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Portland’s Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) has awarded $64M to 60 new community-led climate projects. From green energy initiatives to urban greening and job creation, our grantees are driving impactful, local change and fostering a resilient, equitable future for our city.
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Portland is celebrating a major step forward in community-led climate action. The Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) has awarded more than $64 million to support 60 new community-led projects, a milestone that marks the program's fourth round of community grants.
Since the first community grant awards in 2020, each round of grant funding has helped spark ideas, create economic and job opportunities, and bring climate action to life in a way that benefits Portlanders. To celebrate how far PCEF has come, here are a few highlights from the more than 220 organizations it has supported through over 380 grants – each showcasing how PCEF investments are bringing these important projects to life.
Community Grants 2020 spotlight:
Portland Fruit Tree Project
With early support from PCEF, the Portland Fruit Tree Project expanded its efforts to share fresh, local fruit with neighbors who need it most. PCEF funding helped expand community orchards, deepen volunteer programs, and build connections across the city through harvesting and sharing food.
Power to the People PDX
PCEF funding enabled the African American Alliance for Homeownership to grow Power to the People PDX, a clean-energy program designed for households that have historically faced barriers to traditional energy-efficiency incentives. The program strengthens housing stability and gives families long-term control over their energy costs.
Community Grants 2021 spotlight:
DeRose Farm Project
DeRose Farm is a powerful example of healing and restoration. PCEF funding helped transform a site with a painful past into a place where people can learn, reconnect with land, and build community. The project blends food production, cultural storytelling, and environmental stewardship in a way that honors history and builds hope for the future.
Verde Builds – Ductless Heat Pump Program
Verde's ductless heat pump program used their PCEF grant to bring affordable, energy-efficient heating and cooling to households that face high upfront costs. By pairing incentives with community stewardship activities, the program helps families save money, improve comfort and livability, and access technology that would otherwise be out of reach.
Community Grants 2023 spotlight:
Morning Star and Depave
What began as a heat-trapping parking lot is now a thriving community greenspace. With PCEF's support, Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church and Depave removed pavement, restored natural areas, and created a cooler, more welcoming space for neighbors. It's a small project with a big impact, and it's a great example of how climate solutions can be both practical and joyful.
Northwest Native Chamber – Clean Energy Construction Program
With support from PCEF, the Northwest Native Chamber expanded its clean-energy construction program to deliver energy-efficiency upgrades to Native homeowners while developing technical career skills for Native contractors and small businesses. The project blended home retrofits with culturally specific workforce training, helping families lower energy costs, and supporting Native-owned firms as they grow Portland's clean-energy economy.
Looking ahead
This newest round of awards continues a growing legacy of community-driven climate investment. PCEF has already supported hundreds of organizations and projects, and these examples represent only a small part of the work unfolding across Portland. Each grant delivers long-due resources to communities that have experienced years of underinvestment. The impact is clear in cooler neighborhoods, healthier homes, stronger leadership, and programs that reflect lived experience. Every round of funding reveals the creativity and commitment within Portland's community organizations, and PCEF is proud to support their work.