Evergreen Options Grant Program

Sample Grant Application and Supporting Documents

When the application opens for 2027:

• You must fill out this form completely to be considered for funding.
• You must include this form AND your grant proposal in the same document.
• Grant proposals are not to exceed 30 pages.

This is an  SAMPLE Grant Agreement for you to see as an example of how to provide a grant proposal that addresses all required elements needed for the application.

Grant Eligibility and Requirements

Who can apply

Eligible applicants must be one of the following:

• A registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
• A nonprofit academic institution
• A government agency
• A public agency

Grant recipients must be enrolled in Evergreen Options at the time the grant is awarded.

Past Evergreen Options grant recipients may apply for another grant after three years.

Join Evergreen Options

Eligible projects

Projects should build awareness of renewable energy and highlight the benefits of participating in the Evergreen Options program.

Projects must include one or more of the following renewable energy technologies:

• Wind
• Solar
• Geothermal
• Landfill gas
• Wave or tidal energy
• Biomass
• Qualified hydropower
• Gas produced during wastewater treatment

Projects should also help build awareness of renewable energy and demonstrate benefits to the community.

If you are considering a solar project, a site evaluation can help determine whether the location is suitable and provide useful information for developing your proposal.

What kinds of projects are most competitive?

We look for proposals that:

• Provide clear community benefits
• Are ready to move forward
• Have a realistic funding plan
• Use innovative or multiple renewable energy technologies
• Include educational value or community outreach

How applications are evaluated

Tacoma Power evaluates grant applications using five weighted criteria:

• Community benefits — 40%
• Project readiness — 20%
• Costs and funding — 20%
• Innovation — 10%
• Overall application — 10%

What Grant Funding Can be Used For

Grant recipients may receive up to $50,000 toward eligible equipment purchase and installation costs.

Grant funding cannot be used for:

• Estimates
• Administrative costs
• Site improvements

Project Requirements

Grant Recipients must:

• Be enrolled in Evergreen Options at the time of the award
• Complete the project within 24 months of the award
• Complete a grant agreement with Tacoma Power.

If the organization does not own the property where the project will be installed, it must provide approval from the property owner.

Tacoma Power provides 30% of the grant award after receiving the executed grant agreement. The remaining funding is provided after the project is complete and verified.

Additional Resources

Nonprofits Spark Northwest and Bonneville Environmental Foundation partner with organizations looking to develop renewable energy projects that benefit limited-income communities and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)-led organizations, providing technical assistance for projects what align with their missions. Their services include:

• Project development support
• General solar education for community members
• Site assessments and feasibility studies
• Financial modeling for projects
• Connecting with solar contractors and installers
• Grant application support

For more information, use the contact information below:

• Spark Northwest – connect@sparknorthwest.org
• Bonneville Environmental Foundation – renewables@b-e-f.org

Past Grant Recipients

2025

The Metropolitan Development Council (MDC)

Since 1964, MDC has been a key community advocate in Pierce County, empowering people through programs rooted in inclusion, equity, and opportunity. They’re nationally recognized for innovative initiatives like:

• Housing First
• Healthcare for the Homeless
• College Bound
• Educational Opportunity Center

Every year, MDC serves more than 20,000 individuals through over 40 programs focused on housing, healthcare, education, and employment. Here are just a couple of examples:

• Weatherization Assistance
  • Helping families improve energy efficiency and safety in their homes through insulation, furnace repairs, and energy education.
• Drive to Achieve
  • A mobile program that supports adults returning to school with college planning, financial aid guidance, and career counseling.

What’s the Project? Bringing Solar Power to MDC

Thanks to the Evergreen Options grant, MDC is installing a 40kW solar array on their building at 721 Fawcett Ave. This project will:

• Reduce MDC’s carbon footprint
• Lower energy costs
• Free up more funding for vital community programs

And the best part? The system is modular, so MDC can expand it in the future for even greater impact. It’s not just solar—it’s a smarter, more sustainable way forward.

