Elevate seeks to create a just and equitable world in which everyone has clean and affordable heat, cooling, power, and water in their homes and communities by expanding access to and benefits of clean energy.
Elevate Energy uses philanthropy to move clean energy into homes, buildings, and community-serving facilities through Illinois-based programs and larger sub-granting relationships that reach beyond the state. A defining thread in its grantmaking is building electrification: it has funded organizations such as Community Housing Partners in New York and Goodell Place Unlimited Partnership in Maywood, Illinois, for electrification work, while also supporting a broader network of implementing partners. The foundation’s recent grants also show a practical, delivery-oriented style. Some awards support program services, while others back specific infrastructure and market-expansion work, including national market expansion through New Ecology Inc in Boston. Elevate Energy’s program portfolio includes solar access, energy efficiency, water affordability and efficiency, healthy homes, workforce development, green financing, policy and advocacy, and research and innovation. Its stated aim is to expand access to clean energy and the benefits of clean heat, cooling, power, and water in homes and communities. The result is a grantmaker that combines direct program administration in Illinois with funding for outside partners that help scale clean energy adoption across housing types and community settings.
Building electrification is one of Elevate Energy’s clearest funding themes. It awarded $1,146,926 to Community Housing Partners in New York for building electrification, and $509,097 to Goodell Place Unlimited Partnership in Maywood, Illinois, for the same purpose. Other grants also point to work replacing fossil-fuel equipment with electric alternatives in homes and multi-family buildings. The foundation also supports energy efficiency upgrades. It gave $150,000 to Avalon Housing Inc in Ann Arbor for energy efficiency upgrade work and another $150,000 to Ann Arbor Housing Development Corp for energy efficiency upgrades. A third area is energy planning. Elevate Energy awarded $150,000 to Lac du Flambeau Chippewa Ha in Lac Du Flambeau, Wisconsin, and $90,000 to Slipstream Group Inc in Madison, Wisconsin, both for energy planning. Its portfolio further includes lead mitigation and child health protection through Chicago child care programs and state-level lead-in-water training.
$3.3M
$58.3M
$60.9M
$57.9M
Most grants fall between $50K and $150K, with a median of $85K.
25th Percentile
$50K
Median
$85K
75th Percentile
$150K
About 26% of grants go to recipients in MI.
Anne Evens
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Elevate Energy’s typical grant size centers on mid-sized awards: the 25th percentile is $50,000, the median is $85,000, and the 75th percentile is $150,000. Recent grants include several seven-figure awards, but the core pattern sits in the mid-five-figure to low-six-figure range. The foundation’s grantmaking shows repeat relationships. New Ecology Inc appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Bickerdike Redevelopment Center appears in 2024 and 2025; and Business Services Collective NFP appears in both 2024 and 2025. Elevate Energy also funds through structured programs and sub-grants, with multiple awards described as program services or sub-grantee support. It accepts unsolicited requests for its active programs.
Grantmaking is concentrated in the United States, with all recent grants in the US. Illinois is the top state by grant count and receives 41% of grants. Chicago appears repeatedly as a recipient city, along with other Illinois places such as Maywood, Oak Forest, and Highland Park. Outside Illinois, grants land in Boston, New York, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Madison, Glenwood City, Oakland, Novi, and Lac du Flambeau. The recipient map reflects a regional footprint with Illinois as the clearest center.
The foundation funds energy efficiency, electrification, solar, water affordability and efficiency, healthy homes, high performance buildings, workforce development, green financing, policy and advocacy, and research and innovation. Its recent grants also show work in building electrification, energy planning, lead mitigation, and child health protection.
Typical grants cluster around $50,000 at the 25th percentile, $85,000 at the median, and $150,000 at the 75th percentile. That distribution suggests a mid-sized grantmaker, even though some recent awards are much larger.
Yes. New Ecology Inc received grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Bickerdike Redevelopment Center appears in both 2024 and 2025, and Business Services Collective NFP appears in both 2024 and 2025, showing repeat support across years.
The foundation gives regionally, with Illinois as the top state by grant count and 41% of grants going to recipients in Illinois. Chicago is a frequent recipient city, but grants also go to places like Boston, New York, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Madison, Oakland, and Lac du Flambeau.
