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Here are notable new grant awards compiled by the Chronicle:$100 million commitment to the Indigenous Power and Light Fund for Energy Sovereignty, which is seeking to raise money to advance clean energy projects led by Native American tribes and Alaska Native communities.

A new philanthropic fund has launched to help tribes pay for clean energy projects. The investment fund could help tribes unlock tens of millions in federal money. But, according to Chéri Smith with the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy, Indigenous peoples often don’t have the money to pay for those projects’ upfront costs, like feasibility studies and permits. “It's kind of like the feds say, ‘Hey, tribes, here's some money, go eat at this amazing restaurant. Here's the menu. Here's 75 and everything on that menu is a hundred dollars or more,’” said Smith.

The nonprofit Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy announced a $100 million energy sovereignty fund aimed at breaking down financial barriers that have long stalled tribal clean energy projects. Announced during the Clinton Global Initiative 2024 annual meeting in New York City on Tuesday, the new Indigenous Power & Light Fund for Energy Sovereignty is a collaborative effort between the Alliance and several leading philanthropic organizations, including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Lemelson Foundation.

Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy, in collaboration with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The Lemelson Foundation, has launched the Indigenous Power & Light Fund for Energy Sovereignty at the Clinton Global Initiative 2024 Annual Meeting, where the Fund is being featured by the Clinton Foundation as a Commitment to Action. With an initial goal of $100 million, this revolving fund has the potential to unlock billions in federal funding.

FERC will consult with tribes about whether the commission should conduct a rulemaking to ease certain generation interconnection requirements for “tribal energy development organizations. The consultation via two meetings to be held in October and November are in response to a petition from the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy. The group asked FERC to allow tribal energy organizations to be able to defer paying commercial readiness deposits for generator interconnection requests until large generator interconnection agreements are executed.

What does a ‘just’ transition away from fossil fuels actually mean for Indigenous communities? At the APEC Multistakeholder Forum (AMF), organized by the Commonwealth Club World Affairs, Ray Suarez sat down with Chéri A. Smith, a renewable energy expert and Mi’kmaq descendant. They discussed how the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy is working to combat energy poverty, bring solar to Indigenous communities and secure Native people a seat at the clean energy development table. Guest: Chéri A. Smith, founder, president and CEO of the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy

Stantec also announced it met the first-year terms of its Sustainability-Linked Loan and donated the accumulated savings to Indigenous-led nonprofits addressing climate action. With guidance from the Company’s Indigenous Relations teams, the following nonprofit organizations were selected to receive these donations: Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy (United States), First Nations Clean Energy Network (Australia), Indigenous Clean Energy (Canada), Indigenous Housing Partnership, Habitat for Humanity (Canada), Te Tira Whakamātaki (New Zealand).

Tribal leaders are being invited to weigh in on proposed tax regulation rules that could impact their nations’ access to clean energy tax credits. In a letter issued last week, United States Treasurer Chief Lynn Malerba (Mohegan) invited tribal leaders to an upcoming consultation where they can offer input on proposed final rules that affect how tribal governments and other eligible entities can benefit from tax credits.

More than 700 participants gathered on Feb. 27-28 at the tribally owned Pechanga Resort Casino in southern California, meeting with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Department of Energy (DOE) representatives. Live-streamed panels were accessible online for both the first day and second day. Granholm was on hand to announce more than $400 million in new funding for renewable energy projects, many of them tribal.