Across Georgia, communities are proving that local climate action doesn’t have to wait for federal directives or perfect conditions. From Athens to Adel, neighbors, nonprofits, and faith leaders are finding innovative ways to make homes safer, energy bills lower, and communities more resilient, often with only a fraction of the resources they need.
That’s where Drawdown Georgia and partner funders come in. The Drawdown Georgia Climate Solutions & Equity Grants were created to empower historically under-invested communities to lead on climate solutions that improve lives right now. Supported by a unique cohort of Georgia-based family foundations, these grants have helped local organizations address some of our state’s most pressing energy challenges while centering equity, job creation, and public health.
This year, as federal programs become more limited or are even rolled back, these local efforts stand out as a reminder of what’s possible when communities lead. The following five grantees are advancing energy efficiency—one of the 20 Drawdown Georgia climate solutions—in ways that cut carbon emissions, reduce energy burdens, and strengthen Georgia communities.
Athens Land Trust: Building a Future of Efficiency and Equity
Athens Land Trust representatives met with staff from the Ray C. Anderson Foundation and Ghanta Family Foundation, both funding partners of the Drawdown Georgia Climate Solutions & Equity Grants.
In Athens, the Athens Land Trust (ALT) is reimagining what sustainable community development can look like. Through its Athens Energy Opportunity Project, ALT has expanded home repair, weatherization, and energy-efficiency improvements across the West Broad and North Athens neighborhoods—areas where many residents have lived for generations but struggled with high energy costs and aging homes.
ALT’s Young Urban Builders program provides local youth with paid, hands-on experience in sustainable construction, while improving the very neighborhoods where they live. The results are homes that are safer, more comfortable, and significantly more energy efficient, as well as new pathways to green-collar careers.
Thanks to support from the Drawdown Georgia funding collaborative, ALT can help more families address the costly home repairs that often prevent them from qualifying for state and federal weatherization programs—such as roof replacements and structural repairs— before new energy-saving systems are installed. For many longtime residents, that support has meant the difference between losing a home and keeping it.
As extreme heat and storms increasingly threaten Georgia’s older housing stock, ALT’s work is both deeply local and urgently relevant. These projects demonstrate how energy efficiency isn’t just about technology - it’s about keeping communities together and ensuring that climate progress benefits those who’ve historically been left behind.
>> Read more about the Athens Land Trust and the important work they are doing in the community.
Gwinnett Housing Corporation: Expanding Access to Clean Energy Opportunities
Ray C. Anderson Foundation staff visit grantee partners Gwinnett Housing Corporation (GHC), Georgia Hispanic Construction Association (GHCA), and Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA) at GHCA's office in Atlanta.
In Gwinnett County, a unique partnership between the Gwinnett Housing Corporation (GHC), the Georgia Hispanic Construction Association (GHCA), and the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA) is addressing a different kind of challenge: connecting federal funding and workforce development opportunities to the diverse, rapidly growing communities that need them most.
House District 98—the most diverse and under-resourced part of Gwinnett County—is 87% BIPOC, with more than half of its residents identifying as immigrants. Many live in energy-burdened households, spending a disproportionate share of their income on utility bills.
Through the Drawdown Georgia grant, GHC and its partners developed a roadmap to integrate multiple funding sources, including utility incentives and tax credits, into programs that make weatherization more accessible. They are also building training pipelines for minority contractors, creating new opportunities in the clean energy workforce.
By combining education, technical assistance, and resident engagement, this collaboration is laying the groundwork for systemic change. The lessons learned here could help other Georgia counties develop similar programs that reduce energy burdens, foster small business growth, and strengthen local economies, all while reducing emissions.
Green Team of English Avenue: Cooling Communities Through Tree Equity
Representatives from the Ray C. Anderson Foundation and Tull Charitable Foundation visit members of the Green Team of English Avenue.
In Atlanta’s English Avenue and Vine City neighborhoods, the Green Team of English Avenue (GTOEA) is taking a community-driven approach to restoring both the tree canopy and residents’ quality of life.
