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December 2025
A Year of Transformation, Resilience, and Renewed Purpose at Tribal Energy Alternatives
As we close out the year, Tribal Energy Alternatives (TEA) stands at a defining moment in our organization’s story, one shaped by major transitions, new opportunities, and the resilient spirit of the Tribal communities we serve. What began as the National Tribal Program at GRID Alternatives has now evolved into Tribal Energy Alternatives, GRID’s first-ever Tribal-led affiliate. This marks an org-wide historical milestone and TEA’s pivotal movement toward Tribal energy sovereignty nationwide. This rebrand reflects far more than a name change; it represents a commitment to self-determination, culturally grounded leadership, and direct community empowerment across Indian Country.
This year also brought significant challenges and change, including:
- The loss of Western Indigenous Network’s $62.4 Million dollars due to termination of the EPA Solar For All Program which had adverse impact to 2,900+ tribal households and 191 tribes across the six-state region of California, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada.
- 2025 saw the expansion of TEA programming including: Grants, Policy, and Workforce Development & Education programming.
- 3rd annual Tribal Sustainability Summit was held at the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in Minnesota featuring TEA tribal program awardees and industry professionals from throughout Indian Country.
- Formation of the Tribal Energy Alternatives Board of Directors comprised of Tribal sustainable energy leaders.
This year has demonstrated that transformation is possible even in the face of uncertainty. TEA’s evolution into a Tribal-led affiliate, our expanding regional impact, and the anticipated growth of our installation capacity are powerful signs of the future we are building together. With your support, we can ensure that progress continues, stronger, more resilient, and more community-driven than ever before.
Join us! Stand with Tribal communities and invest in clean energy projects and programs with capital and partnership.
For more program and project details let's explore how our values and missions align, contact the Tribal Energy Alternatives Co-Executive Director
Tanksi Clairmont at tclairmont@gridalternatives.org
Tribal Energy Alternatives Awards $3.6 Million to 26 Tribes Through the TSAF Grant Program
Tribal Energy Alternatives (TEA) proudly announces the award of $3.6 million in grants through its Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund (TSAF) program, supporting 26 Tribal Nations and organizations across the United States. The funding will advance clean energy development, build local capacity, and strengthen Tribal sovereignty through sustainable energy solutions.
TEA Workforce Program is Building the Next Generation of Indigenous Clean-Energy Leaders
In a year marked by new challenges in the renewable energy industry across Indian Country, the Tribal Energy Alternatives (TEA) Education and Workforce Development Program continued to expand their impact in 2025. The Workforce Development team implemented initiatives geared toward empowering Native communities with the skills, tools, and opportunities needed to lead in the energy transition and support energy sovereignty.
TEA’s Education and Workforce Development team implemented programming through on-the job construction training, Installation Basics Training (IBT) Cohorts, professional development and learning opportunities, as well as specialized programming for Tribal College and University students and faculty.
Solar for 22 Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Families
Trainees from the Ute Mountain Ute along with TEA staff members proudly celebrate another successful project install.
The Tribal Construction Program recently completed a solar installation project featuring a total of 118.89 kW-DC installed on 19 homes in Towaoc, Colorado, and 3 homes in White Mesa, Utah, directly benefiting 22 Tribal families across two communities on Ute Mountain Ute tribal homelands.
For many households, this project represents long-overdue relief from high utility costs as well as a step toward greater resilience and energy independence. The installations will help stabilize monthly energy expenses while reducing reliance on external power sources, an especially meaningful achievement for communities historically excluded from clean-energy development.
What makes this project particularly unique is the community’s deep commitment to seeing it through. Despite funding delays and shifting priorities at the federal level, including the loss of Solar For All funding that impacted many Tribal energy efforts nationwide, Ute Mountain Ute leadership and TEA stayed the course. The result: families finally receiving the solar benefits they were promised, and a clear demonstration of what consistent Tribal-led advocacy can achieve.
