Aug 12, 2021   SOURCE: BusinessWire

FirstLight Launches Climate Action and Environmental Justice Grant Program for Franklin County Communities and Non-Profit Organizations

FirstLight Power (FirstLight), a leading clean power producer and energy storage company, announced today that the company is launching two grant programs – the Climate Action Grant and Environmental Justice Grant. The grant programs were created as an opportunity for Franklin County communities and 501c3 non-profit organizations to join FirstLight in having a positive impact on climate change and on environmental justice. The program includes two grant applications – for work in climate action and environmental justice-related projects in Franklin County – that will be eligible for grants up to $15,000 each, totaling up to $30,000. Applications will be accepted from August 1 through October 8, 2021, and FirstLight will work with a selection committee to choose and announce grant winners in November 2021.

“FirstLight is proud of our role in making Franklin County an epicenter of clean energy leadership and environmental stewardship through our operation of some of the region’s largest clean power assets and by making our recreational and educational facilities accessible to our neighbors and local communities,” said Alicia Barton, CEO of FirstLight. “Building on our long-standing commitment to have a positive impact on the communities that we serve, we are excited for the opportunity to sponsor work by local environmental, education and tribal organizations to advance new projects that will improve the local environment and public health while fostering greater climate resiliency within our communities.”

FirstLight’s Climate Action Grant Program will support the efforts of 501c3 non-profit organizations for climate action-related projects in Franklin County. Climate Action Grant projects can be educational, support workforce development, help preserve critical environmental resources, study or mitigate the impacts of climate change, increase resiliency, or otherwise enhance the community’s opportunities for sustainability. A selection committee will award grants up to $15,000, depending on availability of funding.

FirstLight’s Environmental Justice Grant Program supports and empowers community-based 501c3 organizations, tribal and local government entities, and cultural and social action organizations working on solutions to local environmental and public health issues. The program is designed to help communities understand and address exposure to multiple environmental harms and risks. Environmental Justice Grant projects can study, educate, train, or promote awareness of environmental or public health impacts in the community, provide solutions to critical environmental problems, public health issues, or preservation of important resources in environmental justice communities, or otherwise enhance the community’s environmental empowerment. A selection committee will award grants up to $15,000, depending on availability of funding every year.

FirstLight’s Climate Action and Environmental Justice Grant Programs request that eligible organizations and communities apply through an online application form by October 8, 2021. In this application, communities and organizations will share their preliminary approach and will outline how they plan to have a lasting impact on the local community, spur action on climate or environmental justice issues, elevate existing community assets to create new benefits or opportunities, how the project fits into the community’s broader goals, and the ability of the group to complete the proposed project and how it aligns with the group’s overall mission. Grant recipients will be announced in November 2021.

For questions regarding eligibility or the application process, please contact carter.wall@firstlightpower.com.

ABOUT FIRSTLIGHT POWER

FirstLight Power (FirstLight) is a leading clean power producer and energy storage company in New England with a portfolio that includes nearly 1,400 megawatts of pumped-hydro storage, battery storage, hydroelectric generation, and solar generation – the largest clean energy generation portfolio in New England today. Based in Burlington, MA, with operating offices in Northfield, MA and New Milford, CT, FirstLight provides stewardship of and recreational access to 14,000 acres of land and waters along the Connecticut, Housatonic, Shetucket, Still, and Quinebaug Rivers. To learn more, visit www.firstlightpower.com.