2024

Project Overview

The Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center

 The Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center is a cornerstone agency in Pierce County, dedicated to empowering and uplifting diverse communities. Founded, led, and staffed predominantly by BIPOC individuals, their mission is to educate, empower, and provide opportunities for the enrichment of our community. They offer 42 community care programs, including subsidized childcare, fostering growth and development among families.

Their renewable energy project will use the $50,000 Evergreen Options grant to install a solar array on their childcare facility to enhance the building’s functionality as a Pierce County Resiliency Hub. The site is in the Hilltop neighborhood and its location ensures their services are easily accessible to individuals and families seeking support and resources. This project establishes a commitment to environmental sustainability and resilience but also demonstrates their dedication to serving vulnerable communities by providing a safe haven during emergencies. 

2023

Project Overview

The Shalom Project

The Shalom Project is a partnership between Peace Lutheran in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood and St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in West Tacoma. Their renewable energy project will use the $50,000 Evergreen Options grant, and other funding sources, to install a solar array on three low-income houses in the Hilltop neighborhood, which operate as part of a low-income housing initiative. The grant will also go towards installing 249 400-watt solar panels on the roof of St. Mark’s. This project will have an exciting, broader impact on the community and directly impact the families in the three low-income houses by reducing their utility burden. 

Learn more about The Shalom Project by visiting their website.

2021

Project Overview

Located on the Greater Christ Temple Church campus, the Oasis of Hope Center provides a wide range of services and programs that are critical to the surrounding community. As an anchor institution in the Black/African American community, Oasis of Hope is firmly committed to serving the community. 

The center is a 20,000+ square foot facility designed to be a spiritual, educational, and recreational resource for the youth and adults in need in the surrounding Tacoma and Hilltop community. This facility was entirely funded by Greater Christ Temple Church members, individuals, and local businesses. Over the past 17 years, Oasis of Hope Center has served close to 70,000 people from families to individuals needing all types of assistance from counseling, childcare, funeral services, after school programs and much more. Oasis of Hope serves approximately 3,500-5,000 per year. 

With a $50,000 Evergreen Options grant and an additional $45,000 grant from the Tudor Foundation, Oasis of Hope installed 31.68 kW solar array on the roof of the Center demonstrating commitment to environmental sustainability and climate action and championing renewable energy in the community.   

Learn more about Oasis of Hope by visiting their website.

Project Overview

The Mountaineers is a longtime leader in the arena of outdoor education, recreation, conservation and advocacy.  They have 1,600 members in the Tacoma area and engage youth and adults of all ages in opportunities that help them connect with and protect the outdoors. As an organization they are deeply committed to investing resource in projects that reduce their carbon footprint and support the health of the planet.    

The Mountaineers partnered with Artisan Electric to install a 29.7 kW solar array on the roof of their Tacoma Program Center.  They also received a $50,000 Evergreen Options grant which they added to a $55,000 charitable gift pledge from one of their members to fund their project.    

The grant award gets them one step closer to their goal of a net zero energy building. 

Learn more about The Mountaineers by visiting their website.

2020

Project Overview

Shiloh Baptist Church has served as an anchor institution in the Black/African American community since 1953. Shiloh’s pastor and congregation have played an important role in organizing campaigns for climate justice and the NAACP, and Shiloh Baptist Church is a critical resource to many in need. Like other culturally and historically rich urban neighborhoods in the Pacific Northwest, Hilltop’s longtime residents are fighting to preserve the fabric of resources and social bonds cultivated over decades.

The $50,000 Evergreen Options grant will enable Shiloh Baptist to construct a 19.78 kilowatt solar photovoltaic installation, in turn creating an opportunity to showcase grassroots solutions to the impacts of climate change, while investing in facilities that are the backbone of our community.

This solar array will create opportunities for education with youth and families. Because many of the church’s members are not positioned to invest in solar photovoltaics individually, this project creates an opportunity to learn about and experience solar first hand.

Learn more about Shiloh Baptist Church and their renewable energy project by visiting their website.

2019

Project Overview

The Franklin Pierce School District proudly serves 8,000 students from preschool to grade 12 in a variety of settings including an early learning center, eight elementary schools, two middle schools, two comprehensive high schools, one alternative high school, and a district farm.

