Spring 2026

Earth Day is Every Day for Native People

Each year, Earth Day invites the world to reflect on our relationship with Mother Earth, to consider how we care for her, how we depend on her for survival, and how we can protect her for future generations. For Native communities, however, this reflection is not reserved for a single day. It is a lifelong responsibility rooted in cultural identity, spiritual belief, and ancestral knowledge that has been passed down from countless generations. 

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TEA Grant Programs

Tribal Energy Alternatives Awards $3.2 Million to Advance Tribal Solar Projects Across Indian Country 

Tribal Energy Alternatives (TEA), a Tribal-led affiliate of GRID Alternatives, proudly announces the award of $3.2 million in Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund (TSAF) Facility–Residential grant funding to 14 Tribal nations, organizations, and community-serving entities. These investments will support the expansion of solar energy access, workforce development, and long-term energy resilience across Tribal communities. 

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TEA Workforce and Education Programs

American Indian Higher Education Consortium Annual Conference

For the third consecutive year, members of our Workforce Development (WFD) team traveled to Bismarck North Dakota to attend the annual AIHEC conference. Danita Ordaz, Workforce Development Specialist, and Pamela Harvey, the Tribal Technical Trainer, spent three days tabling at the annual event which brings tribal colleges together from throughout Indian Country to celebrate Indian education and the achievements and innovation of TCU students and staff. While there, TEA staff engaged with Leadership Program participants renewable energy student projects. These projects are a primary learning component of program initiatives which coincides with our Workforce programing to include: Installation Basics Training, Summer Energy Associates, Tribal Energy Innovators Fellowship and scholarships and internships. WFD staff also got to network with staff members at partner institutions and hear more about their renewable energy goals. 

Upcoming Webinar on May 6, 2026 @ 1pm MST

Click Here to Register for the Webinar or Scan the QR Code 

TEA Construction

Project Completion in Oklahoma with Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes

In March 2026, the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes in Oklahoma celebrated a meaningful step forward in community-led clean energy with a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new solar initiative funded by TSAF and supported by Tribal Energy Alternatives Construction and Workforce Trainee programs.

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TEA Policy and Advocacy

Advocating for Tribal Communities and Sustainable Energy Future on Capital Hill

March, 18, 2026, Washington DC – Tribal Energy Alternatives (TEA), the first Native-led affiliate of GRID Alternatives, is intensifying advocacy on Capitol Hill to ensure that Tribal communities are not left behind in the nation’s clean energy transition. Upon receiving an invitation to provide testimony at the Senate roundtable on rising energy prices, TEA reaffirmed its commitment to restoring critical investments in Tribal energy access, specifically addressing the loss of funding from the termination of EPA’s Solar for All Program. 

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TEA California Resources Program

California Funding Opportunities

Tribal Energy Alternatives (TEA) centers on expanding access to renewable energy for Native American communities throughout California by partnering with Tribal Nations. Our resources and opportunities help implement solar energy projects and other renewable energy projects that not only reduce energy costs but also support sustainability and energy independence for tribal members. 

Click Here for a List of Current California Funding Opportunities 

What should funders know about TEA's work?

The renewable energy future across Indian Country is dependent on Tribal-led renewable energy organizations like TEA. We bring equitable access to philanthropic funding, we are deeply rooted in cultural values and our staff come from the tribal communities we serve, and we understand how to partner with tribes in unfavorable and favorable renewable energy states. TEA recognizes that sustaining impact requires evolving how we lead, from being a hands-on builder and problem solver to becoming a strategic systems tribal affiliate of GRID Alternatives who can guide long-term transformation in the clean energy ecosystem.

To learn more, please contact TEA Co-Executive Director,
Tanksi Clairmont