United Indians of All Tribes Foundation: Solar at Daybreak Star Cultural Center in Seattle, WA
The Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, located in Seattle, WA
In Seattle, TEA partnered with the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation to install 60.75 kW-DC of solar at the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, a landmark that has long served as a gathering place, cultural hub, and home for Native education programs.
This off-reservation installation will significantly reduce the center’s energy costs, with savings being reinvested directly into community services—including cultural programming, events, and the on-site preschool that supports Native youth and families in the Seattle area. The impact extends beyond energy savings: it strengthens a community institution that has served generations and continues to be a place of healing, identity, and connection.
A fun behind-the-scenes moment:
During construction, the crew split into two teams for a friendly competition. One solar array was built from the bottom up, and the other from the top down, with everyone racing to see who could finish first. The good-natured challenge brought humor and camaraderie to the jobsite and the photos from this moment capture the spirit of teamwork that defines TEA’s construction program.
Looking Ahead
Across all three sites, these projects exemplify what TEA stands for: practical climate solutions rooted in Tribal values, delivered with hands-on training, community engagement, and long-term vision. Each installation, whether on a family home or a cultural center, moves us closer to a future where Native communities shape their own energy destiny.
This work continues only because supporters believe in Tribal-led clean-energy transformation. As TEA navigates a year of significant challenges and loss of key national funding sources, your support is more important than ever. These projects show what’s possible, now we must ensure many more communities have the same opportunity.
Tribes Do Not Need a Greenlight to Build Renewable Energy
Staff Opinion. This article examines how outdated policies and practices of rural electric cooperatives continue to impede Tribal renewable energy projects, despite Tribes’ inherent sovereignty over energy decisions on their lands. Using the Upper Sioux Indian Community’s solar project as a case study, it highlights the critical role Public Utilities Commissions play—and often fail to play—in respecting Tribal authority, addressing inequities, and reforming regulatory processes. The piece calls for structural change to ensure Tribal Nations can develop clean energy without unnecessary barriers and affirms that renewable energy development on Tribal lands is an internal Tribal matter.
California: 2025 A Year of Achievements
In 2025, Tribal Energy Alternatives California Resources strengthened its role as a vital connector among Tribal Nations, GRID Alternatives’ California Regional Offices, and state government partners. Serving as a trusted intermediary, the resources helped shape and execute broad strategies that advance Tribal energy sovereignty while ensuring that support services remain culturally grounded and community-driven.
Strengthening Tribal Engagement and Energy Pathways
Throughout the year, the CA Resources collaborated closely with federally recognized Tribes and Tribal organizations to understand energy challenges, priorities, and long-term resilience goals. These ongoing conversations informed targeted outreach and project development efforts carried out in partnership with GRID’s regional offices. Support included customized technical assistance, informational presentations, and expanded access to funding opportunities ranging from grants to policy advocacy resources.
CA Resources also provided coordination assistance on interconnection challenges, facilitating communication between GRID regional offices and Investor-Owned Utilities to address barriers to clean energy deployment on Tribal lands.
Collaborative Grants Awarded in 2025
California Resources supported multiple successful Tribal-led grant efforts, resulting in significant new investments for energy resilience and workforce development:
California Jobs First Initiative – RII Tribal Investment Phase
• Owens Valley Career Development Center — $1,995,136
• Berry Creek Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California — $1,510,550
California Jobs First Initiative – Redwood Rise Catalyst Funds
• Hoopa Tiny Homes Miniboxes — $331,702
These investments reflect expanding statewide support for Tribal-driven clean energy, housing innovation, workforce training, and facility upgrades.
Policy Collaboration and Advocacy
In 2025, CA Resources also contributed policy comments to the California Energy Commission on Draft Guidelines for the Equitable Building Decarbonization (EBD) Tribal Direct Install Program (Docket 22-DECARB-03). This engagement ensures that Tribal priorities remain central as California develops decarbonization programs intended to increase access, equity, and clean energy benefits for Tribal communities.
