News Release
GRID Alternatives
GRID Alternatives a national leader in providing access to clean, affordable renewable energy, received a $12 million multi-year grant from the Bezos Earth Fund to grow the scope and scale of the Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund. The Fund is a tribal-led program that partners with tribal communities across the United States to develop their renewable energy capacity and expand solar job opportunities. GRID Alternatives has partnered with tribes since 2010, working alongside local leadership to address the unique needs of each tribal community, and increase energy resilience and sovereignty. Launched in 2020, the Bezos Earth Fund is a $10 billion commitment to fund scientists, activists, NGOs, and private-sector entities that are taking critical action to combat the climate crisis, preserve and protect the natural world, and support climate justice.
The Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund (TSAF) works in alignment with tribes to bring technical, financial, and cultural resources to support their projects and address their unique challenges and opportunities. With the Earth Fund’s support, the Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund will have the essential resources to scale up its impact, reaching more tribal communities, training more individuals, cultivating local tribal leadership, and building capacity for a long-term transition to a sustainable energy future. In addition, the Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund will expand its scope by exploring new technologies, such as clean mobility and battery storage to advance climate resilience and energy independence, as well as encourage a national tribal community dialogue around renewable energy that enables tribes to learn from each other. The Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund addresses the challenges that climate change presents and realizes the opportunities that renewable energy innovations bring for tribal communities nationwide.
“There is a long history of extractive energy exploitation in Indigenous communities and the Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund was created to support tribes in developing and owning renewable energy infrastructure (solar, battery storage, microgrid, clean mobility) that will lead to their respective energy resilience and energy sovereignty goals,” said Tanksi Clairmont (Sicangu Lakota/Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate), Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund Director.
“We are thankful to the Bezos Earth Fund for this opportunity to catalyze the growth of solar energy and expand solar job opportunities in tribal communities across the United States,” said Adam Bad Wound (Oglala Lakota), Vice President of Philanthropy and Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund Founder. “This gift will increase tribal renewable energy access and generation while decreasing carbon emissions, reducing economic and energy leakage to keep the benefits within the tribal community, strengthening and enhancing tribal capacity for renewable energy planning and development, and uplifting and supporting tribal energy leaders and youth in renewable energy.”
About Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund
Since 2010, GRID Alternatives has partnered with tribes in a community-centric approach to increase renewable energy capacity, resilience, and energy sovereignty. Founded in 2018, the Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund (TSAF) builds on this work to provide grants that catalyze the growth of solar energy and expand solar job opportunities in tribal communities across the United States. Our vision for Indian Country is a transition to energy sovereignty that is educational, entrepreneurial, and completely renewable. To further expand access to renewable energy in tribal communities, the Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund welcomes new donors and partnerships to contribute to the fund. For more information, visit tribalsolar.org.
