Resource Rural • Multi-region grantee
CALEB • TN grantee
Even in a challenging environment, there is more funding for building than many communities and local governments realize. From building stronger community-lead organizations to ensuring high quality technical expertise, we support place-based partners working together to put public resources to work for building a stronger, fairer and cleaner economy.
Resource Rural and its local partners supported communities to secure $100 million in federal funds, the majority of which have gone to rural communities of color. With partner Rural Climate Partnership, it also supported organizations in securing a $500 million Green Bank for Rural America award and 7 Solar for All awards totaling $622 million. One example is the Hopi Tribe, whose $25 million award will enable the deployment of residential solar and storage systems across 13 villages. This project will allow them to produce more of their own energy and keep dollars on the reservation—bring them closer to energy sovereignty.
Organized Power in Numbers, along with a coalition of organizations in Harris County including NEW Houston, Texas Organizing Project, the Texas Climate Jobs Project, the Texas Gulf Coast AFL-CIO and Workers Defense Project (Power Up Harris County)—is working to develop an aggregated microgrid to generate hundreds of megawatts of reliable and affordable clean energy. The coalition worked with county commissioners to create the proposal that secured a $249.7 million Solar for All award. With this effort, the organizations are working to create good union jobs for the community and show that the local government is working for the people of Harris County.
Ohio River Valley Institute, an Appalachia-focused think tank, supported the state of Pennsylvania in applying for and securing a $400 million grant program to decarbonize industrial facilities. Ohio River Valley Institute leveraged its technical expertise and deep community ties to bring together a coalition of labor, business, government, community, and environmental groups to develop the winning application. The PA agency responsible for administering the grant was the first to acknowledge the importance of the role Ohio River Valley Institute played in bringing these resources to the state.
We’re not just creating jobs—we’re helping create better jobs. We support organizations creating safe, clean, sustainable professional opportunities that advance working people’s economic power and interests.That means investing in campaigns to decarbonize public buildings through unionized labor; supporting those working to secure more project labor and community benefits agreements across the emerging ‘Battery Belt’; investing in apprenticeship programs to grow the workforce that will retrofit homes and lower utility bills across the country; and more.
Tennessee For All established new checks on power by founding a grassroots empowerment group, BlueOval Good Neighbors Committee, that can formally negotiate with Ford as they build a mega EV battery facility and campus (BlueOval City). The committee is in the process of hosting town halls to engage the community in West Tennessee about the impact that the investments will have and the opportunity to develop strong community benefits agreements to make sure everyone benefits from this development and federal spending, not just big corporations.
Jobs To Move America helped to establish a community benefits agreement with EV manufacturer New Flyer, securing a neutrality agreement that paved the way for successful labor organizing. Thanks to this agreement, New Flyer leveraged new investments in green energy tech to secure its first union contract for over 600 workers. The contract includes pay raises of approximately 15-40% and enhanced retirement benefits.
CALEB ran an organizing campaign to support unionization of an auto plant. United Auto Workers (UAW) successfully organized Volkswagen workers in April 2024 who overwhelmingly voted to join the union. This is the first time UAW has successfully organized a foreign automaker’s factory in the U.S. Southeast. CALEB ran an “outside the plant” organizing campaign of faith leaders and community members who stood beside the auto workers and helped support the campaign inside the plant. Meanwhile, Groundwork Collaborative enhanced these efforts by influencing national press coverage to highlight the victory, and support turning the tide in the South, and demonstrate how unions can elevate workers’ wages.
When Americans see and feel the results of public dollars in their backyards, it strengthens public will for a supportive government that serves all of us. BuildUS works to deliver these success stories to the public, media, and decision-makers, so we can better imagine ways to get more public goods from our public dollars. We support efforts to engage and organize people to participate in making public resources and projects reflect local priorities and ensure a broad range of people benefit.
More Perfect Union and Building Back Together worked together to support local organizing (led by former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes) to use funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to remove dangerous lead pipes in Wisconsin. More Perfect Union worked with Mandela Barnes to develop a powerful story shedding light on the hidden water crisis and work to replace them. Simultaneously, Building Back Together worked with Mandela’s group to coordinate press outreach and community engagement, timed with the release of More Perfect Union’s video. In this way, the two groups worked to amplify the story.
United Today, Stronger Tomorrow embarked on a research project to document the needs, perspectives, and priorities of small towns and rural communities in the mountain west. They sought to uncover the primary concerns and priorities of residents of these areas, as well as the most effective communication strategies to garner support for pro-planet, pro-labor, and pro-public investment viewpoints. They found general support for federal investments, as long as they are tied to clear, concrete improvements allocated transparently and with deep accountability. Their work serves as a roadmap for building trust with rural residents.
Groundwork Collaborative, Center for American Progress, ProgressNow, and Winning Jobs Narrative have worked collaboratively to drive greater and more widespread alignment behind a narrative that has been demonstrated to be effective in building public support for the economic paradigm shift reflected in the major new laws. Through concerted outreach and alignment efforts, the work has informed messaging strategies across a myriad of partners.
While the current environment brings real headwinds for working families, we can chart a new path forward that holds promise for stakeholders who start from differing viewpoints. We can improve the bottom line for families, build cleaner communities, and restore public will for a government that works for all of us.
BuildUS is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Freedom Together Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, Omidyar Network, Open Society Foundations, Skoll Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and other partners.
