State Funding Readiness Project

Strengthening subnational ambition to unlock the full potential of federal climate investments

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Our Purpose

The State Funding Readiness Project (SFRP) provides free, fast, and flexible technical assistance to jurisdictions preparing for, applying for, and implementing federal investments. We prioritize programs from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). We focus on projects that advance climate equity priorities, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and build climate resilience. We support a range of capacity-constrained subnational jurisdictions, such as states, local governments, U.S. Territories, Tribes, and community-based organizations.

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How We Can Help

SFRP provides surge capacity and individualized pro bono services to help jurisdictions advance climate and equity goals through the implementation of federal funding. We can help jurisdictions identify specific investment opportunities, conduct a stakeholder mapping exercise, inform budget planning, meet Justice40 requirements, develop competitive grant applications, and strengthen linkages with administering agencies, among others.

We deploy a Strike Team composed of technical specialists. Our expertise includes but is not limited to:

  • Climate, energy, and environmental justice

  • Equity and Justice40

  • Workforce development and labor

  • Climate finance and risk

  • Federal grant logistics and management

  • State and local government functions

  • Clean energy generation and regulation

  • Energy efficiency

  • Clean transportation

  • Buildings

  • Greenhouse gas emissions inventories

  • Climate adaptation and resilience

Our Achievements at a Glance

40

25

$1.5B

total projects completed

jurisdictions supported

federal dollars secured

Donut chart showing 20% Foundational Readiness and 80% Grant Application Support
  • 200 federal funding programs identified

  • 120+ technical assistance resources identified

  • 420+ stakeholders mapped

  • 80 workforce initiatives identified

Foundational Readiness

  • $1.5 billion in total secured federal funding

  • $2.3 billion in total requested federal funding

  • 12 federal programs supported

  • 97% Justice40 programs

Grant Application Support

Map of the US where states with SFRP completed projects are filled in green

Support Offerings

Foundational Readiness

We analyze the landscape of federal climate investments, technical assistance opportunities, stakeholders, and more to build capacity.

Service offerings include:

  • Federal Investments Mapping

  • Resource Mapping

  • Stakeholder Mapping

  • Workforce Landscape Analysis

  • Strategic Guidance

Grant Application Support

We support application development and refinement for a specific federal funding program to advance climate and equity outcomes.

Service offerings include:

  • Application Preparation & Coordination

  • Narrative Development & Review

  • Stakeholder & Community Engagement Plans

  • Budget Support

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Post-Award Implementation

We are excited to now offer support with implementation of awarded federal funding to enhance on-the-ground project delivery.

Service offerings include:

  • Contractor Solicitation

  • Grant Management & Reporting

  • Stakeholder & Community Engagement

  • Workforce Development

SFRP has an open, rolling intake process and considers jurisdiction requests at any time. We are unique in our ability to deliver rapid response and initiate projects in as quickly as one week. Please note that support from SFRP is not guaranteed and is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Our intake process is outlined below.

Our Intake Process

Graphic of the 5 steps of the SFRP Intake Process. The steps are: 1. Request, 2. Intake, 3. Assessment, 4. Scoping, 5. Launch

Recognition & Press

Hua Nani Partners (HNP) wins Innovative Partnership Award for State Funding Readiness Project

We are honored that the State Funding Readiness Project has been recognized as a leading edge climate initiative measurably addressing greenhouse gas reduction goals and climate adaptation and resilience activities. Read more

White House Releases New Technical Assistance Resources to Help Communities Unlock Opportunities from President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda

Ensuring that the full benefits of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda reach the people and places that need them most requires a concerted effort not only from the federal government, but from non-federal actors of all kinds. Read more

Testimonials

would recommend SFRP to other subnational jurisdictions

100%

average score (out of 10) for helpfulness of Foundational Readiness

10

 average score (out of 10) for helpfulness of Grant Application Support

9

Frequently Asked Questions

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  • No. SFRP is pleased to offer 100% pro bono technical assistance thanks to our philanthropic funders.

    Please reach out with your request and we can let you know if it’s a good fit for SFRP.