The $50,000 Evergreen Option grant enabled Franklin Pierce to construct a 21 kW solar photovoltaic array at the district farm to reduce electricity costs and act as a solar learning lab for students. Students learn the importance of integrating new renewable energy technologies into the community.

The electricity from the 21 kW solar array directly reduces the electricity consumption of the barn building, which serves as an open-air classroom, community gathering place, produce wash and refrigeration space, and an indoor/outdoor space for visitors.

Learn more about Franklin Pierce School District by visiting their website.

Project Overview

Jason Lee Middle School is a thriving school of over 600 sixth through eighth grade students. Jason Lee will use the $50,000 Evergreen Options grant combined with additional grand funding and donations from the community for the installation of a 99.9 kW solar photovoltaic array with a data monitoring system on the roof top of the athletics/electives building on campus.

This solar project is the culmination of a solar feasibility study conducted by three students while in eighth grade science class. After presenting the results of their study to the Governor’s STEM Education Innovative Alliance meeting and receiving feedback, the three students presented their proposal to the Tacoma School Board which express support for the project.

The proposed solar array will be the first solar installation in the Tacoma Public School District and serve as a model for future innovative technology projects. Students will be able to use data from the solar array for a number of classroom learning exercises.

For more information about Jason Lee Middle School, visit their website.

2018

Project Overview

The Tacoma Housing Authority will use the $50,000 grant to integrate solar panels into the Crisis Residential Center (CRC) at its new Arlington Drive Campus, which will break ground in 2019. The CRC will be a twelve-bed facility to house, serve and save homeless youth ages 12 to 17. The CRC will be part of a larger campus that will also serve homeless young adults ages 18 to 24. The total capacity of the new solar energy system will be 21 kilowatts.

“We’re pleased to be awarded this grant for solar energy. It not only allows us to contribute to a greener and more sustainable future, it also saves us money,” said Michael Mirra, executive director of Tacoma House Authority. “Those savings will strengthen the services we can provide to homeless youth and young adults to give them a second chance at a reasonable adolescence and adulthood without exploitation, impoverishment, and fear. We’re grateful to Tacoma Power for helping us do to that.”

Learn more about the Tacoma Housing Authority by visiting their website. 

Project Overview

Bates Technical College is a two-year public institution that has been providing quality training and education to Tacoma/Pierce County for 80 years. The college is known for its commitment to helping students find family-wage level employment. The $41,500 renewable energy grant will allow the school to install solar lighting at its south campus parking lots, which will increase safety and support energy conservation. It is estimated that the project will produce 3,728 kilowatt hours of electricity per year.

“The South Campus hosts a number of instructional programs, including welding, carpentry, electrical construction and auto mechanics, among others,” said Bob Roehl, executive director of facilities and operations. “We are happy to be able to light up the parking lots with renewable energy generated on site.”

Learn more about Bates Technical College by visiting their website. 

2017

Project Overview

The site of this project will be the ‘Asian Forest Sanctuary’ area within the zoo. This building is the overnight home (indoor holding) to a number of species in the zoo’s collection, including the Indian Crested Porcupine, Lowland Anoa, Malayan Tapir, and Sumatran Tiger. Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium staff and consultants chose this building from NW Wind and Solar, as they conducted an assessment throughout zoo grounds. The building was chosen for its proximity to the sun and easterly position, for greater potential to generate power, and for its public access along one of the main thoroughfares on Zoo grounds. Though the panels themselves may not be greatly visible, signage from our graphics department will be accessible to visitors to share information on our solar program and interpreters from our education department will share with the public how they may become invested in their own homes. We are also pursuing the possibility of real time monitoring of how much power has been generated from this project that could be displayed to the public on a digital reader. A total of 86 iTek energy modules will be installed on a ballast mounting system for a system size of 25.80 kW, all made here in Washington state to encourage participation in local business and innovation. Additionally, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium believes so much in ‘walking the talk’, our facility had decided to match the grant amount (increasing the number of energy modules from 40 to 86) in order to maximize the possibilities made available by the Evergreen Grant program, and to echo the community’s vested interest in the future.