Grantee Visit: Sustainable Georgia Futures

Our staff were able to meet with the founder, Adrienne Rice and her program manager, Ty Wilson, as well as other SGF staff members. We were also able to meet SGF four solar pre-apprentices and one of the instructors, Nicole Lee of Be Smart Home Solutions.  Fun Fact: Nicole is actually a partner in two of our other grants.

Sustainable Georgia Futures is an Atlanta-based nonprofit that works throughout the state, helping BIPOC communities grow and thrive in the green industry. They focus on five key areas: organizing, climate justice education, fellowships and workshops and trainings.

In 2023, SGF received a two year, $200,000 Drawdown Georgia Grant for 2024-25. The grant has allowed them to add capacity into their existing work with WeatheRISE Atlanta, a collaborative effort involving City of Atlanta, the National Association of Minority Contractors and Greenlink Analytics.

Additionally, the Drawdown Georgia grant has allowed SGF to try something new. They used grant funds to create a pre-Certification program for local residents of marginalized communities to access training and career opportunities in the solar energy sector. The first four pre-apprentices completed their initial 7-week introduction training on August 15th.

SGF created the program to meet the pre-apprentices where they are, and to ensure they have everything they need to succeed. They are paid to attend all of their classes, breakfast and lunch is provided, and they even have child care available to them. With their pre-apprentice tests completed and fully funded with the grant, the first cohort of apprentices will move into a six-month process of certification and on the job training, while continuing to be paid to do so, and they will continue to be supported with wrap around services, like childcare. Those services and the costs of their certifications with OSHA, IREC and NABCEP are paid for from the grant funds.

Over the next six months, each apprentice will have the opportunity to work alongside certified solar installers who are doing the same jobs, and working for the same companies that the apprentices want to work with upon completion of their training program. Companies participating in the training program include Be Smart Home Solutions, Sunpath Solar, and Infinite Energy Advisors.

The Drawdown Georgia grant to Sustainable Georgia Futures was funded by a collaborative of foundations with roots in Georgia. Funders for this project include: The Ray C. Anderson Foundation, The Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation, Reilly Family Fund, Tull Charitable Foundation, Ghanta Family Foundation and Atticus Fund.