Impact Investment Goldmine: Meet the 862 Clean Energy Projects in Search of Funding
We analyzed 862 clean energy projects that missed out on federal funding to learn what state and local leaders want in their backyards.
Maintaining Momentum
CPRG Implementation Grant Project Inventory
Project pipelines and resources to match clean energy projects with funding.
RMI reviewed 299 applications that states, cities, tribes, and territories from across the United States submitted to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) implementation grants program.. Spanning electricity generation, transportation, buildings, industry, waste, agriculture, and natural lands, these proposals have no shortage of ambition or range.
RMI broke down these largely comprehensive, cross-sectoral applications into unique projects and identified 862 unique and unfunded clean energy projects, leaving major energy savings, clean technology development, and job potential waiting to be tapped.
The CPRG Implementation Grant Application Inventory offers clean energy sponsors, developers, investors, and advocates:
Use the high level CPRG Implementation Application Project Inventory table below to sift through projects by name, state, lead applicant, measure type, amount of funding, and emission reduction potential by 2050, as well as to connect you to the full application. Or access the Comprehensive CPRG Implementation Grant Project Inventory Spreadsheet for more project details, such as partner implementing agencies, additional potential funding sources, and benefits to Low-Income and Disadvantaged Communities (LIDAC) as indicated by applicants in their proposals. See Exhibit 1 for the full list of search filters from this spreadsheet.
To learn more about these projects and options to finance them, explore these related resources:
What Investors Have to Gain from America’s Backlog of Clean Energy Projects
RMI reviewed 862 project plans to shine a light on shovel-ready, community-centered, and profitable clean energy investment opportunities.
Alternative Financing Decision Trees for Common Clean Energy Projects
Helping to plan and complete the capital stack for fleet electrification, building efficiency, community solar, and other clean energy projects.
Exhibit 1 explains how RMI broke down these often comprehensive applications into their unique clean energy projects and how to search for them.
| CPRG Result | Whether project was awarded CPRG implementation funding or not. |
| Application ID and Link to Full Application | EPA designated application number and links to the full CPRG implementation grant application. |
| Lead Applicant | The lead agency (e.g., North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality or Somerset County, New Jersey) who submitted the application. |
| Type of Entity | What level of governance (e.g., state agency, municipality, regional organization, or university) led the application. |
| State(s) Where Project Would Be Located | Which state(s) proposed project would be implemented. |
| Sector (as identified by RMI) | RMI strove to classify each project by the most appropriate, single sector (e.g., Buildings or Industry) by identifying the type of emissions it was designed to most directly reduce. Projects centered on building administrative capacity, education campaigns, or other strategies that do not reduce emissions from a specific sector were identified as Cross-Cutting. |
| Measure Type (as identified by RMI) | RMI strove to classify each project by its most appropriate, single measure (e.g., Support development or expansion of community solar programs or expand urban forests and/or green spaces). The roughly 30 measures assigned are based on those EPA used in their Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) Directory. |
| Project Name (as cited in the application) | How the applicant refers to the project in their application. Although rare, some applicants did not provide descriptive project names to indicate what a specific amount of funding requested would help implement. |
| Project Summary (as cited in the application) | How the applicant summarizes the proposed project. RMI pulled this directly from the application. |
| Partner Implementing Agencies (as cited in the application) | Who the main co-applicants are. RMI strove to indicate those most responsible for managing the project and distributing the funding if successfully awarded a CPRG grant. Most applications include more partners than those listed as formal co-applicants. These often include utilities, developers, labor groups, research and community organizations. To find these, review the letters of support provided in the full application. |
| Total Funding Requested per Application | The total amount requested from CPRG in the application this project was proposed. |
| Funding Requested per Project | Indicates the amount this specific project requested from CPRG to implement. |
| Total Funding Awarded | For successful CPRG applications, the amount awarded. |
| Emissions Reduction Potential by 2050 | The project's estimated cumulative emissions reduction potential between 2025-2050, measured in million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e). |
| Additional Potential Funding Sources (as cited in the application) | What, if any, other sources the applicant indicated they were seeking or had secured funding for the proposed project. See the full application for all identified internal and external funding sources. These details occur throughout an application as opposed to just the budget narrative where RMI pulled this text. |
| Multi-State Application | How many states this project would be implemented in. |
| Location | Indicates the state(s) and specific MSA(s) or tribal area(s) the project will be implemented in. Applicants often indicate multiple locations or statewide. |
| Latitude | A central latitude for the proposed project to help users map this dataset. |
| Longitude | A central longitude for the proposed project to help users map this dataset. |
| EPA Region(s) | Which EPA region(s) the project will be implemented in. Helps organize projects regionally. |
| LIDAC Benefits (as cited in the application) | What, if any, other benefits the proposed project will have for Low-Income and Disadvantaged Communities (LIDACs). See the full application for all identified benefits. These details occur throughout an application as opposed to just the summary where RMI pulled this text. |
| Projected Cumulative Emission Reductions by 2050 (MMTCO2e) | The project's estimated cumulative emissions reduction potential between 2025-2050, measured in million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e). |
Please contact states@rmi.org if you are interested in learning more about Maintaining Momentum.