About Local Jobs & Economic Development Fund
Bringing jobs, economic opportunity, and new investment to rural America. The Fund exists to support those who have a vision for increasing the resiliency and vibrancy of their rural communities by attracting new investment, creating new jobs, and welcoming new business.
Focus Areas
rural economic developmentjob creationlocal investmentenergy independenceinnovation
Who They Fund
local communities / municipalitieslocal businesses and workforceresidents / general public (energy consumers)
Funding Style
education & analysis (public education/research)non-political / civic educationplace-based / local economic development support
About Local Jobs & Economic Development Fund
Local Jobs & Economic Development Fund Inc. channels large grants into rural economic development tied to clean energy deployment. Its biggest recent award in the data was $1,654,000 to American Jobs and Energy Security in Dover, Delaware, for supporting local economic development through clean energy deployment. Another major 2025 grant went to Conservatives for a Clean Energy Future in Lansing, Michigan, for the same purpose, showing that the fund backs state- and national-level groups working on energy-related job creation and local investment. The fund’s recent portfolio centers on projects that connect energy policy, workforce development, and local business growth. It also supports organizations framed as non-political contributors for education and analysis on affordable local energy, including Farm to Power Inc in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and Clean Up the River Environment in Montevideo, Minnesota. Across the recent grants list, the fund appears to favor organizations that can translate clean energy into local economic gains rather than stand-alone environmental programming. Its public description says it exists to support leaders with a vision for increasing the resiliency and vibrancy of rural communities by attracting new investment, creating new jobs, and welcoming new business.
What Local Jobs & Economic Development Fund Funds
A clear theme is clean energy as an economic development tool. In 2025, the fund gave $700,000 to League of Conservation Voters Inc in Washington, DC, and $527,000 to Nebraska Conservation Voters in Lincoln, Nebraska, both for supporting local economic development through clean energy deployment. It also funds analysis-oriented work around energy affordability. Farm to Power Inc in Grand Rapids, Minnesota received $500,000 in 2025 for education and analysis to promote the benefits of affordable local energy, while Renew Missouri Advocates Inc in Columbia, Missouri received $83,000 for the same purpose. Carbon reduction appears as a related but separate line of support. In 2024, Clean Up the River Environment in Montevideo, Minnesota received $100,000 for education and analysis to reduce carbon pollution, and Georgia Conservation Voters Education Fund in Atlanta, Georgia received the same amount for that purpose. The fund also backs state and local political organizations working in this broader energy-development framework, including Kansans for an Affordable Future in Topeka, Kansas and One Tallahassee Pac in Tallahassee, Florida.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$8.6M
Total Assets
$8.7M
Total Revenue
$19.2M
Total Expenses
$12.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $25K and $100K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$100K
Geographic Reach
National23 states funded
About 2% of grants go to recipients in IL.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
ERIC HEITZ
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