EmPower Massachusetts project development grants
Grants for community organizations and their partners to develop clean-energy ideas and build staff, skills and community connections for underserved people in Massachusetts.
Ta możliwość jest obecnie dostępna po angielsku.
The Innovation and Capacity Building grant supports exploring or refining project ideas and strengthening an organization’s ability to deliver community projects. It is separate from EmPower implementation funding. Projects must increase access to clean energy or reduce energy burden—the share of gross household income spent on energy costs—for Priority Groups.
Eligible spending includes staff or individual time, community engagement and direct payments to participants, technical support, and grant-writing, accounting or legal services. The grant cannot pay direct capital costs such as installing a clean-energy system. Activities must build toward implementation; MassCEC intends them to finish within two to three months after signing the agreement and expects the funds to be used within two years at most.
For FY26, MassCEC anticipated awards of USD 5,000–25,000. Requests up to USD 50,000 were considered individually when eligible work needed more funding. Applicants seeking that amount still had to propose a budget up to USD 25,000 and explain what USD 50,000 would achieve instead. MassCEC encouraged checking implementation-grant eligibility first; applicants who did not qualify for implementation funding could explain why the higher amount was needed for this development grant. Selected applicants could elect an initial payment at signing, with the remainder tied to agreed deliverables. Other incentives, grants or investments, including earlier EmPower awards, could supplement the project. Applicants could also apply to the parallel implementation grant, but the two applications had to concern different project ideas or programme models.
Eligibility
The FY26 requirements were:
- Community-based organizations must have a history of engaging and supporting Priority Groups. They need not be incorporated nonprofits. If they cannot hire staff or receive money, they can consider a partner acting as a fiscal agent: an organization able to sign the grant agreement and receive the funds from MassCEC on their behalf. Fiscal-agent fees and indirect costs are capped at 10% of the proposed budget.
- Other nonprofits, individuals, public entities (including municipalities, municipal lighting plants and regional planning agencies), and for-profit entities must partner with at least one nonprofit community-based organization. Federally Recognized and State-Acknowledged Tribes are also eligible.
- Applicants must have a demonstrated history of working or living within, or engaging with, at least one Priority Group. Clean-energy experience is not generally required; installers and contractors must meet relevant industry and state standards. Business entities must be registered to do business in Massachusetts.
Projects must serve Priority Groups in Massachusetts. These include primarily residential renters and people disproportionately affected by COVID-19, the fossil-fuel energy system or environmental hazards such as poor air quality or heat. A group outside the listed categories can discuss recognition with MassCEC.
They also include Environmental Justice Populations: neighborhoods with median household income at most 65% of the statewide median; at least 40% minority residents; at least 25% of households lacking English proficiency; or at least 25% minority residents combined with municipal median household income at most 150% of the statewide median. A geographic portion of a neighborhood designated by the Secretary under law can also qualify. The RFP’s minority definition includes people identifying as Latino/Hispanic, Black/African American, Asian, Indigenous or otherwise non-white.
The template agreement limits spending to approved activities, excludes costs incurred before its effective date and requires financial records for seven years after final payment, and longer if needed to resolve an audit or other proceeding begun during that period. Improperly used funds must be refunded within 30 days of an audit and demand. Recipients must maintain appropriate insurance throughout the agreement and cannot use grant funds to influence matters before the Massachusetts General Court or for activities covered by the state’s legislative-agent and executive-agent lobbying rules. The template also calls for periodic project check-ins, a final outcome and lessons report, and a debrief call. Project public statements require MassCEC’s prior written consent.
How to apply
- Status
- zamknięte
- Otwiera się
- Zamyka się
- Warunki naboru
- FY26 intake is closed. Applications were reviewed as received through 11:59 pm on 26 March 2026.
The FY26 round is closed. Check the MassCEC EmPower programme page for future announcements; contact the programme team at empower@masscec.com for programme questions.
For FY26, applicants completed the Signature and Acceptance form and Innovation and Capacity Building application, confirming review of the template grant agreement. Both applicant and fiscal agent had to sign when a fiscal agent was used. The application could be submitted as a Word document by email to empower@masscec.com, or through the online portal with the signed form attached. Workforce-development proposals required a prior discussion with MassCEC to determine the best programme match.
MassCEC can discuss alternative application methods, such as video, where computer access, internet, software, language or writing barriers prevent an electronic application. Applications are subject to public disclosure; do not include confidential or sensitive information.