Empowering Proud Ground Homes through Energy Efficiency and Solar

• Lowering energy costs and improving home comfort
• Enhancing home durability and resilience against climate impacts
• Creating skilled job opportunities for community members through our workforce development program

This project is about making Portland more sustainable, equitable, and economically strong, one home and one career at a time. 

How it works

Energize the Land Trust is designed to bring significant energy upgrades to your home over three phases, running through 2029. We are offering a tiered approach to participation, with homeowners selected based on applications submitted during open periods.

Here’s what participating homeowners can expect:

Ready to participate?

If you are a Proud Ground homeowner interested in these benefits, here’s how to get started: 

1. Attend one of our homeowner workshops: Learn more about the program and the benefits.
   • Upcoming workshop: Saturday, June 27th from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm at the Multnomah Central Library Community Room B (801 SW 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97205)—Register Here
2. Complete your Application: Submit your interest for selection into one of our program rounds.
   • Application Round 1 will be open 6/27/202 – 8/14/2026

Our Energize the Land Trust review committee will carefully assess all applications and notify selected homeowners.

Important Dates for Round 1 applications: Applications will open soon and will be accepted from June 26, 2026 through August 14th, 2026.

Submit your application here: Application coming soon

Building a Skilled Local Workforce

Energize the Land Trust is committed to fostering economic opportunity and building a robust local workforce. We are proud to create meaningful development opportunities for contractors and aspiring professionals from communities historically impacted by economic and social disparities, empowering them to keep their businesses competitive and establish strong career pathways. Through this collaboration with the Northwest Native Chamber, individuals and small businesses from our community will receive specialized training in building science fundamentals and acquire valuable building performance credentials. Download PDF about Northwest Native Chamber’s Building Analyst Training Program.

These newly trained professionals will have the opportunity to work on Energize the Land Trust projects, performing the energy audits and carrying out the energy-efficiency retrofits on Proud Ground homes. This hands-on experience, combined with educational training and mentorship, directly supports:

• Local job creation and economic growth in the greater Portland metro area
• The development of a skilled, diverse energy workforce
• Homeowners receiving high-quality, locally performed services

our Partners

We are thrilled to work alongside these incredible organizations dedicated to helping our community thrive.

Proud Ground is the largest Community Land Trust in the Pacific Northwest. They create permanently affordable homeownership opportunities using the land trust model to ensure multi-generational stability, particularly for families and individuals who have been historically excluded from the housing market. Learn more at proudground.org.

 

The Northwest Native Chamber is dedicated to transforming the economic landscape of Native and Tribal communities in the Northwest. They have extensive experience in conducting no-cost energy efficient retrofit work and providing contractor and workforce development training. Learn more at nwnc.org.

The Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (“PCEF”) is a program created by Ballot Measure 26-201 that was passed by Portland voters in November 2018. Measure 26-201 is the first time a Portland environmental ballot measure was created and led by communities of color. Measure 26-201 was adopted by ordinance as Portland City Code (PCC) Chapter 7.07 Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits.

The purpose of PCEF is to provide a consistent long-term funding source and oversight structure to address climate change in ways that advance social justice.

PCEF is a City Bureau of Planning and Sustainability program that funds projects and programs that both address climate change and advance social justice. Program grants can be used to fund clean energy, transportation decarbonization, green infrastructure, regenerative agriculture projects as well as workforce and contractor development to develop an inclusive and well-trained workforce and contractor pool in the field of clean energy.

Energize the Land Trust is supported entirely by funding from the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF), a program of the City of Portland. 

Learn more at https://www.portland.gov/bps/cleanenergy/about

Questions?

If you have any questions about the Energize the Land Trust, please reach out! 

For homeowner inquiries:

• Martin Cornejo Torres, Post-Purchase Stewardship Manager, Proud Ground, Martin@proudground.org

For workforce development inquiries:

• Jamie Allen, Workforce and Contractor Training Specialist, Northwest Native Chamber, Jallen@nwnc.org

ABOUT SPARK NORTHWEST

Spark Northwest works alongside communities to turn their clean energy goals into reality. For nearly twenty-five years Spark Northwest has worked at the local level to build equitable, affordable clean energy through energy programs and policy reform. We have facilitated the installation of over two megawatts of clean energy for community partners, catalyzing $42 million in locally-owned clean energy investments. Learn more at sparknorthwest.org.