Open Request for Proposals: 

Support a healthy climate and vote on I-2117 in Washington State

Background:

Clean & Prosperous America (CaPA) believes that effective leadership and policies at both local and national levels are crucial for achieving a healthy climate and a healthy economy. That’s why CaPA is funding grassroots organizations using creative strategies and personal connections to turn out voters that want to take action on Climate. While CaPA’s main grantmaking program – the Strategic Grassroots Empowerment Fund –  is focused on competitive national battlegrounds, this open Request for Proposals will evaluate organizations for funding that can field non-partisan and partisan voter-engagement programs throughout Washington State.

This November, Initiative 2117 will be on all Washingtonian’s ballots. And if passed, it would repeal the Climate Commitment Act (CCA), which is currently considered the gold-standard of U.S. climate policies. The Climate Commitment Act establishes a Cap-and-Invest program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and funds air quality improvement and other community benefits programs.

The CCA is currently raising funding for home energy rebates, residential heat pump installations, EV charging stations, electrified ferries, dairy digesters, on-farm fuel saving measures, fish barrier removal projects, and more. However, if I-2117 passes, it will roll back protections for air, water, forests and farmlands while reducing investments in good jobs, public transportation, road maintenance and more. We need informed voters engaging in conversations with their friends and families about these issues, and a strong voter turnout this November to defeat I-2117. 

What CaPA’s Funding:

CaPA’s non-partisan grants are designed to support non-profit organizations, often 501(c)3’s, interested in educating their community about the importance of climate action and the WA Climate Commitment Act (CCA). Educational efforts may include explaining the community benefits this existing legislation creates that are at risk of elimination if the CCA legislature were to be repealed. CaPA also funds non-partisan voter registration efforts and encourages 501(c)3 entities to leverage their memberships and various contact lists to boost voter registration and voter participation in WA this November.

CaPA’s political grants support 501(c)4, WA State PAC’s, and Federal PAC’s that want to take a No position on I-2117 and/or support pro-climate candidates and implement related Get Out the Vote programming within their community. 

CaPA is very open to supporting unconventional organizations and programs to engage this important voter education and activation work in Washington State this year.

Current Requests for Proposals

OPEN and actively seeking proposals 

Who We’re Funding:

CaPA accepts proposals from 501(c)3, 501(c)4 and PAC organizations. While we support a diverse range of organizations and tactics, we generally prioritize programs that are:

  • Community-based and grassroots
  • Focused primarily on direct voter contact (e.g. doors, phones, texts, and relational organizing) rather than indirect voter contact (TV, radio, digital, etc.)
  • Led by and engaging constituencies historically marginalized or under-contacted, including but not limited to communities of color, working class, indigenous people, youth, veterans, people with disabilities, LBGTQ individuals, and immigrants
  • Organizations under-the-radar of more established funding partners and coalitions
  • Service and issue-based organizations that don’t regularly engage in electoral activities but have large memberships, put on large events, or otherwise have the ability to deliver warm contacts to voters that know and trust the organization for other reasons. 

Connecting with our team:

If you have questions, please email CaPA’s Grant Program Director, Page Atcheson, at page@cleanprosperousamerica.org. Due to limited capacity, we are generally unable to hold unsolicited 1:1 calls with prospective grantees and encourage you to apply for funding through this RFP process rather than requesting a meeting. We look forward to learning about your work and connecting with you for more information as appropriate.