The Energy & Sustainability Fellowship

The clean energy movement needs leaders who reflect the communities it serves. Our fellowship helps students from diverse backgrounds, especially at HBCUs, build the skills, experience and networks for careers in clean energy and environmental justice.

90+Fellows placed
$1M+Scholarships & stipends
4Fields of study
22Fellows in 2026

Click to enlarge · Fellowships are awarded on an invitation-only basis.

How it works

From campus to career

Step 1

Leadership training

Fellows build skills in clean energy, sustainability and community-centered research.

Step 2

Paid summer placement

Paid internships with grassroots environmental and clean energy organizations in the public, private or government sectors.

Step 3

Campus ambassadors

After the summer, fellows serve as Energy & Sustainability Ambassadors on their campuses.

STEM fellowship tracks

Data infrastructure, environmental science, energy engineering and policy.

Data center career pathways

Curriculum built with Microsoft, Google and Amazon, mapping campus study to operations-floor roles.

Research & employer matching

HBCU research placements and direct employer-to-fellow matching for faster placement.

Howard UniversityMorehouse CollegeAlcorn State UniversityHistorically Black Colleges and UniversitiesMicrosoftGoogleAmazon

“As an applied physicist, being a Fellow has shown me how to contribute my technical skills with a policy-oriented approach. I learned how to approach research at the intersection of community-centered work and innovation, and I cannot wait to bring these skills into my career.”

Kaiwan BilalKaiwan Bilal, University of Michigan, 2026 Clean Energy Fellow
Our fellows

Meet the cohorts

Media & Press

News & Media

Expressing our views on clean energy and environmental justice. Press releases, articles and media events from the Sharing the Power Foundation.

Media resources

Watch the videos below to learn more about the Sharing the Power Foundation people and how they are changing the way power is distributed equitably.

Meet Aissa Dearing-Benton2022 Environmental Justice Ambassador Fellow · Vimeo
Contact Us

Let’s build it together.

We’d welcome the chance to design the community benefit program for your next project, from program design to grantmaking and impact reporting.

Sharing the Power Foundation
2001 L Street NW, Suite 500, PMB 50532
Washington, DC 20036
A multigenerational group of neighbors smiling together outdoors