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SEPTEMBER 2019
Greetings, friends! Welcome to the Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund (TSAF),
We are a small, tribal-led staff committed to serving, supporting, and strengthening American Indian/Alaska Native tribal communities by investing in solar energy development and sustainability through grant-making, building relationships in Indian Country, and connecting with the solar industry.
Please learn more about the TSAF team by clicking the below.
TSAF Updates
TSAF Project Spotlight - Spokane Indian Housing Authority
From May - September 2019, the tribal program made a temporary home in Wellpinit, WA on the Spokane Indian Reservation for the “Children of the Sun Solar Initiative” (COSSI) where they installed 650kW of solar for 23 homes and nine Tribal community buildings. The COSSI project will eventually add battery storage, which will all together save more than $2.8 million over 35 years. The tribal team led by Tim Willink and Wyatt Atkinson provided hands-on solar installation training for Spokane Tribal employees and community members to build tribal capacity in operations and maintenance. In May 2019, the COSSI project hosted a “ground-breaking” event for tribal leaders and project partners to celebrate the beginning of a clean energy future, and to hear and see firsthand how this project can be replicated in other tribal communities across Indian Country. COSSI worked diligently to leverage multiple funding resources to complete the $2 million project. The COSSI was the first project selected to receive funding from the Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund (TSAF) in 2018.
For additional information and articles on the COSSI, click the button below.
2019 TSAF grantees
The TSAF 2019-2020 awards totaled $1.5 million, which was a mere 20% of the $7.3 million in application request received by the TSAF. Each applicant completed multiple narrative sections, a project timeline, a project budget, and submitted a timely letter of support from their tribal council or board of directors. There were so many great applications from across Indian Country that we hope to provide funding for in the future! To see a full list of 2019-2020 TSAF grantees, please Read Here
What's next for TSAF?
Tribal Energy Innovators - a $10,000 grant, technical assistance and resources to federally recognized tribal members or tribal groups to support the development of innovative ideas and the use of problem-solving processes that lead to sustainable renewable energy solutions for a tribal community.
The American Indian College Fund (College Fund) and GRID Alternatives (GRID) are pleased to propose a partnership that will expand access for Tribal College and University (TCU) students to provide support for educational achievement, project-based learning opportunities, and career development pathways in renewable energy, particularly in the solar industry.
GRID TRIBAL PROGRAM UPDATES
GRID's National Tribal Team spent 4-months on the Spokane Indian Reservation installing solar on 8 Tribal buildings and 23 homes, totaling 650kW. Our team worked with the weatherization and maintenance staff from the Spokane Indian Housing Authority and the Tribe on the installs to gain valuable hands on experience.
In August, we welcomed three Solar-corps Fellows, Josh Castillo and Nick Ashley from the Navajo Nation, and Marie Kills Warrior from the Oglala Lakota Nation. We are excited they have joined the team!
Looking ahead....
The team will be heading to the Rosebud Sioux Nation in October 2019 to install 13 residential rooftop PV systems, in addition to a 200kW ground mount that will offset approximately 40% of electrical usage on 17 eligible tribal homes.
TSAF in the News
Wells Fargo Stories
Wells Fargo, GRID Alternatives and the Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund powering tribal communities
Inside Philanthropy
A Bank’s Gifts for Solar Power in Native Communities Raise Hard Questions
TSAF Grants for Clean Energy
Over a dozen tribes selected for funding from Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund for new clean energy projects
About the Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund
GRID Alternatives’ National Tribal Program has worked since 2010 to help tribal communities across the United States achieve their renewable energy goals. Using a community-centric approach to partner with tribes to identify, develop, finance and implement solar power projects that meet community needs, including education, hands-on training, and energy cost reductions for tribal members.
GRID Alternatives Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund received a 3-year, $5 million grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation to support and provide new, independent funding to tribes for renewable energy projects. This concept and program scope is an extension of GRID’s National Tribal Program. GRID has a long-standing partnership with the Wells Fargo Foundation, which has supported the national expansion of GRID’s renewable energy access work since 2012.
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