Nonprofits across Tucson and Southern Arizona looking to go solar can apply for free photovoltaic installations under a program set to launch next week.
The Nonprofit Solar Project was developed by the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona (CFSA) in partnership with local donors, Tucson Electric Power and Solar United Neighbors, a nonprofit that has been organizing buying cooperatives to help Arizona homeowners install solar since 2019.
The nonprofit solar program, which will kick off with two online informational sessions ahead of applications opening April 22, is open to any 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Tucson or Southern Arizona that owns its building or can get approval from its landlord to install solar.
The idea is to help the environment and community health, while allowing smaller nonprofits to generate much of their own power, saving them money that can then be spent on services they offer, said Jenny Flynn, president and CEO of CFSA.
“It’s like a grant they’ll get every month because it lowers their costs,” said Flynn, calling it a matter of equity for smaller nonprofits.
“Most nonprofits are operating on really thin margins and don’t have the ability to invest in solar,” she said.
The solar program is the first program under the Community Foundation’s new Environmental Sustainability Impact Fund, which aims to help nonprofits with funding for conservation and restoration programs, climate justice, habitat protection, community gardens, watershed management and solar initiatives in Southern Arizona.
The Community Foundation of Southern Arizona, recently installed a photovoltaic system on its East Broadway campus that will supply about 80% of its power. CFSA also is launching a Nonprofit Solar Project with Solar United Neighbors, offering free solar systems to selected nonprofits in the Tucson area.
Founded in 1980 as the Greater Tucson Area Foundation, the CFSA’s mission is to connect donors with nonprofits addressing critical social issues, while providing nonprofits with financial and operational support.
A University of Arizona study found there were more than 500 nonprofits providing human services in the Tucson area in 2017.
Since its inception, the foundation has distributed more than $200 million to regional nonprofits and educational institutions through funds set up at the foundation by hundreds of individuals, families and businesses.
The Community Foundation recently installed a 112-kilowatt photovoltaic system on its buildings and parking areas. The system is expected provide about 80% of the power used at the campus.
Boosting solar
The Nonprofit Solar Project is open to any 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has local leadership and owns its own building, Flynn said. An anonymous donor is helping to fund the program initially, and TEP is donating $15,000 to help fund the project.
Solar United Neighbors (SUN) will help the CFSA review the application and conduct site visits with potential applicants to determine project costs and commitments.
A community review panel will make final recommendations for participant selection, and selected participants will then work with SUN to choose their preferred solar installer.
The nonprofit program is something new for SUN, which focuses on organizing solar buying co-ops for homeowners and some small businesses.
Since opening its Phoenix-based chapter in 2019, SUN has organized 10 co-ops to help 288 Arizona homeowners and small businesses install solar, including 111 in two co-ops in the Tucson area.
Bret Fanshaw, West region director of Solar United Neighbors, said SUN had been looking for new opportunities when the CFSA approached the group about the nonprofit program.
“This is unique for us, it’s a special project,” Fanshaw said. “We’ve had a lot of interest, and we were trying to develop some new partners, some new programs, so we’re very excited about our partnership with the Community Foundation.”
The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona’s new solar installation is expected to cut more than 410,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions and save more than 95,000 gallons of water annually.
Walking the walk
Flynn said the Community Foundation is looking forward to using mostly clean energy at its headquarters campus on East Broadway, after recently installing a 112-kilowatt photovoltaic system on its buildings and parking areas.
The system, installed by Tucson-based Technicians for Sustainability, is expected to provide about 80% of the power used at the foundation campus at 5049 E. Broadway, which besides CFSA administrative offices includes meeting and event spaces, as well as small offices and drop-in co-working space for nonprofits.
The CFSA’s new solar installation is expected to cut more than 410,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions and save more than 95,000 gallons of water annually, and the foundation expects the savings from using less grid power to help pay for the system in about 10 years, Flynn said.
Flynn says she’s not sure what kind of response the Nonprofit Solar Program will garner but thinks the program will prove popular.
“I’m assuming there will be a high level of interest, but there are a lot of unknowns for us,” she said.
Flynn declined to say how much has been donated for the initial round of the Nonprofit Solar Project, but CFSA hopes to fund two to five solar installations in the first year.
For those interested in learning more about the Nonprofit Solar Project, CFSA is hosting two informational webinars via Zoom, from 9 to 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 12, and from 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday, April 21.
For more information including detailed eligibility requirements and links to online registration for the information sessions, go to cfsaz.org/grants/nonprofit-solar-project.
