Nonprofit Solar Project Grants - Community Foundation for Southern Arizona

Expanding Access to Solar for Nonprofits

The Nonprofit Solar Project is an initiative of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, in partnership with private donors and Solar United Neighbors of Arizona. Through the Nonprofit Solar Project, the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona seeks to address environmental disparities in our local community through sustainability initiatives.

Supported by the CFSA Environmental Sustainability Impact Fund, the Nonprofit Solar Project seeks to aid local nonprofits in Pima County serving marginalized populations to meet their energy needs through solar power. Through the switch to solar, nonprofits will be able to reduce energy costs and their carbon footprints, while freeing up resources that can be diverted to programming and operations costs.

In 2022, six organizations were awarded funding to complete solar installations at their sites in Pima County through the Nonprofit Solar Project. Moving to green power continues to make good business sense here in Southern Arizona, and we are pleased to offer a second round of funding to further expand solar in our community and demonstrate its long-term benefits.

Nonprofit Solar Project holds the following objectives:

Expand access to solar for nonprofits in underserved and disproportionately environmentally burdened communities that otherwise may not afford to do so.
Redistribute savings back into communities through expanded programs and services.
Invest in local distributed solar energy, reducing the harmful burdens of other energy sources, which frontline communities disproportionately shoulder.
Increase the visibility of solar power in Pima County and demonstrate the potential to adopt solar to other organizations in our community.

Applications reopen on July 7, 2025, more information to come during our July 14th Nonprofit Solar Project 2025 Webinar, RSVP below!

RSVP for Nonprofit Solar Project Webinar

Application Information

Process

Interested applicants may apply through CFSA’s application portal on Grants Lifecycle Manager. Applicants do not need to have a solar installation bid in hand to successfully apply.
Applications are reviewed by CFSA and SUN for both installation eligibility and selection criteria before sharing applications with the NSP Review Committee.
The NSP Review Committee will identify the top 15-25 applicants from the pool. These applicants will receive a stipend to solicit a minimum of 2 bids from vendors for their solar installations with guidance from SUN.
Taking the bids into account, the NSP Review Committee will make final recommendations for application selection.
With support from CFSA and SUN, selected participants will be awarded funds to move forward with their preferred solar installer to complete solar installation.

Evaluation Criteria

Solar Readiness: Organization is a good candidate for solar installation, with limited major technical project issues identified. Preference may be given to roof-mounted system installation.
Benefit to Community: The mission and programmatic work of the organization directly benefits people living in Pima County. Preference may be given to organizations that house other nonprofits, clients, or additional entities on the premises where solar would be installed, creating a broader range of impact.
Environmentally Impacted: Solar panels for this organization would have positive benefits in underserved communities impacted by environmental disparity.
Effective Solar Savings: The shifted savings from solar panels will have a substantial impact on this organization’s programmatic goals and operations.
Willingness to Share: The applicant is interested in working with CFSA and SUN to elevate this kind of project and promote solar installation.

Applicant Criteria

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

Applicants must be a 501(c)(3) in good standing, conducting charitable work in Pima County.
Applicants may not apply using a fiscal sponsor for this program.
National and statewide organizations with 501(c)(3) status are eligible to apply provided they have a headquarter physical location based in Pima County where the proposed installation would take place. No portion of the grant can be used to support the national or statewide entity.
Applicants must be the property owner where the installation will be located.
Applicants’ property must have a minimum of 500 square feet of unobstructed roof or ground space. Any roof space must have a remaining lifespan of at least 15 years and not covered by slate or Spanish clay tile.
Applicants must have been located at the proposed installation site for a minimum of 6 months and able to submit at least 6 months and up to 12 months of electric bills for the location.
Prior recipients of the Nonprofit Solar Project Grant will not be eligible to receive an additional grant.

For any questions regarding eligibility, please reach out to our team at community@cfsaz.org.

Important Dates

Application Opens: Monday, July 7, 2025

Application Closes: Monday, August 18, 2025

First Round Award Notifications: September 2025

Bid Process: September – October 2025

Final Award Notifications: November 2025

To Apply

The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona has moved to a new and improved grant portal! To apply, all applicants must create a new account on the portal.

Apply

Watch this tutorial for assistance in applying.

Preview the Application

Application – Nonprofit Solar Project Grants FY25-26

Previous Nonprofit Solar Project Grant Recipients

2022

Donate Now

Learn More About the Nonprofit Solar Project

View All Grants

Thank you to our generous CFSA donors, Tucson Electric Power, and Solar United Neighbors for making this project possible.

Solar United Neighbors and Tucson Electric Power