  • Foundational Readiness

    • Federal Investments Mapping: Map relevant IIJA and IRA climate programs with a focus on the jurisdiction’s specific use case (e.g., key sectors and topics, funding mechanisms, and desired award amounts)

    • Resource Mapping: Create a spreadsheet of resources around certain climate and equity topics (e.g., IIJA and IRA funding trackers, climate equity, Justice40, data analysis, budgets, workforce development)

    • Stakeholder Mapping: Investigate and characterize relevant stakeholders in the jurisdiction (e.g., charts broken down by organizations, program type, engagement purpose, number of participants, outputs)

    • Workforce Landscape Analysis: Identify anticipated gaps or needs in the jurisdiction's workforce, along with potential opportunities to invest in workforce development

    • Strategic Guidance: Outline a set of impactful best practices—noting their importance, application, and impacts—on a specific climate and equity topic, which are tailored to the jurisdiction’s context

    Grant Application Support

    • Application Preparation & Coordination: Craft templates for the grant narrative, letters of support, or other required attachments, which are responsive to the NOFO structure and requirements

    • Narrative Development & Review: Conduct a section-by-section, qualitative review of grant submission documents for responsiveness to the NOFO requirements and evaluation criteria

    • Stakeholder & Community Engagement Plans: Advise on designing an inclusive, equitable stakeholder outreach and engagement plan for the project proposal

    • Budget Support: Hold an overview session of the budget narrative components, budget item categories, and required budget forms

    Post-Award Implementation

    • Contractor Solicitation: Design or recommend improvements to a jurisdiction’s Request for Proposal (RFP) or Scope of Work (SOW) to hire contractors

    • Grant Management & Reporting: Develop outcomes mapping, analysis, and visualizations for climate equity-focused topics (e.g., job creation, community benefits)

    • Stakeholder & Community Engagement: Design communication and marketing materials (e.g., flyers, social media posts, website content) to educate target communities about the project

    • Workforce Development: Propose improvements and next steps on the workforce development plans and budget

    Please reach out if you’re interested in learning more and we can share our SFRP Menu of Services.

  • SFRP can support a variety of federal funding opportunities, but we prioritize those with high climate and equity potential.

    Federal programs we have supported in the past include but are not limited to:

    • Climate-ready Workforce

    • Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) - Planning Grants & Implementation Grants

    • Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Program - Corridor Charging & Community Charging

    • Community Change Grants (CCG)

    • Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) - Solar for All

    • Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program

    • National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI)

    • Preventing Outages and Enhancing the Resilience of the Electric Grid

    • Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE)

    Please reach out to share which federal program you are interested in pursuing.

  • Yes. Most of our projects have supported state governments, but we can also assist U.S. Territories, Tribal governments, community-based organizations (CBOs), and local governments, such as counties and cities.

    Please reach out if you are interested in working with us but do not fit one of the above categories.

  • Support from SFRP is not guaranteed and is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. In assessing project requests, we consider the magnitude of potential climate and equity benefits, the type of request, the geographic region, the jurisdiction’s access to other technical assistance resources, staff preparedness, whether the agency has previously received SFRP support, and SFRP staff capacity.

    Please reach out to us to discuss your particular situation.

  • We deliver flexible, rapid response technical assistance to meet jurisdiction needs. Our bandwidth expands and contracts based on level of effort for individual projects, the number of simultaneous projects we are supporting, and federal funding program deadlines.

    Please reach out and we can clarify how we may be able to support your request.

  • It is highly dependent on the project. The amount of time the jurisdiction will spend depends on a range of factors, including the application complexity and length, the applicant’s experience in applying for federal grants, availability of staff to support, how much information the jurisdiction has already assembled, the cadence of meetings, etc.

    Please reach out and we can provide an estimate for your request.

  • We understand many jurisdictions are under-staffed and under-resourced, which is one of the main reasons we created this program, but we need a baseline level of staff time and project information to provide effective support.

    We expect that your jurisdiction designates two points of contact who are responsive to requests, strives to adhere to the mutually agreed upon timeline as closely as possible, provides necessary content and materials, and completes a brief exit survey.

  • SFRP delivers technical assistance on equity and Justice40 through activities that include but are not limited to:

    • Subject matter expertise

    • Community and stakeholder engagement planning

    • Development of community benefit plans

    • Identifying and developing equity or Justice40 metrics

    • Reviewing applications and proposals for compliance with Justice40

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Resources