Request for Applications for Community Grants Program

The Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) Community Grants Program provides capital funding and technical assistance to schools and community organizations located within the SVCE service territory to implement building electrification, transportation electrification, and energy resilience projects. The program allocates a total of $3.2 million in grants, with $2.2 million designated for school projects and $1 million for community organization projects.

Eligible applicants include public school districts, charter schools, private K-12 schools, community colleges, nonprofits, charitable organizations, and community services organizations. All applicants must be located in the SVCE service territory (Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Saratoga, Sunnyvale, and Unincorporated Santa Clara County), be current SVCE customers with at least five years of service history, and be able to enter into the SVCE standard grant agreement. Community organization applicants must hold 501(c)(3) designation or be fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) organization.

Eligible project categories include building electrification (heat pump water heaters, heat pump HVAC systems, induction cooktops, electric appliances), building energy resilience (solar paired with battery storage), and electric vehicles and infrastructure (Level 1, Level 2, and DCFC charging installations, make-ready charging spaces, and EV fleet procurement). All projects must include an educational component and allow community members to learn from and engage with the funded project. School applicants may request between $500,000 and $1 million, while community organization applicants may request between $300,000 and $1 million. No matching contribution is required. SVCE anticipates funding two to four school projects and one to three community organization projects.

Key deadlines include a pre-application webinar on April 16, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PT, pre-application questions due May 1, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. PT, and grant application submissions due July 22, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. PT. Award announcements are expected in September 2026, with grant agreements established at the earliest convenience. All project components must be completed by December 31, 2028. SVCE will disburse grant funds on a reimbursement basis after project completion, within 30 days of receiving complete payment requests.