WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 16, 2024) - Power Forward Communities, a coalition of some of the country’s most trusted housing, climate, and community investment groups, was today officially awarded a $2 billion, seven-year National Clean Investment Fund (NCIF) grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). With funds expected to start flowing into homes in early 2025, the grant will make possible the affordable decarbonization of homes and apartments throughout the country, with a particular focus on low-income and disadvantaged communities. 

“We have the technology to improve the health, safety, and comfort of Americans’ 130 million homes, but before today, we have lacked a level of investment that can financially unlock these solutions,” said Tim Mayopoulos, CEO of Power Forward Communities and former CEO of Fannie Mae, the nation’s leading source of housing finance. “The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund is a game-changer, particularly for low-income and disadvantaged communities. It will not only drive the decarbonization of homes that the climate demands, but mobilize additional tens of billions of dollars of private capital to improve Americans’ homes.”

The coalition – led by Enterprise Community Partners, Rewiring America, Habitat for Humanity International, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and United Way Worldwide – came together to transform the housing sector, save homeowners and renters money, invest in stronger communities, and help meet national climate goals. With 42% of energy emissions nationwide stemming from fossil-fueled machines in our homes, from our cars, and from the power sources we choose, this grant provides needed capital to transform the marketplace for heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, induction stoves, solar panels, home battery systems, EV chargers, and wiring and weatherization upgrades that support them. The anticipated work of the coalition will also boost local economies by adding well-paid local jobs and providing families an average $550 in savings on energy annually, leaving more money for food, childcare, and savings for the future.

Enterprise Community Partners and LISC will make financial assistance widely available for multi-family development projects through new green financial products that include flexible debt financing and support to access tax credits. They will also provide training to developers, and in-depth technical assistance to developers and building owners. LISC will also support decarbonization efforts by leading a community-based workforce development strategy that connects historically excluded job-seekers to green career pathways and helps employers meet the historic demand for skilled workers. Habitat for Humanity will focus on bringing affordable, green homeownership opportunities to communities that otherwise wouldn’t have them. Rewiring America will orchestrate financing, financial assistance, and technical assistance to homeowners in specific markets, and will offer nationwide planning tools and resources, including cost savings and carbon emissions abatement projections to support household electrification at the single-family level. And with its deep ties in community engagement, United Way’s 2-1-1 Hotline and community navigators will connect community leaders and individuals to resources. 

Power Forward Communities is deploying market-changing strategies and resources to reduce the cost of electrifying and weatherizing homes, promote networks of skilled labor to install these upgrades, and deliver essential information to households and affordable housing owners and developers to help them take advantage of these opportunities to reduce emissions and improve the health, safety, and comfort of their properties.

Shaun Donovan, President and CEO, Enterprise Community Partners and co-chair of the Power Forward Communities board, said, “A safer, healthier, more affordable future–a future where families not only get by but thrive–begins today in our homes and in our communities. The Power Forward Communities coalition is helping shepherd such a future, and is committed to bringing all communities along as we combat rising housing costs and a rapidly changing climate.” 

“We now realize that the American household is at the center of the story of securing our climate future,” said Ari Matusiak, President and CEO, Rewiring America, and co-chair of the Power Forward Communities board.”  Unlike every other sector we must decarbonize, this part of the clean energy transition will be house by house, family by family. And when we can make going electric a whole lot easier, every family will be able to transform their homes and lives with better, healthier, higher-performing machines.”

“Climate resilience is economic resilience for individuals, families, and communities across the nation,” said Michael T. Pugh, President and CEO, LISC, and member of the Power Forward Communities board. “By investing in the health of our homes–particularly in communities that have been historically underserved and left behind in the transition to clean energy–we’ll not only help people better weather a changing climate, we’ll create quality jobs and career pathways that are relevant not just today but for generations to come.” 

Angela F. Williams, President and CEO, United Way Worldwide and member of the Power Forward Communities board, said, “Today, we have the unprecedented opportunity to make life healthier, more affordable, and more secure for families across the country. With United Way’s deep roots in communities across America, we have the relationships to help our neighbors successfully adapt to the challenges facing them, creating a lasting impact for generations to come.”

“A historic low supply of affordable homes has left millions of Americans struggling to find opportunities for homeownership, struggles that are compounded by a rapidly changing climate that is already deeply impacting communities across the country," said Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford, also a member of the Power Forward Communities board . “In partnership with the Power Forward Communities coalition, Habitat is tackling these challenges head on, helping to provide not only immediate shelter but affordable, long-term, resilient homes for millions of Americans.”

Power Forward Communities looks forward to announcing where it will begin its programming in early 2025. In the coming months, interested community organizations, governments, partners, and technical assistance providers can learn more by visiting powerforwardcommunities.org. 

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