Yes. The active programs listed for Elevate Energy are marked as accepting unsolicited requests, including LeadCare Complete, LeadCare Illinois, Illinois Solar for All, and the Building Electrification Program.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Elevate Energy that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, including houses of worship, that provide direct services to at-risk communities.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Ecology Inc | Boston, MA | $1,021,335 | 2025 | National Market Expansion |
| Eastside Community Network | Detroit, MI | $277,200 | 2025 | Program Services |
| USGBC-ILLINOIS CHAPTER | Chicago, IL | $226,197 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Solutions Project Inc | Oakland, CA | $200,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Bickerdike Redevelopment Center | Chicago, IL | $160,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Community Health NFP | Chicago, IL | $155,499 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Slipstream Group Inc | Madison, WI | $90,000 | 2025 | Energy Planning |
| Business Services Collective NFP | Chicago, IL | $85,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Polar Bear Sustainable Energy Co-Op | Highland Park, MI | $75,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Walnut Way Conservation Corp | Milwaukee, WI | $65,000 | 2025 | Building Electrification |
| Sustainable Options for Urban Living Inc | Dolton, IL | $55,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| CommonWealth Development Inc | Madison, WI | $48,532 | 2025 | Building Electrification |
| Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippeway | Watersmeet, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Energy Planning |
| Lac du Flambeau Chippewa Ha | Lac Du Flambeau, WI | $25,000 | 2025 | Energy Planning |
| Red Cliff Chippewa | Bayfield, WI | $25,000 | 2025 | Energy Planning |
| Keweenaw Community Foundation | Hancock, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Friends of Rouge Park | Detroit, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Washington Heights United Methodist Church and Com | Battle Creek, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan Inc | Sault Ste Marie, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| One Love Global Inc | Lansing, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Young Gifted & Green | Memphis, TN | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Ho-Chunk Housing and Community Development Agency | Tomah, WI | $25,000 | 2025 | Energy Planning |
| Avalon Village Inc | Highland Park, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Benton Harbor Community Development Corporation | Benton Harbor, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Soulardarity | Highland Park, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Architectural Salvage Warehouse of Detroit | Detroit, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| SW Detroit Enviornmental Vision Project | Detroit, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Wisconsin Housing Preservation Corp | Madison, WI | $25,000 | 2025 | Building Electrification |
| BASS Inc | Highland Park, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Hispanic Center of Western Michigan | Grand Rapids, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| New Leaf Detroit | Ann Arbor, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Dream of Detroit | Detroit, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network & Fund Inc | Petoskey, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Urban Development Corporation | Detroit, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance | Detroit, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Detroit Justice Center | Detroit, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Four County Community Foundation | Romeo, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Concerned Residents for South Dearborn | Dearborn, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Michigan Health Improvement Alliance Inc | Freeland, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network | Detroit, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| We Want Green Too | Detroit, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Growing Hope | Ypsilanti, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Great Lakes Indian Housing Association | Red Lake, MN | $20,000 | 2025 | Energy Planning |
| Urban Core Collective | Grand Rapids, MI | $18,614 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Sustain Dane | Madison, WI | $15,000 | 2025 | Program Services |
| Illinois Finance Authority | Chicago, IL | $5,455 | 2025 | Program Services |
| New Ecology Inc | Boston, MA | $1,525,849 | 2024 | National Market Expansion |
| Community Housing Partners | New York, NY | $1,146,926 | 2024 | Building Electrification |
| Bickerdike Redevelopment Center | Chicago, IL | $512,390 | 2024 | Program Services |
| Goodell Place Unlimited Partnership | Maywood, IL | $509,097 | 2024 | Building Electrification |
New Ecology Inc
$1,021,335National Market Expansion
Bickerdike Redevelopment Center
$160,000Program Services
Program Services
Business Services Collective NFP
$85,000Program Services
Polar Bear Sustainable Energy Co-Op
$75,000Program Services
Sustainable Options for Urban Living Inc
$55,000Program Services
CommonWealth Development Inc
$48,532Building Electrification
Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippeway
$25,000Energy Planning
Lac du Flambeau Chippewa Ha
$25,000Energy Planning
Red Cliff Chippewa
$25,000Energy Planning
Washington Heights United Methodist Church and Com
$25,000Program Services
Ho-Chunk Housing and Community Development Agency
$25,000Energy Planning
Benton Harbor Community Development Corporation
$25,000Program Services
Architectural Salvage Warehouse of Detroit
$25,000Program Services
SW Detroit Enviornmental Vision Project
$25,000Program Services
Wisconsin Housing Preservation Corp
$25,000Building Electrification
BASS Inc
$25,000Program Services
New Leaf Detroit
$25,000Program Services
Urban Development Corporation
$25,000Program Services
Four County Community Foundation
$25,000Program Services
Concerned Residents for South Dearborn
$25,000Program Services
Michigan Health Improvement Alliance Inc
$25,000Program Services
Great Lakes Indian Housing Association
$20,000Energy Planning
Sustain Dane
$15,000Program Services
Illinois Finance Authority
$5,455Program Services
New Ecology Inc
$1,525,849National Market Expansion
Community Housing Partners
$1,146,926Building Electrification
Bickerdike Redevelopment Center
$512,390Program Services
Goodell Place Unlimited Partnership
$509,097Building Electrification