Grants to Add to Your Funding Toolbelt in 2026
Happy New Year from the Arkansas Advanced Energy team. We have been made aware of the following timely grant opportunities that may be of interest to our members and workforce development partners. While these grants are not an ideal fit for our organization to pursue as a lead applicant, we first shared them with our institutional members and strategic partners, and now more broadly with the public. If you identify an opportunity that is a strong fit and could benefit from our team’s expertise, we would be glad to explore a partnership.
Municipal Workforce Learning Lab from National League of Cities and American Institutes for Research - due January 16, 2026
NLC is seeking three cities committed to enhancing their support for their municipal workforce to participate in an 8-month intensive action planning process to build city capacity to drive changes in policies, practices, and programs that advance economic opportunity for city residents and employees. Our workforce development team can support cities that may want to use this grant to hire staff related to energy.
Trust in Practice Awards from The Alliance for Social Trust, an initiative of the Aspen Institute, in partnership with Allstate - due January 30, 2026
This grant seeks to improve trust in communities. While this is certainly a thread within the work that we do, it is not our prime goal. AAEF has agreed to serve as a trusted technical resource to the Black Community Development and Chamber of Commerce of Arkansas Arkansas Black Mayor's Association by equipping them with clear, practical information on energy efficiency and renewable energy programs available to residents in their communities. AAEF will provide guidance on relevant state, local, and federal programs, including the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), local utility home energy efficiency offerings, federal HOMES residential energy efficiency rebates, and AAEF’s Consumer Guide to Solar for homeowners interested in solar and battery storage. In doing so, we are unable to join with other teams on this grant.
The Innovation Fund from The Workers Lab - due January 30, 2026
Mentorship, training, and funding for worker-centered innovation.
Climate Smart Communities Initiative for climate resilience projects - due March 2026
The program prioritizes funding for communities that include historically disinvested populations at increased risk to climate-related impacts. It is open to US-based project teams composed of a climate adaptation practitioner and representatives from a local or regional government entity and a community-based organization. Teams should be in place by the end of January to pursue this opportunity which awards grants from $75-115k.