These historically Black neighborhoods were once vibrant and lush with green space, but decades of industrial pollution and redevelopment have taken a significant toll. When the EPA began removing contaminated soil from the Westside Lead Superfund Site, entire blocks of trees were cleared, leaving residents with higher temperatures, rising power bills, and increased health risks from heat exposure.
With funding from Drawdown Georgia, GTOEA and its partners launched the Westside Passive Cooling Tree Equity Partnership and Project. Their goal is to measure the impact of tree loss on residential energy efficiency and to co-design new tree-planting strategies that enhance both comfort and health.
By utilizing data from real-time temperature sensors and combining it with community knowledge, the team is developing a replicable model that other neighborhoods across Georgia can follow. It’s a powerful example of how energy efficiency can begin not with technology, but with nature, and how environmental justice starts by listening to the people who live closest to the problem.
Groundswell: Weatherizing Homes and Empowering Rural Communities
The Ray C. Anderson Foundation and the Ghanta Family Foundation visited with Groundswell in LaGrange, Georgia.
In Troup County, Groundswell is partnering with the City of LaGrange to bring energy-saving upgrades to residents who need them most. Through its Save On Utilities Long-term (SOUL) program, Groundswell employs a “Pay As You Save” approach, enabling homeowners to finance energy-efficiency improvements using the savings on their utility bills.
The Drawdown Georgia grant helped expand the SOUL program beyond LaGrange, improving homes across neighboring towns and even into Alabama. More than 100 homes have already been upgraded, many belonging to retirees and families who worked for decades in the region’s textile industry.
On average, participants have seen 30–40% savings on their energy bills, thanks to new HVAC systems, weatherization, and safety upgrades. Yet for every home completed, Groundswell encounters many others that can’t yet qualify for weatherization because of deeper structural issues such as leaky roofs, damaged floors, and outdated wiring. With some federal programs being scaled back, closing that repair gap is becoming harder.
Still, local trust remains the program’s greatest asset. Community leaders like Leon Childs, who doubles as a LaGrange city councilor and project advocate, help connect residents to resources with compassion and credibility. Each repaired home is a story of resilience—and a reminder that investing in energy efficiency means investing in people.
>> Read more about Groundswell’s energy-efficiency work in Georgia communities.
Concerned Citizens of Cook County and GIPL: Empowering Faith Communities in South Georgia
The R. Howard Dobbs, Jr. Foundation, the Ray C. Anderson Foundation, and the Reilly Family Fund visit with Concerned Citizens of Cook County.
Farther south, in the town of Adel, Concerned Citizens of Cook County (4C) and Georgia Interfaith Power & Light (GIPL) are working through Georgia’s communities of faith to tackle energy burdens and environmental injustice head-on.
Cook County residents have faced overlapping challenges, from industrial pollution to inconsistent utility billing after local cryptocurrency companies folded. Amid these hardships, three churches—St. James AME, Bethel Baptist, and Piney Grove Missionary Baptist—have become hubs of hope.
Through the Drawdown Georgia grant, 4C and GIPL helped these congregations complete free energy audits, identify cost-saving upgrades, and begin implementing efficiency improvements such as insulation, HVAC updates, and lighting retrofits. Each church is now expected to save 10–15% on its energy bills, freeing up funds for community programs and ministries.
These upgrades are just the beginning. The partners are now exploring how each church can serve as a future resilience center, equipped with solar and battery storage to provide power during outages. In a region still recovering from storms like Hurricane Helene, this work shows how faith, equity, and climate solutions intersect to strengthen communities from the inside out.
Join Us in Supporting Georgia’s Local Climate Leaders
Taken together, these stories illustrate a simple truth: real climate progress is happening right here in Georgia, led by people who know their communities best.
As federal funding becomes less predictable, the role of local philanthropy and individual giving grows even more critical. Each of these organizations is stretching every dollar to deliver long-term benefits, such as lower bills, cleaner air, safer homes, and new opportunities for the next generation.
This giving season, we encourage you to remember these organizations. Your support helps sustain the momentum of local climate action and ensures that these proven, equitable energy solutions continue to thrive. And if you want to help fund this work but need a little help deciding how best to do so, we would love to help!
Because when communities lead, Georgia moves toward a future that’s more just, resilient, and sustainable for us all.
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