Bend gets second grant to finish energy action project

The city of Bend has qualified for a second matching grant from Partners for Places, a national matching grant program that invests in local projects to promote a healthy environment, a strong economy and well-being of all residents. Funding will support the city continuing to work with the community to increase energy efficiency and reduce fossil fuel consumption.

In July, the city, in partnership with The Environmental Center and The Oregon Community Foundation select Donor Advised Funds, asked Partners for Places for continued support of the Bend Community Climate Action Planning project, which is engaging diverse voices in creating a community climate action plan that balances equity, efficiency, economic development and meaningful climate benefits.

“We are grateful to receive this ongoing support from Partners for Places and look forward to completing Bend’s first community-wide climate action plan in 2019. This funding enabled us to hire a staff member who is leading a community engagement effort to develop strategies that are right for Bend,” said Bend City Manager Eric King.

This project stems from a September 2016 Bend City Council Climate Action Resolution that established goals to reduce community-wide fossil fuel use by 40 percent by 2030 and 70 percent by 2050 and called for development of a community climate action plan.

Partners for Places recently announced it will provide an additional $42,500 grant to the 2017 grant award of $50,000. An additional matching grant of $42,500 has been awarded from OCF Donor Advised Funds, a program that allows OCF donors to identify causes that matter to them and recommend OCF grant support in collaboration with other donors. OCF Donor Advised Funds also matched the original $50,000 2017 grant award from Partners for Places.

“We are very grateful for OCF donor families who have once again stepped forward with funding support for this community planning effort,” said Mike Riley, executive director of The Environmental Center, the nonprofit organization designated to receive the matching grant funds. “We are also seeing continued support from our local community and have raised an additional $10,000 this fall, completing the fundraising needed for the second year of this project.”

The planning process is in its first year of a two-year period, at a total project cost of approximately $350,000.

Project funding for the first year came from Partners for Places, OCF Donor Advised Funds, funds raised by TEC from the community and the City’s budget.

With the funds, the city hired a new Sustainability Coordinator in April to manage the development of the community climate action plan and public engagement process, hired Good Company to conduct a community-scale greenhouse gas emissions inventory, formed a Council-appointed 13-member volunteer Climate Action Steering Committee, and contracted outside support to help the committee identify a vision, objectives and an initial list of actions that seek to achieve the fossil fuel reduction goals in the 2016 council resolution.

In addition to Bend, Partners for Places has committed to matching grant awards to teams from Denver, CO; Hartford, CT; New Bedford, MA; Portland, OR; and Sarasota County and City, FL.